Your Wedding Advice - StrictlyWeddings.com Blog

Rough Creek Lodge – Top 5 Places in the World to Get Married

We are delighted to welcome to our new Dallas luxury wedding partner Rough Creek Lodge! Rough Creek has been named “one of the top five places in the world to get married” by Peter Greenberg of NBC’s Today Show, as well as awarded the “Most Outstanding Lodge in North America” by Conde Nast Jahansens. AND… with a list of “79 Things to Do” you could even make it a fun destination wedding!

Your wedding day is one of the most important days in your life and Rough Creek will help make all your dreams come true. If it’s a lavish Fort Worth Wedding or Dallas Wedding you desire, their onsite chapel, gourmet dining and romantic accommodations will bring all that to life. You might want to take your wedding outside and say “I Do” with Texas wildflowers as your backdrop, under a canopy of live oaks. Rough Creek Lodge provides an onsite Certified Wedding Consultant assisting with the wedding plans, making sure your wedding day is everything you could ever imagine.

Rough Creek’s Executive Chef will take pride in designing a personalized menu of his signature dishes for your wedding reception. And what would a wedding be without the wedding cake? Specially prepared by their pastry chef, complete with the keepsake tier.

If you’re looking for a special destination wedding location, yet a place not too far from Dallas or Fort Worth, contact Rough Creek Lodge.

NYC Wedding Ceremony Venues – Gotham Hall

If you’re looking for an elegant location for your wedding or wedding reception, visit our StrictlyWeddings.com partner Gotham Hall where you’ll experience uncompromising attention to detail and exceptional personal service. Staged against the awesome turn-of-the-century architecture of our seven-story gilded Ballroom, your wedding will truly sparkle.

An Intimate Affair – At Home Wedding Receptions

Are you thinking about an intimate wedding affair? Maybe you or your family have a beautiful home and garden that would perfectly suit your plans for a wedding for just a few friends and family.

In these photos by Elizabeth Messina, the beauty of the location and elegant, old-fashion place settings, make this homestyle wedding go from simple to simply divine.

If you are thinking about a more intimate wedding, you will be surprised (or maybe not) just how many things you can use if you go hunting in the china cabinet or silver drawer of your mother or grandmother. We think they’d be thrilled to share.

Check out the bride’s lace and crystals on her gown and how it’s tied-in to other touches in the decor. The invitations are elegant (but again simple). Just because your wedding preference is “smaller,” does not mean you have to loose any of those luxurious additions.

DFW Events – Wedding at Rough Creek Lodge

On October 2, 2010, one of our StrictlyWeddings.com partners, DFW Events, traveled to Rough Creek Lodge in Glen Rose, Texas to celebrate and coordinate the nuptials uniting Molly McDonough and Brett Long. The couple attended SMU, though they did not know one another… Brett’s college roommate introduced the two post-college. They celebrated their wedding day exactly three years after their first date on October 2, 2007. It was such an honor for DFW Events to be a part of the wedding weekend, especially for Alison Baker, who served as Molly’s Matron of Honor (Molly and Alison were college and post-college roommates!). Enjoy the pictures below courtesy of Edmonson Photography…. we begin with a few snapshots from Molly’s bridal session.

Molly did a great job thinking through the styling of her portraits… she wanted a rustic, but elegant setting that captured the theme of her wedding from the very beginning. The settings above were the perfect spots, accompanied by the touches of elegance, making for a beautiful backdrop on this beautiful bride…

Following the ceremony, guests were invited back to the main lodge for a seated dinner… Molly is amazingly talented and created her menus on her own! There were TONS of amazing details throughout the entire reception … the menus are just a small taste of the inventive, stylish touches Molly added.

Vendors:
Ceremony/Reception: Rough Creek Lodge
String Quartet: Gyros String Quartet
Band: The Project
Photographer: Edmonson Weddings
Florist: Garden Gate
Videographer: Imagique
Cakes: Dallas Affaires
Linens: BBJ Linens
Specialty Lighting: Beyond
Photo Booth: DC Photo Booths
Hair/Makeup: Mo Bowers
Transportation: Glen Rose Transit
Coordination: DFW Events, 214-505-9142

A smooth walk down the aisle: Non-slip fabric aisle runners by the Original Runner Company

We discovered this wonderful resource and think you’ll find their runners equally unique. The Original Runner Company makes the world’s first non-slip fabric aisle runners for weddings and special events.

According to Julie Goldman from Original Runners, “unlike the typical white paper aisle runners, Original Runners are real fabric and have an exclusive non-slip foam backing to keep it flat and secure. They are available in 20 colors/prints and can be custom hand painted with the couple’s monogram, floral design or event motif.  We’ve also gotten the attention from celebrity clients such as Kevin Jonas, Ashlee Simpson and ‘Real Housewife’ Bethenny Frankel.”

The Original Runner Company has expanded their product line to include custom made accessories too. (See photo of custom pillows below).

The Nasher Sculpture Center – Dallas – A Perfect Wedding Setting

Open since October 2003, the Nasher Sculpture Center is devoted to the exhibition, study and appreciation of modern and contemporary sculpture. Conceived as a serene urban retreat for the enjoyment of modern art, the Nasher is home to the renowned Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection.

Whether you are planning a bridal portrait, rehearsal dinner, or wedding reception, we invite you to celebrate amid the Nasher’s serene beauty and unparalleled sophistication.

In the heart of the Dallas Arts District, the Nasher features 10,000 square-feet of indoor space, filled with luminous light, overlooking our beautiful sculpture garden, groves of trees and sparkling fountains. Our event-dedicated space accommodates comfortable seating for a maximum of 180 guests, and cocktail receptions for as many as 1200 guests. With exclusive caterer, Wolfgang Puck Catering, the Nasher Sculpture Center is pleased to host you and your guests for an event that is truly unforgettable. For information on rentals, click here.

