DIY: Luminaries & Votive Holders

After showing you how to add a some non flame 'candlelight' with Throwie DIY LED lights, we thought we'd share some fun DIY votive and luminary holders you can make yourself!
Use these to inspire you to light your wedding aisle, line outdoor pathways, hang from trees, or use as centerpieces. With the use of LEDs, no worries about fire restrictions! Get the candlelight like glow you had always visioned for your wedding day!
If you want to drop a couple of LEDs in these, it's safe and economical! Shred a little bit of pearly cellophane and top your LED light with it in the container to mask the light source just a little if someone peeks inside and you don't want the source so very obvious ;)

Etching and frosting glass
can mask the light source, just a little bit

1. Frosted Glass Jar Lanterns at Gardeners World
2. Etching at Intructables

Save-On-Crafts has tons of crafty ideas!

Save-On-Crafts tutorial for these cute wine glass 'lanterns'

These are fantastic, not candles, just the forms,
light from the inside with whatever you like! DIY Network

Melanie Spicher on DIY Network, DIY People

Bead your votives to add a bit of sparkle

1. Beaded hanging votive candleholder on the DIY Network
2. Beaded votive holder on Curbly by DIY Mavin


Votive Crafts from Home And Harden Television

Jar Votives Ellen Allen on HGTV


"Stained Glass" Painted Fish Bowl With Votive by Courtney Clark on HGTV


Some Favorites From Martha Stewart
Three types of hanging votives:

Candle Chandeliers How-To from Martha Stewart

Hanging a set of miniature glass lanterns from Martha Stewart Living


Fourth of July Votives

More Luminary/ Votive Crafts from Martha Stewart:
1. Lacey Luminaries 2. Beeswax covered luminaries


DIY Votive Crafts from Krylon

Shimmering Holiday Votives on Krylon

Pearly Garden Party Candles

Wedding Votive Trio from Krylon

For the Winter Months, Try Ice Votives!

1. Small ice votive holder from Curbly.com 2. Ice Luminary at HGTV.Com 3. Ice luminary snowy walk from Christmas: 101 Wondrous Ideas to Make (Better Homes & Gardens) Posted by CreativeHome Style.com 4. Crazy tall ice luminaries on Flickr. Maybe not DIY, but inspiring!

5. Colorful Ice Luminaries on dnr.state.wi.us 6. lemon & branch ice luminary from Better Homes & Gardens


Hope you found these DIY votive crafts inspiring!
Happy planning!
~w.s.

November - Photography

Photograph courtesy of capturingreallife.com

As November progresses, many of us start preparing for family get-togethers. As family gathers, share, laugh and love over family photo's. When planning your wedding, you'll want photographs to have, share and pass down.

You'll often hear newlyweds saying how the day of the wedding went by so quickly and how their wedding photographs helped them remember and re-enjoy moments you missed but the photographer didn't! So after the whirlwind of your wedding day, you'll be glad to be able to look upon your photographs and enjoy the day again and again.Photograph courtesy of katialo

Feeling nostalgic this November, we have features some of our Flickr favorite photographers (see our favorites here), tips, what style of photography might suit you, questions to ask, favorite articles and links to professional organizations. Be sure to scroll down and take a peek at post wedding photography with Trash The Dress!

Remember when shopping that you are looking for photo's that invoke emotion. Someday your family members will look upon your wedding day photo's, saying...'remember when...?!' A good photographer will bring you this gift, so here is how to shop for the most important artist you will ever hire!

Tips on Wedding Photography Shopping

Photograph courtesy of jamieschultzphotography

• Start early! Once your venue is picked out you should be on the lookout for a wedding photographer. A year in advance even? The answer is yes. So what are your waiting for?

• Where to start looking? Look first to family & friends. If there were some great pictures taken at family weddings in the past few years, ask who took them! Word of mouth can be a great way to find your photographer. If the photographer was easy to work with, prompt and attentive, made your family and friends feel and look great that that's a photographer to interview! Also ask your venue folks/ wedding coordinator. Having done tons of weddings, they probably have some excellent people to refer you to!

Photograph courtesy of johnrichvillas

• Internet Window Shopping! The Internet is fantasticic for window shopping. Period. First you can look and select a style of photography. It's great to roam through Flickr and see what style speaks to you! This is the best way to window shop all the different styles available these days from the comfort of your computer chair.

Types of Photography

Photograph courtesy of WeddingSavvy's Family Album

• Traditional photography will have you lining up groups of family in posed styles for those formal photo's that get passed down and displayed.
  

• Non-traditional photography is more of a documentary/photo journalistic style. This style is quite hip today. These candid shots can tell the story of your wedding day in pictures. Shooting while it's happening captures so much emotion it's no wonder this style is now so popular.
  

• Interviews You MUST interview every photographer in person. When you go to interview make sure the person you are interviewing is the person who will be photographing your event, if it is not, schedule a meeting with that person before signing any contracts. Personalities of the photographer and the Bride is of utmost importance in getting the great photographs you want.
  

