Alternatives to traditional wedding guest books

In the past, guest books were pretty standard at wedding receptions.  Each guest signs his or her name with a feathery pen, with no thoughts or wishes for the new couple.  While guest books are a nice way to remember who attended your wedding, most couples will put their guest book away and rarely look at it again.  Couples are now choosing unusual ways to not only remember the guests who attended their wedding, but also to have a unique and beautiful memento to display for years to come.

Memory Box with Anniversary
 Stationery from Weddingstar.com

Weddingstar has designed an absolutely beautiful way for couples to document who attended their wedding.  Their Memory Box with Anniversary Stationery actually seals away 50 special hand-written messages gathered at the wedding from family and friends.  The set includes 50 cards, each card representing an anniversary from the 1st to the 50th.  At the wedding, the couples ask family and friends to write a special and meaningful message on each card.  Then, each year on their anniversary, they open the appropriate envelope.  I can't even imagine how touching it would be to read messages years from now from a family member or friend that have been waiting, sealed and tucked away in this beautiful box, for years.  For only $89.98 this would be the perfect engagement or shower gift, or even a wedding gift (as long as its given in advance of the wedding).

Another take on the Memory Box idea from Weddingstar is the Memory Box with Well Wishing Stationery.  Beautifully designed stationery is included in the wooden box.  Wedding guests are asked to write personal messages for the newly married couple to read in the days, months and years to come.  The messages can then be saved in the beautiful box and treasured forever.


Fingerprint Guest Book Tree
from Style Unveiled

Fingerprint Guest Book Trees are a really cute way to get your guests involved and have a lovely memento to display on your wall after your wedding.  There are many places to purchase the blank tree, or you can print one from Style Unveiled here.  Simply print the tree, buy a few different colors of ink and lay everything out on a table at the wedding.  Be sure to display a sign telling people what to do - and don't forget to put out hand cleaning supplies for people to clean the ink off their fingers.

Some couples are opting for video guest books, while others have guests sign a matted photograph (usually their engagement photo or a wedding studio photograph).  There are so many different options to help remember the guests who shared your special day - the only limit is your imagination.  What are some unusual or unique alternatives to traditional guest books you've seen or used for your own wedding?

Celebrate The Hunger Games movie release by throwing a Hunger Games themed party!

The premiere of The Hunger Games movie.  Josh Hutcherson,
Jennifer Lawrence & Liam Hemsworth.  Photo by
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images.

Ok, I admit it.  I'm obsessed with the Hunger Games.  I fought it, I really did.  My 13 year old daughter brought the first book home from school earlier this school year, telling me how amazing it was, but it really didn't seem that interesting to me.  At Christmas, when she asked for the other two books in the trilogy for presents, and nothing else, I was intrigued.  I went shopping with my stepdad to look for the books but they were sold out at several bookstores.  My interest was growing.  Thoughts of Harry Potter and Twilight were running through my mind (other books I didn't jump on the bandwagon with until much, much later).  He did find them at a store outside of the city, along with The Hunger Games Companion.  When she unwrapped them, she was just as excited as she was when she opened the iPod Touch she had be wanting for two years.  For a teenager to be so excited about a bunch of books?  I think we all were wondering what was so special about The Hunger Games.  She spent Christmas vacation completely engrossed the books, and when she wasn't reading, she was either texting her friends about the books, or searching the internet about the upcoming movie.  When she finished all three books, she read them again....and again....and again.  I knew then they were pretty special.

I didn't get around to reading them till a few weeks ago.  I hadn't been feeling well and was so sick of television, so out of boredom I picked up the first book.  After reading the first paragraph, I was completely hooked, and within about three days I had finished all three books.  They are YA books (young adult) so they are easy to read, but the story is captivating.  Now I, like the rest of the world, find myself eagerly awaiting the release of the movie on March 23rd.  If you've read the books, you know that the Capitol (the elite governing class) forces the Districts to celebrate the Hunger Games each year.  But for all the fans who have been desperately awaiting March 23, no one will be forcing them (ok, us) to celebrate.  So, why not throw a Hunger Games movie release party?

