Bridal Show!

It is that time of year again! The beautiful, wonderful time of year that zillions of brides gather in an organized chaos and attempt to plan their wedding in one day, by eating more cake and chocolate covered strawberries than one person should eat in a lifetime.



It's Bridal Show Season!



And for those of you getting married, yes, there is a season for everything, including Bridal Shows!



And we are there to guide you through the chaos of a bridal show, and help you with cans of "Yoo-Hoo, so you're getting married!" and "Stress Relief Pills"

So if we missed you on Sunday, at the Performing Arts Center, for the Gainesville Wedding Expo, we'll see you on September 12th, for The Florida Wedding Expo, at the University of Florida Hilton!



We'll be in-between Too Jay's (and you guys know how much I love me some Too-Jays, I wonder if they'll bring me a corned beef sammich?) and Dream Day Cakes!

Pencil Tip Art

So, I went to school with a kid that would fiddle with his pencils and make the tip into fun shapes... and so when I came across this, I thought of the that kid.

Yeah, that's right, he's carved the alphabet out of pencil tips! Not that kid I went to school with, but Brazilian born, Connecticut based, Dalton Ghetti carefully crafts the tips of pencils into amazing micro sculptures. These miniature masterpieces are a side project for the professional carpenter, who has been perfecting this art for the last 25 years. Dalton uses a razor blade, sewing needle, a sculpting knife, a steady hand and lots of patience to meticulously carve the graphite which can take anywhere between a few months to a few years. Over time he has broken many works in progress and keeps them in what he calls the cemetery collection. One of the most fascinating things about these tiny works of art is that he has never sold them, only given away to friends as gifts.





via telegraph.co.uk

Original Post with more images

Cute as a Button!

This is the picture that started it all for me. The picture that made me fall in love with button boutineers! How darling is it!!

Now I need to have a bride have them! Please, with sugar on top!

 I'll even give you a source, you can find them here, on Etsy....

And Guest

When you get an invitation to a wedding, do you even think about what the inner envelope says? This is a problem as of late. People don't think about it.



These are the people that are invited to the wedding, the people listed on the inner envelope. And if there isn't an inner envelope, it's the people listed on the outer envelope.



That means that if it just says Tammie Jones, Tammie is the only one invited to the wedding, not her boyfriend or her kids.



If it says Tammie Jones and Billy Joe, that means that Tammie and Billy are invited, not their kids or their kid's kids.



Don't try to bring or invite a guest if it doesn't say "and guest" on the invitation, the bride and groom (or her parents, his parents, whoever is paying for the wedding) is paying a good chunk of change for you to attend their wedding. Don't force it.



It's just not good etiquette, its not fair to put the bride and groom in that situation.

Super Cute Cake Topper

While we are on uber cuteness, check out these cake toppers, that I also found on Etsy!

When you are looking for a cake topper, and deciding if you wanted to use one or not think about the personality of your wedding. How the topper ties to you, if you are going to use your college mascot, or cute adorable birds, are you tying those birds anywhere else in the wedding?



Will the topper match your theme over-all?

Cake Toppers!

I love cake toppers that are fun and different, I found these on one of my favorite sites, Etsy.com. Have you heard of it?



If you haven't it's the best thing to happen to the wedding industry, since, well, since cake!



Etsy is chock full of designers and crafters that make stuff, like hand-made fun stuff!



You can find these toppers on Etsy, here.

6 Reasons to Hire a Pro

I promise this is the last of our Hire a Freakin' Professional... post extravagazza!



I was chatting with Russell Martin (a professional photographer) and he brought up 6 good reasons from a photographers point of view on why to hire a pro.



1. Will have a complete set of backup equipment





2. Will probably be familiar with the venue and know the best places for great photos.



3. Will be able to help plan your wedding timeline to achieve the best lighting for their portraits and make the best use of the available time. (if you plan a sunset wedding you better have a first look or the bride and groom portraits will be done in the dark)



4. Will remain professional under a stressful situation



5. Will have professional lighting equipment for most situations and will know how to balance artificial with available light



6. Will typically be familiar with the order of most religious ceremonies and will be sensitive to their different requirements



See, more than just great pictures!

So Pretty!

I saw this on Style me Pretty and I had to just swoooooon!



The wreath of carnations is just soo lovely, it makes my heart sink!



