I cannot believe that May begins tomorrow! Where has this year gone? It seems that only yesterday I was setting New Year's resolutions. In honor of the month of May and that the weather is warming up (and I do mean warm - it was 101 degrees here yesterday!), we are having another fun Blue Orchid Giveaway that we'll be announcing tomorrow! Be sure to check back for all the details!


Our Wedding Plus is also doing a giveaway this week and the prize includes 10 Cruzer Gator Sandisk USB Drives that you can load up with wedding photos and memories and give to each member of your bridal party and also a free wedding website! You can find out more by visiting their blog!


The lovely Rhonda Lewis of Rhonda Lewis Photography is currently running a Happy Hour special for portrait sessions. Here is more info and if you're in the Phoenix area, be sure to take advantage of this swingin' deal! While you're at it, check out her other company, A SquaRe PaiR that she co-owns with the equally lovely Rikki who is none other than The Invitation Lady herself.



All the photos on the flier are fab, but how stinkin' adorable is the kiddo in the upper left?! SO CUTE!

In this short video (about a minute and half long), celebrity event designer Preston Bailey shows how to create the easiest centerpiece you have ever seen in your life. Seriously, it is so simple to do and it's inexpensive as well! I made one for my table yesterday using roses from my backyard.

These would be great for a bridal shower - you can set a small one at each place setting or create a line of them down the center of the table for added impact. The arrangement will keep its shape if it's not moved around too much and it will stay fresh for a couple of days.

This week I am guest blogging over at Elizabeth Anne Designs so be sure to check over there for my posts. While you're there, grab some coffee and dig through their archives - they have a lot of great advice and eye candy for brides. I'll still be blogging here as well, so you'll be getting a double dose of yours truly.

If you're new to the Blue Orchid Designs blog, you can get up to speed a bit by reading this post, the 411 for new readers. Also, be sure to subscribe so that you don't miss any of the fun we have in store - including another fab giveaway that will be announced later this week!

Inspiration is a funny thing. It comes in all shapes and sizes and can occur at any moment. I have a very different approach to creating inspiration boards than other people since my design inspiration for weddings doesn't actually come from weddings. For many of people it does, and style boards created from elements of different weddings can result in a stunning affair. Kathryn, from Snippet & Ink, is the queen of this style of inspiration boards and has created the most comprehensive and beautiful collection of wedding inspiration boards on the web today. If you are in need of a serious pretty fix, check out her site, stat! Kathryn has been gracious enough to share with us how she goes about finding her inspiration and creating her style of boards.

Snippet & Ink is mostly about inspiration, and in the time that I've been blogging and creating wedding inspiration boards, I've been able to think about what that means. I've had people ask how I find inspiration and how I stay inspired, and the truth is that sometimes it's a challenge!

Finding a starting point can be the hardest part, but inspiration truly can be found anywhere. Do you and your fiance have a favorite book (like Viola and Phillip's "To Kill A Mockingbird" wedding) or a favorite movie (like the Breakfast at Tiffany's wedding put on by Martha Stewart and The Today Show)? Is there a vacation spot you especially loved, or a fabric pattern that you can't get out of your head? All of those things can serve as a starting point. When I'm really stuck, I reach into my "Inspiration File" (yes, it's really called that), where I keep images that stand out to me:








Images like this make me think of color, tone, pattern. In general, once I have that starting point, there are some things that I think about when making an inspiration board, and that can easily translate to anyone planning their own wedding:

1. What season is it? What colors, flowers, foods make sense in that season?
2. What is the mood of the event? Is it formal, casual, or something in between? Is it grand or intimate? Sophisticated? Playful?
3. What is the venue? Inside or outdoors? How can I play up regional or local elements? Does the architecture or scenery inspire me?
4. What single element can tie everything together? Is it a theme? A certain flower or fruit? Color or pattern?
5. How can I stretch this idea? What is unexpected but fits perfectly with all the other elements?