I posted an article on Examiner about throwing a Hunger Games themed party, with ideas on food (lamb stew, squirrel or "groosling" anyone?), decorations, and even creating your own "reaping" for your guests.  As the movie release draws closer, more and more Hunger Games merchandise can be found.  If you're looking for entertainment for your party, Amazon now offers The Hunger Games:  Training Days Strategy Game for $24.99.  The game, based on the book allows players to choose Tributes from their favorites Districts and challenge each other to matches of wits and skills.  Amazon also offers The Hunger Games Jabberjay Card Game for $9.99, where each player represents a District Citizen or Capital Citizen and their identity remains secret during most of the game.  This is a game for 5-12 players, so it's great for a larger group.  Internet fan site The Hob sells Hunger Games merchandise that would be perfect for party favors or for the winner of whatever games you hold at your own party.

After browsing the boards on Pinterest, it seems I'm not the only adult to fall in love with The Hunger Games.  There are Hunger Games inspired weddings, jewelry, clothing, cookbooks, even new nail polishes inspired by the books and movie.  You can check out the boards I created here, or do your own search for hundreds of Hunger Games related results.

While we probably won't be waiting in line for the midnight opening of The Hunger Games since it's a school night, the odds are in our favor that we'll be seeing the movie this weekend.  If you haven't read the books yet, I urge you do so.  Happy Hunger Games everyone - and may the odds be ever in your favor!

Wedding footwear - it's not just white satin pumps anymore

The Pink Sole by Essex Couture - not for the average bride!

Brides are making unusual and bold choices when it comes to their wedding day footwear.  Gone are the days of demure white satin pumps.  Brides are choosing shoes that show off their personalities - whether that means sexy, fun, flirty, quirky or adventurous.  Why buy a pair of white satin shoes you'll wear once and stuff in your closet and never think about again?  Brides are choosing shoes they love, with gorgeous details, unusual textures, sky high heels and bright bold colors to take their first steps into married life and beyond.  This article offers more information on wedding shoe trends, along with links to some Pinterest boards I've created for inspiration on some more unusual, bold and non-traditional wedding day footwear.  Enjoy!

Pittsburgh Bridal Showcase scheduled for Sunday, March 18, 2012

Bridal Flowers by Roger Kirby

For all the brides in and around the Pittsburgh area, be sure to visit the Pittsburgh Bridal Showcase on Sunday, March 18, 2012, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.  This is probably one of, if not the biggest bridal shows of the year in the Pittsburgh area.  With over 200 wedding vendors and experts on hand to help you plan every single detail of your special day, this is an event you do not want to miss. 

For more details, read the article here I just posted in my event planning column on Examiner, including how to get $1000 in Bridal Bucks!

Big news!

I recently found out that I was named the National Wedding Planning Examiner at Examiner.com.  This is a really wonderful and exciting opportunity for me, and something I've been working toward since I started writing for Examiner.  It will allow me to write about a wider range of subjects, and hopefully get to know many more of the amazingly talented individuals in the wedding industry.  EventSpiration will continue, of course.

If you have a story idea, or your business has a new product or an exciting announcement, please make sure to let me know.  If it fits in with my column I'll do my best to include it as soon as possible.  Thank you all for your support and encouragement!

Would you like your wedding featured here?

Lately, I've been reading about/noticing a trend in the wedding blogosphere that is slightly disturbing to me.  Every day, all across the world, gorgeous, over the top weddings are featured on blogs.  While we all love looking at beautiful images of weddings full of expensive details, for the majority of couples tying the knot, those weddings just aren't reality.  Not every wedding takes place in some distant woods, with vintage furniture and antique chandeliers shipped in, with the whole event styled by a celebrity wedding planner.  The average couple can't afford to rent out an entire vineyard and arrive in a vintage Bentley.  Every bride can't afford to buy a designer dress or have invitations custom made.*  Some weddings are even held in hotel ballrooms and (gasp!) reception halls and are just lovely and wonderful, too.

