Trend - Eco-Friendly Shopping

When shopping for gifts for your bridal party, your rehearsal dinner outfit, digs for your man or decorating your home, consider those that make an effort to be eco-friendly, like Yoox.com. Catching up on my PopSugar Daily I saw that Yoox.com has started an "earth-friendly initiative called Yooxygen, offering exclusive, limited-edition eco fashions, books, and housewares. Beyond stocking organic, recycled, and vintage goods, the ECO-mmerce shop will offset 100 percent of the CO2 emissions produced by shipping its merchandise."

Way to go Yoox!! Thanks for the heads up PopSugar.

Tip - Concert In The Park Date Night

For those of you in the Sacramento area, I have a great date night plan for you! It's my favorite time of year again...Friday Night Concerts in the Park! This is a great way to hook up with your sweetie after a long week at work for a free concert at Cesar Chavez Plaza on Friday nights between May 1 and August 7.

Bring a blanket or some chairs and relax in the cool Spring weather while rockin to some great bands. Bring some cash for the food and beer gardens or skip on over to the new Grange restaurant at The Citizen Hotel, right across the street, for an early bite before the concert. See you there!

For more information or to see the line up, check out DowntownSac.org

Tip - Verify Sizes And Availability Of Bridesmaid Dresses

Before making the ultimate decision on a bridesmaid dress, be sure to contact the designer, retailer or boutique that you plan to purchase from. Make sure they have the proper range of sizes needed for your wedding party. Few things are more frustrating then finding a dress you love and can't wait to see your girls in, only to find out it's being discontinued or is only available in a size 2!

Photo courtesy of Nordstrom

Trend - Stunning Smocks

Your girlfriends that love entertaining as much as you do can now look great doing it, while keeping the evening's cuisine off their cute ensemble. Check out Smocks for colorful, form fitting covers that would make a great bridesmaid gift!

Tip - A Cute Reminder For Your Bridesmaids

Lauren Merkin is offering a chic Breast Cancer Awareness gift set, which would make a great gift for your traveling gals. It includes a hot pink card case and luggage tag. The best part? All the proceeds benefit The Young Survivor Coalition. Order yours today from Lauren Merkin.

Trend - Your Dinnerware Can Be As Unique As You

Getting my dose of Daily Candy I saw these fantastic, original dishes and had to visit the site. Shop Horne's online boutique for one of a kind dinnerware. The Crackery Crockery collection takes old, cracked dinnerware and fills the cracks and chips with 24K gold and decorates them with hand-made enamel floral transfers. Talk about one person's trash being another one's treasure!

Trend - Matchbook Jotters

For your bridesmaids, you can give them the matchbook jotter that makes a great purse size notebook. This is for your girls on the go! Visit Freshly Blended's Etsy shop for other options and larger journals and great letterpress prints.

Photo courtesy of Freshly Blended

Tip - Colorful Nail Polish Minus Toxic Chemicals

When checking out Earth Friendly Weddings blog we saw this great nail polish, Acquarella, "one of the least hazardous nail polishes you can wear. It doesn't contain ingredients linked to cancer or evelopmental/reproductive toxicity, like some other polishes do. And they have a pretty nice array of colors to choose from."

Photo courtesy of Earth Friendly Weddings

Trend - TuTu Much

Cruising blogs, I stopped by Alison Ulshoffer Events & Designs and couldn't help but fall in love with the colorful tutus I saw!! These fantastic, playful designs are by I Luv U TuTu Much! How cute is that name?! These too cute tutus would make any flower girl feel like a princess or ballerina. If they're too much for your wedding, consider giving one to your precious flower girl as a thank you gift for participating in the wedding.

Photo courtesy of I Luv U TuTu Much

Tip - Search Etsy

We love Etsy! They welcome all handmade crafts, clothes, shoes, art, etc. to be bought and sold via their site. You can find some great items for your wedding as well as home decor. Check out these silk screen prints by Naomi Murrell available on Etsy. They are printed on 100% recycled Australian made paper. Of course we favor the love birds, but there's tons of designs available.

Photo courtesy of Naomi Murrell's Etsy Shop

Trend - J Crew For You

It's about time! J/k....but we are pretty excited.
J Crew now has select wedding and bridesmaid dresses available at some J Crew locations. Check out their site to find the store nearest you and call to see if they have your fave in stock.

