Barbie and Ken get married!

These awesome photos have been making their way around the blogosphere. If you've seen as many wedding albums as we have, you'll begin to recognize some of the typical shots. Here they are recreated--with Barbie and Ken! These were taken by photographer Beatrice de Guigne. See more at Rock n'Roll Bride and Beatrice's blog.

Pantone Color of the Year

Pantone has announced that Honeysuckle 18-2120 is the color for 2011.

According to the organization, "Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. A dynamic reddish pink, Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting. It elevates our psyche beyond escape, instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life."


The marketing copy is a bit over-the-top, but the color is lovely (and you know we love all sorts of pinks). It will be interesting to see how this color is used for wedding and event palettes this year.


What do you think? Will you use Honeysuckle as one of your colors?

Marriage License Fee Increase

(image source)

Just a friendly reminder to Colorado couples, the marriage license fee is increasing from $10 to $30 on July 1. Per Senate Bill 09-068, the $20.00 increase will help fund the Colorado Domestic Abuse Program.

Before applying for your license, be sure to check with the Clerk and Recorder in your county to verify the requirements.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

(sources)

Happy St. Patrick's Day! In honor of the holiday, here is a quick inspiration board for an Irish-inspired wedding at Dunafon Castle in Bear Creek Canyon.

Postage increase

Here's a warning to summer and fall brides! The United States Postal Service is raising its postage rates effective May 11. Before you purchase stamps for your invitations, make sure you know how the increase will impact you. We highly recommend that you take a completed invitation set to your local post office to have it weighed before you make any postage purchases. Better safe than sorry!

New venue alert

From Colorado Meetings & Events: "The 210-room Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, part of a $500 million condo hotel development in Avon, has opened.

The upscale resort is seeking certification in Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design (LEED) from the U.S. Green Building Council. Programs include guest recycling stations on each floor, preferred parking for hybrid vehicles, an on-site organic garden and a donation of a five-acre park to the Town of Avon.

The hotel has 4,000 square feet of meeting and event space, plus a 23,000-square-foot spa and an on-site restaurant."

Let us know if you've seen this new venue!

Um, yeah....

Wedding planner extraordinaire Sasha Souza's great blog Sparkliatti features a blog called Cake Wrecks, which features some truly terrible specimens from "professional" bakeries. If you need a laugh, check it out.

The Inspiration:
The Result:

The best wedding toast ever!

This has been making the Internet rounds, but it is so fabulous we had to share it. It starts getting good about 1 minute and 45 seconds in. Amy is one lucky girl!

Weddings at Home

We recently attended a final walk-through with the caterer for Liz and Greig’s at-home wedding with Andrea, our wonderful catering contact at Biscuits and Berries catering. It’s going to be a great event, and we’ll be sure to post pictures when it’s over.

Having your wedding at a private home can be wonderful and intimate. But it also will require some additional planning to work with logistical issues. Before deciding to host your event at home, make sure you consider the following:

Space. Do you have room for a ceremony, guest seating, buffet tables, bar, dance floor and band/DJ?

Local ordinances and sound regulations. Make sure to find out if you will need a special permit to host a large event at home. Is there a sound curfew in your neighborhood? You don’t want the police showing up at your event. Be sure you notify your neighbors well in advance.

Parking. Where will guests park? Do you need to provide a parking valet? Consider seeking permission from a local church or school to allow guests to park in their lot, then offer a shuttle service between your home and the lot.

Liability and security. Speak with your homeowner’s insurance agent to see if you need to add a special home event rider to your insurance plan. While you trust your guests, you will also have catering staff and other strangers in your home. Be sure to lock away any special valuables.

Guest access. Lock bedrooms and rooms that you want your guests to avoid. Hang directional signs to help guests find the restroom. Consider the traffic pattern and traffic flow, and remove and store any furniture that might impede guest movement.

Rentals. You will need to consider the cost of renting tents, tables, chairs, linens, glassware, silverware, flatware, dance floor, etc. If you rent a tent, will you need special lighting, flooring, or heating/cooling?

Catering. Where will your caterer work? Your kitchen will most likely not be big enough for the caterer to work from, and you don’t want the dirty dishes to pile up in view of your guests. Is your garage large enough to serve as a staging station? Does it have easy access to your event area? Will your caterer need to bring in ovens and refrigerators? Are there sufficient electrical outlets? Do you have enough garbage and recycling bins?

