Wedding Expert Advice

It can be hard to keep up with all the new blogs and websites popping up for brides to utilize in their wedding planning , but one website has not only proven enormously helpful, but also ridiculously addicting. We refer, of course, to the productivity vacuum known as Pinterest.

If “pinning” hasn’t become part of your vocabulary, it should be. It is right up there now with “Google it” and “tweeting.”  And for anyone who can use some visual inspiration, it’s essential.

Written by Jen Leiti and Photo by Amy Daring

Are you one of the many brides guilty of having an addiction to “pinning”? Are you finding yourself on inspiration overload? For many brides and grooms, the abundance of creative ideas out there can be quite overwhelming! With so many ideas to incorporate into a single event, how are you supposed to narrow them down to a design concept that is fresh, innovative and personal without overdoing the details? Here are some tips I share with my brides to help them come up with the perfect concept.

Having an eco-friendly wedding doesn’t mean sacrificing style or elegance. Here are a few ways to make your wedding greener — but no less refined — while saving a good bit of money along the way.

By Marianna Barbrey

INVITATIONS

Purchase invitations made from 100 percent recycled paper, partially recycled paper or postconsumer products. And consider minimizing the actual amount of paper used by eschewing paper liners or second interior envelopes. This will not only cut down on costs but also reduce waste.

What's new in greetings, gifts, bouquets, catering - and everything else

By Marianna Barbrey and photography by Mark Staff

GROOM/GROOMSMEN ATTIRE

The black and white tuxedo is still the quintessential wedding look for grooms and groomsmen, but classic doesn't have to be boring. Many grooms are personalizing their looks with simple touches that show off their personalities, like having the wedding date or the bride-to-be's initials stitched onto their shirt cuffs, or giving their groomsmen bright argyle socks to wear with their tuxes and special sunglasses to don immediately after the ceremony or when entering the reception. HaIR Let your hair down, ladies.

Here's the dream.
You and your groom are exchanging vows beneath a blue sky on a hilton head island beach, set against the intoxicating backdrop of a gentle sea breeze, the rolling surf and a gorgeous sunset.

Any bride or bride-to-be can tell you that planning a wedding is an overwhelming task. Fortunately for today’s brides, the ever-growing selection of iPhones, iPads, Androids and smartphones can quickly ease the task of researching, planning and organizing the biggest day of your life.

Here are a few apps worth checking out:

iWEDDING DELUXE

$9.99
A complete planner that features to-do lists, budgeting help, a guest list creator, invitation tracker, seating planner and more. Also offersTwitter and Facebook integration.

A lot can happen in two years, and a lot of things can change. Just ask Jessica Martin Finlen, whose May wedding didn’t exactly go off without a hitch.

“We dragged out the engagement way too long, enough to make anybody crazy,” Jessica said, laughing. “There were a lot of little glitches, to the point we were like, ‘Let’s just go to Vegas or Mexico or anywhere.’ ”

For starters, Jessica’s original venue backed out five months before the wedding. When she visited the site to discuss placement of the tables and DJ, the person in charge was nowhere to be found. Luckily, her father stepped in to save the day. “My dad worked at Sun City for like 10 years. And it just popped in his head, ‘What about Riverbend?’ ” she said. “It’s a beautiful long dock out to the water.”

Article By Marianna Barbrey

Photography by 33 Park

Attendant Gifts

The best attendant gifts are functional but personal — and you can accomplish both with monogramming. For a winter wedding, monogrammed pashminas are functional keepsakes that look great in pictures. For a destination wedding at the beach, a monogrammed towel won’t be lost and will stay helpful hroughout the weekend and the rest of the season. Other ideas include monogrammed picture frames, jewelry boxes, tote bags (for the wedding weekend) and stationery.