Bride Blogger Nicole: Jewelry

A couple months ago I was looking online at jewelry to get ideas of what I want to wear and also ideas of what to get my bridesmaids. I remembered that a friend of mine that got married a few years back had this great costume jewelry, and I remembered that she got it on ebay. So, I was browsing the site, and I found this beautiful bracelet. It was just what I was looking for, it had both "pearls" and "diamonds" on it, which was perfect because my dress has both also. And they were only $3! How great, right?! So, I ordered 10 of them, one for each of my girls and a couple for myself.

I anxiously awaited their arrival and was so excited when the package came! I opened it up, and was completely disappointed. They were these cheap-o looking stretch bracelets, and the "diamonds" fell off when you stretched it to put it on your wrist. I couldn't help but laugh! Obviously I should have known that would have been the quality of the bracelets when I only paid $3 for them! But, as you can see, they looked so pretty in the picture!

So, my search continues. I came across a couple of websites that I really like. One is annabellagio.com and the other is tejanibridaljewelry.com. Both have either bridal sets of earrings, necklace and bracelet and also really beautiful individual pieces. My favorites right now are this cuff bracelet from annabellagio.com and these earrings from tejanibridaljewelry.com (see below). I am also going to look at Francesca's at Southpointe in Lincoln to see what they have. I'll also probably check out Ellynne Bridal, J'Maries, Younkers and Dillard's in Lincoln.

I will be putting a little more thought into the next pieces of jewelry I buy for the wedding! :)

-Nicole

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Inspiration Board #28: Romantic Plum

Today I bring you a custom inspiration board for Jessie, a bride whose wedding colors are plum, lavender, key lime green, and black. She loves candlelight and is really focusing on the centerpieces for her wedding, as it's going to be large and her tables will be a big part of the decor. Hope this helps!

[click to enlarge]

From left to right:

Top row: Floral arrangement, Table setting, Couple photo, Wine photo

Middle row: Centerpiece, Cake, Bridesmaid gown, Table setting

Bottom row: Bridesmaid photo, Invitation, Bouquet, Centerpiece

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Fashion Shoot Sneak Peek!

Wondering what we've been up to here at NWD? We've been busy at work on a fashion shoot for the 2011 issue, and we cannot WAIT to share some of the gorgeous photos! Here's a shout-out to the fabulous vendors who donated products and services for this shoot. Make sure to pick up the 2011 issue when it hits newsstands in January to see more!

Photographer: Megan Marie Photography
Gowns & Accessories: J'Maries Bridal Shoppe & Ellynne Bridal
Makeup: Heather Artz, JMISKO
Hair: Salon K
Location (for photo 4): Hillcrest Country Club
Flowers: Petal Creations
Cowboy boots (not pictured here): The Fort Western
Also, a HUGE thanks to our beautiful models (from left): Tara, Diamond, Ashton & Kayla

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Real Wedding: Becca+Trent

Is anyone else obsessed with the peacock wedding theme? I adore this trend and I'm sure all you brides will agree once you see this super-cute wedding from Sullivan Photography!

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Marriage Advice

Today's advice comes from online users on About.Com, who share the best marriage advice they ever received:

• "If I am unhappy with my husband about something, it stands to reason there are things about me he is unhappy about. We need to work together." ~ BT
• "Don't fight over money because there is never enough to go around anyway." ~ s91601
• "For women: Do not expect your husband to change after marriage. For men: Do not expect your wife to not change. : )" ~ Data10000
• "A quote from the Bible: What God has yoked together, let no man tear apart." ~ Donnamaria65
• "From my MIL: "Marriage is forever. You have to stick it out no matter how miserable you are." ~ Michele
• "The best marriage advice I received was from my grandmother: Marriage is not always 50/50. Some days you will wake up and may have to give 90% and your spouse will give 10%. Other days you may wake up and give 25% and your husband will have to put in the 75%. I never thought of this before but it is so true." ~ Meme

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Things We Love!

...these WOW lighting designs from Style Me Pretty's gallery.

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Friday Freebies!

Today we're doing something a little different with our Friday Freebies. Hartland Homes is offering TWO awesome promotions for NWD brides!