Photo courtesy of J Crew

Tip - Flower Girl Accessories

When considering accessories for the ladies in your bridal party, don't forget your youngest ladies, the flower girl. Be sure to spoil her with some complementing accessories for her big flower girl debut. Visit Hip Chick Designs for great hair accessories for little and big girls alike.

Thanks for sharing Steph J!

Trend - Designer Bridesmaid Dresses

Shopping for the perfect bridesmaid dress can be a difficult undertaking while planning your wedding. You have so many things to consider and each bridesmaid's body shape and style are different. If you can select a dress that they are sure to love, and can actually be worn again, you will be pleased with the final decision. Monique Lhuillier's new bridesmaid collection may be your answer! With eight styles to choose from in a number of colors ranging from $275 - $340, you're sure to find something you like and your bridesmaids don't have to break the bank fitting in.

Photo courtesy of Ali Shops Blog

Tip - Find Your Solemates

Blog stalking Elizabeth Bailey Weddings, we came across The Solemates. invest in sole mates if you're planning to have an outdoor wedding. You will be thankful your not stuck in the mud, so to speak, on your wedding day!

Pic courtesy of Elizabeth Bailey Weddings

Tip - Be True To Your Style

Just because your getting married, doesn't mean that you have to choose solid colored china patterns and all matching dishes. Stay true to your style, and if it's an eclectic mix and match of fun patterns or crazy polka dots and stripes, stick with it! You can also mix and match your crazy collection with some solid colors to add a little extra playfulness to a formal dinner. You can update your collection with some quality pieces. Check out Kate Spade's home collection with a limited display at her website, with the full options available at Bloomingdales, Macy's, Dillard's, or Bed Bath & Beyond.

Photo courtesy of Kate Spade

Trend - Vera Wang Adds Color

Cruising some of our favorite blogs, I came across a recent post at What Junebug Loves, sharing the unique, colorful designs for the 2010 Vera Wang collection. The color palate is soft and subtle but makes a statement in such beautiful shades.

Pictures courtesy of Brides.com via What Junebug Loves

Trend - Keep Wine On Your Palate & Off Your Clothes And Teeth

You've probably heard of Wine Away, one of my favorite products (I should really own stock :I) which gets red wine stains out of clothes! It's available in five sizes and, I can tell you, is well worth it.


Hold onto your vino! Now there's a red wine stain remover for your teeth! Wine Wipes are taking wine bar bathrooms by storm. Now when you see a lady swabbing her teeth in the ladies room, you'll be asking, "Might you have a Wine Wipe to spare?". Check out these handy little compacts full of 20 orange blossom flavored wipes and a handy mirror.

Photos courtesy of Wine Away and Wine Wipes.

Tip - Pick Up The Knot - Best of 2009

Pick up the 2009 issues of The Knot's Best of Weddings. It includes favorites, not selected by editors and staff at The Knot, but by real brides. Find out what real brides are choosing and why they chose what they did.

Pic courtesy of Elizabeth Bailey Weddings (who was mentioned as a "Best of" in this 2009 issue. Congrats!!)

Trend - Join the Turtle Love Committee

The Turtle Love Committee sells unique, well designed rings that will attract those looking for something different. If you still have a love for diamond engagement rings, consider these beauties as added elegance for your right hand.

"Turtle Love Committee sells unconventional wedding and engagement rings for cool people. We think it's a shame for women to wear diamond engagement rings that are easily compared to each other. When we looked for an organized source of truly unusual engagement rings, we didn't find one, so we decided to make it.

The jewelry you select as a public celebration of your relationship sets the tone for the future. The value of the ring should be based on the love and commitment it symbolizes, not the financial expense it represents. A ring from the collection at Turtle Love Committee is priceless - it represents an emotional commitment, not a financial one."

Photo courtesy of The Turtle Love Committee
Found via Earth Friendly Weddings

Tip - Contain Yourself

Need a way to contain yourself in your form fitting wedding dress? Get this seamless bustier from Victoria's Secret! Trust me, I've tried on many recently. There are many bustiers on the market that help elevate your bust and contain your suddenly apparent extra skin, but this one helps contain and elevate without pushin' the cushion downward. It's sleek, comfortable and while it's lightly padded, you can always order the Intimissimi gel inserts for a little extra, if necessary.

Tip - Affordable Upgrades

Looking for an inexpensive way to dress up your do? Check out the affordable headbands and hair clips available at Forever 21. They have a wide selection and they're so affordable, you could get a few to mix up your look on your honeymoon even!

