Still time to win a FREE Nearlyweds website!

If you want to win a FREE Nearlyweds personal website ($50 value) for your wedding leave a comment on my earlier blog post here stating why a website would be helpful. I will pick the winner on Monday, March 1st!

Abaloria - custom bridal jewelry

Finding the perfect jewelry to accessorize your wedding gown or bridesmaids dresses can be like finding a needle in a haystack. I love Abaloria's range from traditional to funky bridal jewelry. Every piece that Seattle-based owner Brandy Thibault designs is hand crafted and represents the individual client. The end result is stunning!






(Photos courtesy of Abaloria)

Clara French

If you are looking for a unique way to personalize your wedding cake display I would like to introduce you to Clara French. Recently I had the chance to meet talented ceramic artist, Michaela Willis, owner of Clara French. Michaela's fresh and original designs, soft colors and personal touches make her ceramics perfect to display your wedding cake, cupcakes and other fine desserts. This week I received a beautiful package from Michaela with ceramic tile swatches of the color combinations offered and loved them all! Her pieces can be rented or purchased and shipped nationwide. Happy shopping!

Win a FREE Nearlyweds personal website for your wedding!

I am excited to announce that Nearlyweds, my favorite site for couples to create fabulous personal wedding websites, is offering a FREE website ($50 value!) to one of my lucky blog readers! Nearlweds is a savvy and user-friendly tool to create sites with style, selecting from an array of templates designed by top invitation companies, in fact you can even select templates that match your wedding invitations! You can post picture galleries, describe how you met and became engaged, write a blog throughout your engagement and include links to your wedding venue with all the details of the day. Your site will be a great way to communicate with guests before and after your wedding, they will want to see those wedding and honeymoon pics! Click here to see an example site.

HOW TO WIN…If you are interested in receiving a FREE Nearlyweds site post a comment on this blog entry telling me where you are getting married and why a website would be helpful for you and your fiancé to spread the word about your upcoming nuptials. You can keep it short and sweet. I will select and announce the winner on my blog on March 1st so check back then to see if you are the winner!

Here are some templates I love that are offered by local Seattle invitation designers Izzy Girl & Mmm Paper!

Panache follow up

The Panache wedding show was yesterday and so much fun! I will post pictures soon. My booth theme was "Fresh for Spring" so of course I had to use wheat grass, a favorite staple!

Stay tuned...

Panache wedding show is this Sunday!

A friendly reminder that the Panache boutique wedding show at the Columbia Tower Club is this Sunday, February 17th from Noon-4pm. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. For more information visit Panache Wedding Show.

Hope to see you there!

Recipe favors

We all have family recipes that are passed down through the generations. Incorporating a cherished recipe as your wedding favor is personal and something your guests will actually use. Whether you print a recipe for your grandmother's homemade chocolate chip cookies or your dad's spicy barbeque sauce, guests will appreciate receiving a recipe that is special to you.

If you are planning a destination wedding giving a recipe that represents the region is also a great way to help your guests learn about the area.

If you or a generous family member have the time and your recipe is for a dessert, sauce or preservative go ahead and display the food itself at each guest’s place setting with the recipe. You can place the dish in custom boxes, tins or jars. If you don’t have the time including a key ingredient such as a spice in a glass jar is also a nice touch.

Savor Seattle Food Tours

Recently I had the chance to go on the widely talked about Savor Seattle Food Tour through Pike Place Market. Angela Shen, the savvy founder of Savor Seattle is an absolute foodie and so passionate about the culture and cuisines of Seattle. Her motto is eat. drink. be inspired. and that was exactly what I did!

We started the guided tour in the morning at Pike Place Market with fresh coffee and piping hot mini doughnuts, watched the flying fish and tasted the most amazing smoked salmon, learned about local spices and the history of the market. We went on to try many other delectable creations including Chukar cherries, handmade Beecher’s cheese, Chef Tom Douglas’ famous coconut cream pie and local wines at The Tasting Room, tucked away in Post Alley on a cobblestone street. What an experience! I have grown up in Seattle and learned more about Pike Place Market than I ever knew before.

Angela offers public and private tours, both at a reasonable price, perfect for weddings guests or your bridal party to showcase Seattle’s history and fine foods. Go hungry!

Sodo Park - New wedding venue with a focus on green events

My favorite organic caterer, Herban Feast, just opened a new wedding venue called SoDo Park. It is an urban oasis in downtown Seattle, featuring 12,000 square feet of open loft space, tall ceilings with wooden beams and an emphasis on eco-friendly and sustainable materials.

Along with this unique space you have the benefit of the culinary creations of Herban Feast for outstanding cuisine and service. Weddings and special events are now being booked for Spring of this year and beyond!

The perfect yellow bridesmaid dress

I love JCrew's chic and classic dresses for the weddings I plan and for my own closet! I was browsing their site this evening as I quite often do and was excited to see my favorite strapless embossed beach dress now available in YELLOW, my favorite color for this year! This dress is casual but elegant, oh so comfortable and flattering with its great textured cotton and A-line skirt. At only $98 your bridesmaids will thank you and will likely wear this fun dress on other occasions.

To view more of their Spring/Summer collections check out JCrew's Wedding Shop