Giving Thanks!

(Image courtesy of Lisa Rhinehart Photography: www.lisarhinehart.smugmug.com)

Whew! The summer-through-fall wedding season has drawn to a gentle close, and now we're enjoying a brief break in events while we busily plan for our bevy of beautiful 2011 brides! Things are never slow here at Glass Slipper, but now our attention turns from on-site management to the myriad details it takes to plan a gorgeous and completely smooth wedding. And we're already so excited about our upcoming weddings! We're looking forward to summery June brides and radiant autumn brides...casual beach weddings and elegant country club celebrations...beautifully simple affairs and colorful, complicated ceremonies.

While we're wrapping up the year and starting a new one, here are a few ideas we're currently loving:

1. Special first dances. Yes, you've probably seen the YouTube wedding videos with their crazy Thriller dances and breakdancing...but that doesn't mean you can't put something amazing together for your own reception! Whether it's an impromptu swing dance, a bollywood number, or just a unique little step that the two of you have practiced together, what better way to move into your new life together?

2. Unique buffet bars or stations. You've seen a pasta bar. But how about a mashed potato bar with all sorts of different flavors and toppings? Or a quesadilla station? Or crepes with everything from Nutella to brandy? No matter your favorite food, you can make it into a bar or food station and make people smile.

3. Ditching the old guest book. Instead of having a book, why not have your guests sign something more interesting? One of our brides made a painting of a bare tree, got green leaf stamps, and had everyone stamp their leaf and write on it...and now she can display it in her living room! Other ideas are plates, picture matting, posters, or even cards that you can hang on a pretty wire frame or tree.

A happy and healthy Thanksgiving to everyone from Rachael and Heather at Glass Slipper! :)

Is Autumn the New June?

Hello! We've had a whirlwind summer season, and we'll have more real wedding pictures and stories up soon. In the meantime, we're getting excited about our upcoming fall weddings.

The weather's been cool and breezy for the past few days here in New Jersey, and even though summer isn't over, it sure does feel like fall is in the air! We've been seeing a surge in September and October weddings recently, which brings beautiful autumnal colors, leaf decorations, pumpkins, and even some masquerade-style feathered masks and Halloween candy stations.

So, what are your favorite fall event ideas? Do you like reds and oranges? Burgundy velvets and black branch centerpieces? Or do you favor more of a country autumn decor, with straw bales, colorful leaves, and pretty pheasant feathers? Tell us your favorite color schemes or fall decorations below!

Pretty and Provocative Portraits

For many couples, photography is one of the most important aspects of their wedding day. After all, your entire day can go by so incredibly quickly, and it's wonderful to have gorgeous images of your wedding to look back at later. Photos also preserve all of the work, effort, love, family, and celebration for years to come, so you can share it together for the rest of your life and show it with future generations.

But wedding day photos aren't the only images you can invest in. Here are a few considerations for creating even more beautiful souvenirs of this time in your life.

1. Videography - Wedding videos today aren't like they were in the past. With new developments in editing and video capture, you can have a veritable "movie" made of your wedding day. Some videographers even shoot in HD, and they bring Hollywood-style equipment and lighting to get all of the angles, swoops, and cinematic touches that can make your wedding video look like something out of a silver screen love story. Plus, a good videographer can do it all unobtrusively, as well as work with the photographer to cover all of your most amazing moments.

2. Engagement Photos - Many photographers offer discounted engagement photos if you book your wedding with them, so take advantage and get creative! This is your chance to show off your personality, your humor, and your love - and since it's just the two of you with no distractions, sometimes these pictures can be even more artistic and heartfelt than your wedding day pics. Be yourself!

3. Boudoir and Pin-up Pics - What better way to surprise and delight your groom than to give him some sexy - but classy - pictures of you? Play the bombshell and glam it up...dress up in your loveliest lingerie or swimsuit and have a great time showing off those curves! You can either get these taken on your own, or even make it into a bachelorette party and have all of your girls get dolled up and do their own photo shoots. For example, we adore the girls at Pretty Things Productions. Bettina and Amy will show you how to make yourself into a real retro pin-girl and give you a glamorous photo shoot of your own! You can be sure that your husband-to-be will absolutely love his gift...and he'll be counting the hours until your wedding night.

(Article photo courtesy of Lisa Rhinehart Photography. Lisa is an amazing photographer and can be reached through her website above or at lrhinehart1@yahoo.com.)

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo!