As an owner of a Hartland Home myself, I can attest to the fact that they are great to work with, and we love our home. My husband and I purchased our Hartland Home in 2007, and we were very happy with how accommodating and easy they made the process. Since then Hartland Homes has made several more positive changes--they offer a variety of warranties and have upgraded their dry basement warranty to 20 years. They also have made new things standard in their homes, such as a choice between birch or oak cabinets and energy-efficient Integrity windows. If you and your honey are house-hunting, you definitely need to check them out!

Now on to the Freebies! First of all, any bride that tours the model home (1851 SW 27th St) during Lincoln's Parade of Homes (from October 3rd-11th) can register to win a FREE iPod!

In addition, ANY NWD bride that purchases a home from Hartland Homes will get the HUGE option of a free refrigerator OR washer/dryer combo--a $1,000 value!!!

Make sure you take advantage of these special offers!

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Bride Blogger Nicole: Videography

I just know I'm going to be the type of bride that cries when the big day is over! I have been waiting to plan a wedding my whole life, and the thought if it just flying by in one quick day scares me. Of course, I will be so happy being married to Ryan and I'm really looking forward to our lives together, but I wish we could have a wedding every year! However, that would get pretty expensive and is totally unnecessary.

One way we will be able to relive the day will be through our wedding pictures. I know most people say they don't look at their wedding pictures often, but I have a feeling I will be different. I know that our photographer is going to do such a great job and I am going to want to look at my picutres over and over again.

Another way we will relive the day is with a wedding video. A Sound Impression is going to be our videographer for our wedding. If you haven't seen their work or haven't decided if you're going to have a videographer, watching one of their videos will absolutely blow you away! I love how they capture the details and emotions of the weddings they video. Here's a video they did for another NWD bride blogger, Bailey. Check it out!

We are doing A Sound Impression's Silver Package, which is the starting package and includes 5 hours of coverage and 2 cameras, a highlight video posted to Facebook and their blog, 3 copies of the video with custom cases, and much more. There are more packages offered and you can get up to 10 hours of coverage!

I can't wait to see what they can capture at our wedding!

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Etsy Giveaway!

I am really digging this seller! XOXO Bridal Boutique sells an awesome variety of things--from gorgeous earrings to rustic firefly lanterns to glass jars with chalkboard place cards. Today she is generously giving away one of her firefly lanterns!

Click HERE to enter (must enter by Friday, September 24th, to win)!

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Bride Blogger Amanda: The Last Week

As I reflect on the last 16 months of our wedding planning process, I feel like I’ve run a marathon and I can see the finish line. I’m very glad we had a lot of time to plan and pull things together; I think having plenty of time and a clear direction really helped minimize the stress for all involved, especially since we bought a house, moved into it and I started a new job, all within the last nine months. I can honestly say I’ve had very few frustrations, and those that did crop up worked themselves out and were nothing that could ruin or complicate anything. And now we’re finishing up the last little details and waiting with anticipation for our wedding day in less than a week. I couldn’t be more excited!
 
In thinking about how we’ve planned and the choices we’ve made, there are a few things I’m really glad we did:

• Talked to our parents about our wedding budget very early on and agreed on everyone’s contributions right off the bat.
• Reserved our church two days after getting engaged – and that was the reason for our 16-month wait!
• Reserved one of the coolest spots downtown for our reception – 1316 Jones Street.
• Did our Save-the-Dates and guestbook at Shutterfly.
• Took our time picking a photographer and met face-to-face with several before deciding on one.
• Got the digital proofs of our engagement session, which allowed us to do our Save-the-Dates and guestbook how we wanted to do them.
• Borrowed all our table decorations. What a savings!
• Contributed to both the groomsmen’s tuxedoes and the bridesmaids’ dresses as a gift to our wedding party.
• Donated to two charitable organizations in honor of our grandparents who have passed away in lieu of wedding favors for guests. Instead of spending the money on something guests might not use, we wanted to spend our money more intentionally on something meaningful.
• Ordered our invites rather than making them.
• Got the dress I really wanted, rather than one that was less expensive just because it was less expensive.
• Had great bachelor and bachelorette parties to spend time with our closest friends in our favorite city of Chicago before we get hitched.
• Decided to take a few days off after the wedding, even though we can’t take a “real” honeymoon right now.
• Decided almost everything together, from the locations to the food to the flowers and programs. This really makes the day ours.