A note about color schemes: sometimes I do have a palette in mind, and that's what I use to come up with the other elements of a board. Other times, I have all those other things in mind, and as I pull images together that I love, a color scheme emerges. While having your colors all picked out can focus an event and help pull everything together, it can also be limiting and too obvious. To avoid this, I try to make room for color families. If I'm mostly working with celery green, I won't automatically abandon celadon or pine. I'll see if I can make them work with the rest of my vision.

A note about themes: don't let a theme take over and keep you from being flexible enough to do what you want or what you can afford. It's okay if you give guests Swedish fish as a favor because you both enjoy fly fishing, even though you didn't incorporate this motif anywhere else in your wedding. And if your theme is The Roaring Twenties, but you've always wanted to wear a birdcage veil, then don't hesitate. Your guests are there to help you celebrate, not to judge how well you carried out a theme.

{top photo via Getty Images, middle via Style Court, lower by Rene Gruau}

Click here to view previous guest blogs!

All the Manolos, Jimmy Choos, and Louboutins gracing the glossy pages of wedding magazines are lovely, but if the thought of spending the majority of your reception on your feet in heels is making you a bit uneasy - don't worry - it just means you are a normal woman.

Word on the street is that London Sole is the most comfortable flat shoe on the market, supporting your feet in all the right places. And, thankfully, they're cute too. With a wide variety of colors and designs, you can still be stylish and your tootsies will thank you at the end of the evening.

Bridal Tip: if you are planning on wearing heels and changing into flats for your reception, make sure that your seamstress measures for the bustle length while you are wearing flats so that you won't be tripping on your dress all night long.

{photo via London Sole}

Instead of sticking to the traditional wedding order - ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and dancing, cake - mix it up by having cocktail hour first as your guests arrive. This gives people a chance to catch up with old college friends or relatives they haven't seen in ages and allows your celebration to feel a bit more, well, celebratory.

If you're not ready to crack open the bar quite yet, serve a butler passed signature cocktail like these Champagne Pomegranate Cocktails (recipe below) and a non-alcoholic version to encourage mingling. If appropriate, have your guests take their beverages to their seats with them and incorporate a toast into your actual ceremony.

Champagne Pomegranate Cocktails
{recipe from Cooking Light}

4 cups crushed ice
2 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup ginger ale
1/4 cup brandy
1 (750-milliliter) bottle Champagne or sparkling wine
Pomegranate seeds (optional)

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a pitcher. Pour about 1 cup of the Champagne mixture into each of 8 glasses. Garnish with seeds, if desired. Makes 8 servings.

{photo via myrecipes.com}

There's been a surge of interest in the style world recently for all things bird and owl-related, and while it is not a trend I tend to gravitate to, this owl clutch caught my eye while browsing Etsy. It's made from Japanese fabric and would be oh-so-cute to take along on your honeymoon or for a casual yet chic afternoon wedding. $30 from Etsy seller Field of Roses:



Speaking of honeymoons, I then searched for "yellow clutch" and this little owl patterned passport case came up right away. Not quite a yellow clutch, but I couldn't ignore the sign that this was, in fact, a blog post in the making. This quirky-cute wallet holds a passport, ID's and credit cards, cash, airline tickets and even has a cute little coin purse for loose change. For those of you who want a little personality in your travel, check it out. $48 from Etsy seller Glass Beach:



By then I was completely enamored with the owl trend and simultaneously wondering what had happened to Liene and who had taken over her body during this Internet search, when I came across these adorable letterpress cards. How cute would these be as thank you notes for all your wedding loot? There's no rule that says thank you cards and stationery have to match the rest of your wedding or that they even have to match each other. If it's your personality to send whimsical cards, I say go for it! $12.50 per set from Etsy seller Pressa Russa:



And then, OH MY WORD is that paisley?! Why yes, it is, and fate had brought me across this totally chic paisley owl zippered bag. Perfect for tossing your makeup in for the honeymoon, to give as bridesmaids gifts, or even for carting around emergency essentials, such as bobby pins or a crochet hook to loop your dress buttons, on the wedding day. $16.99 from Etsy seller Bizzie Lizzie:



I'm still on the fence about this entire bird trend, at least when it comes to making it a part of my daily style, but I could warm up to incorporating a few pieces here and there. What are your thoughts? Love it? Hate it? Willing to go along while it's hot? Share your opinion in the comments section below!

