Bridal portraits are a must on your wedding day and Frank Pitchford of Soho Photos is sharing 5 reasons why.

A test drive.
Brides, this “test drive” will enable you to make the most of your hair and makeup trials while allowing you to see it all come together with your dress. You will be able to see if you want to wear your hair up or down on the day of and how you’d like your makeup to look.

Time.
Your wedding will be a whirlwind of a strict timeline, from hair and makeup, getting dressed, being at the altar on time, and not to mention photos all day. The bridal session affords you the gift of time on your wedding day. By having one less time slot allotted to this task you will gain valuable minutes back to your day as you prepare for that special moment.

Additional looks.
Do you have a favorite vineyard, cityscape overlook, or botanical garden? These locations will be perfect for your session especially if your wedding will be someplace else. However, on the flip side, your venue may allow you to do a bridal session on site which is another way to get the most out of your rental.

More time with your photographer.
Building a rapport with your photographer is so important; it makes the experience of working with them more than transactional. Brides often express that engagement photos are their first time being photographed professionally, which would make their wedding day their second. Spending more time with your photographer affords you the opportunity to gain more experience in front of the camera, confidence, and comfort so by your wedding day you’re more than ready.

Gifts.
Often a fan favorite, you can gift a bridal portrait to parents, grandparents, and even bridesmaids. It’s an exclusive item to gift as most people won’t receive or see any photos of the bride until the gallery is sent from the photographer. It can be a small locket size gift or a print fit for that spot over the fireplace, either way, it’s something great to exchange on your wedding day.

Let’s face it, ring shopping can be time-consuming and overwhelming… and that’s before even paying! So RockHer is here to help you (and your partner) take the guesswork out of finding your dream diamond ring by doing so affordably and efficiently.

Their secret to saving time and money comes down to ROSI, their AI-enhanced diamond search engine. Instead of overpaying, she finds you the best diamond for your buck by scouring thousands (yes, thousands!) of gorgeous, GIA-certified diamonds, saving you a trip to the jewelry store in the process. Then, once you have a diamond and setting you like, RockHer creates your selection by hand in their LA-based shop, presenting you with a custom made engagement ring that’s as lovely and unique as you are!

Of course, this purchase is a BIG one, so RockHer is well-equipped to settle the nerves with their specialized compare your diamond tool. This feature makes it easy to see how your ring holds up against competitors in carat size, carat weight, and more to ensure you’re walking home in confidence with a real stunner.

Are you ready to get going on finding your dream ring? Of course you are! Check below to learn more and ladies…RockHer is offering an additional 10% off the spring sale (30% off total) to all Style Me Pretty users with code: STYLEMEPRETTY. So start hinting to bae to start shopping now!

Knowing Your Diamond Ring: The 4 C’s
By now, we’ve already established that using RockHer’s AI-enhanced diamond search makes buying a diamond easier than ever. But it certainly doesn’t hurt going in knowing what you’re shopping for. So we’re giving you an overview of the 4 C’s- cut, carat, color, and clarity- below.

First up is cut, which many diamond experts consider to be the most important of the 4 C’s. Cut shouldn’t be confused with shape, which is the shape of the diamond (like “round,” “oval,” or “princess”). Cut is actually a grading of how well a diamond was cut. Why do experts say this is the most important of the four C’s to know when buying a diamond? Because how well a diamond is cut affects how well it captures light. So a well cut diamond will sparkle beautifully, while a poorly cut diamond will look dim and dull.

Next we have carat, which is actually a weight measurement. Many people think carat weight means carat size, or the diamond’s size, but it doesn’t. Carat weight can give you a good idea of a diamond’s carat size, though, because the more it weighs, the bigger it’ll be! A 5 carat diamond will surely be a lot larger than a 1 carat diamond.

Third up is color. For diamonds, the best color grading is D, which means it’s totally colorless. The higher the color grade, the more colorless the diamond. (Pro tip: for white diamonds, the less color- the better!)

