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So Much For So Little
Posted on August 10th, 2010
Wedding rules have become very loose and forgiving in today’s world. But a little tradition can go a long way. Mom’s and Grandmother’s play such an important role in our lives. Why not pronounce this on the day of your wedding. Everyone likes to receive flowers… They make you smile and feel special. Go ahead and show your appreciation for their support and love.
I gave this corsage to my Grandmother for my nieces’ wedding. I can’t tell you just how happy it made her to receive it. She’s 93 and wears it every day. It took so little to give her so much.
Do you have a special person in your life who’s day you can brighten up?
Posted by: Mary Baum
Mary, owner of the The Silk Canopy specializes in creating spectacular arrangements using eternal botanicals. She always says that the 3 most important elements of a good arrangement are “Design, Balance and Color”.
Posted by thesilkcanopy in FlowersAre Weddings Recession Proof?
Posted on August 4th, 2010
In case you missed the previous discussions in my Cross-Blog Conversation with Ashley of Bride on a Budget, here they are:) So far we’ve discussed:
Cash bars:
Trash or Treasure the Dress:
So now it’s my turn to pick the next topic and I was inspired by a recent story on CNN about a couple who held their wedding in a bowling alley. The articles talk about weddings and saving money in a bad economy – it’s a good read. What caught my attention was one particular line in the article:
Rebecca Dolgin, executive editor at The Knot.com, said weddings are recession proof.
So here is my question(s) for you Ashley – do you agree? Are weddings recession proof? Did the current ecomony effect your wedding budget and planning process and have you seen it having any effect on other brides?
Watch for Ashley’s answer on Bride on a Budget and then I will be back to weigh in
Grand Slam
Posted on August 4th, 2010
It’s a rare day, but every once in a while I get a Groom who actually has something to say about the floral arrangement. She wanted a bold splash of color and he simply had to have Baseball! The challenge – how do I satisfy her desire for something elegant and his dream of having a baseball themed wedding. Never being the kind to walk away from a challenge, I stepped up to the plate, choked up on the bat and knocked this one out of the park! Let me know what you think.
Posted by: Mary Baum
Mary, owner of the The Silk Canopy specializes in creating spectacular arrangements using eternal botanicals. She always says that the 3 most important elements of a good arrangement are “Design, Balance and Color”.
Posted by thesilkcanopy in Flowers, Sports Themed WeddingsDIY Marshmallow Fondant
Posted on July 29th, 2010
UPDATED:
Today I had a chance to try making this Marshmallow fondant myself so I thought I would post a quick update and repost this. The fondant actually tasted quite good. VERY VERY sweet (its sugar and marshmallows after all) so you probably don’t want to eat to much at once, but since it’s just a thin layer over the cake – it’s not bad at all. The fondant was fairly easy to make (though it gets to be quite thick which makes it quite the workout for your hands lol) and was very easy to work with once it was made as well.
For those who want to know – here is what I was making. It’s a zoo themed birthday cake for a friend’s son and the hills are covered with the pale green marshmallow fondant that I made.
ORIGINAL POST
Fondant is a popular choice for wedding cakes because of the smooth, clean look it creates but it doesn’t usually win much praise in the taste department. Marshmallow fondant is a great alternative that you may like better taste-wise. Check out the Austin Wedding Blog for a great DIY tutorial for making your own marshmallow fondant!

Are you planning to have fondant or buttercream for your wedding cake?
Posted by Crystal in DIY Weddings, Wedding Cakes
Photobook Review & Giveaway
Posted on July 29th, 2010
I was recently approached by Lulu.com and asked to review their Photobook services and give one away (that’s coming up – so keep reading). I am somewhat familiar with Lulu – I have friends who have used Lulu.com to self-publish their writing for quite some time already – but was not aware that they had added Photobooks to their selection. The timing worked out nicely as I had not yet ordered a photobook from my own ceremony yet
I received my photobook last week and have been showing it off to EVERYONE lol. So now it’s your turn – first some pictures, then I will give you my thoughts on the process and the book itself:)
Photobook arrives – it’s like Christmas in July