But you know what?  Just because your wedding might be smaller, and less expensive, that doesn't make it any less special.  At the end of the day, it's all about marrying the person you love.  Your wedding should be a reflection of the two of you - your personalities, your backgrounds, your history.  Often times with smaller wedding, so much thought and feeling goes into every detail, because every detail that is chosen is more important.  Families work together to help plan these special events, offering their services as gifts.  That is so special, so memorable and sweet!  Many brides and grooms have to pay for their weddings themselves.  A lot of engaged couples make the smart decision that they don't want to start off their new marriage in debt just because they planned a wedding they couldn't really afford.  I, for one, believe that these small, special weddings have just as much right to be featured on blogs as the bigger, more expensive weddings do.

Just as the small weddings have a right to be featured, I also believe that the photographers who work so hard on these weddings should be featured as well.  I've seen way too many bad photos of beautiful, expensive weddings featured on so many blogs.  Whether a photographer is shooting some over the top affair, or a small celebration, if their work is beautiful and unique, and the image touches the viewer in some way, they deserve a chance to be featured, too.

So here's my proposal.  Photographers, if you've been turned down on other blogs because the weddings you submitted weren't big enough, expensive enough, or had enough details, submit your photos here.  Brides, if you want to show off your wedding to the world, submit your photos here.  For now, you can contact me here.  Send me a few sample pictures, along with your contact information, and I'll be back in touch with you for more information.  I will be writing up some Submission Guidelines over the next few days.  I'll post an update when the guidelines are all finished.

So send me some pictures, and let EventSpiration be the blog where your wedding or your work can shine!

*Just a side note, I have nothing personally against professional wedding planners, custom invitations, designer dresses, event stylists, etc.  I've even worked as an event planner.  I certainly do not want to offend anyone.  The point of this post is that not everyone can afford those things, especially in the current economic climate.

Another day, another chance to win a dreamy dress and honeymoon!

Hello lovely brides-to-be!

What an amazing week it's been, full of fabulous contests, and today is no different!  Bridal Guide has announced a new contest and the lucky winner will receive an Allure Bridal Gown and a Florida honeymoon!

Allure offers bride a wide of gowns, from romantic to dramatic, and all gowns shimmer with only the finest Swarovski crystals.  Allure gowns also feature a patented built-in corset in each dress, which provides the wearer with an amazing fit, and more comfort than wearing an additional layer of foundation garments. 

The winner will then enjoy an amazing honeymoon of five nights at the Tortuga Inn Beach Resort on Bradenton Beach, in Florida, along with many other amenities.

To view Allure's wedding gown collection, visit allurebridals.com.  To enter the contest, visit Bridal Guide and complete the form.  Make sure you take a look around this site for lots of great inspiration and information for planning your wedding.

Another amazing giveaway!

Hello dear readers!  Today I came across an amazing giveaway for one lucky couple, courtesy of Brenda's Wedding Blog.  Brenda's Wedding Blog has joined up with UPrinting  with an amazing prize.  The lucky winner will receive an 11" x 14" stretched canvas print with either a 1.5" Gallery Wrap or a 1.5" Museum Wrap (White or Black) of their favorite wedding or honeymoon photo.  What a gorgeous keepsake this will make to display and cherish for years to come!
All the details about entering the contest can be found on her blog here.  While you're there, be sure to take some time to explore her wonderful and informative blog.  Good luck!

Win Bella's Twilight wedding gown and a honeymoon courtesy of Bridal Guide!

