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Well Happy Valentine’s Day! What’s HOTTER on Valentine’s Day then a 50 Shades of Grey Wedding photo shoot!  This shoot shows  Anastasia and Christian’s wedding x2 – the sweet innocent side and the dark and red side. Which side is your favorite? We hope you have a romantic night tonight and maybe add a little bit of hotness to it! It’s also one of the biggest nights for proposals so if you get engaged tonight remember to keep up to date with the latest trends, best wedding vendors and lots of wedding locations on Engaged Now What?

This DIY Country Wedding is filled with lots of vintage touches and details. So many of the details of Lori & Matt’s day were DIY that she and her mother put so much work into. Even the posts for the flowers during the ceremony were old bedposts that previously belonged to her grand parents. This wedding had such great pops of color and DIY Country wedding decor. We love the bridemaids dresses and the cute cowboy boots the bride wore. Thank you to Heba Salama Photography for submitting this fun pictures.

Event Planner: Orangerie Events
Event Venue: Purpleberry Plantation (no longer hosting wedding)
Photographer: Heba Salama Photography

The biggest night in music happened last night, but it’s also a great night for fashion. The Grammys Red Carpet 2013 was full of lots of stunning gowns, the color black, suits and ties. The Grammys Red Carpet 2013 was much classier then past Grammys we have seen where rock stars arrive looking like they just left the night club or rolled out of bed through on a T-Shirt and headed to staple center. Maybe it’s the year of the suit and tie as Justin Timberlake made is depute back to music but everyone seemed to dress their best last night. Here are some of our favorites from last night.

Starting with Mr. Justin Timberlake who I think should win for best dressed all around looked amazing in this suit & tie and did an amazing performance last night with that song. I guess marriage has been good to him because he looked his best last night.

These dresses were straight off of the red carpet. We love how these singers made the look their own.

Photos from www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com

These we our favorite country couples of the night. If you notice all the guys are dressed in all black, except Blake Shelton who is still rockn’ the blue jeans. photos by www.justjared.com

I also just had to take a moment to point out this guy in the picture. Who gets to go to the Grammys and dresses in acid wash jeans, a t-shirt, gold chains and cuts his beard and hair looking like that? And then to top it off gets to sit in the second row, two feet away from country royalty. I don’t know who he is but he for sure gets worst dressed!!!

Even Maroon 5 and Hunter Hayes pulled off the Johnny Cash all black suit but added the rock n’ roll by wearing it with sneakers.

Black was also the color of the night for the girls too. Lots of black elegant dresses and Beyonce rockn’ the black pants. Kelly Rowland definitely gets the “Riskiest” dress of the night award. If she moves the wrong way at all you might see more then you want to.

Our two favorite dresses of the night were Taylor Swift and Rihanna. We loved their dresses, their hair, makeup and the whole package.  All in all it was a great night of music, fashion and awards.

photo from www.popsugar.com

Today’s trend setting Tuesday is all about the wedding honeymoon pictures. This trend is just taking off. Throw your dirty wedding dress in a bag and throw it on the plane. Have your “Husband” grab a suit and tie and then arrange for a local photographer to capture some amazing wedding pictures of you on your romantic honeymoon. A styled shoot with Hawaii, Mexico or the Bahamas behind you would be breath taking. Wedding honeymoon pictures can be fun and a great way to trash the dress and remember your honeymoon forever. And don’t forget about the proposal too. If your on vacation and your “Fiance” proposes to you think about hiring a photographer the next day to capture your engagement pictures and reenact your proposal. If you plan your shoot on an off day like Tuesday or Wednesday you should be able to hire the photographer for less then a weekend price. We hope you keep wedding honeymoon pictures in mind for your wedding.

