Featured Wedding of the Week

We are so excited to begin this new weekly post! Weddings are one of those things that add beauty to lives. By sharing how some have made their precious day perfect, you can inspire others to create a special day all their own. What we will be doing is highlighting a different wedding every Saturday. For now, we will be scouting the web for weddings that tug at our heart but we would eventually love to share yours! So, whether you were married last week, last year or 50 years ago we would love for you to share your day with us so we can share it with our Inspiring Pretty readers. Simply submit your wedding here and we'll check it out!

For now, here is a wedding I found at Love and Lavender. It is actually the wedding of the creator of the site Aileen and her husband Ben at the Beau Lodge an hour and half north of Seattle. What caught my eye was the simplicity and down-right old fashioned backyard wedding feel it has. And that's exactly why I chose it.

Starting with the floral arrangements. These bouquets - made by the bride, bridesmaids and mother of the bride - hold simply white roses, pink ranunculus and those sweet yellow billy balls. So backyard bushel, yet colorful and elegant.

I think that fun bridal party photos are the best! Since these two had a croquet area set up, it's fantastic that they took advantage of it. They didn't try to create an elaborate backdrop, but just used the clearing and gorgeous greenery to make a memory that lasts a lifetime.

The guestbook is where people can take all kinds of liberties and be as creative as possible. Aileen and Ben decided to have people write on notecards giving advice, well-wishes or their own memories of the couple. This is a great way for your guests to feel like they'll have some impact in your future. My favorite parts are the wooden sign and the roses sitting pretty in a glass jar. Effortlessly delightful.

Held in this gorgeously vintage suitcase are wedding programs, made by the bride and groom themselves. The pinwheels were also. These two are rather crafty....

The ceremony has no floral arrangements, no trellis. The focus is completely on what's happening at the end of the aisle. No one will be able to take their eyes off the glowing couple.

The table decorations make me squeal out in excitement. Again, we find these wildflowerish arrangements inside glass jars and milk bottles, but the key to this set up is the colorful array of books which lend, ever-so-slightly, to the backyard barbeque feel.

Congratulations to Aileen and Ben for an old-fashioned meets weathered-chic wedding. Oh yeah ..... and for getting married!

Wedding Trends: The Photo Booth

Now we're moving to a fun part of the wedding. It doesn't involve a lot effort and you don't have to worry if your guests will be able to notice (because they're sure to). It's a simple and fun detail that all of your guests can enjoy. I think you know by now that I'm talking about a photo booth. It's an increasing trend becoming more and more popular across all types of weddings. If you are considering one, know that there are many different ways to a set photo booth up. Here I hope to help you discover some of them.

The most common photo booth at a wedding is a normal photo booth: a small booth with a curtain that you step inside for a printout of a few snapshots. This can be good if you want the least amount of hassle possible and are looking for an activity guests can do on their own. It's also splendid if you want the guests to leave you their own personal keepsake and if you want them to have their own unique momento as well. This is because the traditional photo booth automatically prints two copies of the classic photo strips. Also, if you want strips, this is the only option that allows for that.

Another cheaper and more homey possibility is to use polaroid cameras. Some people see the use of polaroids as cheap while others see it as more down to earth. In the end though, it's just about fun and comfort for your guests. Even at an upscale wedding, it's a fun touch to hand out polaroid cameras to your guests and see what sweet and whacky pictures they can come up with. Polaroids are unique, because they are a great combination of disposable cameras and a photo booth. They allow your guests to take pictures on their own of anywhere and anything like a disposable camera, but like a photo booth, they allow them to take a photo home and leave you one as well. Polaroids haven't been used much in the past, because they haven't been seen as elegant, but as the trend of of comfort and simplicity emerges in wedding, their use is becoming stylish.

The last option is to have a photographer run a 'photo booth'. This choice is great because it is wide open to your imagination :-) The booth could simply be a sheet background, a separate room, an area outside or anything else you can conceive. A cute and original idea is to hang a picture frame from a tree branch, ceiling or something similar and have guests pose inside it. One of the great things about this choice is that it allows guests to have somewhat of their own personal photo shoot. Creativity and silliness will abound and you and your guests will have pictures to last a lifetime. The downside of this type of photo booth is that it can be a bit pricey, as the photographer will probably be working for the entirety of the reception. Depending on your wedding motif and desired entertainment though, it could be just the touch you're looking for.

Having a photo booth is cool, but if not done well, it can become bland almost like school pictures. So, make sure that if you're going to spend the money for this diversion, make it great! To spice it up a bit, you can add a few props for your guests to play with. The most basic and versatile ones are wigs, hats, glasses and boas. It's best to have at least two of each and make them very contrasting. For example, buy a top hat and a straw hat or a cute blonde wig and a clown wig. If you want to add more, think of using mustaches, a monocle and the always amazing groucho glasses. For true originality, leave a chalkboard for your guests to write messages to show off in their photos. And for an artsy touch, have various picture frames lying around for people to work with in their poses.

No matter what, using a photo booth is guaranteed to greatly add to the wedding festivities. Have a blast and be sure to leave many keepsakes for you and your guests to always remember your big day.