E! News reported that celebs are wearing bridal fashions down the red carpet this week… so does that mean that YOU can look red carpet on your wedding day?! Absolutely! Fashions have changed to be more modern and glamour rather than princess and fairy tale in previous years. Take a look at Fox’s Glee star, Lea Michele in a Oscar de la Renta 2010 Spring Collection. Instead of white, she wore it in black… but it’s still a wedding dress style!

Now I know most of us can’t afford a 5 figure dress… so we’ve tracked down something a little more manageable. Check out this Monique Lhuillier dress “Sunday Rose”, same style but half the price.

Maybe you need something under $1000, we spotted this Oleg Cassini dress on sale at David’s Bridal for $850!

This last weekend was the wedding of April + Brent Cook. It was truly a magical evening watching two best friends make a commitment to love one another for the rest of their lives. Brent was a real trooper through the planning process, barely missing any meetings they had, I was able to really see the genuine love he has for his bride!

April was absolutely stunning! We were happy to see our suggestion of hot pink shoes under that beautiful dress! Of course April had her “must have” accessories as well, the fur wrap really brought winter to her ensemble!

Special thanks to Imagination Photography for the beautiful pictures and to ProShow for providing fantastic pink lighting that really transformed the room!

We couldn’t have been happier with how the evening went! Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Cook! Enjoy the Smokey Mountains!

We’re proud to announce a new affiliation with Wedding Paper Divas/Tiny Prints! So what does this mean for all of you Diva fans? You can place your orders directly through us and we can offer exclusive discounts and promotions to you! We have added a link at the bottom of our blog to the Diva site that will allow you to view their products.

Check out Allison’s (May 2009 Bride) selected invite from Wedding Paper Divas. Aren’t they just so cute?!

Call or email us at 574.850.7170 | hello{at}ashleytroyerevents.com to order!

This easy to do sign has captivated Michiana! Featured in two local wedding magazines, Wedding Day + Michiana Veils and Vows - we’re proud to claim it ours! This sign was from Heidi + Ty’s June 09 lakeside wedding. We hope to inspire all of the brides + grooms in the future! Let us know if any of our ideas have inspired you!

{image via Imagination Photography}

We wanted to share a sneak peak from our last full service wedding of the year. Mandi + Paulo held their ceremony + reception at The Spohn Ballroom in Goshen. These two were so fun to work with! Both have design and music backgrounds and this event was complete with each. Their wedding was very unique, it had their names written all over it and guests couldn’t help but notice that the moment they walked in! We can’t wait to have more pictures to post in our featured section on our website! As always, it was a pleasure to work with Pumpernickel’s, the staff is a riot to work with! LOVE THEM!

We have worked with such a great group of vendors throughout 2009 and our brides were absolutely amazing! We can’t wait to see what 2010 brings! Congratulations to everyone that married in 2009 and a big big big THANK YOU for trusting us to help you plan such a special part of your life! To those of you that know me, no I absolutely did NOT make it through one single wedding without crying watching the bride walk down the aisle. I even had a father of the bride ask me, “Did you cry?” Yes!! I LOVE WEDDINGS!

We’ll be out to spend some time with family and meet with new brides over the next couple of weeks. We hope you all have a VERY Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Drum roll please… mmmhhhmm. And the winner is:

Here are your random numbers:

2

Timestamp: 2009-12-17 05:21:07 UTC

Jessee! Jessee said:

“Yes, Please!!! Each of these products looks amazing! I know the planner is already on my list of things to purchase and since we’d like to do some personal vows, I’m hoping “The Little Pink Book” can help out in that area! I started looking around Spark Stationary’s website and they have some wonderful products.”

Congrats Jessee! I’ll email you with details!

Keep checking the blog! We’ll have more giveaways up until the end of the year. Current Giveaway: BeautiControl Snowflake Bath & Body care kits!

Tis the season to be giving! Falalalala lalalaaaaaaaa! 

Kristi from BeautiControl is in the giving mood and decided she’d like to give one of her Snowflake Bath & Body care kits away to one of our lucky readers! These treatments combined notes of warm vanilla and lasting scents of spiced nutmeg and creamy sandalwood. Mmm… yummy!

WHAT YOU’LL RECEIVE:

Snowflake Body Wash | Cleanse and nourish skin with this silky, pearlescent body wash. Formulated to condition dehydrated winter skin and leave behind a delicately delicious scent.

Snowflake Body Creme | Deeply moistuizes and conditions dry winter skin with this luxurious, ultra-moisturizing body creme. Formulated with olive oil, shea butter and vitamin E to penetrate deep into the skin to provide instant, intense hydration, leaving skin silky smooth.