“Olga and Dmitry were certainly one of most stylish couples I had the chance to have a photoshoot with. After their wedding in Russia, they chose to come to Santorini for some unique honeymoon photos that they would cherish for the rest of their lives. The concept of the photoshoot had a strong affinity with fashion editorials, since both of the newlyweds shared a keen interest in styling and Olga in particular has a blog dedicated to style and fashion. The wedding dress of the bride was by Pronovias, while the groom wore a dark Moschino suit.” explained the photographer Vangelis Beltzenitis of Vangelis Photography.

“We went to a small native village with beautiful hand painted walls and handmade arts and crafts to capture the bride and groom after their wedding day. Regina and Alejandro also brought their wedding day clothing and put it on for some images before we left. We had a fun time walking around the town and making images. When we saw a military patrol we asked them if we could grab some frames with them. They obliged and we got some very memorable frames.” explained John Argueta of JargaPix Photography.

You can also take amazing pictures like these while on a vacation or at the place you got engaged. Now every time you go on vacation think about hiring a photographer to capture your romantic vacation.

“Anna hired me for a photo walk with her boyfriend while they were on vacation in Italy. Since the morning session had been so great, I offered to meet them again a bit before sunset. While Anna was getting ready Maksim shared his plan to propose and asked if I knew a romantic place. The idea I had was to go to S. Giorgio Island in front of San Marco square and rather free from people despite the nice view, leave the camera on a tripod in video mode and then leave them alone under the excuse of having a phone call to make. This sentence was the agreed keyword for Maksim to start his proposal. What a great moment to be apart of.  During the day most of the images were taken in Dorsoduro area of Venice and in the evening we were near Palazzo Ducale and on San Giorgio island ( a good and quiet destination just one ferry stop away from the crowd). – Luca Fazzolari of Luca Faz Photographer in Venice.

How cute is this Retro Engagement shoot by Siegel Thurston Photography.  Here is what the photographer had to say about this styled retro engagement shoot:

“We just can’t say enough good things about Diana and JB. They are high school sweethearts that went their separate ways when Diana headed off for college and fate threw them back together one Christams break a few years later. They thrived and survived long distance from LA to Santa Barbara and then finally got the chance to move back to their home town of San Diego. Six wonderful years together and JB finally proposed to Diana on a beautiful cliff side over looking the city of Santa Barbara. We were extremely excited to work with Diana and JB on their Engagement shoot especially knowing they wanted something a little unique and different. A couple bottles of Champagne and several planning sessions later a retro engagement shoot on the beach was settled upon. It was only appropriate that this fantastic engagement shoot take place on their old stomping grounds of La Jolla at Windansea Beach. Diana found the cutest polka dot bathing suit and styled JB in cloths from the back of his father’s closet. Erin from HALL EVENTS put together phenomenal propping for the shoot and came along to style it. To top off the retro fun, there were classic Coke bottles, a seriously cool old cooler, hearts on sticks, and we can’t forget the Bocce. It was a beautiful San Diego day full of romance and beach fun. This was one of the most fun Engagement shoots we have done yet thanks to everyone involved”, explained Brett Siegel of Siegel Thurston Photography.

Today we bring you a Rincon Beach Club Wedding that is full of lots of details and fleur de lis. With feathers, signature cocktails and bright colors this wedding looked like a good time. The feather centerpieces were tall and bright which added a lot of color. We love the adorable sign asking guests to ditch their shoes for the ceremony. Erin and Wesley became a combined family on their wedding day. They have a little baby girl together and on the wedding day, Erin became stepmother to Wes’s daughter. The day was filled with lots of emotion and love. We love beach weddings and we love this Rincon Beach Club wedding.Thank you to Bycherry Photography for sharing this.

Floral Designer:  Rincon Floral

Every Thursday we post five ETSY wedding items that we just love. ETSY wedding is a great place to find handmade items for your upcoming wedding. Check back every week to see what we find and what ETSY wedding items we recommend.