Last but not least in our four C’s overview, we have diamond clarity. Clarity is a grading of how flawless a diamond is. Diamonds can have internal or external flaws which can sometimes be seen with the naked eye, making the diamond look less beautiful. So the higher the clarity grading, the more flawless your diamond is.

Now that you have this info, rest assured ROSI will help you eliminate any defects not seen to the naked eye as you search. After all, you deserve to take home a real winner in your diamond ring!

Oval Engagement Rings
Now onto the fun part- the shopping process! If you’ve been near Instagram or Pinterest in the last few months, you’ll know that the popular oval diamond engagement ring setting has been ALL over, worn by the likes of royal influencer like Kate Middleton. The elongated and symmetrical shape is without a doubt a true statement piece. While traditional jewelers can be limited in their oval offerings, RockHer is known for their extensive selection of options across carat sizes that are both elegance and full of timeless glamour.

Rose Gold Engagement Rings
Looking to mix up the classic gold or silver design? A softer and subtle rosy hue might be for you. The jeweler offers an extensive selection of rose gold engagement rings, including these jaw-dropping halo engagement ring designs, that promote a stunning feminine feel guaranteed to look good on any finger. Better yet, ROSI will help you find a flawless diamond shape in any carat weight to match your pink band – all within budget, of course!

Unique Engagement Rings
You’ve always lived life to the beat of your own drum, so your gem should do this too. RockHer offers a variety of unique engagement rings, ranging from teardrop to champagne-colored, that you simply won’t find in any ordinary jewelry store. Browse their selection of dazzling metals, intricate settings, and distinct sizes (we call dibs on the dreamy, heart-shaped one!) that’ll set you apart.

Our favorite modern day farm girl and Style Me Pretty Blogger Bride, Chloe from Boxwood Avenue, is here to share her tips for creating the perfect holiday gift!

I think brides can all agree that selecting a photographer is one of the most important decisions we make when planning our weddings. We mull over style, technique, and portfolio, and pay a huge sum of money for the perfect person, knowing that our photos will preserve our big day for generations to come. So why is it that most of our photos seem to stay safe and sound in our computers? There is something very special about actually holding a photo in your hands, a memory frozen in time.

This holiday season, why not create a curated wedding day album for family members? I have teamed up with The Wedding Shop by Shutterfly to share some of my favorite tips for creating a beautiful wedding album for your husband, parents, or even grandparents.

Select the perfect cover
The Wedding Shop offers a variety of cover styles (from silk, to a matte cover and even metallic accents) so that you can customize every last detail of the album. I love the 10×10 leather-bound book, it is masculine enough to make the perfect gift for husbands and fathers. I have the absolute hardest time shopping for my dad, but creating this album for him was so easy, and I know he is going to love it. I also ordered (and love) the 8×8 white linen book for a crisp, classic look.

Place photos to tell a story
Although The Wedding Shop will place your photos for you, I really like to take the time to hand select the placement of the photos. I like to pair photos together so that they tell a story just by themselves. For example: I placed a photo of my dad walking me down the aisle on one page, and a photo of my husband watching us walk towards him on the other. It evokes so much emotion and captures the moment completely. I think taking the time to group photos together makes the album that much more special. However, if you are short on time, Shutterfly offers a Make My Book Service where a designer will curate your photos and create a beautiful wedding album for you. So convenient!

Create a luxe look
Since I like a more minimal look, I used photo placement and formatting to tell our story without words (although it’s very easy to add if you’d like to place a special note in your book). I included some pages with lots of negative space, but also added a few full bleed images into the book. I think a mix of formatting, plus a mix of color & black and white images creates a luxe look, especially when paired with The Wedding Shop’s double thick, lay flat pages.