Snowflake Warming Body Polish | This polish hydrates and polishes skin by self-heating while scrubing. It gently exfoliates dead skin cells to reveal softer, more radiant skin.

{There are six in the picture only to show how it will be packaged and what the sizes of each bottle are. You will be receiving three.}

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

Leave a comment with your name and email address and tell us why you could use these items by December 20th Midnight! We’ll randomly select a comment and post the winner on December 21st as well as email them!

Good Luck!

I’d like to introduce to you a wonderful company called BeautiControl. My good friend Kristi Coverstone is an independent consultant and absolutely is 100% confident their products will change your life.

BeautiControl is a beauty company that specializes in Spa treatments, Personalized skin care and Advanced Anti-aging products (SPA) through a unique at-home spa experience with an unmatched income opportunity.

Their beauty company supports more than 140,000 Independent Consultants who are building and living a life they love by sharing the opportunity, providing exclusive services, and revolutionary skin care, spa and cosmetic products with women throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.

You know you can be confident in their products because their parent company is Tupperware. A household name in the United States, Tupperware Corporation changed its name to Tupperware Brands Corporation in December 2005 to mark the dramatic expansion in their brand portfolio. Tupperware Brands sells products worldwide under several subsidiary brands. To learn more about Tupperware Brands, please visit www.tupperwarebrands.com.

Contact Kristi to schedule a spa or to view these wonderful product in person at:

p: (574) 343-4897 or Website

UP NEXT: Giveaway from BeautiControl – Kristi Coverstone!

Spark Fine Stationary provided these wonderful items for one lucky bride to grab up! I’ve taken a peek and I can guarantee these items will help you plan your wedding and select your wedding stationary!

WHAT YOU’LL RECEIVE:

Bride Ideas – A Creative Wedding Journal and List Maker | The ultimate practical and creative planning tool for your wedding. Bride Ideas captures all your inspirations, ideas, lists, and to-dos – an organizer for everything, right at your fingertips. A found-out Master list keeps your plans on track, friendly prompts insure you won’t overlook important details, and peel-and-stick tabs allow you to customize your own quick references. Deceptively simple, Bride Ideas is a must-have for planning the wedding of your dreams.

The Little Pink Book Of Weddings – The No-Nonsense Guide to Toasts, Tips and Vows | This hip little book features vows, toasts, and “etiquette” from the tried and true to the fresh and  new. Designed to take you through YOUR day YOUR way.

Wedding Invitations by Jennifer Cegielski | A wedding invitation is so much more than just a simple piece of paper. It heralds the good news of two people making a commitment and can also reveal the style and tone of the highly anticipated day. Gone are the days when the major invitation decision was choosing between white or  ecru paper – todays’ invitations come in an incredible array of materials, colors, textures, sizes and shapes. In this useful guide you’ll learn about traditional and modern designs, inks, papers, and printing methods that will make your invitation an extension of your personal style as a couple.

{The Wedding Invitation} by Spark Fine Stationary | This handy little guide will tell you EXACTLY what you need to know and do to make your invitation selecting simple and stress free with Spark Fine Stationary. It includes a timeline, what you need to know and have when meeting with Spark, a list of different pieces that you may decide to include in your wedding stationery trousseau and how to place your order.

6 Letterpress Printed Thank You Notes by Snow & Graham Chicago |  These Thank You notes are printed on high quality paper featuring blue polka dots and a blue card. Every bride should have thank you notes that look like these!

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

Leave a comment with your name and email address and tell us why you could use these items by December 16th Midnight! We’ll randomly select a comment and post the winner on December 17th as well as email them!

Good Luck!

Spark Design Studio has provided graphic design solutions to clients in Michigan, Illinois and Indiana for more than ten years. They’ve always had a soft spot for fine paper and invitations. Their portfolio includes many wedding and corporate invitation custom design projects, calligraphy work, and event promotion, large and small. Providing several area vendors in the wedding industry with quality design has also helped Spark to form solid relationships, collaborating with them on weddings, corporate and non-profit events.

In response to a high level of interest among clients and colleagues, they opened Spark Fine Stationery in early 2007 to provide clients with the same high quality in social stationery and invitations, handmade albums and much more. Their design and production background uniquely qualifies them to provide you with anything your event needs, including invitations, signage, calligraphy, placecards and mailing services.

Stop by their shop at 121 South Michigan Street in South Bend, right across from the South Bend Chocolate Cafe! 

Shop Hours: Monday-Friday 9a-6p | Saturday 9a-4p | Sunday 11a-5p

Up Next: Spark Fine Stationary Giveaway!!!