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Whimsical Garden Centerpieces

Few things are as beautiful and economical as an outdoor garden party. Just place some tablecloths on picnic or fold-up tables, hang a couple of paper lanterns or white streamers from the trees, and create these beautiful garden centerpieces to mimic the outdoors:

garden centerpiece

Sounds easy enough, right? Don't worry, it is!

Materials:
Glass vase
Fountain stones
Silk flower buds
Silk flower pre-made bouquet

Directions:

Step 1: Use a glass vase similar to this one found for $3.99 and fill the vase a quarter of the way with fountain stones. I found the vase and stones at save-on-crafts.com.

step 1

You'll Never Guess What These Flowers Are Made From

We took a quick poll of our dear Facebook and Twitter followers the other day asking: Are fake flowers a do or a don't? 60% of you said they are a do!

But we have a feeling the naysayers didn't have these in mind... One of our Facebook fans recommended Keepsake Blossoms (thanks Becca!), and now we're totally obsessed. These gorgeous flowers below are made entirely out of clay.

keepsake blossoms

 

 

Isn't the attention to detail here just incredible? As you can imagine, it's a time-consuming process—making just one flower can take seven days. So if you're planning on ordering bouquets, centerpieces, or even all of your wedding flower needs, it's recommended that you place your order at least a month and preferably up to six months in advance.

The best part: The cost for a bridal bouquet isn't much more than you'd pay for a floral bouquet—prices start at $300 and depend on the kinds of flowers, colors, size of the arrangement, and complexity. But it's well worth the cost, since it also gives you a beautiful keepsake after the big day. Also available: Hair flowers for around $25 and hairpieces for $50.

What do you think: Would you consider using clay flowers?

—Kristen O'Gorman Klein

How to Book a Fairy Tale Honeymoon

kate frederickAs founder of the fabulous trip-of-a-lifetime exclusive Ever After Honeymoons travel agency, Katie Frederick has planned more than 150 unique romantic getaways. She recently started working with Mindy Weiss, celebrity wedding planner to the stars. Katie gave us her tips on how to use a travel agency and spilled the secrets on her favorite destinations.

Bridal Guide:  Why should a couple use a travel agency, such as Ever After Honeymoons?
Katie Frederick: With so much information available online, it can be really overwhelming to decide where to go and where to stay. I make that process much more simple by providing custom options to fit a couple’s needs and desires. I streamline the decision-making and provide them with the best pricing options. I also create individualized itineraries. So, for example, if a couple says they want to be completely secluded and just relax, or if they want to be super active and adventurous, I will suggest the best destinations that fit what they want. Ever After Honeymoons is known for helping clients select the right destination, the right hotels, and is always available to help couples anytime before, during or after their honeymoon.   

What Will Kim Kardashian, Jessica Simpson, and Kate Hudson Wear?

Avant-garde bridal couture designer Rani Totman of St. Pucchi knows a thing or two about designing high-profile gowns—she designed Phoebe's gorgeous wedding gown on Friends, after all! So when she sent us her predictions for what Kim Kardashian, Jessica Simpson, and Kate Hudson will wear on their wedding days, we immediately took notice. Check out her amazing sketches!

Kim Kardashian

"One reason we all love Kim is that she is never afraid to show off her curves," said Totman. "It’s no question Kim will opt for a mermaid gown to accentuate her curvaceous figure." She also expects to see Kim to channel Old Hollywood by donning a long train and lots of embellishments on the bodice.

kim kardashian wedding gown

 

Kate Hudson

"Kate Hudson loves to show skin, but always leans toward a boho chic style," said Totman. She expects a plunging neckline or open back dress in a slimming design, plus plenty of intricate detailing.

kate hudson wedding gown

 

Jessica Simpson

Jessica is a fun-loving girl, and we're sure her dress will reflect that. But her dress will also be elegant and somewhat traditional. Rani predicts she'll highlight her curves in a mermaid style strapless gown. "The boning and corset style structure of the dress would provide a slimming effect to her 5'3" frame," said Totman.

Creative Way to Preserve Your Wedding Flowers

When you're spending hundreds (even thousands) of dollars on flowers, it can be hard to justify tossing them in the trash at the end of the night.