Add a little something extra
I love how easy it is to import photos into your Shutterfly account; once they are imported, you can use them in multiple projects and for things like ornaments, cards, or anything else. I ordered a few beautiful ornaments with my photo books, which serve as gift tags, but I am having a hard time parting with them, they are so beautiful! Adding a little something extra is the cherry on top of these beautiful gifts!

I can’t wait to deliver this special present to my mom and dad this holiday season; I know they are going to cherish them for years to come! Now, head on over to The Wedding Shop to create your own wedding albums and don’t forget Shutterfly’s holiday gifts for your family this year!

This post was written in partnership by Chloe Mackintosh for The Wedding Shop on Style Me Pretty.

According to Pinterest’s search data, brides are seriously loving alternative floral decor inspiration, and who can blame them? The classic take on ceremony arrangements and centerpieces are feeling a bit stale, and with this new wave of eclectic, dynamic weddings come some gorgeous, fresh perspectives on blooms!

Suspended Flowers
Explore the space of your venue with suspended flowers! Instead of leaving everything vases or vessels on the floors and tables, experiment with hanging strands of greenery around your altar or above your guests tables. This is a beautiful way to draw the attention of your guests up into the space around them and make use of any beautiful fixtures or lighting. It’s also a great way to soften an industrial space, or a way of enlarging a smaller venue.

Floral Cocktails
Infuse your flowers into every component of your big day with some killer floral cocktails! Not only are edible flowers super on-trend right now (have you seen them on waffles??) but it will update the usual wedding cocktails into photo-ready works of art! The cocktails will tie in the decor of the space and your guests will surely remember the aroma and taste as well!

Single-stem Proteas
This is the flower of the moment and it is currently living it’s best life! The protea is exquisite in its colours, and beautiful and dynamic in its interesting shape and composition. Have it stand alone in a crystal vase or more industrial vessel to complement it’s strong lines. This bloom will be a gorgeous statement centerpiece that all of your guests will be dying to take home!

Minimal Arrangements
It’s out with the big, busy bouquets and in with the tasteful, minimal arrangements! These can include utilizing simple greenery as an accent in your decor to using just a few stems in your bouquet. It is a testament to the phrase “less is more,” and can let the other aspects of your wedding shine! For example, if your venue has some stunning architectural details you don’t want to be outdone, opt for a paired-back arrangement of a few single-stem native blooms and some eucalyptus to tie it all in. It will amp up the existing beauty of your wedding day!

As couples move from casual dating to getting engaged, they think about how to merge various aspects of their lives. Discussions usually center around issues like joint vs individual bank accounts, how to divide the holidays between families, and even logistical considerations like whose couch to keep when you move in together.

Often overlooked is the question of how partners will merge their spiritual lives. As millennials move away from formal religion and often identify themselves as “spiritual but not religious,” conversations on the subject seem unnecessary. However, even people who don’t currently plan to make faith a part of their shared life may find that religion enters their marriage in unexpected ways.

Merging family and faith expecations within your own marriage
When Sasha and Rick* got engaged, Sasha knew Rick came from a religious family. Rick grew up praying before meals and going to church, but he had never done either when the two were dating. The role religion might play in their marriage was never discussed.

Now that they are married, Rick’s parents stay with the couple when they come to town. Before each meal, either Rick or his father says a prayer. According to Sasha, “At first, it was surprising to see Rick do this when his parents were around. I think the prayers are less about religion for him and more a way of connecting with his parents and being respectful of them. Still, I didn’t think his upbringing would mean religion would be a part of our married life.”

Sasha is content to go along with the rituals of Rick’s family, but some spouses in her situation would feel blindsided or pressured into religious practices that make them feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t fair of Rick to expect Sasha to participate in his family traditions (particularly in her own home) without talking to her. On the other hand, knowing Rick’s parents were devout in their beliefs, Sasha could have broached the subject to learn more about why Rick had moved away from the religious rituals of his childhood.