Restrooms: If you have having under 50 guests, 2 restrooms are sufficient. If you have more guests than that, you will probably need to rent portable restrooms. Do you have space for portapotties well away from the center of the festivities? Is there adequate lighting for guests to make their way to and from the portapotties? You should also rent a hand-washing station.

Pets. If you have a pet, consider taking it to a kennel for the event. Pets are easily stressed out by large crowds in their territory, and guests may be allergic.

Cleaning. Considering hiring a cleaning service to come both before and after the event, so you don’t need to worry about cleaning the day before the wedding or cleaning up the mess afterwards.

Back-up plan. What happens if it is raining or too hot to be outside. What is your plan B?

With advanced planning, you can make an at-home wedding a wonderful experience!

Postage Increase reminder

On May 12, the U.S. Postal Services will raise the rates for postage. After the 12th, a First-Class Mail stamp will be 42¢.

Make sure that your beautiful invitations don't arrive marked "postage due!" If you plan to send your wedding or event invitations soon, make sure that you have affixed proper postage to both your outer envelope and your response card.

Customers can continue to use the Forever Stamps that they purchased prior to May 12 at 41¢, even after the price change. You can learn more about the increase here.

Questions to ask wedding photographers

Photo from Erin and Jason's Beaver Creek wedding by Charlotte Geary.

Choosing a wedding or event photographer can be an overwhelming task, especially given the number of wonderful photographers available.

Here are some basic questions you should ask at your initial appointment:

Will he/she be the actual photographer taking the photos at your wedding?

What style does he/she specialize in?

How long has he/she been shooting weddings?

Does he/she shoot in mostly color, black and white, or both?

Does he/she shoot digital or film? 35mm or medium format?

What type of camera will he/she use, and what type of backup equipment is available in case of a problem?

Does he/she use an assistant? Is there an extra charge for this? What type of
experience does the assistant have?

What happens if he/she is ill or unable to make it to the event?Can other people take photos while he/she is taking photos?

Has he/she worked at your event location before? Should your event last longer than scheduled, will he/she stay? What is the extra charge?

How many photos come in each package?

Is an album included in the package? How many photos will be in the completed album?

If he/she is providing you with a CD of images, what will the resolution be of the images? Does the CD include reprint rights?

Will he/she accept of list from you for specific photos to be taken?

What will he/she wear?

How long after the event will the proofs be ready? How long will it take to receive the completed album?

You can read more about choosing the perfect photographer in Popular Photography Magazine.

Lasting Decor

All flowering pot photos from marthastewart.com.

We are currently working with a couple to plan a casual backyard wedding at their lovely home.

Rather than spending a fortune on cut floral arrangements to decorate the space, they have decided to invest in quite a few garden pots, planted with a variety of perennials that will complement their wedding colors and home decor. After the wedding, the couple will keep the pots and will be able to enjoy them for years to come and will have an annual reminder of their wedding day.

As you make your wedding plans, be sure to consider what you will do with your decorations and props following the event. If you make conscientious choices with thoughts about the items’ re-use, your investment will last for more than just your wedding day. The environment will thank you too.

Wedding Cinema

With the recent UK openings of two wedding movies--Margot at the Wedding and The Accidental Husband, film critic Joe Queenan told the BBC that wedding films never go out of fashion - and never will.

"Weddings make perfect subjects for cinema because most films involve finding a solution to a thorny problem, and weddings are nothing if not a thorny problem," Queenan says. "A friend of mine suggested that women who have been through all the rigmarole of planning a wedding enjoy watching wedding films, because finally someone else has to go through the hell they went through."

What is your favorite wedding movie? Why do you think wedding movies are so popular?

Role Reversal

Happy Leap Day!

Here's a piece of little-known trivia. According to Irish tradition, women were only allowed to pop the question on one day every four years, on February 29th.

It is believed this tradition was started in 5th century Ireland when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait for so long for a man to propose.

The first documentation of this practice dates back to 1288, when Scotland passed a law that allowed women to propose marriage to the man of their choice in that year. They also made it law that any man who declined a proposal in a leap year must pay a fine. The fine could range from a kiss to payment for a silk dress or a pair of gloves.

Leap Year tradition spread around the world and evolved to include balls and dances. Some were held in order to allow women to ask men to dance and some were specifically designated for women to propose marriage.

Leap Day and its traditions are often compared to those of Sadie Hawkins Day in the U.S. but while the customs are the same-a day which allows for women to propose marriage-Sadie Hawkins day actually takes place in November.