Photography by: Carla Ten Eyck Photography

Hire Professionals - Cake Baker

Most of you have probably been introduced to Cake Wrecks, and that site has been endless enjoyment for our office!



It's part of the inspiration for this post. Imagine you go to your baker, and tell this you want a cake that is similar to this:

And then they tell you that's no problem, it should be a breeeeeeeeeeeeeze. And when your cake is delivered, set and ready to cut, you see this:

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!



How do you avoid this?



Hire a professional baker, that is used to the area you live, humidity and heat can make big differences to cakes. Some areas can tolerate buttercream in the summer (we can't), some cakes shouldn't be outside period.



Some bakeries do other things, like sell groceries, check their prices and WHO is going to baking your cake. That can make a big difference. And honestly, the prices aren't all that different. In fact, you think you are saving money, and most of the time. You aren't.



Thanks Cake Wrecks for the use of the pictures on your site!

References

Don't be afraid to ask for references. Please.



No matter who you are meeting with, if you feel comfortable calling other vendors, do it. Or ask your vendors when you are meeting with them. Ask for references.



Ask for both past brides and/or clients as well as vendor references.



Really it's okay.



Photo Source

Professional Photographer

Yesterday, we talked about professional photography and what a difference it can make in your wedding. If you think about it this way, your wedding is a production. An elaborate play-like production, if you will.



If your budget cannot tolerate a $15,000+ photographer, consider hiring that photographer, but hire them for their lesser package. You will have amazing images. Just less of them, or less time with that photographer.



You may want to check a photographers credentials. Check references. Ask other vendors about that photographer, they may post great work on their website or blog, but what if they haven't called their clients back in 9 months, or never produced an album for a client they promised they would. These are concerns that can be handled with a phone call!



Photography by: Rae Leytham Photography (notice this photograph was taken in a dark room at night, if the photographer was to take this picture with an on camera flash, there would be no picture, the photographer had to light the entire room from behind in order to still get the "the shot" = professional)

Hire Professionals

I feel like I've been on a tangent lately about hiring professionals. This is your wedding, you want it to be amazing. You want it to be perfect! And I know you wouldn't hire a dentist to cut a mole off of your back and tell you if it was cancerous or not.



So why would you hire a photographer off of let's say C.raig's List, the one person who will document, your most amazing day, the person who will provide you with the one thing you'll have after your wedding to remember all of the details, to recall your friends and most precious family members that celebrated your wedding day with you.



And sadly, in some instances the last family event that your elder family members may attend!



Okay, stepping off of my soap box now... but read this, the point of the post to begin with.



Photo by: Rae Leytham Photography (check out the bright background, and how you can can still see the bride and groom's faces and the color of her dress and the detail of her gown, the blue of the sky, the feather embelsihment in her hair....professional.)

Fab Finds!

If, after you see this, you aren't drooling... well, something is wrong with you. Okay, maybe you are completely sane. And just don't have the love of paper that I do. And that's okay.



I saw this on Wedding Tidbits:



{insert gushing, love, love, love, love!!!}

Couture Maps

More Fab Finds!

I saw this on So This is Bliss Blog and I love it! Maybe because it's a bajillion degrees outside and I am craving winter, but I think it's more-so that I just love the glimmer of crystal goodness!

More Fab Finds!

Please, please, please have a Cotton Candy Bar!!! What a fab fab fab fab find!!!!



Source

Fab Finds!

I am always scouring the internet for some amazing details, so check this out!



This incredible purple inspiration board from Wedding Wire.

New and Shiney!!!

I feel over-whelmed with pride by posting this, I've been delaying in posting this. Why? I don't know.



So here it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Our new website {I am giddy and blushing just saying it outloud!} OUR.NEW.WEBSITE! Ohhhhh.Mmmmm.Geeeeee!!!!



So with this new and shiney website comes some minor announcements. Okay, not minor. MAJOR!



MasterPiece Weddings is proud to announce that we now have an office in Jacksonville, Florida and are excited to be planning weddings in Jacksonville/Orange Park/ and Ponte Vedra Florida.



MasterPiece Weddings will also officially be planning weddings and events in Destin, Pensacola, Rosemary Beach and all of The Panhandle of Florida!



So, for all of your North Florida Wedding Planning needs, contact MasterPiece Weddings, we gottcha covered.