We have all seen and drooled over the gorgeous creation Bella wore as she wed Edward and promised to be his for all time. *Sigh*  Well Twilight fans, how would you like to walk down the aisle in a duplicate of  Bella's amazing, vintage inspired wedding gown?  Then, be whisked off to a dream honeymoon at the South Seas Island Resort in Captiva, Florida.  Bridal Guide is offering you the chance to win this amazing sweepstakes!

The lucky winner will receive a replica of Bella's wedding gown or she can choose another style from the Alfred Angelo Collection, and a glamorous hair accessory to complete her look.  Then she and her new husband will enjoy a seven night honeymoon package at the South Seas Village Resort.  The resort village is surrounded by a 330 acre wildlife sanctuary and 2.5 miles of beaches.  Sounds like exactly what any newly married couple needs after the stress of planning a wedding!

For more information and details on how to enter this amazing contest, visit Bridal Guide Twilight Sweepstakes.  

David's Bridal offers a chance to win free gowns!

Just a quick post for now.  As my regular blog readers know, I believe finding anything free for your wedding is a good thing.  Here's my latest article on Examiner.com about David's Bridal and their new monthly contest, offering brides a chance to win a free wedding gown or up to 5 free bridal party dresses.  Click here for the article.
I also found some amazing free tools on the David's Bridal website, including the Dress Your Wedding tool, which will allow you to create your entire bridal party look online from the comfort of your home, along with the Color Inspiration tool, to see what the hot color trends are and to generate a personalized color palette based on the color of the dress you choose.  So much wedding inspiration in one place!

Free (and adorable!) bridesmaid and maid of honor cards.



Free Maid of Honor Card from Dessy Group 

Free things are always good.  Finding free wedding things when you're planning your big day is even better.  Anywhere you can save money will help out your budget in some other way - you may be able to invite more guests to your reception, put away more money for your honeymoon or save more for the down payment on your first home.  Every little bit helps.  Surprisingly, there are lots of freebies out there, and when I come across high quality (and cute!) freebies, I'll highlight them in this blog.

Today as I was looking around the Internet, I ended up on a site called Bridesmaid.com, the official blog of Dessy Group.  Dessy Group is well known for their bridal party fashion and accessories.  Bridesmaid.com offers lots of good information when planning a wedding.  I was exploring the site when I came across a topic called "DIY Bridesmaid Cards".

Free Bridesmaid Card from Dessy Group

These adorable cards are customizable in the colors of your wedding (with two colors) and are a really sweet and memorable way to invite both your maid of honor and bridesmaids to be part of your special day.  First, you select your design from ten different cards.  Next, choose the two colors for your card, from the 230 Pantone wedding colors available.  Then, you download the file to your computer and then print the card yourself.  The final images are 1650 x 1275 pixels and 72dpi.  You can resize the image to print it out on a high quality card of 5" x 4" or  6" x 4".  Very simple!

In this day and age of e-mail, Facebook and Twitter, it's so nice to get a real, handmade card with a handwritten note every now and then.  When asking someone to participate in the most important day of your life, this is the perfect opportunity to take the extra time and let these people know how important they are to you, and why you want them to share in you special day.  A handmade card with a personalized note inside would be something I'd cherish forever.

Free (yes, free!) wedding invitations from PartyPop.com!

In this day and age of pop-up ads filled with spammy offers and mysterious links leading you to scams all over the Internet, it is really difficult to believe when you come across a truly free (and amazing) offer.  But in this instance, PartyPop.com is offering a legitimate and incredible gift to engaged couples planning their weddings.

PartyPop.com, an extremely useful website, well known for their online tools for party, event and wedding planning, is offering 100% free wedding invitations for engaged couples in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.  There are absolutely no hidden fees, no design fees, and no fees to be paid later on.  The invitations will be printed on 80 lb card stock and include envelopes.  This offer is good for anyone placing their orders through the end of 2012.  Click here to see the invitation and website designs.

Additionally, PartyPop.com is offering each couple their very own wedding website, with designs available to match the invitations.  The website is the perfect way for you to share your love story, upload pictures, work on seating arrangements, link to social networks, and allow your guests to RSVP to your wedding events.