The Book & Cover

Some Of My Favorite Pages


Pricing:
I’m a pretty budget savvy person so one of the first things that caught my attention was the price. Lulu.com Photobooks start at $9.99 for a soft cover, 20 page book and $19.99 for a hard cover, 20 page book. Very budget friendly!
Sizes and Templates:
I really like the range of options that Lulu offers for their ebooks. My particular book is an 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 square book. I am a huge fan of square albums (its the scrapbooker in me lol) and its generally a more expensive option when it is offered which isn’t often. I really like that this size/shape was available for the same price. Other sizes included 8 1/2 x 11, 9 x 7, 5.25 x 3.5 (guest book album?) and 3.75 x 2.5 (brag books for grandmas?).

Lulu.com also offers a great selection of templates that you can use depending on your preferred style: classic, modern, romantic, vintage, nature inspired, etc. Now – I am a graphic designer and I had already designed the pages for my album so I choose full photo templates for each page and then uploaded my own designs as a photo for each page and for the cover. I love that flexibility – you can use one of their templates if you wish – or if you have some graphic design or digital scrapbook ability you can design your own pages like I did. Just make sure you respect the bleed areas.
Building a Photobook:
I found the Photobook creator very easy to use. You can upload pictures from your computer or from your albums on Flickr, Facebook, etc. You then choose the layout you want to each page (one picture, two pictures, three pictures, text boxes, etc) and drag and drop your photos into their spaces. You can save your progress and come back to it late if you need to until you are ready to publish.
Show off and/or sell your Photobook!
The neat thing about Lulu is that it’s both a self publishing company AND a bookstore. You can create your books there and sell them through the website. You set the prices you want to charge and when a book is purchased, Lulu prints and ships directly to the customer. This feature is great for photographers who want to offer their brides affordable, flexible album options. You create the album and set your price. The bride and her family can order as many copies as they wish whenever they wish.
There are a few different options you can pick when you publish. You can choose to keep the album private (so only you can order it). You can also choose to have your book available by link only. This means you can give the link to friends and family so they can preview and purchase a copy if they want. I choose this option – not because I want family to buy my book – but because then family and you guys can go see the preview (Click here to check it out lol). This option keeps your book from being included in their public database – which is the third option if you have a book you want made available to purchase for the general public.
Quality
I am quite happy with my photobook. I choose a hardcover book and it is quite sturdy. It’s only 20 pages thick so it kind of reminds me of a child’s hardcover picture book lol – nice and sturdy. (Yes, you can add more pages as well). I was impressed by the color quality as well – the pages were crisp and clear and the colors were bright. My photos came out looking gorgeous on each page.

GIVEAWAY – GET YOUR OWN PHOTOBOOK!!!!
So – we’re going to give away a photobook to one lucky reader! You can use it to create a wedding album or an album showcasing your wedding planning process (showers, parties, etc), your honeymoon, or whatever you wish. You will be able to choose your size, hard cover or soft cover and up to 20 pages at no cost. Giveaway Ends August 4th at midnight EST.
Here’s how to enter:
Sign up for our newsletter in the sidebar – all newsletter subscribers will automatically be entered to win!
You can also earn additional entries by Twittering our giveaway. Send your tweet @CrystalUnrau to ensure that your extra entries get counted!
Posted by Crystal in Giveaways & Contests, Photography, Real WeddingsDOTW: Bari Jay 69934
Posted on July 28th, 2010
Dress Of The Week is a weekly feature where we highlight a designer gown that we LOVE and that you can buy for under $500.

