You know that your photographer will document the most important moments and details of your wedding, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun to relive the big day through the eyes of your guests. The very best way to do that is with a social media hashtag, which allows you to easily gather photos taken by family and friends. Martha Stewart Weddings has gathered five ideas that will get your guests excited to use your #hashtag throughout the ceremony and reception.
21 Ways to Make Your Wedding Feel More Modern from Martha Stewart Weddings
Photo: Rebecca Theresa Photography
There are few events with quite as many traditions as a wedding, but that doesn't mean you can't still make the day your own. If you're looking to plan a wedding with a classic structure but modern edge, know that you're not alone. Whether they're trying to appease older generations of family members who have strong opinions on what a wedding looks like or want to follow traditions they love but ditch others that don't work for them, plenty of couples are searching for ways to bring their big days into the 21st century. Here is a list of amazing tips straight from the wedding experts rounded up by Martha Stewart Weddings. PS: #12 is from our founder, Amy Nichols!!
15 of Napa Valley's Most Luxurious Spots for a Bachelorette Party from Martha Stewart Weddings
Photo: SF Shop Girl
Ready to relax with your ladies before "I Do"? If you'd prefer total relaxation to nightclubs and sunshine to casinos, sip back and relax at one of these Wine Country retreats rounded up by Martha Stewart Weddings.
15 Ways to Personalize Your Wedding from Inside Weddings
Photo: Melani Lust
From custom welcome boxes to a special first dance, we love when couples infuse their backgrounds into their big day. Your wedding is a day that celebrates your love...that's right, YOUR love, your unique, special, one-of-a-kind love, so let your wedding details show that off! Instead of hosting your loved ones for a party, take them on a journey of your story and share all of your favorite things with all of your favorite people. Click to read the full article from Inside Weddings.
How to Word Your Wedding Invitations from Martha Stewart Weddings
Photo: Aaron Cameron Muntz
Your wedding invitation is so much more than a piece of paper displaying the date, time, and location. It can truly showcase your wedding style. In this great article from Martha Stewart Weddings, you'll find examples of invitation styles and wording for each pairing.
How to Plan a Long-Distance Wedding from Inside Weddings
Photo: Samuel Lippke Studios
Are you planning a wedding in a different city from the one you live? Whether you’re having a hometown celebration or destination wedding, you’ll find that planning your nuptials from out of town adds an extra layer of difficulty. Of course, if the location is meaningful to you, it will probably be worth it in the end. Determining how to tackle this planning challenge will largely depend on your means, schedule, and the cooperation of your loved ones. With careful organization, you can have the wedding of your dreams, distance notwithstanding. Click to read the full article from Inside Weddings for some great tips. Or just contact The Poppy Group today for that final push at the finish line!
What to Do When a Wedding Vendor Is Advising You Against Something You Want from Martha Stewart Weddings
Photography by: Brandon Lata Photography
You've hired a great team and everything is going swimmingly until one of your vendors tells you they can't make your dream a reality. This is a more common dilemma than you might think, and it's a moment that's worth stepping back from and assessing the advice you're receiving. In this great article from Martha Stewart Weddings, they talk through what to do when a vendor is advising you against something you really want.
How (Not) to Announce Your Engagement from A Practical Wedding
Photo by: Vivian Chen
A Practical Wedding always has the best Letters to the Editor and we definitely suggest anyone that is newly engaged read this advice!
The Pros and Cons of a Big Bridal Party from Inside Weddings
Photograph by The Day Collective
A really large wedding party can be fun-filled or full of trouble. If you’re not sure whether you want to spread the love or keep things intimate, this pros and cons list for having a large wedding party from Inside Weddings may help you make your decision.
A Year-by-Year Guide to Traditional Wedding Anniversary Gifts from Martha Stewart Weddings
Photography: Nirav Patel
Regardless of how long you've been married, your anniversary is an occasion to celebrate. Whether it's one year of wedded bliss or a decade of holy matrimony, your spouse will truly love a gift that shows how much you care. If you want a helpful list, click here to check out Martha Stewart's slideshow on traditional and modern gifts year by year.
8 Tips for a Killer Cocktail Hour from Junebug Weddings
Photo by Amy Fanton Photography
The cocktail hour is such an important part of tying together the main events of your wedding day. It is all about allowing guests to mix, mingle, and relax. Not only will it tide your guests over until the reception dinner, but it helps everyone transition from ceremony mode to party mode. All it takes is a little creativity, a little thoughtfulness, and these tips to create an experience you and your guests will love. Click Here to Read 8 Tips for a Killer Cocktail Hour...