A few questions popped up after reviewing this offer from PartyPop.com.  For example, I noticed that the RSVP and Reception cards, very necessary parts of a traditional wedding invitation were not included or mentioned on the PartyPop.com page.  I emailed Ryan at PartyPop.com (who is incredibly helpful and wonderful to work with) to ask if these additional cards could be purchased if couples wanted them and was told they weren't available.  But there are ways to work around this.  After working in the bridal industry for many years, I have advised many budget conscious brides to add the reception information to the actual wedding invitation, rather than adding an additional Reception card.  First, it saves money on your invitation order, and second, it saves money on your postage.  Adding that little Reception card to the total weight of your invitation can sometimes push your invitation into the next postage bracket.  You can easily add in your reception information on these free invitations from PartyPop.com.

The RSVP card is another matter  you need to consider.  You definitely want to know how many people are going to be attending your wedding.  You'll need to give a final count to your caterer or reception hall.  They'll require you to pay them in advance of your event and the amount is dependant on the number of guests attending, so getting the RSVP's back is crucial.  When I brought this up with Ryan, he mentioned using their free wedding website and the RSVP option.  Just add the web address on your invitations, along with the date you'll need your RSVP.  However, we all have older family members who still aren't Internet savvy.  This option won't work for everyone.  You may want to consider adding a phone number on your invitation for RSVP's.  If you're not up for all those phone calls, (or your phone potentially ringing the day of your wedding with some guest asking for directions because your phone number is printed on the invitations - yes I could see that happening!) you could get a set of RSVP cards printed up on your own, and insert them in the envelope with your invitations when you mail them.

PartyPop.com knows how tough it is to plan a wedding in this economy, and free invitations can easily save you $600+.  Check out PartyPop.com, not just for their free wedding invitations, but for all their wonderful wedding and event planning tools and information.

Shopping for a cause.

I feel I would be remiss if I didn't mention this wonderful website for you to consider while shopping for your last-minute Valentine's day gifts (or anytime you feel like doing some online shopping).  Even though there's now less than two days left before Valentine's Day, and chances are anything you purchased wouldn't be shipped in time, I have a feeling if you bought something from The Animal Rescue Site for any animal lover on your list, you'd surely be excused for your tardiness because it's helping such a worthy cause.

The Animal Rescue Site is part of  CharityUSA which owns and operates the GreaterGood Network Stores.  Every purchase you make gives back to a worthy cause, at no extra cost to you.  When you purchase from The Animal Rescue Site, a portion of the purchase price of each item funds food for abandoned animals in shelters and sanctuaries.  Specifically, each item you purchase helps fund at least 14 bowls of food for homeless shelter animals, and helps such wonderful charities like Petfinder.com Foundation, IFAW, Rescue Bank, and others.

The Animal Rescue Site has hundreds of items available to purchase - jewelry, clothing, pet items, household items, garden and outdoor items, just to name a few.  GreaterGood is responsible about the products they offer for sale. They offer products to help improve the world and products connected to the charities they work on.  They believe in offering fairly traded products, and never purchase products that were manufactured by child labor.  They also will never offer any products for sale that harmed people or animals in their use or manufacture, or were tested on animals, sourced from wild or endangered animals, or where animals were treated inhumanely during manufacture.

If you're going to shop anyway, you might as well help a very worthy cause.  If you're shopping for Valentine's Day and the item won't arrive in time, show up for your Valentine's Day date with a bouquet of very pretty flowers for her (or perhaps a bottle of his favorite wine or whiskey), and a heartfelt card with a color printout of the item you purchased.  Explain to your sweetheart that you're sorry the gift is late, but that you're helping homeless shelter animals with the purchase. That should be more than enough to capture his/her heart.  I know it would work on me. (By the way, you can click on The Animal Rescue Site's link once daily to help give free food and care to homeless shelter animals.)

