Welcome, Guest
Something New
Welcome to the Studio Blue Blog -- Something New
First things first – a toast to new beginnings! This is an exciting time both for you and for Studio Blue. Like you, we’ve got our arms in the air and are twirling around like Cinderella in her first ball gown. But while we’re all agog with the novelty, we also know that one of these days we’re going to have to put down the champagne and get down to business. Sound familiar?
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?
Getting Camera-Ready for Your Big Day
Over the years we’ve found that when it comes to weddings, it’s pretty hard to make a mistake. From tiny kinks to huge debacles, any wrinkles in the wedding-day plan tend to quickly smooth over into couples’ funniest and favorite recollections. Terrible food, cheesy bands, regrettable shoes…none of it matters and is only fodder for fond memories down the road.