Pics courtesy of Forever 21

Trend - Your Daily Candy Just Got Sweeter

We have subscribed to Daily Candy for years to receive the latest fashion, style and entertaining updates from our favorite cities. Now they have launched Daily Candy Weddings, a site devoted to "dresses, dancing, drinking, and more...". All my favorite things (just add shoes and I'll never leave :P). Check out Daily Candy Weddings now to receive your daily dose.

Tip - Do What You Can

While some think that DIY wedding projects are picking up momentum with the economy changes, it's simply not true. DIY projects have always been popular and really gaining interest from brides since so many creative blogs have come along to share inspiration and step by step DIY wedding tutorials. Check out Stylish Events recent blog post of a culmination of 101 DIY Projects and Ideas!

Gotta go...getting started on some for my own wedding now. :)

Thanks Stylish Events!! Great post!!

Trend - Blurb Books

Check out Blurb.com for all kinds of custom book options, including a wedding book. You can include text, photos and signature pages...whatever your heart fancies when creating this custom book. There are tons of options for the exterior shell as well as page and design options.

Tip - Honeymoons Following the Deals

With many newlyweds on a tight budget, consider fun locations to travel on your honeymoon that are offering discounts. You can stay at any W Hotel in NYC w/ 50% off every night following a regular rate night. This is for 2 nights, 4 nights or beyond. The special is available now through September 30, 2009. You can also check out sites, like SpaWeek.com which offers spa discounts via newsletter registration which may help you find a fun spa destination honeymoon location! They offer regular specials and ongoing events like this week's current event offering signature packages at $50!!Photos courtesy of W Hotels, Spa Week

Trend - Wedding Websites

Check out the newest collaboration between Wedding Paper Divas and Luscious Verde, creative wedding websites at One Wed. Here you can not only get a free wedding website, but they offer checklists and help creating timelines as well as a quick way to get to work on changing your name. Check it out!

Tip - New Wedding Resource

Use Google's newest search engine resource, Sparkle Search to surf all things bridal!

Trend - Couples Showers

Couples showers are popular for those couples that have had their fair share of "girls/boys nights out" and want to celebrate their upcoming wedding together with their pals, guys and gals!Photo provided by The Memory Journalists

Tip - Set Your Table Before Registering

Check out Brides.com/setyourtable to see a potential table setting including chargers, dinnerware, drinkware and flatware. You can see how they go together before registering. Once you've decided on a pattern, it's as simple as clicking "add these items to my registry" to have them included on your Bloomingdale's registry.

Photo courtesy of Brides.com

Trend - Heirloom Jewelry

If the bodice of your dress has a lot of beading, lace or design, don't feel like you have to wear a necklace. You can wear beautiful drop earrings, a bracelet and/or ring that are a family heirloom. This can be more meaningful than a new necklace that you may only wear on your wedding day.Photos provided by The Memory Journalists

Tip - Sticks And Stones Add To Your Decor

Get creative with your now shared last name and design a keepsake that can be displayed on the wall of your home. Check out Create Sticks and Stones (createsticksandstones.com). There are different options for each letter of your name with outdoor inspiration.

Photo courtesy of Create Sticks and Stones

Trend - Simple Fresh Fruit Garnish

Fresh fruit can add a colorful, simple, edible garnish to a dessert display that complements the treats available!

Photo provided by The Memory Journalists

Indulge On Tax Day

After dropping off your taxes, rid yourself of the bitter taste in your mouth, with a sweet Cinnabon treat!! Cinnabon is giving away FREE bites on tax day from 5-8 p.m.

Tip - Search Discount Shoes

Don't dismiss discount shoe stores, like Payless Shoe Source, for chic bridal shoes. They have a great assortment, from classic white ballet flats to peep toe polka dot pumps!Photo courtesy of Payless Shoe Source

Trend - Rain Boots

Fun, colorful rain boots can make for creative wedding day photos! Photo courtesy of Lilly Lynn Events; Adrienne Maples Photography

Trend - Nude Colored Jewelry

A blog we stalk, I'm Over It shared the new jewelry trend for this spring and summer, nude colored jewelry. These lovely pieces can add a hint of glam and can really play off the white of the dress and your skin tone. Visit I'm Over It to lease your own custom piece now.