{original photos via their respective Etsy shops}

For all of you Disney fans out there, here is contest you won't want to miss! Get Married is giving away a honeymoon fit for a princess. Here is the official blurb, including details on how you can win!

"Get Married is giving one lucky couple a honeymoon fit for a princess and her prince charming – in a place that even royalty money can’t buy – Cinderella’s Castle at Walt Disney World.

For decades, Walt Disney World guests have dreamed of spending the night in the Cinderella Castle -- a night when, as the clock strikes midnight, the magic doesn't end. Get Married is making the dream come true for one lucky honeymoon couple with its “Get Married Honeymoon Dream Video Contest”.

The winning couple will enjoy a 6 Night stay at the Walt Disney World® Resort including: round trip airfare for two, roundtrip limousine transportation to and from the Orlando International Airport, two-7 day Magic Your Way Park Hopper tickets, and 6 nights at a Disney Resort Hotel which includes one special night at Cinderella Castle Suite.

To enter, contestants register on GetMarried.com and submit a :30 to 2:00 video telling why they are the prince and princess deserving of the special honeymoon prize. Videos will be available for viewing throughout the contest period which runs from April 18, 2008 to May 26, 2008.

The three videos judged to be the most creative and persuasive will be posted for final selection by registered members on the Get Married website from 6/2/2008 to 6/9/2008.

Don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to begin your “Happily Ever After” with a Dream Fairy Tale Honeymoon at the Cinderella Castle Suite!"

Today's guest blogger is the oh-so-talented it makes you sick, Kelly Ashworth of Kelly Ashworth Design. Her custom invitations and graphic design work are sure to make you swoon and guaranteed to make your event the envy of your guests. Kelly got hitched a few years ago and today shares a bit about her own wedding planning experience. Her advice is spot on and she even shares some photos from her own wedding! Okay, enough of my gushing, here's Kelly!

My wedding was a whirlwind planning adventure. I had just launched my custom stationery business and didn't know many people in the industry, so my mom and I spent about six months winging it. The idea of having the wedding in Arizona was quickly nixed by the parental units because "it will be too hard on the grandmas to travel." And since we were doing everything on their dime (launching a business isn't cheap and it left us totally cash-strapped) we were fine with it.
View previous guest bloggers.

The WEDDEX, written by renowned wedding industry expert Rebecca Grinnals of Engaging Concepts, is one of my must-read blogs. So you can imagine my excitement when Rebecca asked me to speak on a panel, along with Christine Boulton from Think Like A Bride, at engage!08, a high-impact wedding business symposium for wedding professionals serving the luxury and destination weddings market.

The other speakers include Preston Bailey, Marcy Blum, Rebecca Grinnals, Simon T. Bailey, and Susan Moynihan. Here's some of what will be covered:

"Join some of the industry's best known experts for candid conversation on the business of building and growing your wedding brand. Highlights include:

* Secrets to their success
* Building a global wedding brand
* Diversifying your business
* Targeting [and managing!] the affluent bride and groom
* Insights into the mindset of millennial matrimony
* Blogging and leveraging new media for wedding business
* Turning your passion into profit
* 'Romancing' the destination bride"

The symposium is open to any wedding professional targeting the luxury market, not just wedding consultants. Space is limited, so if you would like to learn how to take your business to the next level, sign up soon! For more information, and to register, check out the engage!08 website and the engage!08 blog.