Wedding video a moving tribute to love and marriage

We are thrilled to announce that Fred Marcus Photography will be one of our New York partners. Photographer Brian Marcus has a very entertaining blog that we encourage you to view regularly. Below is a touching video that he produced for one of his clients. We know you’ll be as moved as we were.

We look forward to bringing our faithful readers more of these special wedding videos from our various partners in the future. We are blessed to have such a talented group of professionals to help you plan your wedding. We encourage you to use their services whenever you can. Visit our Dallas Bridal Book or Chicago Bridal Book for a quick view.

DIY Beach Weddings

More and more couples are going off to exotic locales and getting married on the beach. Here are some ideas for the wedding and reception for your beach wedding.

Beach Wedding Invitations

• Put a small amount of sand in each guest’s wedding invitation.
• Have the invitations resemble a postcard with a photo of the bride and groom at the beach with the words, “Hope you’ll be here…” written in the sand. (Might have to use Photoshop for this unless you can plan a trip to a beach – any beach will do.)

Beach Wedding Decoration

• To decorate guests’ chairs on the beach, string garlands of shells or starfish (coral may snag their clothes) between seats to connect them.
• Have white galvanized buckets holding bottles of water for guests to take as they need and give each person a palm leaf fan to stay cool.
• Place four large rattan poles upright into the sand and drape white gauze over the top as a canopy for guests to sit under. Gauze is only about $5 a yard and comes in a variety of colors.
• At the reception, use decorative pieces of driftwood as place card holders and thread either a beautiful ribbon or natural raffia through a sand dollar to use as a napkin ring.
• On each table use candles that smell like tropical fruit such as mango, papaya, coconut and kiwi.
• Line the base of the gift table, head table or buffet table with real grass skirts – the raffia ones in natural, not the cheap green paper ones.
• Don’t forget to use colors of the beach – sea colors of blues and greens, sunset colors of yellow and gold

Beach Wedding Attire

• Most people would think to dress the wedding party entirely in white, but bridesmaids and groomsmen could wear beach wedding colors in shades of ocean green, sky blue, and sand beige.
• As for the bride’s gown, for ideas, styles and dress suggestions, search under Beach Wedding Dresses.

Wedding Cake, Favors, Music and Other Details

• Avoid having the wedding in the afternoon, instead choose early morning or dusk so guests do not have to sit in the hot sun, and there will be less people using the beach.
• Set the wedding march to a reggae beat and use Caribbean type instruments for the wedding music, such as a steel drum or a bamboo flute.
• Decorate a lobster trap with tropical flowers and use it as a money box or, for something more elegant, have envelopes left in a mother of pearl bowl. A captain’s log book would make an interesting guest book.
• Make sure you have a point of contact at your wedding location, even it you are doing it yourself, hopefully it’s someone you can trust and who will help provide advice or insight. It might cost you, but you’ll probably be glad of the expense by the time your wedding arrives.

If you know of any friends who have had beach weddings, please share any additional ideas.

Weddings at Sea

Cruise weddings can take place onboard in a public room on the ship, or on a romantic shore such as a beach or a glacier. The Grand Princess has its own wedding chapel, and the captain is authorized to marry you at sea. RCCI’s Voyager of the Seas has a wedding chapel, but you will need to tie the knot while in port. Many couples get married while in a Caribbean port or before the cruise begins. That way the guests can come aboard, enjoy the service, and disembark before sailing. Alternatively, you could invite all your guests on the honeymoon!

Because of the increase in the popularity of “different” weddings, some independent wedding planners have begun to offer cruise weddings.

The price range of a shipboard wedding is just like one ashore – from a few hundred dollars to thousands. You will need to consult with a cruise travel agent, an independent wedding planner, or the cruise line’s wedding department to select the best package for you. Although the options may seem to be endless, many packages are similar. Just be sure that your dreams and your budget are in sync. Good luck!

Photo courtesy of Signature Travel Boutique

Including Family Heirlooms in Your Wedding

Weddings are very sentimental for most women, and they are full of tradition. A wonderful way to make your wedding even more meaningful is to include family heirlooms. These unique pieces handed down through your family provide a special connection to your family heritage.

Even the most modern bride can find a way to include a family heirloom in her wedding. The item can be almost anything, from pearl bridal jewelry, to a lace handkerchief, to a pair of toasting glasses. Often the item is something that your parents or grandparents used in their wedding, but it does not have to be.

Mixing the old and the new is a great way to add a personal touch to your wedding. For instance, perhaps you would like to wear your grandmother’s strand of pearls on your wedding day – update them by combining the classic style with modern crystal and pearl bridal jewelry, such as a fabulous pair of drop earrings. Often brides who wear their mother’s wedding gown will do something similar, such as having the vintage dress recut to a more modern silhouette.

A very special thing that the bride or groom can do is to present a family heirloom to their future spouse as a wedding gift. The bride could give her husband-to-be her father’s silver pocketwatch, or the groom could make a gift of a piece of family jewelry. It is a wonderful way to show loved one that you are happy to have him or her as part of your family.

Your ceremony is the perfect place to feature a special family momento. Some brides are fortunate enough to have an antique silver bouquet holder. Others will have a personal item, such as a grandparent’s rosary interwoven with the flowers of the bride’s bouquet. Cherished family candleholders would be a wonderful touch for the unity candle.

Use your imagination when seeking family heirlooms to use in your wedding. They do not even have to be objects; anything that reminds you of your family could work. What about using your grandmother’s favorite recipe or dancing to your parents’ wedding song? Be creative in your choices. Including special family traditions in your wedding will make it even more beautiful and memorable.