Try finding a coffee table on a subject that you and your fiance adore and have your guests sign on the pages of the book.  Now you have something beautiful to look at that’s practical and elegant and serves as a wonderful memoir of who attended your wedding.  Check out www.rizzoliusa.com for some beautiful inspiration.  Aren’t Racheal and Jordan just so much fun?!  I was laughing the whole time while photographing them!  And what about these adorable thumbprint guest books?  Well, they’re not exactly guest books.  Have your guest sign in with a print and when the wedding is over, frame it and hang it!  A perfect reminder of everyone that celebrated your wedding with you!  There’s even a link in there to download your own free template so be sure to scroll down so you don’t miss out on that little gift!

Free DIY Wedding Guest Book Template

One more goody for you.  Check out  Elizabeth’s post at After Yes, a fabulous Dallas/Fort Worth wedding event planner.  I loved one of her recent posts on some wedding guest book ideas.  You will love, love, love her ideas on moving away from the traditional guest book and doing something with a bit more flare.  She never disappoints!  Have an idea of your own you want posted?  Send it over and I’ll check it out!  If you liked what you read here on creative wedding guest book ideas leave me some love below.

1.      Arrive a work or get up 20 minutes early.  Set a timer for 20 minutes.  Commit to only working on wedding related items in those 20 minutes. Check your email. Answer wedding related emails only for about 15 minutes.

2.      Have a little patience. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your wedding won’t be, either. You do not have to find the perfect veil today; it or its equivalent will still be there tomorrow. Or next week for that matter. That being said…

3.       Use the last 5 minutes to make two checklists before you go into the office each day. One for what you have to do for work, another for what you want to do wedding-wise. Do the work list first, because, you know, hello!  Keep the wedding list down to four things – two that have to be done during business hours (like phone calls to vendors) and two, which don’t (like emails or research). Ask yourself, “do I really need to do this at work right now?” Well, do you?

4.      Do not add more things to the wedding list if you finish the four you have for the day. Write a new wedding list for tomorrow, and go back to work.

5.      Plan on your breaks. Whether that means hopping over to the baker for a      cake tasting on your lunch break or making follow up calls during your twenty-minute afternoon break. It’s your break, do what you want! *Note: If you plan right, a trip to the caterer for a tasting can double as your lunch!

6.      Take a personal day to plan and get things finished. I’m NOT suggesting that you do this every week! You’d be surprised how much you can accomplish in a single day if you are productive. Look at it this way: you can spend one day getting ten to-do things crossed off your list, or, one hour every morning at work for the next month trying to plan, picking up where you left off the day before.

7.      Don’t talk weddings at work. Even if you aren’t planning during work hours, people will think you are. Not to mention, you’ll drive the majority of the men nuts, anger a few women, and make the rest of the ladies jealous. So unless you work in the wedding and event planning industry, zip it while you’re on the clock!

8.      Take the last few days leading up to your wedding off from work. You’ll still have a list a mile long of things to finish, and you can hardly focus on anything that doesn’t have to do with your wedding. Do your boss, your coworkers, and yourself a favor and give yourself a break! If you aren’t going to be productive at work, you might as well be productive doing wedding stuff!

Need a fabulous place to gather inspiration for your wedding and post your own ideas?  Meet your new bff, Pinterest!

So, I am reaching out to all of you first since you are all my wonderful clients and friends.  If you want a complimentary mini engagement session by me, this is what you will have to do – send me a photo of you and your fiance along with a short summary as to why I should pick you.  From the submissions, 1 lucky couple will be chosen through a voting process of friends and family.  Wanna know what you get?

• A comletely free mini engagement session of 1 hour by myself at the State Fair of Texas
• Online gallery of images to proof
• A custom made digital Save the Date to print and use for your wedding or Christmas card
• A rockin good time!

Please understand that this is the session only which normally retails for $150 on its own.  You are not obligated to purchase anything although I won’t turn away your money.   All you have to do is look awesome and have a great time!  Submissions will be taken until September 24, 2011.  Voting will take place September 25th -30th and the winner will be announced October 1st, 2011.  Please send your picture and summary to info@twoblueshoesphotography.com before September 30, 2011.

Check out these awesome carnival engagement sessions!

Amber + Mike

Stephanie + John

Engaged and Inspired

Enter Pinterest!  According to the “About Me” tab, ”Pinterest is a virtual pinboard.  Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.”

In short, ladies, Pinterest is your new Best Friend in wedding planning!

Imagine the possibilities! Research studies show that if we Google something and it’s not on the 1st or 2nd page we give up and look elsewhere. Imagine a place where you can type in “wedding reception” and it pulls up all of the research that’s already been done by everyone else AND there’s a picture of it to see if you even like the idea before you click on it!! You can have followers a la Facebook, share information on Twitter, and – the best part yet – if you install the Pin It! button onto your tool bar, you can literally pin, keep, and catalogue anything and everything you find on the internet for later!  By pinning pictures and organizing your images, you can immediately keep track of everything that inspires you, explain exactly what you are wanting to your wedding planner, and even allow your friends and family to contribute to your vision! Oh, and did I mention that there’s an app so you can keep your entire wedding at your finger tips and scrap that ginormous binder?!

Sign up for Pinterest here, or request an invite here and follow my style boards for inspiration!  Repin, comment, and share!

Happy Pinning!

These choices really can be worn on another day.  And for heaven’s sake; stop wearing flip-flops to your reception.  There are plenty of fabulous flats out there so your tootsies stay comfy.  And don’t forget to snag a pair for your bridesmaids as well.  Pictures last forever ladies and no one wants to be looking at $2 flip flops from Old Navy or bare feet on the dance floor.  Just sayin’…

Jimmy Choo, Monolo Blanik, Christian Louboutin, Brian Atwood. Oscar de la Renta.  Some of my personal faves of course but if these are a little out of your price range check out these more budget friendly alternatives.