{photo via engage!08}

Many brides and bridesmaids hold their bouquets in a manner that blocks the view of their dress and causes their arms to tire in a short amount of time. There's no need to hold your bouquet up high, as Carrie is for her wedding in the upcoming Sex and the City movie:



The proper way to hold a bouquet is to bend your arms at a 90 degree angle and then let the weight of the bouquet bring them down a bit further. An easier way to remember this is to have your hands right about belly button level, as shown in these photos below. This will keep your arms from turning into jello mid-ceremony and will allow your photos to show off the dress you searched for so long to find.




{top photo via IMDB, second and third photos by Eyes 2 See Photography}

I am excited that Jennifer Stein, the publisher of Destination I Do is guest blogging for us today. The Destination I Do magazine is the ultimate go-to resource for any couple planning a destination wedding, whether it is on a palm-lined tropical island surrounded by crystal blue waters or at a cozy ski lodge just a few hours North of your home town. You can order the magazine on their website, or you can pick it up in your local bookshop. Today, Jen shares some advice for couples planning to tie the knot in a location away from home . . . .

When I first began dreaming of my wedding, it didn’t include church bells, tuxedos or a tiara. But rather warm tropical breezes, a flowing chiffon gown and a large white Gardenia tucked in my hair. This desire crept into my head around the age of 12 and never really left. The dilemma was that the only time I ever heard about a destination wedding was when a celebrity rented a Caribbean island or a couple experiencing the standard Vegas drive-thru elopement with an Elvis impersonator as their minister. Not exactly what I had in mind.

So what’s a girl to do when she’s thinking of doing something a little differently – with little to no information about how to execute it?

She goes to college, gets a job in publishing to learn the biz, educates herself on everything wedding and/or travel oriented and starts her own darn magazine.

Since we started the magazine, we’ve seen destination weddings skyrocket. Not because of us, (we’re not THAT narcissistic) but because the generation walking down the aisle is like no other that’s passed through the wedding market in years prior. This generation (some call them Echo Boomers others call them Millennials) is taking the wedding industry by storm – redefining etiquette, stretching the limits, and doing exactly what they want. No longer are “cookie-cutter” weddings the norm with Mommy and Daddy footing the bill. But rather, the couple is waiting until they are older to get married and doing it their way. Some are choosing to have smaller guest lists and spending money on the details, making the event representative of their personalities and what they like. They’ve said “step aside” to the chicken dinner and a ballroom reception and “hello” to eco-friendly beachside crab bakes.

I couldn’t be more thrilled.

The couples of today many times have divorced parents. Families have spread out across the country making it necessary for them to travel to the wedding anyway. Why not travel to a place where you can dig your toes in the sand, fly fish with Uncle Jimmy or visit a Balinese inspired spa with a sister you haven’t connected with in 6 months? Destination weddings lend themselves to more intimate gatherings; eliminating the feeling of obligation to invite EVERYONE they know.

A friend of mine once aptly renamed destination weddings – she calls them “combo burritos”. A little bit of this, and a little bit of that. The family reunion, the romantic getaway, a vacation for the whole family - with the crescendo being the union of a special couple.

But, I’ll be honest, they aren’t for everyone. There are a few things to consider.

Why you should do a destination wedding:
• Your in-laws will get to know your family better before the wedding – it’s the ultimate ice breaker.
• You’ll spend more time with your guests because they will be around for several days rather than just a few hours.
• If a majority of your guest list has to travel, why not go somewhere special?
• You can be as original as you like – because you’re doing a destination wedding, guests will expect the unexpected allowing you to do away with traditions you might not really want to incorporate. Don’t like cake OR the cake cutting? Serve a dessert indicative of the location.
• You enjoy traveling and experiencing places with other people.
• You’ve always envisioned yourself skiing down your matrimonial aisle and the thought of doing so in a church doesn’t really please your minister.
• It’s neutral ground for the families – if you pick one person’s hometown over the other, it could create problems.