Are there other causes near and dear to your heart?  GreaterGood has other websites, so you can shop and have your purchases benefit other issues and causes, such as hunger, breast cancer, veterans, autism, child health, rainforests and literacy.  Click here to find out more.

Last minute "instant" Valentine's Day gifts

Guys - if you haven't gone shopping for your sweetheart yet, time is running out. Valentine's Day is less than two days away. Unless you want to be stuck wandering the aisles of your local convenience store in a panic on your way home from work, it's time to get your tushy in gear. Believe me, your significant other does NOT want to receive windshield washer fluid or an ice scraper again this year.

Every woman has imagined what it would be like to have a love song written in her honor. Imagine presenting your Valentine with her very own customized song, performed by none other than Joe Pizzulo, singer of one of the most romantic love songs ever, "Never Gonna Let You Go." Simply go to InstaSong, answer a few questions about your sweetie and your relationship, and your song will be created on the spot. You'll get big points for this one.

Put your love on a magazine cover! Check out Your Cover, where you can make your own personalized cover, celebrating your love, or any number of milestone events and occasions. There's an entire gallery of templates to choose from. For last minute shoppers, you can download and print your own cover, or if you have enough time, Your Cover will print a high quality copy of your design and ship it to you. Make sure you stop by your local crafts store to frame your cover, for the perfect finishing touch. Your lady will appreciate this little detail.

How about printing about some Valentine's Day "love coupons" for your sweetheart? If you're not the creative type, use the coupons provided here. Add a pretty flower bouquet and some chocolates, and a nice dinner at home (don't forget the candles and a nice movie - romantic comedy preferred), and she'll love you for the effort.

Remember, it's really not about the gift at all. It's the thought that counts. Show your Valentine you know her, and you know her heart, and she'll be happy with whatever you give her.

An introduction.

For my first post, I just wanted to introduce myself, and explain a litte about how EventSpiration came to be.  For years now, I've worked in the marketing and sales fields, and in turn have planned many events, on-site promtions, trade shows and parties.  I realized that I really enjoyed the party planning aspect of my job, and I took a position as the Event Coordinator for a historic (and haunted!) inn here in Pittsburgh.  I worked with many different people and organizations, planning all sorts of events - weddings, surprise engagements, soroity parties and corporate events. I enjoyed every minute of working with my clients and meeting with their vendors.  After several years at the inn, I had to leave my position due to health reasons, but I never lost my love for event planning and entertaining.  My daily reading still consisted of wedding and party planning blogs, even though my two rescued dogs weren't planning a wedding anytime in the near future.

While searching through the internet, I came across Examiner.com and found out they were looking for an event planning writer for Pittsburgh.  I've always enjoyed writing, and since I had all this event planning experience, I submitted my application and thankfully I was hired.  Writing for Examiner has been amazing.  I truly enjoy every minute of it, and I've met some wonderful people because of my articles.  However, because I am the "Pittsburgh" Event Planning Examiner, I am limited to only writing about local events, people and things.  While Pittsburgh is a wonderful city full of vibrant and talented people, there are national trends and celebrities I would love to write about but can't.  So, the idea for EventSpiration was born.  This blog will give me the opportunity to spread my wings and be a little more creative.

I have also been given the title of "Pittsburgh Animal Advocacy Examiner."  From time to time you may see animal and animal-advocacy related posts here.  Animals, animal adoption and preventing abuse and cruelty are my true passions in life.  As I write this, my two dogs are laying curled against me.  I honestly don't believe that I'd be here and be able to do anything, had it not been for my two dogs after the last year and a half of my life.  I feel very strongly about giving back to them after the uncondtional love they provide me with every single day.  If you're an animal lover, I know you'll understand.  If you're not, I hope you'll bear with me and hopefully find the rest of the information I provide useful enough that you can indulge me a bit when I write about my "boys" or animal advocacy issues.