• One last tip. Single use cameras that are left on the tables for your friends and family to capture candid shots. Although quite popular in the past, these are usually reported back as a waste of money. Almost everyone has a digital camera these days. Ask your friends and family to send you their shots via email, simple!

Our Favorite Questions To Ask Your Photographer:

Photograph courtesy of Starla Steward Photography

• How would you describe your style?
• Are you and may I meet the photographer and assistant that will be shooting my event?
• How many photographs are typically included?
• How many hours will you work my event?
• Do you use film or digital, or both & why?
• How many camera's will you use at my event?
• How soon after my event will I receive the 'proofs'?
• When will I receive the finished product?
• Who owns the right to the negatives (originals)?
• Will you be shooting another wedding on my date/weekend?
• How much to go overtime?
• May I see examples of your work from recent weddings?
• May I have 3 recent references?
• I have some examples of poses & shot lists, are your receptive to my idea's?
• How much do you charge? How much of a deposit do you need, when is the total amount due?
  

ALL of the above should be in your contract!
Do not overlook the importance of a good contract, for you and the vendor.

Follow this Google search and see sample wedding photographer contracts.

Online Resources!

Photograph courtesy of rougerouge

Over at the WeddingBee, you'll find they have put together a most comprehensive list of Photographer's Blogs! Check out the Bee's Photographer Blog list here! Thank you Mrs. Ant for putting this GREAT list together!

Here at the Wedding Vendor Guide, this post ' Make Sure You get all the Right Photos...'discusses wedding photograhy and has a great shot list!

Weddings at iVillage has a list of 88 must take shots here.

Digital Photography School offers this amazing article you must read on their blog; Wedding Photography - 21 Tips for for Amateur Wedding Photographers. But this article isn't just for amateur photographers, it a great guideline for us all. What to ask for, what to expect...exceptional article, bookmark it!

Answers.com has an interesting article chronicling the photography of weddings. Their article falls right into our nostalgic feel features some old photo treasures. The article leads into a wikipewdia explanation of wedding photography that's worth while to read.

Here at The Wedding Photojournalist Association this article is WEDDING MEMORIES AND BUDGET: A QUESTION OF PRIORITIES takes the perspective of the wedding photographer from the professional side of things. Interesting and thought provoking by Michael Roney for The Wedding Photojournalist Association.
There are also many articles of interest here and I would highly recommend reading some so you know what to expect when hiring!

Professional Photography Organizations

Professional Photographers of America
Wedding Photo Journalists Association
Wedding and Portrait Photographers International Better
Business Bureau
CNET

Trash The Dress

Take a look at these photographers on Flickr who have done great Trash The Dress photography sessions! These are our personal favorites! You can also go the Trash The Dress Photography Pool on Flikr, great inspiration!

stonesinthegarden, cute TTD here.
CardenPhotography fun TTD with hubby here and here.
sarahkchen, love, love, love this TTD session! Dancing in the fountain, oh lala! And a Thank You!
{Shelly} gives us creative cute and sexy TTD shots!

Stay tuned for updates before the end of the year, including tips
for choosing your videographer!

Enjoy the Holidays, your families and make memories!
~WeddingSavvy

Music for Your Wedding & Reception

Music for Your Wedding and Reception

Choosing the right music to walk down the aisle to, have your first dance as a married couple, dance with your father/mother or just boogie the night away is a very personal decision.
For some, the play list will be the very most important decision and to others, just background, so to speak.
If you are following a wedding planning guide, they may suggest special songs for all the following events:

At the Ceremony

• The seating of your guests.
• The seating of the mothers and special family.
• Candelighting (for the candle lighters if you have them)
• Bridal Party Processional
• Bride's Processional
• Unity Candle Lighting
• Soloist
• Recessional

At the Reception

• Receiving line background Music
• Cocktail Hour Music
• Introduction Music
  
• The Couples First Dance
• Dinner Music
• Father Daughter Dance
• Mother Son Dance
• Cake Cutting
• Garter Toss
• Bouquet Toss
• Last Dance

Since music is so very personal, we suggest you visit the links below to inspire your choices.
We'll leave you with these words of wisdom while you surf; Choose music that the both of you enjoy. Choose music that fits the formality and season of your event. And last but not least choose music that leaves you and your guests smiling.

Happy Planning!

Links to Wedding Music

A favorite place to start is ourweddingmusic.com. With about 20 suggestions for the unity candle lighting alone, it's a great place to get started.
Another wonderful resource is Wed Alert. Having a special section for cultural/ethnic wedding music makes this stop especially sweet. A checklist is also available and will be invaluable while dealing with a DJ, which is a complete post of its own!
WeddingMusicUSA has a good list that can be found here. A lot of classical which we find to be soothing and completely non offensive.
Wedding Tips has amazing suggestions,like they say 2,000 suggestions!
The Knot has published many articles on chosing wedding music and suggestions. So see the list and read the articles here.
OurShoppingTips/FirstDance.com may seem like a strange place to suggest, however this site boasts the best first dance songs, so check them out!
Here is a list of Christian wedding music.
Liweddings has long lists of suggestions!
And last, but not least, try iTunes! We have done searches and been amazed!