To merge faiths or coexist as “spiritual but separate?”
Confronting spiritual differences may be a more obvious necessity for the growing number of interfaith couples. While one partner converting is an option, most couples prefer to coexist with their respective beliefs, even incorporating practices from different faith traditions into their wedding ceremony. In these marriages, ideally, couples move beyond simply coexisting to learning about one another’s faith. If possible, that could include respectfully participating in some of its rituals.

When to discuss religious development
Regardless of the way couples decide to address religion when it’s just the two of them, spouses often find that the arrival of their first baby is a catalyst for discussion and sometimes conflict. Before having children, it’s possible to live in a spiritual gray area; however, a child may require choices that are more black and white. Will the baby be formally initiated into a religion? If so, and spouses are of different faiths, which one will they choose? Partners who have previously seemed uninterested in spirituality can have strong feelings around these choices.

Although getting engaged and having a baby are key times to discuss faith, any significant life event such as a serious illness, the loss of a loved one, or a tragic world event may cause people to reconsider the role religion plays in their life. Spouses must be prepared for this possibility and allow room for their partner to evolve in what they believe and may or may not want to practice. With that level of open-mindedness and ongoing dialogue, couples can create a shared spiritual life that meets the needs of each spouse.

*Names changed

There is a lot of flexibility in what pieces can and should be included in an invitation suite. While a few pieces are vital, stationery is designed to fit your event and what you need, uniquely.

“The typical invitation suite includes what we call The Basics: invitation, reply card and envelopes for both. Most clients will also have a details insert of some kind, and some order a custom map.”

Save the date

Save the dates are traditionally mailed 6–12 months prior to the wedding, and let guests know a date and the general location of the wedding. They are particularly helpful if you and your partner are hosting a wedding with out-of-town guests, or if you’re planning a longer engagement. By sending these cards, guests will know they weren’t forgotten, and will have advance notice to start making arrangements and securing their spot on your special day.

Because they are often sent early in the wedding process, most of the details and decisions for the wedding will not be finalized, and that’s okay! When sending save the dates, the only things you need to know are a firm date, the city/state of the event, and a general sense of how the day will look and feel.

Be sure to include:

• Names of couple
• Wedding Date
• City, State
• Venue Name
• Wedding Website (Optional, although if you’ve already gotten your wedding website up and running, this is a great place to show it off and give your guests a place to go for all their questions)

Main Invitation

The main invitation card lies at the heart of each invitation suite. Traditionally, invitation wording has fairly strict etiquette. However, if you’re hosting an informal event, the etiquette can loosen a little. You can read more about invitation wording in the etiquette section of this guide.

Since the design of the main invitation suite happens closer to the big day, there’s more opportunity to bring in elements from the event itself. If you’re ordering custom stationery, your designer could incorporate a floral illustration using the varieties of flowers that will be used in the centerpieces, or use envelopes that match the bridesmaids’ dresses. View the invitation suite as a bridge between concept and reality, and use it to express your vision in a different format. The opportunity for creative design choices increases when you incorporate additional cards in the suite.

Be sure to include:

• Who is hosting
• Names of couple
• Date and Time
• Venue
• City (State is optional)

Response Cards and Envelopes

While technology has opened up doors for how guests can RSVP, traditional etiquette calls for a good, old-fashioned response card. Usually the smallest card in the suite, a response card includes a line for the guests or a hired calligrapher to write their names and mark whether or not they’ll be attending the event. Some response cards also include a section where guests can select their meal preference (a large majority of venues nowadays allow guests to choose their entrées tableside, but if that isn’t the case with yours, then here’s where you’d do it!), and in recent years, it’s become good practice to include a line where they can write any dietary restrictions.

The corresponding envelope should be pre-addressed to whoever is collecting response cards, AND include postage as well. No matter how pretty the invitation is, people can get lazy and lack the motivation to mail that baby back in! If you make the process of responding easier with a stamp already on it, more guests will get the picture and do their best to drop it in the post in a timely manner. Mailing invitations in the proper time frame, so that they don’t have too much or too little time to reply, will increase the amount of people who respond as well.