Hello, all! Hope you're enjoying a beautiful and bountiful spring. We're in the midst of wedding season here at Glass Slipper, and we've been very busy fairies, indeed! Be sure to visit our portfolio for some new additions - and there are many more gorgeous weddings coming soon!

New for 2010 - we've updated our Weddings page to include sample Planning Packages with some very thematic titles.

Do you need a "Fairy Godmother" to wave her wand and bring your entire fairytale to life?

Would you like extensive help putting together all of your details and coordinating your "Happily Ever After?"

Do you have your story started, but you need someone to take your "Once Upon A Time" and make it shine?

Or, do you need a "Royal Advisor" to point you in the right direction and take away your stress?

What do you think about the new packages? Like the names? The descriptions? Finding yourself wishing for a fairy godmother for your wedding? Or do you know someone who might love to be a princess for her big day?

Let us know, and please pass us along! :)

Easy Being Green

In honor of Earth Day, here are a few tips to make your wedding beautifully green and environmentally responsible!

1. Donations - Instead of registering for gifts (or only for gifts), you can register for donations to your favorite nature-based charity or environmental organization. Or, give a small donation for each of your guests, and print up a pretty note in a frame as a favor.

2. Plantable invitations - Print your invitations (or menus, or programs, or escort cards) on paper with seeds imbedded inside. Guests can take them home and plant them for a lasting memento of your wedding!

3. Hemp clothing - Even wedding dresses can be made of natural hemp fiber: http://www.threadheadcreations.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=bridal

4. Local goodies - Try giving honey from a small local farm for favors, using bouquets of locally grown flowers from an organic farm, or hiring a catering company that uses local farm produce and then donating the leftover food.

5. Growing centerpieces - Potted plants or baby trees make beautiful centerpieces and decorations, and they won't die and go to waste the next day!

Day-of Coordinator = Fun Reception!

We saw a great article on The Knot a few days ago, so we thought we'd share it with everyone. It's called "10 Secrets to a Fun Wedding Reception." And guess what was the number one secret? That's right: hire a day-of coordinator! We couldn't have said it better ourselves! :)

http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/wedding-reception-planning/articles/10-secrets-to-a-fun-wedding-reception.aspx?MsdVisit=1

There are also a lot of other awesome tips for making your wedding less stuffy and cookie-cutter. We especially like the idea of having a belly dancer do a short, surprise show in the middle of the reception - if anyone wants to do this, we have plenty of dancer recommendations!

New Wedding Trend: Picnic Chic!

Every year brings new wedding trends and themes, and 2010 is no exception. One of the very hottest trends for this summer is called "Picnic Chic," and it is expected to make appearances at several upcoming celebrity weddings (including, it is rumored, the wedding of True Blood stars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer).

Picnic Chic is a new reaction against the traditional, elegant, lace-and-satin style of wedding. Here are a few of the major aspects of this theme:

1. Attire. Out with fussy dresses and long white trains. Picnic Chic brides are focusing on gingham and cotton in red-and-white napkin patterns for their gowns. Some are even adding BBQ-stained aprons with funny slogans like "Kiss the Cook" or "Mistress of the Grill." Mosquito netting serves for a beautiful veil, and instead of expensive flowers, Picnic Chic brides carry handfuls of dandelions and onion grass. Bridesmaids can ditch their satin dresses for Daisy Duke shorts and country blouses, and groomsmen can have a blast with dressing up in ant costumes and carrying away food on giant plates.

2. Food. To be truly Picnic Chic, you need to serve the messiest ribs and fried chicken, all slathered in sauce. The wedding cake should be made of Little Debbies or deep-fried Twinkies (or both!). Paper plates and plastic forks complete the look, and don't forget can cozies with off-color slogans to keep everything cold!

3. Seating. Forget chivari chairs and round tables. This year's trend is all about weathered picnic tables with peeling paint and rusty screws. Brides can borrow them from a nearby park or even rent them from new vendors such as Bucky's Backyard Bridal (www.BuckysBackyardBridal.com). Decorate with some checkerboard paper tablecovers and a few dandelions stuffed into beer cans for a classic look.

4. Entertainment. This is a case where the louder and less talented your band is, the better it fits! Ask around town for the high-school garage band with the biggest speakers and coolest name, and you're set. Alternately, pipe some old country music over half-broken outdoor speakers for some ear-splitting fun.

Wedding trends may come and go, but Picnic Chic is here to stay. At least until April 2nd, anyway.