The eco Shuttle!

I was running some errands this afternoon and out of the corner of my eye I saw a sleek looking van with graphics on it saying "Eco Shuttle".  My interest was sparked and later I went online to see what it was all about. I was happy to learn that they provide transportation to the airport and even more excited to discover you can rent them for events! 

How cool would it be to shuttle your guests from hotel to ceremony site via a environmentally friendly van? Very. There are so many ways you could use them to make your life easier on the wedding day or for the rehearsal dinner. How about for your bachelorette party? No more worrying about having to designate a driver. Go have fun!

Besides being earth friendly, they have a lot of great info to read on their website. Check them out at: eco Shuttle.

Picking a Date.

You're recently engaged-congrats! You've  had a some time for it to sink in and you have shared the news with friends and family. Now the big question, what date to choose! 

Here are a few tips to help you figure out the perfect day to say I do:

• July & August are the most popular months to get married. In our area, the North West, it's due to the least amount of rain so you can get married outside. 

• Give yourself enough time to enjoy the engagement & for planning. If you absolutely have to get married in August, know ahead that you will be competing with way more brides to book vendors than if your date was in March.

• Check your local city calender for events that happen thru out the year. Such as the annual Rose Parade in Portland. If your event is near any of this your guests will have a real tough time getting to you and parking; they won't arrive happy.

• Want to make a weekend out of it? Choose a holiday weekend so your guests can stay longer and have a brunch the day after the wedding with everyone. 

• You're ready to get married now! Plan for a winter or spring date. Event spaces are less likely to be booked during this time. 

• Weekday is your day. Many more couples are opting to get married on a Friday night. This can be a good option to save some money-always ask if the vendor or space gives a weekday discount. 

Whether it's  8.8.2008   or  3.21.2008  it will be a day to remember. 

Time for Facelift.

You may have noticed a bit more color on our blog! It's in the midst of getting a facelift. 

Let us know if you love it or hate the new look. Always love to have feedback from our beautiful brides (and grooms) who check us out weekly. 

Perfect Pears.

Let's talk fruit, specifically the wonderful Oregon Pear. I came upon the USA Pear website and found some great ideas for wedding decor.

The first one is sugared pears. This is such a simple and elegant way to make center pieces for your tables. Choose all the same color or mix it up. Either way this classic way of decorating needs to make a come-back!

Play off the name of the fruit by offering guest the "perfect pear" as a wedding favor. Keep the packaging simple and add a ribbon to accent your wedding day colors. You could also tie a message around the bag with your initials and the text "the perfect pear!". Get creative with it!

You can dress them up even more by gilding them with silver or gold leaf. I love their idea of using these for place card holders...so pretty! You can download these ideas by visiting USA Pears and click on Lifestyle, Decorating. You'll find other great ideas on their site as well, such as yummy recipes for cocktails and desserts. Hmmm, I'm getting hungry just thinking out it!

Lisa Featured on Style Me Pretty Blog!

Congrats to the very talented Lisa of Studio Del Fiore!  The wedding flowers she made for Mike & Nicole's wedding are currently featured on the super cool wedding blog: Style Me Pretty. Our group loves this blog and are inspired by the lovely color palettes they put together in the inspiration boards.

Check out the post by clicking on the title above to see Lisa's Flowers & Jasmine Photography's images from the wedding day. Enjoy!

Invitations.

Your invites really set the stage for the overall feel of your event. From the moment your guests receive them in the mail, they will get a sense of whether your wedding will be fun & carefree, formal, relaxed or a fancy cocktail party.

One easy way to tie everything together is by using your color palette for the font or a graphic element. Take it a step further and add in an image that has importance to the two of you. Examples would be your love of animals-add a deer or rabbit for a rustic touch or how about the skyline of the city you live in-push it up a notch by using a well-known building such as "big pink" in downtown Portland.



Then there is the wording. A typical layout for the text includes: the host line, request line, bride & groom line, date and time lines, location line and reception and RSVP line.

Here's an example:

Mr. & Mrs. Smith request the honor of your presence

to celebrate the union of Lisa Smith to Joe Loomis

                                       at their wedding on Saturday,

           the eighth of March, two thousand and eight.

                                       four o'clock in the afternoon.

                    Grand Ballroom at the Governor Hotel

                                614 Southwest Eleventh Avenue

                                                                  Portland, OR

                                      Dinner and dancing to follow.

You certainly don't have to stick to this format, but remember to get all of the key info onto the cards somewhere-nothing worse than receiving an invite and not having the address to the ceremony site on it! Ask your designer for some other layout options for wording. 

The lovely samples shown here are all letterpress by Lark Press. Click the title above for a link to her website. Letterpress invites are like little pieces of art. 

Finding a Photographer.

This seems to be one of the harder decisions for most couples - and it should be. If you opt out of video coverage at the event all you will have after it's all said and done is the pictures. When it comes down to it, they really are important. This is an event that you'll want to share with your family and children for years to come. 

Here are some things to look for to help narrow down your choices. 

• figure out your photo budget. give it a range in case you find out you need more coverage or want a photo album. 
• start by browsing the internet and viewing online galleries. 
  
• decide which style of images you prefer: strict documentary (little to no group shots), classic (little to no documentary shots, more posed), or a mix of the two.

• find 3-4 photographers who's style stands out to you or brings you emotion.
• contact those photographers right away to find out who is available for your date.
• set up appointments with your top 3 choices who are open for your date.
• try to both go to the first meeting. it's important you both feel comfortable with him/her.

• 

• at the meeting you'll want to look for professional presentation of their work. this is often done with wedding albums and or a slideshow. it's important to see their work in print as all monitors give off a different color cast.
  

 

• when going thru samples they should be of a complete wedding. if you only see "the best" from various couples you should ask to see a full event to ensure they can capture all the moments.
• personality. you should feel at ease with them at the meeting, if you don't then you won't during your wedding day either.

• you'll pay more for experience and quality products offered. the average price range of these photographers is $2000-$5000+ , depending on what is included in the package.  
• always sign a contract with all the details of your package on it.

I hope this helps a bit. Have fun with your pictures!

All images copyright Jasmine Photography.