#1 – WHITE Personalized Wedding Banners

These are adorable to hang around your fiesta inspired wedding reception. $50 for 3. CLICK HERE

#2 Vintage Lace Wedding Dress

This vintage lace dress is so adorable and perfect for the bride looking for a short dress. $1,200 CLICK HERE

#3 Statement Necklace

OMG! We love these statement necklaces that come in so many colors. How gorgeous are these for your bridesmaids or even for you the bride. Very affordable too. $27.99 each. CLICK HERE

#4 Wedding Ties & Clutches

Why not get your bridesmaids and groomsmen matching ties and clutches. These are so cute. The bridesmaids could even carry the clutch instead of a bouquet. CLICK HERE.

#5 Mini Poms

We have seen Pom’s before but we love these little ones as napkin rings. They come in so many colors and dress up the place setting. $30.00 for 25 of them.

Today we bring you a Hammock Beach Resort Wedding. Paul Rovinsky had a job opening at his medical sales company and Jen Van Kirk was one of his applicants. When Jen, a pretty and tall blonde, arrived for the job interview Paul couldn’t stop smiling and he knew it was love at first site. Jen was hired for the job position and the two quickly became close friends through working together. After two years they decided to act on their feelings for one another and they started dating. After two years of dating, conversations were starting to come up about Jen moving to Florida for work. Paul knew Jen was the one he wanted to spend his life with and he didn’t want her to make the move without him by her side. The week before Jen was planning on moving Paul took her on a date to the restaurant where they had their first date. Paul nervously got on one knee and pulled out the beautiful diamond engagement ring he had picked out for her. Paul expressed his love for her and asked her to spend the rest of her life with him. With tears starting to stream down Jen’s face she joyously said yes and the two moved down to Florida together shortly after. They decided on a Hammock Beach Resort wedding in Palm Coast, FL. Paul is extremely thankful that he chose to interview Jen for that open position. Jen’s favorite detail about the wedding was the fabulous decor but also the fact that her wedding wasn’t ruined by hurricane Sandy. Thank you to A Magic Moment Photographer for sharing this adorable wedding.

Photographer: A Magic Moment Photography

Hair Stylist:  M3 Weddings Hair & Makeup Services

Caterer:  Icandy

Event Planner:  A Rose Designs

Every Thursday we post five ETSY wedding items that we just love. ETSY wedding is a great place to find handmade items for your upcoming wedding. Check back every week to see what we find and what ETSY wedding items we recommend.

#1 – Bridesmaid Robes

These robes are so cute for your bridesmaids to wear. Starting at $168 for 6 of them. CLICK HERE

#2 – Hanging lights

These are so whimsical for a wedding. 20 lights for $15.50. CLICK HERE 

#3 Wedding Ring Holder

Every girl needs something to hold her beautiful ring in and what better then this adorable ring holder. $12.99 CLICK HERE 

#4 Ribbon Veil

We love this gorgeous veil. CLICK HERE. $210.

#5 Groomsmen Shirts

These would be hilarious for a groomsmen picture. Great Gift. $16.99 each. CLICK HERE

Today we bring you a La Jolla wedding reception at The Darlington House. This adorable La Jolla wedding reception was filled with lots of fall touches like leave place cards, rustic branches and a fall inspired wedding cake. The wedding cake even had a replica of their two dogs laying on the side of the off center cake. We love the fun caramel apple station that includes different candies, nuts and sprinkles to make your own. Thank you to Walton Wilson Studios for sharing this adorable wedding with us.

Event Planner:  Hannah Smith Events

Caramel Apple Station (design, styling, decor, paper goods) – La Dolce Idea

Reception Venue:  Darlington House

Hello 2013! We are excited for the 2013 Wedding Trends and we just thought we would share our predictions for this year. We are also loving the Pantone color of the year! Finally a good color and much better then the Tangerine Tango from last year. EMERALD GREEN is the color of the year for 2013. Oh so pretty!! Make sure to read all of our 2013 Wedding Trends predictions. 

moniquelhuillier.com.