Why you shouldn’t do a destination wedding:
• You don’t enjoy traveling and it stresses you out.
• You don’t like delegating and the thought of relinquishing control makes your hands sweat.
• A large percentage of your guest list doesn’t have to travel and you feel that asking them to do so would be too cost and/or time prohibitive.
• The most important people in your lives wouldn’t or couldn’t attend for various reasons.

If you really want to have a destination wedding but feel torn because a hometown wedding would allow you to invite everyone you know – do them both. Show the video of your destination ceremony at your hometown reception, design a second wedding album and use it as your guest book, incorporate favors and décor representative of your chosen destination - and best of all - get to wear your dress TWICE. Everyone wins, you get to don your Vera Wang again, and your guests won’t feel left out.

I am, and always will be a huge proponent for traditional and hometown weddings. They are the bedrock of our industry. But I also love to see something a little different, something creative, and something that shows the couple’s personality. So if you’re having a destination wedding or one at home, put your stamp on it, do it your way and for goodness sake – HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER!

{photo by Apertura Photo}

If you're new to the Blue Orchid Designs blog, welcome! This post will help bring you up to speed on what we're about and what types of topics you can expect here. Our blogging style is direct, pragmatic and fun. If the dress makes you look fat, we'll tell you. We'll also be the ones wearing waterproof mascara on your wedding day because chances are very high that we will tear up when you walk down that aisle.

So who is "we"?

I'm not schizophrenic, I promise. Simply put, if you hire Blue Orchid Designs for your event, you don't just get me, but an entire team of professionals making sure your wedding is better than you expected. For more information on my company and the team, you can click here.

Still want more? You can click here and here to read some random facts about my life. Oh and the part about John Krasinski being my future husband? Don't take that literally. Unless, of course, you are John Krasinski. In which case, my ring size is a six.


Who else is reading?


This map, from Google Analytics, shows all the countries and territories that the Blue Orchid Blog is read in. We'll save you the trouble of counting all the green-tinted countries - they total 139. Crazy, no? The most visits come from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and the Philippines, in that order.


What do you talk about?

Want a quick peek into our archives without having to actually dig through them? Sure thing!

A year ago this month: We talked about designer Olivia Luca and her oh-so-stylish and eco chic wedding dresses. I love the understated sophistication of her designs.

Everything old is new again: Round tables have only been standard fare at receptions and dinner parties since the 1960's and now they are back on their way out in favor of the long feasting tables they originally replaced. Here's the story on how they came to be the norm in the first place.

For all you non DIY Divas, take heart: My disastrous attempts at creating Martha Stewart's Tissue Pom-Poms.

Pop quiz: whose name goes first when addressing an invitation to a couple? Answer: The woman's. In this post, we get into some of the name etiquette that accompanies stationery and wedding invitations.

Want the men in your wedding party to look uniform in the details as well? How to tie the perfect tie in 90 seconds.

I want to be a planner just like you! Great! Read this first. And then read The Smart Planner.

There are a few hundred posts in the depths of this blog, so listing all the helpful ones is darn near impossible. You can search through our categories above to find posts by topic, and for a more specific search, you can use our Google-powered search bar at the bottom of every page.


Sign me up!

If you want to be sure that you never miss out on any of the fun, you can subscribe in a reader or sign up to get our new posts delivered to your email inbox. For the emails, there is a double opt-in feature, so you will have to confirm a link in an email before you are fully subscribed. This ensures that you are actually signing up and someone is not playing a trick on you. Also, we'll never sell or share your email address. We pinky swear.


On the Calendar:
Friday, April 11th :: a guest blogger you won't want to miss!

The question of who to invite, who you can cut, and the etiquette of A lists and B lists has been around for ages. I ran across this article from last Summer's issue of New York Weddings Guide and the author takes a stab at who should, and who shouldn't, be included on your list:

Always
1. Anyone who hung around the hospital the day you were born.
2. Friends of the family referred to as “Uncle [name]” or “Aunt [name]”.
3. BFFs, “bros,” and spouses thereof.
4. Irritating stepmothers.