How to Make Your Single Wedding Guests Feel Included from Brides.com
Photo by Valorie Darling Photography
Our very own Amy Nichols (co-founder of The Poppy Group and owner of Amy Nichols Special Events) was recently quoted on Brides.com for a great article about ways to make your single guests feel included when your venue or budget can't accommodate plus ones! "'Don't relegate your single friends to a table that’s made up of all single people they’ve never met,” says Amy Nichols of Amy Nichols Special Events and Thumbtack Pro. Whether you serve the dinner plated or from unique food stations, seat single friends with others they may know or have heard about. “If you have a single friend from college, seat her with other friends she knows from school, regardless of whether those friends are also married or part of a couple,” says Nichols." Click here to read the rest of the tips!
Self-Care for the Seriously Stressed out Bride from Style Me Pretty
Photography by: Heidi Lau Photography
Has the wedding planning and decision making process have you stressed? Don't worry, you are not alone. Style Me Pretty is sharing an article about self-care for stressed brides and it is so good! The beginning of the article shares about wedding being a whirlwind, "Between booking a venue, managing your MIL, and all of the milestones and to-dos in between, any bride-to-be might get seriously stressed. But when all else fails (and it's ok if it does), try a few of these simple self-care tips to combat your nerves. You got this, brides!" Read the full article here.
7 Annoying Wedding Planning Tasks to Get Over With ASAP from the WeddingWire
Photo: Luma Weddings
Have you found a few wedding tasks annoying? You are not alone! While some are magical, like dress shopping with your girls, some are just boring. In this article written by Wedding Wire, they are sharing the most tedious and frustrating wedding tasks to get over with quickly. One example is, "Thinking about rounding up all their names and addresses into a living document that must be kept vigilantly up to date over the next year or so? Nightmare (for most of us, anyway). Still, the wedding wouldn’t be a wedding without guests (it’d be an elopement, which is totally an option, by the way), so you’d best get to the guest list sooner than later, because it’s a necessary evil." Read about the other 6 tips and how to check them off your list quickly, here.
The 5 Major Reasons You Should Hire a Wedding Planner
Photo by: Getty Images via brides.com
Are you thinking, "I don't need a wedding planner. Of course I know exactly what I want my wedding to look like so I can do it all myself." Or are you on the other end of the spectrum thinking, "I don't even know where to begin." This article from Brides.com will help explain why hiring a wedding planner will help you in so many ways! Read the full article here.
Plus-One Wedding Etiquette
Vogue recently did a fantastic article on Plus-One Wedding Etiquette - here are some of our favorite bits from the article.
As a rule of thumb, only married, engaged, and “serious” couples (say, they’re living together or have been together for a year or more) receive a plus-one.
For the wedding party, rules don’t apply. The rules about cohabitation, dating, and marriage go out the window for your wedding party. Not only does a happy wedding party make a happy couple, but allowing a bridesmaid to bring her new boyfriend, for example, is a small token of appreciation you can offer in exchange for her efforts and support.
Make it easy for singles. Draft a seating plan that fosters a comfortable dynamic for solo guests. For singles, there are fewer things more awkward than being sandwiched between an old married couple or a PDA-heavy pair. But creating a “singles-only” table could give off the impression you’re corralling your single pals. Instead, place them between outgoing and friendly couples who they’ll likely get along with. That’s sure to create a more communal feel to the event, and it’ll help them meet people organically.
Heard of Floravore? Direct to Consumer Bridal.
Floravere is a new direct-to-consumer bridal brand that will send you up to three dress samples by mail. The idea is that you can try them on in the privacy of your own home and avoid all the pretension of high-end bridal salons. Each “bride box” comes with a measuring tape and dress clips, plus favors like champagne gummy bears if you want to make a thing out of it with your friends or bridal party.
Floravere can make custom dresses up to a size 24. Gowns will arrive between ten and 15 weeks after they’re purchased; to compare, turnaround time for a regular custom gown could take a minimum of six months and require several in-person appointments.
For the Gilmore Girls fans out there, there's even a dress named after Rory Gilmore herself!
The H. Golightly
9 Things You Shouldn't Expect Your Wedding Planner to Do For You
We're over on Brides talking about the things you shouldn't expect your wedding planner to do for you!
The Worst Wedding Planning Advice Ever, According to Actual Wedding Planners
From the second you get engaged, it seems like everyone has advice to share about planning a wedding. Whether they're currently engaged, happily married, have walked down the aisle more than once, or are totally single, everyone has something to say! And — fair warning — not all of that advice is very good. The best sources for planning advice are the experts themselves, but even wedding planners get an earful of tips you should really forget. We've shared some of the worst wedding planning advice we've ever heard on Brides — and even shared tips on what you should do instead.
7 Things That Should NEVER Be Said in a Wedding Toast
Photo Credit: Sarah Peet Photography
Wedding toast givers, we get it: There's a lot of pressure to spin the perfect speech. What should be left out? Read our answer over on Brides regarding seven things that should never make it into a wedding toast.