Be sure to include:

• Reply by Date
• Line for guests’ names
• Boxes to mark attendance status
• Dietary Restriction Line (Optional)
• Meal selection (Optional)

Illustrated Maps

When ordering custom or semi-custom suites, some designers offer illustrated maps. These cards are a fantastic way to show off your venues, and create a statement piece worth remembering. While most guests will opt to use a GPS to find their way, illustrated maps can give a general sense of where venues are located within a city. Not to mention, they’re really fun to look at!

Not every bride is a white dress, church ceremony, ballroom reception kind of bride. Nope. In fact, these days, most aren’t. Having planned more then 800 weddings, Floral & Event Designer Nancy Liu Chin knows a thing or two about what’s trending and what’s not. And the Unconventional Couple? They are officially a thing. So – together with crazy talented planner and designer, Christina Nichols of Parker Nichols Events – the pair is breaking down the components needed to truly design an aesthetically gorgeous though unconventional affair – from color selection to gown choice, any everything in between. Renowned Photographer Kevin Chin (who also happens to be Nancy’s hubs!) is behind all of this gorgeous imagery.

BE BRAVE WITH ATTIRE

As brides want to personalize their wedding, one way to do it is to stand out and wear something unexpected. The trendsetting brides often opt away from just the traditional white gown and put their own spin on what to wear down the aisle. Whether it’s donning a different colored gown like a blush, a mauve, or even a darker hue like a black (oh so Sarah Jessica Parker), this is surely one way to be a little unconventional.

“I would wear black if I were to do it again as it suits my own personality … my favorite gowns are always dark!” Nancy Liu Chin, Planner

SWAP OUT TRADITIONAL SEASONALLY BASED COLOR PALETTES

There is nothing like a pastel spring wedding. Or bright summer affair. But isn’t it time to mix it up? Why not have pastels in the late summer or fall? One way to do it is to ground the lighter hue with a deeper and moodier hue. Adding darker hues bring a little glam as well as a little richness. Look at the possibilities of the black chairs with the pastel flowers. Such contrast is so pleasing and makes a normal spring palette, now ready for Fall.

CREATE AN OLD MEETS NEW MASH-UP

Is there a way to incorporate Vintage and make it Modern? There is when it’s done in such a way in which something that looks old can still be meaningful for today. Christina paired a black console table from Found Vintage Rentals with a modern, straightforward tiered cake done so elegantly by A Spoonful of Sugar Cakes. The simplicity of the modern handmade flowers is so unconventional clean that it makes the vintage aspect fresh and new. The juxtaposition of these two items makes for a refreshing detail. Same goes for invitations. Modern shapes like a rectangular and long invitation paired with a clean font that is enriched with a Chinoiserie pattern (hand painted by Elsa Madeline) makes for a new twist on something old.

Natural, classic, but an oval floral bouquet by Nancy Liu Chin Designs is styled with a structured, deep ebony gown and a model who has simple makeup and natural flowing hair is an update. In the past, a formal gown would mean an updo but with natural flowers and a high fashion gown, you don’t need to make the makeup or hair too stuffy. From head to toe, this look is crisp and clean.

Lastly, we love embracing the old but making it new again. For example, old-fashioned drinks have been the rage in lounges and bars for quite a while. Why not pick one that works for you? An 80’s favorite appetizer like a Beggar’s purses found a new modern styling with Betty Zlatchin Catering. We served our vintage cocktail of choice, the French 75, in champagne coupes (see the recipe by Betty Zlatchin below). Poetry is another option! One of Christina’s favorite elements from this inspired shoot was to bring in a quote from the poem that inspired it all, She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron. The use of poetry, a wonderful quote that ties in the design, the mood, and really sets the tone of what the whole event is going to be about. Whatever you embrace, whatever is personal, whatever unconventional thing that you add that will make your wedding a little more special, just remember to make it about the two of you.