This week will be full of manis, pedis, airport runs, reunions, last-minute details and other excitement. I’m so honored to have been able to share my experience with you here. I can’t wait for our big day, and I’ll check back here in a few weeks to let you know how everything went!

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Real Wedding: Brady+Mike

Today's wedding is a new favorite of mine for a few different reasons:

1. Because it's AWESOME--elegant and classic. 
2. Mrs. B (Brady) is my son's beloved preschool teacher.  
3. BMJohnson is a very cool photographer and he did a great job capturing all of the special details in this wedding.

Enjoy!

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Marriage Advice: Courtney's Top 10

Today is a special treat, because the owners of NWD just celebrated their 8th wedding anniversary! Here is some advice from Courtney:

Top 10 Things I've Learned Being Married!

1) It’s more important to be happy than right.
2) The butterfly feeling will quickly fade, but true love changes and gets way better.
3) Each day is a precious gift; don’t take one another for granted.
4) If divorce is not an option, you might as well choose to get along.
5) The little things say I love you more than the BIG things.
6) Love is a choice, not a feeling.
7) Always hug tight and say “I love you”.
8) Be one another’s biggest cheerleader.
9) The things that first attracted you to one another will end up driving you crazy. Try to laugh about it.
10) Be the first one to say, “I’m sorry” and really mean it.

Congratulations on the anniversary, Courtney & Dave!

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Things We Love!

It's always fun to see couples having fun!

Photo by Lane Weddings

Photo by Paddack Photography 

Photo by Geoff Johnson

Photo by Brighten Photography

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Friday Freebies!

Today's giveaway comes from a favorite of our bride blogger Nicole -- Weddings Across America is offering $250 off their already very affordable chair cover wedding packages! Weddings Across America is full-service and offers high quality chair covers at reasonable prices. They'll turn your fairy tale dream into a reality!

Click HERE to enter (must register by Monday, September 20th)!

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Bride Blogger Nicole: The Ceremony

Choosing where you are going to have your wedding ceremony can be a tough decision. Ryan and I are not the same religion--he's Catholic and I'm Methodist--so we had to talk about how we would get married. I was very active in my church in my hometown, but since moving to Lincoln I hadn't found a church to attend yet. I used to live close to St. Mark's United Methodist Church, and I always wanted to go there. Before I met Ryan, I didn't have anyone to go with me, so I just kept putting it off. One day I asked Ryan if he would go with me to that church and he said that he would.

We walked in to the sanctuary and I was taken aback by how big and beautiful it was! There is seating for nearly 1,000 people, beautiful woodwork and windows, and it's just overall amazing. It was a great experience; we loved the sermon and felt at home there. We continued to attend services, and after we got engaged, we decided to become members.

We were impressed with how much St. Mark's had to offer. There are so many options to get involved in the church and the community through the church--there is a group for everyone and everything and they put on many concerts for charity.

Ryan and I attend the 10:30 service on Sundays, which is the Contemparary Service. There's a band called Creation that plays before and during the service and they're wonderful. It's definitely not your typical church music--it's more upbeat and jazzy. I got these pictures from the Journal Star, and in one of them you can see the band playing and you can also see one of the big screen projectors behind them. The other is Pastor Wayne giving a sermon.

Lincoln has many options for outdoor weddings also. A friend of mine got married at the columns at Pioneers Park last year and it was beautiful! There's also beautiful golf courses like Wilderness Ridge,  Hillcrest Country Club, Hidden Valley, and HiMark; the Sunken Gardens (how cool to be surrounded by beautiful flowers); and many other options--if you're brave enough to chance the crazy Nebraska weather! :)

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Inspiration Shoot: French Tablescape

I was sitting down today to create a long-overdue inspiration board and instead came across this amazing French country luncheon tablescape from Snippet and Ink. I couldn't resist sharing it with you! This would be a fabulous idea for a bridal shower, don't you think? I expect to see many, many Nebraska showers and weddings next year based around this design. It's too perfect not to use.

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