For this week’s Dress Of The Week I picked a fantastic gown from Bari Jay (Style #69934). It’s a very unique style with a lot of detailing from the ruffled bodice with rosettes to the tiered mermaid skirt. I know this particular style won’t be for everyone – but I love it. I also love that you get all that detail with a dress that retails for less then $400 and you can get it on sale for $280 from TJ Formals.
My DIY Bridal Hair
Posted on July 28th, 2010
One of the things that we did to save money when we renewed our vows last year was to do our own hair/makeup. To be honest – I prefer to do my own makeup so it wasn’t much of a sacrifice lol. For my hair, I picked a style that I knew I could accomplish myself. I choose this style because it was simple and sophisticated and could easily be dressed up with a little bling. The hair is blow dried over a round brush and back combed to to create a somewhat vintage look. The headpiece that I used cost me about $10. I bought the hair clip from Etsy and the satin ribbon from a local dollar store and then created it myself.

If you’re thinking about doing your own hair – my advice is this:
- Pick a style that you can handle, that makes sense for your hair
- Practice! I actually wore my hair in a similar style for a few events earlier that year just so I could be sure that I could make it look like I wanted and that it would stay all day long.
Martha Stewart has a feature in her Summer 2010 issue showcasing these DIY styles with photo instructions that might be inspirational as well.

Trash or Treasure
Posted on July 27th, 2010
In case you missed it, last week my cross-blog conversation with Ashley of Bride on a Budget ventured onto the ever-sensitive topic of alcohol and cash bars. If you missed it, check out these links:
Crystal’s Opinion on Cash Bars
This week it was Ashley’s turn to pick a topic and she asked me:
In case you haven’t seen this hot photography trend – a trash the dress session is a photo session where the bride puts on her wedding gown and has glamour shots done in unique, unexpected locations. The most common location is the beach – with brides rolling in the sand and lounging in the water – but other locations have included back alleys, dumps, car wreckage yards, theme parks and deserts just to name a few
Personally – I LOVE trash the dress photography. I get that some brides can’t handle the idea of doing that to their dresses. But realistically, chances are you aren’t ever going to use it again and the photos you will get from the session will be unforgettable keepsakes that you can display proudly – while your dress sits in a back closest in a box where no one will ever see it anyway.
Do I think the wedding dress is sacred? No – I don’t. I think that wedding vows and marriage are sacred. Everything else is just icing on the cake. If you wear a paper bag – does that make your wedding somehow less sacred? No – the dress is just ornamentation. Don’t get me wrong – I think every bride should look and feel amazing on her wedding day and a dress is part of that. But to call it sacred seems to take away from what is really sacred about that special day in my opinion.
Should you trash your dress? Well – I am. I have an appointment later this summer lol. I can’t wait. Should you? If its something that appeals to you and you would enjoy – do it! Don’t worry about the dress! You’ll never wear it again anyway. After all- you just vowed to spend FOREVER with your guy right?
So Ashley – what’s your thoughts?
Posted by Crystal in Blog ConversationsYellow Tulips – “Hopelessly and utterly In-Love”
Posted on July 27th, 2010
I really love this bouquet. In a world where everything seems to be overdone, this bouquet strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and elegance. I think that’s what I love about it.
I also enjoy the story my bride tells about it. Apparently, the bouquet was so real looking that the caterer decided to put in a vase of water. Oh… I forgot to mention… they’re artificial… or as I like to call them “Eternal Botanicals”.
Posted by Mary Baum
Posted by thesilkcanopy in FlowersMary owns The Silk Canopy and specializes in creating spectacular arrangements using eternal botanicals. She always says that the 3 most important elements of a good arrangement are “Design, Balance and Color”.
DOTW from the Divine Collection
Posted on July 22nd, 2010

This week’s Dress of the Week comes for the Divine Collection (Style D602) from Elegant Gowns. I love the detailing on this dress – from the tiered ruffled skirt to the lace accent bodice and the floral accent. It’s a gorgeous, unique design but still romantic and feminine. Oh – and did I mention it’s $399? Not kidding! LOVE LOVE LOVE this one. This gown is considered an informal style because it does not have a train but Elegant Gowns does offer customization on many of their styles so you may be able to have a train added if you prefer a more formal look.












