"Losing" your best friend to married life can be a tough pill to swallow — many fear their friendships will never be the same again. High school sweethearts Brittney and Kody decided to poke fun at this idea by including Kody's best friend, Mitch, in their humorous engagement photo:
Hi everyone! The next wedding-planning project I'm working on is our engagement shoot. Our lovely friend Valerie offered to take the photos for us shortly after we got engaged, but my fiancé Gray and I decided to wait until this fall to do them. No one (and by that, I mean me) looks happy and pretty in Florida’s summer weather.
Since our wedding photographer lives five hours away from us, near our ceremony/reception site, we decided to not do engagement photos with her. It was simply too difficult to manage the scheduling aspect of it. But working with our friend has been super fun.
Val and I brainstormed ideas with Gray’s occasional input or veto. I knew I wanted it to be more natural and casual, as opposed to a staged or formal look. That just didn't seem like Gray or me. Here are some factors we decided to keep in mind that have helped with the brainstorming process:
1.Wear comfortable clothes.
Sure, you want to look nice. But, if a ballgown isn’t your everyday style, why wear it in an engagement photo? I'd love some "normal" shots of us walking downtown or in a park near our house. I've also seen some friends from my Penn State days take really cute photos wearing PSU sweatshirts while walking around the campus or tossing a football.
Val came up with the idea to do an outfit change so that we'll have photos where we're slightly dressed up, but we'll also have ones where we're wearing jeans and nice shirts. Nothing too fancy, but I thought that was more "us."
Recently I had the honor of being on the judging panel for the 7th annual bridal gown design competition from New York City’s High School of Fashion Industries (HSFI) in partnership with Kleinfeld Bridal. The incredibly talented students, all from the junior class, created beautiful gowns that highlighted their creativity and design skills.
Photo Credit: Brian Dorsey Studios / Created by: Tantawan Bloom
For nine years I’ve had the honor to participate as a judge in the bridal gown design competition from New York City’s High School of Fashion Industries (HSFI) in partnership with Kleinfeld Bridal. Every year the incredible junior year students from HSFI amaze us with their creativity, passion and talent—and this year was no different. For all of us on the judging panel having to select one winner seemed nearly impossible.
No, this is not fake news.
Creating a gift registry is one of the most fun parts of planning your wedding, and cooking and bakeware pieces are must-haves for any list. You can use your registry to stock up on sets of essential pots and pans or add new items you've been wanting to your current collection. Plus, it gives you the opportunity to envision how you and your fiancé will entertain together in your new home.
You survived the wedding planning, you pulled off a gorgeous wedding, and now you’re off to Miami to enjoy the 3 S’s of a successful beach-themed honeymoon: sleep, spas and lots of sunsets!
Looking for a gorgeous gown? Inspiring reception ideas? Savvy planning advice? Our July/August issue has everything you need to plan a fabulous wedding with ease.
Bridal fashion is especially romantic this season as ethereal lace dresses take center stage.
Featured: Finest Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