{Photo Credits: TOP ROW: Max Studio Scent Lilac Satin by PiperLime, Jacer Blue Suede Shoes by Nine West, Faith Yellow Chigwell Court Shoes by Debenhams.com, Green Rose Satin Shoes by Debenhams.com. SECOND ROW: Nine West Two Tone T-Bar Shoes by Oli, Nine West Pink Gatier Peep Toe Pump by Kaboodle.com, Nina Electra Red Evening Sandal by Macy’s, Precious Premium Teal High Shoes by TopShop.com. THIRD ROW: Christian Louboutin Blue Satin Very Noeud Slingbacks by BlueFly.com, Johnsons Yellow Fayruz Strappy Sandals by Endless.com, Nine West Green Jojus by Kaboodle.com, Faith Fuchsia Frill Front T-Bar Sandals by Oli. FOURTH ROW: ASOS Pink Premium Side Corsage Satin Shoes by Asos.com, Lavender Shallow-Lace Up Shoes by TopShop.com, Nine West Turquoise Jojus Open Toe by Kaboodle.com, Red Satin Corsage Peep Toe Shoes by KarenMillen.com. FIFTH ROW: Carvela Greet Green Classic Shoes by KurtGeiger.com, Seychelles Reservations For Two Teal Shoes by Zappos.com, Prada Slate Suede Petal Peep Toe Pumps by BlueFly.com, Electra Fuchsia Luster Satin by NinaShoes.com}

If you can’t tone it, tan it!

So I’ve recently become obsessed with two things.  Shoes (ok, I’ve always been obsessed with shoes) and tanning.  Now that I’m in my early 30’s I’ve adopted the mentality of “If you can’t tone it, tan it!”  There’s two problems with this mindset, however.

1. Sun and UV damage causes skin cancer, premature aging, yada, yada, yada.
2. I don’t want to look like a cast member of The Jersey Shore

So what’s a girl (or bride) to do?  Let’s face it.  Everyone wants to look a little sun kissed and have just the right amount of glow and no one wants to be an Oompa-Loompa bride!  I’ve done a little research on just how to avoid damaging your skin and not turning orange.

Pre-Spray Tan Tips from HappiBake, Elle Magazine, and The Knot

• we recommend using an exfoliant on the night prior to or on the morning of your session. this will prepare your skin by cleaning it and getting rid of dead skin cells, leaving it cleaner than a typical soap or body wash.

• shaving or waxing should be done a day before your session.

• avoid using deodorants, body lotions, perfumes, oils and make up on your tanning day as these can act as a barrier to the tanning solution.

• Do not attempt to apply spray tan solution in consecutive days — wait at least 4-5 days between applications.

• Do not try to go too dark all at once. Less is more when it comes to spray tanning: start with only 1-2 coats, never 3.

• Avoid products with over a 10% DHA (dihydroxyacetone) concentration, especially if you have fair skin.

Wedding Spray Tan Tips

• Never tan for the first time right before the wedding.  While tanning technology exists to enhance your look, you never know how your skin will react, so test the waters well in advance before you commit to one process.  The first step is learning what’s available to you and what the typical results are.

• To keep the tan you paid good money for, don’t exfoliate the skin or expose yourself to chlorine water after the treatments.  These can cause the top layer of tanned skin to fade or flake off, leaving your look uneven or unnoticeable.  After both of these processes, try to wear white clothing for the few days following your treatment to get the best possible idea for what you will look like on your wedding day, what will come off on your wedding attire, and to see how your skin reacted to the treatment.  If you do rub off on your Reem Acra, don’t sweat it; soap and water will most often times remove the mark.

• Spa First. Book your pedicure, facial, manicure, or any massage before the treatment.  If you wax, be sure to do this at least five days prior to tanning and exfoliate before your first appointment in order to rub off any excess skin.  When you tan you want your skin to be as clean as possible to avoid uneven areas where it may come off.

• Don’t shower or bathe for at least 8 hours after the tanning process.

I found this amazing book from a wedding planning site which had tons of awesome information on bridal beauty tips.  I will be hosting a giveaway for this book sometime in the near future.  In the meantime, enjoy this excerpt from Laura Pepper’s book, “Wow!  Glowing Bride in 30 Days!”

 The First Step to Whiter Teeth- Avoiding Products That Stain

• Coffe, Tea and Soda: Some of the worst culpits.  Try drinking all of these out of a straw, switching to green tea instead of black or adding milk to your coffee to dilute the color a bit.  Rinse or brush your teeth after you are finished with your beverage.
• Berries
• Red Wine:  Surprise!  Don’t brush your teeth right after having a glass of red wine.  Red wine is very acidic so brushing will wear away the enamel on your teeth.  Try using a mouthwash or chewing gum instead.
• Cigarettes:  Really?  I think you know what to do about this one.
• Soy Sauce
• Curry

Basically you can lessen the effects of these products by brushing, using mouthwash or chewing a piece of gum after eating or drinking.

Whitening Products That Work

Tip:  Before embarking on a whitening regimine, you need to evaluate what type of staining you have.  If you have a yellowish tinge to your teeth then peroxide based whiteners will work.  If your teeth look more grayish, over the counter treatments are not for you.  Gray discoloration comes from within and usually affects people with fair skin, as the enamel of their teeth is thinner.  The only way to fix this staining is through bonding or veneers which will require a trip to the dentist and some added expense.

**Crest White Strips Supreme Professional Strength Full Kit:  Available online through amazon.com, smilebox.com and dentist.net (84 strips, $47)

**Aquafresh White Tray: Available at drugstores ($35)

**Results according to Consumer Reports