Chatties… I’m going back and forth about a ceremony program..I know, as someone who comes from the hospitality industry I know we should have one at our church- its formal and a nice way to introduce the bridal party…but I also know everyone throws them out or leaves them on the church pews. My BM/personal graphic designer ( I think she’s seen enough of me these days!) is already working on well did the Save the Dates, the invites, now the rehearsal dinner invites, candy buffet signs/stickers, table place cards and table numbers…I don’t want to overload her nor do I want to spend more money at the print shop. Any suggestions??

Generations Cinemastories has kindly shared the day of Amy and Andrew with us. Take a peek at their highlights and also at their beautiful love story that has spanned the globe!

What started as a friendship during college led Amy and Andrew to a rock solid relationship that stood the test of time and distance. During their courtship the couple traveled together to Florida, California, New York City, and the country of Panama. Amy studied abroad in Spain and Andrew flew across the sea to travel the country with her. Andrew graduated and moved to San Diego as he was stationed there serving in the US Navy, but no matter, Amy quickly moved to California to be with him even though much of their time there was spent apart. Andrew was then deployed to the Persian Gulf and to Africa, but emails and phonecalls kept the two close, and their love grew stronger. Amy's sister was living in Italy and a trip to Tuscany seemed like the perfect place to propose. Andrew got down on one knee in the rain an a hill overlooking Florence, and Amy accepted. Swoon! Now, that's romance people!

A wedding on the Cape seemed like the perfect place, as the couple had summered there together and Amy had enjoyed many summers there with her family as well. The Chatham Bars Inn, just steps from the sand, was chosen for its relaxed vibe and beachside bonfires complete with s'mores.

Holding their wedding in the fall, autumn colors were used but highlighted with pops of purple, pink and green. Wine bottles were signed in lieu of a guest book, and the couple plans to open the bottles of wine on their 10th and 25th anniversaries and reminisce about their day together.

Take a peek at the fantastic wedding of Amy and Andrew!

Amy and Andrew from GENERATIONS cinemastories on Vimeo.

Hi Ladies,

So I know we have loads of DIYers on the site. I thought to post some pics of my stationary-related items that I created for our wedding. I created each using microsoft word and took everything to Kinko's (my official best friend for the previous 18 months leading up to the wedding!!!). Most items were photocopied/printed by their staff on Paper-Source Stardream metallic cardstock. Hint - in order for the cardstock to get through the copier you must ask them to use one of their color copiers (even if your job is black and white). It's the only machine that will take the heavy cardstock.

If anyone is interested in any of the templatesto tweak further just e-mail me at sakerele@hotmail.com. Only request is that you post your final product for us all to admire :-).

Here are a few pics of the final products.

The first is our welcome letter/wedding brochure which was a double sided, three panel folded brochure which gave the weekend itinerary, things to do in Newport and Narragansett insert, and restaurants in Narragansett. I worked really hard on researching things for the insert and it provides a brief description of major sites in Newport on one side and Narragansett on the other.

Hey Chatties,

I know I said I wasn't going to post any of me DIY, but in an effort to feel like I've been doing something substantial with my days at home besides going to the beach... I've got a few of my projects to share. Hope you like them! And this picture is of my great aunt on her wedding day, my gram is wearing the hat :-)

What to do with your eye makeup? Dressing up the eyes is the single easiest way to make a splash with your wedding day make up. Emphasizing your eyes will give you a dressed up look in photos and just a little something special to make you look like you, but better!

Stylist and Make Up Artist (and recent bride herself!!), Jennie Kay Murphy, gave me some tips on favorite products to emphasize the eyes. Not only has Jennie made up the faces of brides all over New England, she also has done make up and hair for movies, Broadway shows, runways, celebrities, and magazines. Don't be afraid of lashes either. Dramatic eyelashes won't look awkward in photographs, they will look sexy and chic!


Photo of Jennie Kay by Daniel Gagnon Photography .

There are soo many ways to bustle a wedding dress. My 12 foot train was a nightmare when trying to figure out how to bustle it but lucky it came out great and stayed! We had 3 buttons on the top part of the bottom of my lower part of the dress, right on the seam so we took the little loops and hung them on the buttons to bustle the dress. We also bustled my veil! You can see it below. :-)

So, I have been a really lazy Chatty. I've been reading and commenting but totally slacking on posting.

I have been working on lots of DIY projects (table numbers and card box to be blogged at some point once finished) and antique and consignment shopping but did manage to get the STD's out!!

We (really I) decided I really really HAD to have letterpress and so the STD had to be practical, informative, inexpensive and per Mr T NO couple photograph! Let me tell ya, finding a small magnet STD without a photograph was none too easy. But newandblue.com had something fun, simple and not too cheesy....and at less than $125 for 75 with envelopes, holders and postage it was a great deal! (sorry about the glare from the flash)

I'm sure some other Newport area brides can agree with me when I say that this was not as easy as it should be. The Room Block was by far one of the most difficult things to check off my list thus far.

Having a wedding in the Newport area during the summer? Good luck getting a room block your guests can afford....

Mr. Jersey and I will be getting married next July on a Friday night, and the majority of our guests will be coming from out of town. I looked at several places in Newport, figuring that our guests would really enjoy the area during their stay, but I hit a massive wall. I spent hours looking into different hotels and could not find anything that I could expect my guests to dish out. And all of the hotels had a two night minimum in place, which I didn't think was very fair to ask of our guests.

To make a long story short...at a nice hotel in Newport, our guests would have to spend about $1,000 to stay at the hotel for the required two nights (after taxes and parking). To stay at a not-so-nice hotel in Newport, our guests would have to spend about $500. My family and friends just don't have that kind of money, especially with the economy the way it is.

Luckily, I am from RI, so I was familiar enough with the area to expand my scope....this extended search led me to The Hampton Inn in Westport, MA.

So now that I'm a Mrs, like most other brides, I still find myself looking at wedding things. I have many friends who are engaged and getting married so we are constantly looking for inspiration. Our newest research and something I would have liked to do but ran out of time was put something on the doors of the church we got married in. We found some beautiful and interesting ideas. Are you doing anything to decorate your church?

Happy Bouquet Monday! We are viewing so many gorgeous bouquets and table arrangements here at Southern New England Weddings Magazine getting ready for our next issue that I'm overwhelmed with beauty. So a simple, classic bouquet ala Martha Stewart was just what Bouquet Monday called for. A huge clutch of pure white carnations tied with elegant black satin is simple and sweet, and nothing less than chic.

Is your bridal bouquet white or are you splashing it up with some color?