Something New
Get Your Pinterest On With Studio Blue
Did you know that Studio Blue is on Pinterest? It’s true! And we’re in love.
In case you are one of the few people not on Pinterest, it’s is a great way for brides to share inspiration in the form of visual (and virtual) boards. Studio Blue’s Pinterest boards have a ton of inspiring, real-wedding photos that include creative portrait ideas, flowers, ideas for military weddings and more. Plus, you can pin inspiration straight from our blog with the Pin It button found below each picture.
Pinterest still has a waiting list to join, so if you want to sign up, you have to wait to get an account. But, as a thank you to all our wonderful brides-to-be, you can skip to the front of the line with our exclusive invitation! Like us on Facebook (if you do not already), send us a message and we’ll send you an invite to join right away.
Once you are on, it’s easy to start pinning (and even easier to get addicted). We want to keep you inspired, so follow our boards and take a look at all the pretty wedding photos we’ve been pinning.
Even though we are busy adding beautiful photos to our boards, we want to know what YOU would like to see in your Pinterest feed. Feel free to leave a comment below or on our Facebook page, and let us know what detail you can’t get enough of for your wedding. You may even see yourself featured on our boards. Happy Pinning!
Plan the Perfect Military Wedding on a Budget
If you’re planning a military wedding, chances are you’re on a tight budget and timeline. Not to fear! We here at Studio Blue have seen many beautiful military (and civilian) weddings pulled off without a lot of time to spare and without breaking the bank. We know all too well that schedules change or deployments come out early, so it’s nice to have someone on your side that can move with you every step of the way.
We also realize that not only is it our duty to provide stunning wedding photography for our bravest brides, but also to share some of those creative tips we learned from beautiful budget weddings past on how to plan your fairytale wedding while still saving money.
Location, Location, Location!
One perk of being a military couple is that you can hold your wedding on a base. Many bases have wonderful beaches and beautiful gardens and the best part is that you can use them (mostly) free of charge.
Maybe someone you know (or even someone they know) has a large backyard or access to a clubhouse that can be rented for a small fee. This can be an excellent blank slate where you can add your own personal touch, get creative with the décor and still save…that’s right, money!
Make it stylish (and affordable!) and get married at the courthouse. You can still incorporate traditional military elements into your service, just with a smaller wedding party and guest list.
If you’re envisioning a more traditional ceremony, you can ask a military chaplain to perform the wedding. Military chaplains are free, just don’t forget to make a small donation to the chapel as a “Thank You!” Chaplains are always happy to suggest a donation amount, so don’t be shy to ask.
Also, Friday and Sunday weddings are becoming more popular and are considerably cheaper than Saturday evening weddings. If you are flexible, this may be a perfect way to still have the reception at your dream venue for a steal.
She’s Crafty
If you consider yourself something of a Martha Stewart, hit up the craft stores in your town and make some of those cute decorations or favors you’ve been re-pinning on Pinterest. How cute (and easy) would it be to give out favors of red, white and blue jelly beans tied up in cellophane? Or buy plain white candles in various heights and tie some star-spangled ribbons around them to make great centerpieces.
Whatever your inspiration, we suggest giving yourself 6-8 months to work on your various projects in your spare time so you don’t feel stressed or overwhelmed (trust us, stress and glue guns do not go together).
Speaking of being creative, think outside the box for other wedding elements and entertainment. For instance, consider hiring students to play music during your ceremony. Check if there is a music school in your town – hiring a string quartet made up of students can be considerably cheaper than a professional group – and much cuter! Or make a special playlist for the cocktail hour, dinner and dance party and ask a buddy to man your iPod at the reception.
If there are some things you cannot make or have a friend provide, try asking businesses and vendors if they have a military discount. You would be surprised how many would extend one even if not advertised.
A Little Help From My Friends
Now is the time to roll up your sleeves and start pulling all your DIY wedding elements together. Who better to ask for help but your friends and family? While it can be hard to ask for “favors”, know that everyone is actually dying to help as much as possible. They see this as a great opportunity to help out someone they love and feel a little more connected to a day that is incredibly important in your life. And guess what? They’ve been waiting for you to call. So hop to it!
So how can they help and how can you save money? Ask someone to make fruit platters or other easy snacks for cocktail hour. Instead of hiring a professional bartender, ask your friends to help fill buckets on every table with wine and champagne and set up a self-service keg.
Put those groomsmen and bridesmaids to work and have someone who knows your family well be a “family photo” wrangler. When it’s time to take the wedding portraits, they know to grab uncle Bill from the buffet table.
In order to really pull this off, it is important to know what needs to be done and to give each person one small task they are fully responsible for seeing completed. Make it easy on yourself – you can do something like create a sign-up list and have everyone pick one to-do that fits them best. Before you know it, everything will be ready to go with barely a sweat broken.
