Photos courtesy of Martha Stewart

Communicating to your bridesmaids can be special and thoughtful! Call me old-fashioned, but I adore hand-written notes and letters! After picking your bridesmaids (read article), send them a hand-crafted note asking them to be a part of your important day instead of calling/emailing. A small gesture with a huge response! Check out Letter Perfect by Martha Stewart. Also, picking your bridesmaids attire can be daunting. With so many options and variety of sizes, it can be hard to keep things straight. Communicate with your ladies by crafting dress, fabric, shoe and jewelry details on paper. This will give everyone an idea of the style and keep communication clear, especially if you live in different regions. Everyone will appreciate having a handy card to reference. Check out Maid-Service by Martha Stewart for templates.

Photos courtesy of Our Happy Wedding Day & Vrai Photography

I attended a Chicago wedding vendor party thrown by The Knot Magazine a couple weeks ago. I had the pleasure of meeting Heather, owner of Our Happy Wedding Day. All for green products myself, I thought it would be great to share these incredible invites – I’m sure you could use them for save the dates as well! Love the earthy design!

“Our Happy Wedding Day provides modern brides with high-style eco-friendly stationary that gracefully balances artistic elegance with sustainable business practices. Our innovative designs attract the creative and contemporary, and our eco-friendly products ensure peace of mind for the environmentally conscious. All of our wedding stationery is crafted from 100% recycled papers and printed exclusively using soy based inks. Our products are created by artisans who have received Forest Stewardship Council certification and every single piece of Our Happy Wedding Day stationary is manufactured using 100% wind-power and green certified business processes.” More… (more…)

Photos: Edyta Szyszlo Photography

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!! Jared’s sister, Lauren, came into town to share her recent birthday and the start to another summer with us here in Chicago. We had a great time with friends and roaming the city…but I have to say my favorite part was finally photographing her incredible knit purses! Lauren is an amazing artist that is on the path to starting her own Etsy shop, and I was so happy to help her out! I know she’s going to do great and people already respond so positively to her work! So here’s a sneak peek of some of her purses! (more…)

Photos:  Edyta Szyszlo Photography

Worried what the two of you will say to one another on the big day?!  Ceremony vows have come a long way since the traditional ‘I do’s’.  I wanted to share a wedding I photographed a while ago in wine country…cutest ceremony vows idea!  It was an adorable way to interact with their guests by having their friends and family write the vows… (more…)

Photos courtesy of Martha Stewart

The groomsmen from the wedding I photographed in Nashville a couple weekends ago, wore fabric flowers in their boutonnieres, so adorable and sustainable!  Check out the post for a close-up of the bout.  They actually held up all day unlike real flowers.  I loved the idea and after purchasing the recent Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, I noticed that it’s an up and coming trend for weddings!  I thought I would share some of Martha’s tips on tissue and flowers as well as her tissue hanging pom-poms.  By the way – very eco-friendly!  More info:  Shaped Crepe Flowers, Pom-Poms and Luminarias, Dulken & Derrick (middle flower photo above, silk flowers).  Some are DIY!

Photos: Edyta Szyszlo Photography

Take a sneak peek at Traci and Marty’s wedding photography! Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I can’t say that enough about Traci and Marty. Held at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Brentwood, TN – you couldn’t have asked for a better day of weather, incredible photography light and the ones they love. Can I just say that when I was prepping for this sneak peek, tears were rolling as I remembered how sweet Traci and Marty were with one another. It makes complete sense why they have such perfect family and friends. Check out some of the wedding photography… (more…)

Photo: Edyta Szyszlo Photography

I was at my local Salvation Army thrift store in Chicago the other day looking for old frames to display some of my wedding photography. During my rummaging, I came across all these old dishes!! I thought how adorable would it be if you could use mismatched, vintage-like plates for your table settings! So the digging started! If you’re looking for a charming way to provide table decor for your guests – this is it! The plates ranged in price between 50 cents and $2. Perfect if you’re hosting a small, intimate reception or if you’re looking to be creative within a budget! Once you’re done – donate them back or give away as gifts. More table setting photos… (more…)

Photo: Edyta Szyszlo Photography

Purses that pop! No need to have your purse dyed the color of your dress or carry white! There’s always a few little items that a bride and her bridesmaids need during the wedding day; lip gloss, mirror, blotting tissues and maybe some documentation. While you may not need to carry a purse around all day, it does serve an organization function and provide an extra punch to your dress! Clutches are most popular for weddings and special occassions because they are small and hand-held. The purse above is from BCBG Max Azria – check out more purse ideas! (more…)

Photos: Edyta Szyszlo Photgraphy

Good morning everyone! It’s been a few days since I’ve been able to post…wonder why?! I’ve been honky tonkin in Nashville photographing a destination wedding! It was my first time in Nashville and even though I was only there for a few days, I got to experience the best parts with an incredible group of people. Things I learned: “buggies” are also known as shopping carts, everyone is extremely friendly, and “honky tonkin” is the act of hopping around from music venues and bars listening to the bands. I can’t wait to show you the wedding photography from Traci and Marty’s special day, it’s absolutely breathtaking!

Photo: Edyta Szyszlo Photography

Grooms want to be in style just as much as the bride! Not just another fun detail for wedding photography, but many brides give their grooms cufflinks as a wedding day gift to help spruce up those rental tuxes! Cufflinks aren’t only for elegant, upscale weddings they help your polish your entire look. Think about your attire ahead of time – once you’ve decided whether your event will require a tux or casual suit, cufflinks can be picked out to compliment your personality and attire. I’ve even co-shot a wedding in San Francisco where for the reception the groom put on blue basketball cufflinks and blue retro Nike hightops to match! Plus, if your groom wears suits for work – the cufflinks can be reused! More cufflink ideas… (more…)