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June 28th, 2009 at 12:05:34 by Francesca

Because my husband and I had a wedding in Italy and a vow renewal in the United States, we could not afford to splurge on details. That's why I chose to use my creativity to come up with pretty, but affordable, stationery ideas that I could create myself. In addition to the wedding invitations, I made the programs, menus, place cards, and table cards myself. Here are the results: This is the program that I created. When you opened up, on the first page, you found the names of our parents and special... Read More...

April 2nd, 2009 at 09:35:41 by Francesca

I know it's been a while since I've written. I apologize for that. I was waiting for the pictures to arrive from our professional photographers. Then, our American vow renewal happened (more to come on that), and then arrived the holidays. Now, there are no more excuses. Below you will see some of my favorite pictures from the Italian wedding, which took place in Ischia, a small island off the coast of Naples, on Oct. 2, 2008. When the bride leaves her house (in my case, my aunt's home in Testaccio... Read More...

April 2nd, 2009 at 09:26:26 by Francesca

Having to pay for a wedding in Italy and a vow renewal in the United States, we were always looking for ways to save money and do things ourselves. Because my father is a landscaper, we knew that we could get a hold of flowers for the church. We decided to hire a florist for the bouquets and reception centerpieces and handle the church flowers and the place card area for ourselves. It turned out beautifully. But one bit of advice: Don't take on too much for the day of the wedding. My father, for... Read More...

March 23th, 2009 at 08:09:03 by Francesca

As the daughter of a landscaper who loves flowers, I knew from the start what I wanted for my vow renewal in the United States. For the wedding in Italy, the choices were out of my hands. We were on an island, and the florist was the groom's lifelong friend, so he chose everything and gave the flowers to us as a gift. But in the United States, when we had our vow renewal, all the choices were mine. I wanted a florist who would make my wedding a priority, would pay attention to what I wanted,... Read More...

January 12th, 2009 at 19:04:44 by Christina

Congratulations to all the newly engaged brides to be!! Maybe you're still basking in the glow of your beautiful ring and feeling the joy of having found "the right one." And maybe you're wondering where to start with your planning. Here are a list of things to do that will help make the process easier...1. Together with your fiance, decide what kind of a wedding you want and where it's going to be. Are you the traditional type that wants a church wedding with all the trimmings? An outdoor girl... Read More...

December 13th, 2008 at 14:57:44 by Christina

**Originally posted in January 2007 so some of the prices are out of date. When I got engaged last December, I immediately started calling places in NYC and NJ in order to find the "perfect" reception site.  I needed to move fast to find any remaining available dates for the year since I was working within a tight 8-month timeframe.  I started tracking all the places I called in a spreadsheet and thought this information might be helpful to couples who are just beginning their hunt for that perfect... Read More...

December 13th, 2008 at 14:34:12 by Christina

Since it's the end of the year, I thought I'd take the opportunity to re-post some of the most popular blog posts of the year.  So stay tuned, and if you have a request, let me know! Read More...

October 13th, 2008 at 22:08:02 by Francesca

Wedding planning followed by wedding bliss and a bad case of jet lag has prevented me from writing much on this site over the last few weeks. I was in Italy, joined by at least a few relatives and friends from the States, for my wedding celebration. It went off without a hitch. We had a beautiful day. We're hoping to recapture the joy and repeat it at our vow renewal for my family and friends in the States in November. In the meantime, here are some photos of our wedding that might provide some... Read More...

October 8th, 2008 at 18:35:28 by Christina

My mother made these baskets for the bathrooms at my sister's wedding, but they could just as easily be used for a flower girl or for a shower. They take very little time to put together and no sewing is required. She bought 1 yard of polyester satin on 39th Street in the garment district as well as 2 white baskets with handles and plastic liners on 28th Street in the floral district.  She made the paper flowers that you see on the basket handles out of crepe paper and stamens that she found at... Read More...

September 16th, 2008 at 11:37:58 by Francesca

Well, I'm back in Ischia, a small island off the coast of Italy, where I'll be getting married in just 16 days. I can't believe it! One of the things we've been doing with our time since I arrived is delivering the invitations to our guests -- by hand and in person. I mailed them to our American guests before I left -- and I made the invitations myself. I thought I would share them -- and the steps I took for making them -- with you. Here goes:  These are images of the example... Read More...