Definitely, If It's Possible
5. Camp bunkmates who didn’t make the bridesmaid cut.
6. Co-workers and friends who are entertaining drunks.
7. Charismatic teachers/professors who went the extra mile to inspire you in high school/college.
8. Friends’ significant others who are known for getting the party started.
9. Vince Vaughn.
10. Co-workers and friends who are promiscuous drunks.
11. Co-workers and friends who are scandalous drunks.


Only If You Feel Like It
12. Co-workers who are politically expedient.
13. Former co-workers.
14. Nonthreatening exes.


Only If It Would Be A Pain Not To
15. Friends from high school with whom you can only talk about how fat everyone else from high school got after graduation.
16. Friends from college with whom you can only talk about how drunk everyone else in college got before graduation.
17. Your boss.
18. Your parents’ former spouses.
19. Friends’ significant others who are known for getting arrested.
20. Children under 16 to whom you are not biologically related.


Never
21. Torch-carrying exes.
22. The guy whom you used to refer to as “Uncle [name]” until you found out he’s your actual father and your family has been lying to you about it for 25 years.
23. Grifters.
24. Loan sharks.
25. Charismatic teachers/professors who went the extra mile to inspire you in high school/college because they’re sexual predators.
26. Bounty hunters.

{photo via New York Wedding Guide Summer 2007 Issue}

Let's face it, getting married is really not about the wedding. In fact, after the day, or weekend, or week long wedding celebration is over, all the flowers (which are now dead, sorry) and linens and agony over just the right shade of eggplant bridesmaid dresses really won't matter as much as they do to you right now. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know I'm a huge proponent of premarital counseling and making sure that you're ready for marriage and not just a wedding. I really feel strongly that every couple should be on the same page and that there is a lot to learn from couples who have been through both the "better" and the "for worse" parts of life and whose marriages have survived it.

To help with those sorts of issues, The Marriage Experience, a seminar for engaged and newlywed couples, is coming to Phoenix on Saturday, May 17th. The event will take place at the Phoenix Convention Center and has a great line up of speakers who are experts in marriage and relationships. The point of these workshops isn't just to avoid divorce, but to give you and your fiance or spouse the tools to help build a stronger relationship.

They'll also tackle some tough issues such as these four common, and problematic, myths about marriage - have you ever caught yourself saying or thinking something along these lines?

1. “We expect exactly the same things from marriage.”
2. “Everything good in our relationship will get better.”
3. “Everything bad in my life will disappear.”
4. “My spouse will make me whole.”

They've also structured it so that newlywed couples married 7 years or less can attend and learn ways to strengthen and build their relationship. A good friend of mine thought she was in the clear because her first year of marriage was not only not difficult, but incredible, as was the second year. So she and her husband were both completely blindsided when the third year of their marriage was total hell. This is isn't to say your marriage will follow suit, but just to be honest about the fact that it happens and it doesn't necessarily mean you and your spouse make a terrible couple.

The early bird rate is $189 per couple and their regular price is $209 per couple. That is a lot less than most bridal bouquets and far more important. I'm not saying to skip your bouquet - just that if your budget is tight, there are probably some things you can creatively reallocate or reprioritize in order to attend this workshop. You can learn more about The Marriage Experience by visiting their website, and you can also register to attend one of the sessions in your area. Here is their lineup so far for 2008:

May 3 :: Portland, OR
May 10 :: Seattle, WA
May 17 :: Phoenix, AZ
May 31 :: Chicago, IL
June 7 :: Philadelphia, PA
June 14 :: Minneapolis, MN
June 28 :: Detroit, MI
July 12 :: New York, NY
September 13 :: Las Vegas, NV
September 20 :: Houston, TX
September 27 :: Tampa, FL
October 4 :: Atlanta, GA
October 11 :: Denver, CO
October 18 :: Anaheim, CA
October 25 :: Dallas, TX
November 1 :: Washington, DC
November 8 :: San Jose, CA

Congratulations to Azi, who said "The Emilia earrings are very sophisticated. They would look great with almost everything!", on winning the Blue Orchid Giveaway! This round of prizes was sponsored by the lovely ladies at Two Sisters Jewelry Boutique and the winner gets to choose a pair of handmade earrings from the three photos on our original giveaway post. If you didn't win, but still love their jewelry, I believe that Blue Orchid Blog readers can still save 15% off anything on their website by entering the code BLUEORCHID at checkout!


