Bridal Fascinations By My Wedding Concierge

12 Jul
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Google+ for the Wedding Industry – Marketing to Brides

I’ve been playing with Google+ for about a week now and sending invites to wedding vendors who want in on this new social media platform. I’ve been asked many times on twitter and facebook whether I think that it’s necessary to join yet ANOTHER social media site. As little time as I have to devote to yet another platform, I think that google+ is one that we need to pay attention to. Do I think that it’s going to overtake facebook? I don’t think so. I think that it will however, divide early adopters vs. late adopters. Like they say, the early bird gets the worm. Get in there. Learn how to use it, and learn how to use it to market to your brides. It has a lot of buzz right now and the ability to communicate to your own group via circles and not have to include all of your other brides/friends/vendors in the conversation is a huge plus in my book.
I see the ability for you, as a vendor, to have conversations with individual brides in her own circle that doesn’t include spamming all your friends. You can upload photos to her circle and she can reply to the same conversations in complete privacy. Everything is more visual and all in one place. I also find that the user interface was also very well thought out and easy to use. With Facebook fan pages, Google has been rumored to have coming soon, brand pages. That’s another reason to jump onboard now so you’re familiar with how the whole system works.
And one more thing about the advantage of Google+ over facebook? Bye bye Farmville and Mafia Wars!!!
If you already have a google+ account, an easy way to create a vanity account is: visit: gplus.to enter a username, add your google account number and voila, it’s done!
Mine is: http://gplus.to/wedding if you want to connect with me.
If you would like an invite to google+, please leave a comment here and I’ll email you one right away!

04 Jul
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Ombre Wedding Trend in Gowns, Cakes, Bouquets, and Invitations

What is ombre you ask? It’s one of the hottest trends to hit the wedding industry this year and we’re seeing it in everything from wedding gowns to wedding cakes. Ombre is the gradual change from a light color to dark color of usually the same color palette. Take a look at all the different ways ombre has been incorporated into weddings. Are you going to incorporate ombre into your wedding?

Photo Credits:
Flowers & Cake: Martha Stewart Weddings
Gown: Claire Pettibone
Invitations: Brides Magazine

24 Jun
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Same Sex Weddings in New York Legalized

Congratulations to all my gay wedding friends in New York!!! You now have the right to marry your loved ones legally and I’m thrilled for you all! Governor Andrew Cuomo made same-sex marriages legal in New York today and weddings can start taking place in New York in 30 days. I also wanted to point out how forward thinking My Wedding Concierge is. Not only were we the first ones to come out with wedding iPhone apps over 2 years ago, our Inspiration Engine iPhone App is also the only ones that show up in the iTunes store when you do a search for “gay wedding planning,” “gay wedding planner,” “Same sex wedding planning,” “gay wedding blogs,” “gay inspiration boards,” “gay wedding ideas,” “gay wedding inspiration,” and “same-sex wedding planner.”
Our app also ranks #1 and #2 for the term “same sex weddings” and “gay weddings,” “same sex wedding” and “gay wedding.”
Congratulations again! This is a major victory for you all and now we just wait for the next 44 states to follow suit. Have a wonderful weekend!
Photo courtesy of: Katje Hempel Photography
19 Jun
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Food Truck Wedding

Food Trucks at Engage11

Food trucks are quite popular right now – I follow a few here in San Diego on twitter or facebook and if they’re fairly close by and I’m hungry, I’ll go and find them. The food is absolutely delish, cheap, and fast – well, only if you’re one of the first ones in line! Brides and grooms are incorporating food trucks into their wedding plans. Personally, I like them at rehearsal dinners and after parties. I’m still a traditionalist and like the sit down dinners for the wedding reception. But, because they are completely self contained (they travel and cook in the same vehicle), you can cut costs by using a food truck vs. a catering company. There are food trucks for just about every set of tastebuds – from cupcakes to organic, farm to truck to In N Out. Bon Appetit!

Photos courtesy of Mel Barlow

The above inspiration board was created with our soon to launch Inspiration Board Creator App in under 3 minutes!

14 Jun
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My Wedding Concierge is a Tastemaker on Pinterest!

Have you discovered Pinterest yet? It’s a great little place for finding inspiration and organizing photos by categories. I got sucked in a few months ago – like I needed another thing to take up my precious time – and I must say, it’s beyond addicting. I make it easy on myself, I pin only from My Wedding Concierge’s Image Engine – it’s easy to find gorgeous photos that I love and to show the world what I love.
I’m so honored that Pinterest took notice of my boards and has us listed as one of their Tastemakers!
If you’d like to join my addiction and would like an invitation, leave a comment below with your email address and I’ll get an invite sent over right away!
11 Jun
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Style Me Pretty is Being Featured on CBS Sunday Morning

Photo courtesy of Style ME Pretty

One of my favorite wedding blogs, run by the uber stylish, Abby Larson is being featured by CBS Sunday Morning! CBS is featuring Style Me Pretty on the influence of bloggers on the media and publications. I’m loving how the media is really viewing the wedding industry as a way to reach a younger and more influential crowd. I for one, am loving this shift, as it brings even more awareness into a $72 Billion dollar industry and hopefully shows how wedding blogs are influencing today’s brides. Make sure you tune in!
Here are your local showtimes.
09 Jun
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Engage11 – Coffee Break Inspiration Board – Perfect for Wedding Brunch

We were treated to a wonderful coffee break during the general session at Engage!11. The Grand Del Mar put on a beautiful display of coffee flavored cupcakes, miniature tiramisu, Starbucks Frappucinos, and Krispy Kreme donuts complete with vintage signage and flowers in vintage coffee cans. Perfect for bridal showers and post wedding brunches, it’s a great way to caffeinate!
And this pretty inspiration board was created with our new inspiration board creator app – done in under 2 minutes! You’ll be seeing a lot more inspiration boards from me now….now that I can get them done perfectly, and in under 5 minutes! Look for the app in a few weeks!