Here's a unique idea to give your flowers new life after the wedding—have them turned into a custom painting by sending them to Flowers Into Paintings!

How it works: Ship your flowers to the company as soon as possible after the wedding (within 10 days), following their tips on how to ship and keep your flowers fresh. They'll then dry and press the flowers, preserving them so that they can be incorporated into a beautiful painting.

Check out some of the gorgeous paintings that have been made:

flowers into paintings

 

 

 

However, a custom painting doesn't come cheap: The smallest size (12x16) costs $300. But for a personalized piece of art with such a significant meaning behind it, many couples think it's worth the cost.

Disagree? Here some other ideas to give your flowers second life that are easier on the wallet:

Donate Them: Use your flowers to brighten someone else's day by donating to a nursing home or hospital. While some hospitals may not accept them due to allergy concerns, others are even willing to  pick them up from your reception venue, so call around to see if any locations near your venue would be willing to take them.

Amazing Harry Potter-Inspired Weddings

We're obsessed with these two amazing Hogwarts-inspired weddings! Pulling off a theme wedding is difficult — especially when it comes to Harry Potter. There's a fine line between classy and looking like an 8-year-old's birthday party. But these two weddings fall firmly on the side of classy. Check them out!

Christine and Andy's Wedding

The first, courtesy of Geoff White Photographers, features a couple that actually met because of Harry Potter! Christine and Andy met online through a post about Harry Potter news, so it seemed only natural for their wedding to be influenced by the series.

Steals and Deals: Free Honeymoon With Purchase

taj boston grand ballroomAttention, all you Beantown brides (and very smaht Red Sox fans): How would you like to get a fabulously luxurious honeymoon stay for free? That’s right, I’m talking zip (as in the number of rings those damn Yankees have garnered in more than a decade). Well, there is a bit of a catch—but it’s an equally posh one. All you need to do is host your wedding at the Taj Boston—you know, it’s that gorgeous hotel on Newbury Street and the Public Gardens.

 

Wedding-Worthy Nail Polish from Kardashian Kolors

khloe and kourtney kardashian OPI nail polish
Keeping up with the Kardashians' nail trends? Nicole by OPI has announced its Kardashian Kolors collection inspired by all six stylish Kardashian/Jenner women—Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Kendall, Kylie, and Kris. We love the diversity of color in the collection, which ranges from sparkly brights to neutral taupes and grays.

Check out Khloé and Kourtney sporting their namesake shades, Khloé Had a Little Lam-Lam and Kourt is Red-y for a Pedi, when they launched the collection in NYC!

Here at BG, we can't help but wonder: Will Kim be wearing Kim-pletely in Love, a pretty pale pink shade, on her wedding day? We love the idea of ditching the traditional French manicure for a pop of color. Try one of these lovely lacquer shades from the collection (our favorites!):

nicole by opi kardashian kolors

 

Left: Kim-pletely in Love is ideal for a romantic bride who wants to play up feminine, ethereal colors and details.
Center: It's All About the Glam is a subtle yet chic option for the bride who wants her nails to be as shiny and white as her pearls.
Right: Kourt is Red-y for a Pedi is a striking color against a white gown, perfect for the classic bride with red lips to match. 

Genius Way for Your Guests to Share Candid Photos

wedding guest taking picture

Your guests will likely be snapping away on their digital cameras all night, much to the chagrin of some photographers. But you can't beat the instant gratification of seeing your friends and family members posting pictures from your wedding online the very next day. And let's face it, even the best photographer can't catch every moment.

A lot of your guests will naturally upload the pictures to Facebook, but album privacy makes it difficult for all guests to see the photos—the default option typically makes albums visible to "friends only," meaning that if your aunt isn't friends with your BFF, she can't see the pictures.

Your wedding will bring together people from many different segments of your life, and it's practically impossible that they'll all be Facebook friends with each other. After my wedding, I had to specifically request that some of my friends make their albums visible to "friends of friends" so that my relatives could see their pictures, too.

But think about your network—making your photos visible to "friends of friends" can essentially make them visible to thousands of people, which you may not feel too comfortable with!

And who needs that extra step anyway? A better option: Arrange a password-protected site before the big day and ask your guests to upload their photos there. Print out small cards for each place setting—the size of a business card—with the URL and login information.

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