There are a lot of options for planning a gorgeous and AMAZING wedding without dipping into your savings. We love to hear and share these kind of tips with our other brides, so tell us your great idea in the comments section or on our Facebook page and you may see your wedding featured here!
Gina and Jason | Studio Blue Real Wedding
This week's guest bloggers are Gina and Jason. They got married this past summer at Huntington Beach, California, where they and their guests enjoyed a wonderful outdoor beach wedding with a creative twist on catering! To have your wedding moments captured check out our packages and pricing!
“We ended up having about 85 people at the Newland Barn in Huntington Beach, California. We chose that venue for several reasons. We wanted an outdoor venue where we could hold both the ceremony and reception. It was gorgeous and didn't need a lot of extra decoration. And it would be temperate, even in July in southern California.
We didn't have a wedding cake. As you might be able to tell, we don't do much by the book. We had a cookie table, which is a tradition from my hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, in which friends and family bake all sorts of cookies which are enjoyed before dinner, after, and taken to go by guests. We made "doggie bags" with a special pup's picture on them for folks to pack up cookies for the road. It was a special tradition for those familiar with it and a fun one to share with people unfamiliar with it! I love the pictures from the wedding with Jason and I at the cookie table! We also had ten different kind of wedding pies. Guests could try all kinds, and they followed us back to the hotel bar after the wedding where we finished every last crumb!
Our theme was California. We served California wine (Chalone Sauvignon Blanc and Zig Zag Zin) and micro brew beers (from Lost Coast) dined on In-N-Out (major hit with our guests) and enjoyed a dinner music mix of surf tunes and other California songs. We wanted the wedding to kind of feel like a destination wedding, casual and beachy, even though we live in Los Angeles. Our colors were bright blue and white, reminiscent of the ocean. Instead of a guest book, we had postcards from all over the state for guests to sign their wishes and leave for us in a mailbox. Each table was also themed a different city in California, and decorated with postcards from that city and its landmarks. I felt like California was important in our story. I moved to California from Chicago, where I had gone to college and lived for a while. Here at work I met Jason, my California boy, who has lived all over this fine state, from Long Beach, to San Francisco, to the Yosemite valley. I knew when we met I'd be spending my life here in California!
-Gina Virgallito-Kemp, a very happy newlywed!”
Tips for Creating a Gift Registry
The gift registry should be the easy part, right? Once you’ve got that scanner in your hand, the world (or Crate & Barrel, anyway) is your oyster. A serving tray here, a gravy boat there…no-brainer. But what you’ve perhaps discovered by now is that all of that potential wedding booty staring you in the face can be intimidating, even terrifying. What if you make the wrong decision and are saddled with two dozen dust-collecting brandy snifters for the rest of your life?
Kind and Camera-ready Bridesmaid Dresses
One of the first orders of business when planning your wedding is appointing your bridesmaids. Your wedding party is made up of your and your fiancé’s VIPs – best friends, siblings and soon-to-be-family-members that you can’t wait to get to know better (we’re looking on the bright side, here…!) You will be honoring your bridesmaids with not only a special role in your wedding, but also with the time they will inevitably get to spend with you during the process of putting the whole shebang together.
Ask the Experts: Seating, Shoe Blues & Thank-Yous
Having photographed hundreds of weddings, we’ve seen it all. More advice on touchy wedding topics from your humble Studio Blue experts:
Dear Studio Blue,
Before They Say "I do", Couple Says "We Can"
Check this out: a Washington couple is collecting 400,000 cans to help fund their wedding. Got your own creative ways of paying for the big day? Let us know at info@studioblue.com.
Top Ten Wedding Planning Mistakes
Worried that an up-do doesn’t suit you? That your bridesmaids’ dresses will clash with the cake? Alas, while we can’t help you un-sweat the small stuff, we do have some big-picture advice that just might save your sanity. This is your time to shine, and planning your wedding should be a pleasure, not punishment.
Tips for Putting Together a Guest List
Even if you’re still gaga over your recent engagement, you should know that your first wedding-related tiff is just around the bend. But lest you think we’re trying to rain on your prenuptial parade, know that we think the many small arguments that you and your fiancé will have during the course of your engagement are great practice for marriage – better than counseling, really and much cheaper. Plus, then you get to make up afterwards, right?
Bachelorette Party Alternatives
Now, don’t get us wrong – we love a classic Vegas-style blowout with all of its kitschy, occasionally tasteless accoutrements – however, not every bride relishes the thought of being handcuffed to her chair by a stripper in a police uniform. It would be too bad for the slightly-more-demure among us to have to forego the fun of a ladies’ night to remember, though, wouldn’t it?