5 predictions for 2013 Wedding Trends:

1. Action Dessert stations like a cotton candy station, hot fresh made donuts and Gelato stations.

(images above from Brit+Co.)

2. Fun Prints! More prints will come out this year and be used everywhere from runners, napkins and bridesmaid dresses. Chevron was huge but patterns like that will be even bigger this year.

3. Creative food! Food stations are super popular this coming year and most couples want their guests to be able to eat throughout the night.

4. Spicing up the toast! Champagne is so traditional but why not spice it up by adding a splash of color to the champagne or even change out the champagne and serve shots of tequila or your favorite beverage.

5.The sparkle is back. Bling, bling and more bling! Brides love it and want more and more. We’re seeing lots of chandeliers, crystal curtains and crystal centerpieces.

Sally and Brady not only had a beautiful modern country wedding in Texas this past summer but they are a beautiful couple as well! Sally and Brady were friends in high school, went their separate ways and later had a chance meeting which led to their engagement at the horse races. Thank you to Two Blue Shoes Photography for sharing this gorgeous wedding. Here is a copy of their story that was published in the Dallas Morning News about their modern country wedding.

Sally and Brady had the perfect mix of vintage and modern touches. She use soft colors, moss covered branches, large floral hydrangea arrangements and splashes of bright colors. Sally’s mom walked her down the aisle and one of my favorite moments ever is right before Sally’s mom gave her away, she gave her groom a wink and a smile. This wedding was filled with love, silliness, sweetness and lots of laughs! Sally and Brady pulled off their outdoor Texas summer wedding by using the longer days with a 7pm ceremony start time, providing lots of bottled water for her guests and making her ceremony short and sweet. Sally and Brady were married under a magnificent oak tree dripping with mossy plants and flowers which also provided shade for their guests. Their ceremony was a backdrop to longhorns in the pasture behind the tree which had retreated to the grove of oak trees behind to stay cool. The aisle was adorned with soft baby’s breath and tin planters. Vintage jewelry,  soft burlap and whimsical flowers gave this wedding just the right amount of modern country. Their butter cream cake was adorned with fresh fruit for a southern feel.

Photographer: Two Blue Shoes

Reception Venue:  The Orchard

Today we bring you this gorgeous Mexico destination wedding that took place at  Las Olas Resort, in Rosarito. This Mexico destination wedding gave tequila favors to their guests as well as mini fireworks. The beautiful tent reception over looked the cliffs of Rosarito and gave the wedding a beautiful view of the Pacific ocean. We love the tropical floral arrangements and bouquets. Forget a wedding cake, a wedding cake pinata for the bride and groom to smash open for all their guests is way more fun. Thank you to Bycherry Photography for sharing this amazing wedding with us. We hope this Mexico Destination wedding inspires you to think outside the box.

Cake Designer:  Sprinkles Cupcakes

This Glitz and Glamour Bachelorette party was creatively designed by True Emerald Styling & Planning. We love all the bright colors and design for this glitz and glamour bachelorette party. With good food, great friends and a fun DIY photobooth this is such a fun idea for a bachlorette party. All of these items are easy to find and make for a DIY look. From disco balls to crystal strands and signature drinks to sweets and cakes, this table is set for a PARTY. Who wouldn’t want to sip on a signature Peach 75 drink at this celebration. We also love the favor bags that included mini bottles of vodka, nail polish, a martini shaker, a bag of confetti and sparklers. We wish we were invited to this Glitz and Glamour Bachlorette party! Photos by Studio 13 Designs

Today we bring you some of the celebrity inspired wedding dresses from the 2013 Golden Globes. The celebrities inspire a lot of fashion design especially in wedding fashion. From the hottest hair styles on the red carpet to the new color trends the Golden Globes inspire bridal fashion. The celebrity inspired wedding dresses from the Golden Globes will shortly be seen in wedding gown shops around the nation and fashion runways everywhere. We love these dresses and the gorgeous celebrities who are setting these trends.