Tip - Flower Seating Cards

Why let a love for flowers stop at simple centerpiece arrangements? Have guests pick up their seating card tied to a lovely single bloom that they can place in their bud vase favor, marking their seat.

Bud vase images from Target and Beau-Coup Wedding Favors

Winner...Winner!! Photo Card Creations Giveaway

Congratulations to Emily Ann, who entered the drawing to receive a $50 coupon towards the purchase of her cards from Photo Card Creations. Emily Ann chose the Blue and Tan Quad Card and Save the Date #2. This classic combination will make for fun eye candy for their guests. Congrats Emily Ann!! Email me at info@dynamiteweddings.com to receive your coupon.

Be sure to check back next week for our next giveaway!!

Trend - Buy Eco-Friendly For The Gifted Gardners

Looking for a bridal shower or wedding gift for your gifted gardner or outdoor loving pals? Check out the new eco-friendly MIO line available at Target, including gardening accessories and outdoor living.

Check out more about sustainable products for home design available from MIO.

Tip - Holiday Colors Discounted

If you're planning your wedding, using specific colors that happen to be popular during certain holidays (Easter, for example), check for outrageous deals right around that holiday time. After the day, you could find some items up to 75% off!! This could apply to paper goods, ribbon, linens, baskets, containers, shoes, dresses, candy etc.

All photos provided Allison Stahl Photography, Profinish Design, Sharpe Photographers, The Memory Journalists

Other Dynamite Experts featured in this storyboard:
Flourish (floral ring and floral ring pillow)
Celebrations Elegant Party Rentals (table decor w/ tulips)

Tip - Stay True

If your style is a little bit goofy and your pals normally expect the laughter from you, why stop at the wedding? Check out Offensive + Delightful for a fun spin on traditional wedding and shower cards.

Photo courtesy of Offensive + Delightful

Trend - Stylish Favor Boxes

Check out these great personalized Tiffany style favor boxes available at Bug and Boo's Etsy site. They come in 4 x 2.5 x 2.5 and are available in black or white, with your custom logo, text and font.

Photo courtesy of Bug and Boo Designs

Trend - Blooming Beauty

Give the mothers of the bride and groom a beautiful floral ring or bracelet to wear on the wedding day, instead of a corsage that could pull on clothing fabric or look awkward.

Photo provided by The Memory Journalists
Floral ring by Flourish, contact Shannon for your own floral ring designs!

Tip - Tickle Your Senses

We love these reasonably priced, delightfully wrapped favors that tickle the sense of sound from Martha Stewart. "At a wedding, our senses absorb the details of the day. These favors celebrate the sense of sound. Place a shell in a mesh bag, and your guests will hear the call of the ocean. Silver chimes slip into an aluminum canister trimmed with scallop-edge Ultrasuede and a double-face satin ribbon. A CD of love songs is placed in a cardboard sleeve, wrapped in rice paper, and tied with a woven ribbon. A kazoo in a glassine bag is topped with a folded piece of patterned paper and secured with a brass staple."

Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings

Trend - Historic Wedding

Are there landmarks in your city that help define it? Consider including these locations in your photos with you and your new husband, if they're not too far. Your photographer may have many creative ideas on how to incorporate the important couple and the historic location.

Photo provided by Profinish Design

Tip - Follow Up With Vendors

A blog we stalk....Anderson-Green Events touched on the very sensitive subject of follow through with vendors. While we all expect the same level of professionalism across the board, sometimes misguiding vendors slip through the cracks. Lisa touched on this subject in a recent blog post and we agree, if you're not hearing from your vendors, they need to hear from you. Check out her original post here.

Photo provided by Blooms by Martha Andrews

Trend - From Our Wine Cellar To Yours

Personalized wine or champagne labels give a fun favor gift extra meaning for your guests. They will cheers to you a second time as they enjoy their wedding favor gift.

Photo courtesy of PersonalWine.com

Tip - Emitations For Real

Check out the bright, colorful stones at Emitations.com. You could add an elegant cocktail ring to your ensemble for your wedding day. This could be your something blue. They also have a great assortment of rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets that could make great gifts for your bridesmaids.

Tip - Visit The Bride's List

The Bride's List is a comprehensive site listing wedding treasures for search or for sale. The site was started by two sisters who know how difficult it is to get everything you need for your wedding and stay within your budget. The ladies are closing down the site in mid June, so be sure to get your wedding treasures now. Also, the domain name is for sale, if you're interested.