Coffee and Dessert Bar at The Grand Del Mar

11 May
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Just Launched – The Wedding Tribune – Wedding Blog Newspaper

We are so excited to announce the launch of The Wedding Tribune! Updated every 30 minutes, we will showcase all of the latest blog posts in a visually stunning manner. The Wedding Tribune allows you to read up on your favorite blogs and discover new gems along the way! Read by category or by breaking news, we’ll be adding additional categories throughout the week as well as social media integration. Keep your eye out for some AMAZING iPhone and iPad apps coming out later next month! Powered by our popular My Wedding Concierge search engine, you can now view posts in near real time. Or, if you prefer to search via relevance, you can still do that via My Wedding Concierge’s website and apps. The choice is yours!
Wedding Vendors: There are limited number of sponsorship opportunities available on The Wedding Tribune or to find out how to get your blog articles up on the site, contact us today for more information! advertising@my-wedding-concierge.com
09 May
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Disney Cruise Line – Destination Wedding and Honeymoon

I have always loved Disney – all things Disney in fact. I’ve been to Disneyland countless times and have had an annual pass for as long as I can remember. I’ve even been to Disney World a few times even though it’s on the other side of the US. Our wedding cake topper was even Mickey and Minnie in wedding attire even though the wedding itself wasn’t Disney themed. Now that we have two children of our own, we’ve gone on to cruising on the Disney Cruise Line. It’s always been a magical time, but this last trip our most amazing one to date. Nearly two years ago, I knew that they were bringing the Disney Wonder out to Los Angeles and saw a nice itinerary from Los Angeles to Vancouver for 7 days/6 nights. My travel agent also informed me that their Royal Suite was still available and if I wanted it, I would have to let them know right away. I jumped on the chance and invited my parents to come along for the week as I’ve heard of some people waiting 5 years for this room to become available.
“The Concierge Royal Suite with Verandah is a sprawling 1,029 square-foot stateroom decked from floor to ceiling in palatial splendor. An unparalleled combination of luxury, personal attention and sophistication come together in our most spacious quarters—featuring 2 glamorous bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, an expansive media library, pantry, wet bar and dining salon. The rich decor incorporates fine art, vintage Disney hallmarks, custom fittings and fine wood furnishings. With enough room to sleep 7 with ease, a Concierge Royal Suite with a 40 foot Verandah magically transforms your cruise adventure into a fairytale fantasy.”
Perfect for Honeymooners, this palatial suite has a wonderful Concierge team that will works tirelessly to make your trip a real fairytale. Weddings can happen in several locations on the ship and is taken care of via the team at Disney Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons. They will work together with you to create the destination wedding and honeymoon of your dreams. Private dining is available in your suite where they will set up your dinner table complete with tablecloth and silverware. The Royal Suite is also the only suite where you are permitted to order from Palo, their exclusive adult only gourmet restaurant.
Aboard the ship, there are plenty of activities and entertainment geared towards adults. Their spa is a wonderful oasis of relaxation – try a couple’s massage, or if you itinerary includes a stop by Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas, enjoy an open air massage on the beach in one of their cabanas!
Once you board, you will meet with your personal Concierge team who will take care of your every need. If you can imagine it, they will try and make it happen! We had asked about a bridge tour and were told that due to security reasons, they were not allowed to do them. The next morning, we got a personal invitation from the Captain’s assistant for a tour the next day!
It was by chance that the Royal Wedding – the wedding of the century would also be on while we were on the trip. We had a great time watching it in the middle of the night with other Royal Wedding watchers – where else would we be able to watch the Royal Wedding surrounded by princesses?!
All in all, we had a grand time and can’t wait to cruise with Disney again – Disney outdid themselves in the level of service that they provide and I highly recommend them to any Disney fan looking for a fun and relaxing honeymoon!
14 Feb
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BHLDN Inspiration Board

BHLDN – the Anthropologie inspired wedding line finally launched this morning! There are SO many gorgeous gowns and wedding accessories including shoes, earrings, statement necklaces and more that I can be making inspiration boards for days on end!
BHLDN is really trying to make this a one stop shop for brides that love their Anthropologie look. You’ll be able to create your own inspiration boards by inputting your own favorite must haves into their collection. They have gowns for every type of Anthro bride: nostalgic romantic, a lady with a twist, a neo-sophisticate or la bohemienne and they also have an area for you to share gorgeous vintage photos of yesteryear with your friends.
Enjoy some eye candy below – but if you want to see the whole collection, go to BHLDN directly!