The first trend that we saw is the PLUNGING NECKLINE.These celebrities pulled it off beautifully. I’m sure with a lot of help from some sticky tape.

Here are some celebrity inspired wedding dresses with plunging necklines.

The second trend that we saw was a lot of this BLUSH COLOR dress. Three of which were all strapless sweetheart style dresses.

Here are some Celebrity inspired wedding dresses in blush tones.

The third trend that we saw was this bright color of orange and coral colors. Orange was the color of the year last year and has changed into a darker coral color this year.

Here are some celebrity inspired dresses in Coral for your bridesmaids to wear.

The last trend that we saw was lots of bling. Sequins and jewels were very popular and very stunning. A perfect trend for a wedding dress.

These celebrity inspired wedding dresses we found are full of sequins and sparkle.

Our favorite couple of the night was Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. They both looked amazing and we just love them together.

Are winner for the night of the best dress and best celebrity inspired wedding dress was Jessica Alba. We love the color the style and everything about it. Her hair was gorgeous, the jewelry was amazing and the dress fit like a glove. This dress in white would be an amazing wedding gown.

Today we bring Jessica  & Ken’s beautiful Olowalu Wedding filled with lots of Love. The Olowalu Wedding Plantation House is a beautiful out door location for your Hawaiian wedding.

From the bride: It was so much fun planning our wedding. We right away fell in love with Olowalu and knew that we HAD to share this amazing place with our friends and family. Working with a $15,000 dollar budget I knew I would need to do most everything myself if I wanted Olowalu as our venue. Olowalu Plantation house is such a beautiful spot, one truly does not need much to have an amazingly beautiful wedding. Ken and I are simple kind of people and we wanted to have a clean, classic, vintage romantic wedding, to do so I utilized the websites Etsy and Pintrest to help with my creative needs. The day went by so fast, we are so glad that we took the time to do a first look pictures as it gave us some much needed quality time together before the festivities. We focused and talked about our journey thus far and the future ahead.

Photographer:  Photography by Mariah Milan
Hair Stylist:  Bridal Hair on Maui
Floral Designer:  Asa Flowers
Reception Venue:  Olowalu Plantation House
Dress Store:  David’s Bridal
Equipment Rentals:  Island Rents
Officiant:  Church on the Go

This Grand Island Mansion wedding was so gorgeous with all the white and purple throughout. The centerpieces where beautiful and the custom dessert bar Fearon May Events created with diamond curtains was over the top. From a cigar bar to a donuts display this Grand Island Mansion wedding had it all. The couple even opted out of the chicken and steak dinner and the Mini Burger Truck serve sliders and fries plated to each guest. The purple rosette chair backs were custom made by Mimi and Company. The head table was a unique kings table set for 16 people and had 2 large white trees that came out of the middle of the table. This was a gorgeous Grand Island Mansion wedding and the pictures Carmen Salazar Photography captured are priceless.

Wedding Planner and Designer: Fearon May Events

Photographer: Carmen Salazar Photography

Location: Grand Island Mansion

DJ & Photobooth: Encore Entertainment

Burgers & Fries: Krush Burgers

Videographer: Phillip Alan Films

Florsit: Visual Impact Designs

Lounge Furniture:  JCD Studios

Chair Covers & Linen: Mimi & CO

Bakery: Sugar And Spice

Cigars: Casillas Cigars

Officiant: Rick Gonzales

Makeup: Jennifer Haupt

Today we bring you these adorable Florida Engagement Photos from A Million Sighs Photography. Here is what the photographer had to say about these Florida Engagement Photos:

