Guest Book Alternative: Custom Skateboard Deck

Freakin awesome!! A refinished skateboard deck that has a picture of the couple (secured with resin), and room for their fam and friends to leave words of wisdom and ♥. In my opinion, this beats those boring old traditional guest books. HANDS DOWN. What a cool way to leave a memory of your special day hanging in your house. Let me know if you need some DIY instructions.

xoxo, Christina

Monogram Etiquette

Monogram etiquette isn't common knowledge for most folks, hence the reason for this post. So how do I go about explaining the proper etiquette without boring you to tears. Hmmmmm, here goes: in short definition, monograms are those cute, calligraphy-looking letters you see hanging on bathroom towels in fancy houses (oh, and at weddings too). Who am I kidding, you know what a monogram is, right?? Exhibit a:
Ok, so on to the next (and more complicated) question…do you know the proper way to create your own monogram? In what order should your initials be displayed? Who's name comes first? Which is the bigger letter? Let's face it, how many people really take the time to research the appropriate way to display your monogram...I therefore, am putting together this very short, very simple list of rules to follow.

• A general rule of thumb, and most importantly...the brides name always comes first! Duh, because we are more beautiful and special...heh, I kid, I kid.
• If using initials only, the order is: the brides first initial, groom's last name, the grooms first initial

That's it. Pretty simple right? I'm glad we got that established. Now on to the fun part: the ways to utilize your monogram are ENDLESS. Use on wine bottle tags, stationary, cake toppers, napkins, aisle runners, favors, signs, chair ties, decor, signs, drink stirrers, flags, etc, etc, etc! A wedding monogram is kind of a big deal, almost in the same category as the cake, rings and officiant...ok, not quite. But close.

P.S. In case you didn't know, Envy Events will design your own personalized monogram for a flat rate of $50. Unlimited revisions included. Pass it on. Also, check out our post on custom monogrammed stamps from Zazzle.com.

Brides & Tattoos: Taboo or Art?

Question: what comes to mind when you see guy or gal...(or to keep this wedding-related, a bride) covered in tattoos? Are you repulsed by the amount of ink or do you appreciate the beauty of it? I personally go for the latter. Body modifications, including but not limited to tattoos, are a form of art that represents a persons individuality. The beauty a of tattoo is that it is permanent, and most of the time they also serve as a reminder of some part of your past. Unfortunately, society tends to frown upon anything that doesn't fit into this so-called ideology of the "norm". This bothers me immensely.

Tattoos should not only be accepted in the workplace, but on brides as well. A lot of women feel pressure to cover-up their tattoos. Whether this pressure comes from family members, co-workers, or whoever...it's ridiculous. Covering a tattoo for your wedding is the equivalent if wearing a mask to a business meeting. Whatever your opinion may be, personal expression should forever be appreciated - not looked down upon. Stereotypes in general disgust me. As the old saying goes, "never judge a book by it's cover". But who really does this right? The first thing we do by natural human instinct is form 5-second opinions / judgments based on first impressions. Don't let looks fool you though. A gorgeous woman could very well be the devil in disguise...and the guy with head to toe tats could very well be more inclined to save your butt in a sticky situation, as compared to the generally well-liked "suit". Men and women who grow up without privileges live to appreciate the things they have and they learn to understand loyalty and compassion better than the spoiled rich kid who's had everything handed to him/her since birth. Tattoos represent an underground, a mini-culture of people who thrive on individualism and stray from all things PC.

After all the above ranting, what I'm trying to get across is this...be yourself, and don't be too concerned about what other people think. Tattoos and piercings are not trashy, who cares what upper middle class (snobby) folks think. It's YOUR body, do what you want to it. Express yourself and don't be ashamed. Body art is beautiful, and it's YOUR taste that matters. Too many people are concerned with what others are going to think that they spend years worrying their little heads off until eventually they lose it (and eventually say eff it) and start to do what makes them happy. Don't spend your time trying to live up to everyone's expectations, you'll never make everyone happy. As Dr. Seuss once said, "Those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter!"

On a side not: hiding a dumb or embarrassing tattoo is another story. That tribal band you got on your 18th birthday should go bye-bye. No offense intended.

Engagement Photo Shoots. Are. Amazing.

Engagement photo sessions are delightful in so many ways. Capturing the love between you and your fiancee is an easy caveat. However, finding the right location and photographer is a totally separate issue. Then there's the question of what to wear, how to pose, what to do...yada yada yada. An experienced photographer should come prepared with several ideas and suggestions, but keep in mind that you will need to do some legwork yourself in order to translate your expectations into a reality.

As an avid (aka totally obsessed) blog reader, I am constantly saving photos that catch my eye, then categorizing the images in separate folders. Using Google's Picasa, it is simple then to create a collage of my fave photos. So here's my two cents when it comes to booking your engagement photo shoot:

Number 1: The key word of the day is FUN! Repeat, fun fun fun!

2: Bring a collage of pics that have caught your eye, that you may want to try and recreate. This will definitely help your photo taking pro understand what you envision and expect.

3: Bring a change of clothes in an attempt to keep your shoot from becoming stale. Think outside the box. Not a dressy girly girl? Try on a pretty skirt. Put on some bold earrings. Put a tie or cap on your man. Curl or straighten your hair. Better yet, try on a fancy headband, flowers, or feathers...go for bright red lipstick or blue nail polish!  Another classic idea is going all au naturel, which is completely timeless and beautiful right down to the very core.

4: Super freaking important! Find a photographer that you are comfortable with. Someone you can joke around with and be silly enough to experiment with ideas that may be a bit out of your comfort zone.

5: Color coordination is not important, but a colorless backdrop may prove to be disappointing. Pick your location(s) wisely, and see if your photographer is ok with hitting a couple different spots.

6: Think about how your photos will be used. For DIY save-the-dates, perhaps you will need to bring some signs or props of some sort (think balloons, sweet treats, mr & mrs signs, bicycle, umbrella, etc.)

As a closing to this post, I'll leave you with a few pics that have stunned, fascinated, and inspired me. Happy engagement photo shooting y'all!

Pon and Zi - Comic Love

This isn't a wedding related posting, however I wanted to share nonetheless. I absolutely love the Pon and Zi comics. They make me smile and I love to share them with everyone in random text messages, just to make someone laugh. I'm not a huge comic fan or anything, these are just so darn CUTE! ...enjoy! Click the photo below to see more images from the artists' gallery.