Eve and Don’s engagement session started off a bit rocky. Anyone that has spent more than a few days in Florida, knows that our weather can be a little… unpredictable. The skies were looking nice and blue as we traveled from Orlando to Jupiter, Florida to meet up with Eve and Don at the pier. We got there early so we could grab lunch and get acquainted with the location. By the time lunch was over, the sky was getting dark and menacing. Since we were meeting them out of town, there was no simple way to reschedule our session, so I sat and prayed and hoped that the rain would keep away. The *exact* moment of our meeting time, the sky decides to open up. Luckily, it wasn’t the drenching down pour we so often get, but it was enough rain to mess up hair and destroy cameras if exposed for too long. We decided to start our session under the protection of the Juno Beach Pier. I am happy to report that just as our rain is unpredictable, we can almost always count on it not lingering for too long, so when the rain turned into a mist, we were able to brave the open air. Eve and Don were troopers, and I think we ended up with some special photos to commemorate their engagement. – Christine O’Connell of A Million Sighs Photography.

Come see us at The Cal Expo Bridal Showcase this Sunday January 13th, 2013. We will be in Building 6. 

Time: 10:00am to 5:00pm

Location: Cal Expo Fair Grounds in Sacramento

Tips for the Brides:

Create a new e-mail address through Yahoo, gmail or hotmail. This is to give out to vendors and for entering all the fabulous giveaways. This helps from having your in box filled with marketing e-mails but will give you a chance to look through the e-mails when you are working on wedding related items. Plus many vendors will e-mail you specials and deals. So set up the account so you can  receive these special e-mails.

Once your account is setup print labels for the bridal shows you will be attending. On the labels put the following information:

Brides Name
Grooms Name
Wedding Date
Wedding Location
Brides E-Mail Address
Phone Number
Mailing address

It’s okay to put TBD if you don’t know date or location. The label makes it simple to peel and stick vs. having to fill out forms all day. You definitely want to enter the drawings because you might be the WINNER!

Travel lightly! Big bulky purses can get heavy and annoying to carry for hours. You will be given a gift bag to put all the flyers and information you will be collecting. So bring a small purse.

Comfy shoes! You will be on hard concrete flooring walking around all day. Wear tennis shoes and leave the heels at home.

Dress warm! The show is indoor and outdoor so you will be walking inside and outside through out the day so dress warm.

Bring Cash: There is a snack bar and coffee bar at the show so bring cash, we’re not sure if they take cards.

Entourage: it’s always great to be surrounded by your friends but sometimes when your trying to talk, negotiate and book vendors a couple of besties, your fiance or just your mom is a great way to go. You don’t need your entire bridal party there to pull you in a hundred directions. Your going  to the show to learn information, book your vendors and shop pricing so come with someone who can help you with that.

Have fun! Your only a bride once, so take it in and make a day out of it. Maybe a lunch or dinner date before or after the show.

We’ll see you there!

Quin & Nick knew they wanted a Strawberry Farms wedding the first time they saw the property. The Strawberry Farms wedding venue was the perfect rustic barn setting for this couple.  They have been a couple for a long time and this wedding took a couple years to come together with many of their details handmade by themselves. Nick is pretty handy and made metal initials for the barn doors out of rebar. He was also in charge of cutting down a tree and cutting it into pieces for their table tops. Over the past year they collected glass bottles to use for their center pieces including baby food jars and Snapple bottles. The tree slices served as platforms to display all the jars which were filled with wild flowers purchased at the local flower market. They also planted succulents in small clay pots for guest favors. Having a great love for the outdoors, Quin & Nick choose to name all their tables after their favorite national parks. Keeping in line with their natural theme, they painted the guest’s name and table on smooth black rocks that they collected. The rocks were displayed on a table with green moss and accented with flower filled light bulbs. An idea Quin found on Pinterest. Additionally, to pay homage to the bride’s Filipino heritage all the men wore Barongs in leu of traditional suites. Pretty much every detail of their wedding was thoughtful and a unique representation of their life together. Thank you to Continuum Wedding Photography for sharing this Strawberry Farms wedding.

Reception Venue:  Strawberry Farms Golf Club

DJ:  Ultimate Events