I used the integer generator from Random.org to select the winner, and Azi was our 18th comment on that post. Congrats again, Azi! Email us at info{at}blueorchidweddings.com to claim your prize!

Our Blue Orchid Giveaways are spontaneous and really have no rhyme or reason to them. Prizes have been anything from an iTunes gift card to jewelry to a Wedding Day Coordination package from Blue Orchid Designs. Be sure you're subscribed to our blog so that you don't miss out on our next Giveaway! If you'd like to sponsor a future Blue Orchid Giveaway prize, email us at info{at}blueorchidweddings.com.

{Previous Blue Orchid Giveaways}
Wedding Day Giveaway
Projector123.com Rental
Best Quotes from The Office
Inspiration Board Contest
Fashionista Contest
What's Cookin' Good Lookin'?

Just a reminder that the Blue Orchid Giveaway sponsored by Two Sisters Jewelry Boutique ends tonight at midnight PST. If you haven't entered yet, click here to get the 411. The winner will receive a pair of handmade earrings!

Last week I was interviewed by The New York Times for a story on tax write offs for small businesses. The story ran today and the writer included part of our conversation. You can read the article by clicking here. I'm not sure if it's in the print edition as well, so if anyone gets to Starbucks today before I do, let me know!

Update: The story is on C4 of the print edition. I bought four copies.

I found out yesterday that Blue Orchid Designs is one of three finalists for Arizona Bride Magazine's Best of 2008 Awards for Best Wedding Planner. We're also a finalist in the category of Best Website, for the Blue Orchid Blog. The other finalists in these categories are also awesome, so it's fun to be nominated alongside other quality vendors in the Phoenix and Scottsdale areas.

These awards are determined by popular vote and people could only vote once, so I want to give a huge thank you to anyone and everyone who may have voted for us. I really appreciate it! The winners will be announced on June 18th, so I'll keep you updated.

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On the Calendar:
The Blue Orchid Giveaway ends April 6th, so click here for your chance to win a pair of handcrafted earrings from Two Sisters Jewelry Boutique!

Click here to learn how to schedule your blog posts in Blogger so that you can write in advance and they update automatically . . . even while you sleep.

The trend of brides wearing tiaras is slowly winding down and is being replaced with the oh-so-chic chignon with a flower tucked in. Gardenias and other flowers with full petals are popular and gorgeous, but the oil from fingers often leaves the edges browned and wilted.

For me to give a nod to any type of silk or faux plant is a big deal (I am an unapologetic flower snob), but I found myself loving these silk floral hairpins from Etsy seller Butterfly Enchantress Designs. They would make a stylish addition to your bridal updo and will retain their pristine color throughout an evening of vows, dancing and celebration.

If you're going to have any hair pieces - barrettes, flower pins, tiaras, etc - be sure to purchase these far enough in advance so that you can bring them with you to your hair trial. Your stylist will be able to test out different ways to attach it so that it is the most flattering, and she or he will be able to determine if your hair will need extra bobby pins or other products to help hold it in place.

{photos}
{1} Silk Ivory Gardenia Hair Pin, $12.99
{2} Swarovski Crystal Ivory Silk Gardenia Hair Pin, $24.99
{3} Pearl Ivory Silk Gardenia Hair Pin, $19.99

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On the Calendar:
The Blue Orchid Giveaway ends April 6th, so click here for your chance to win a pair of handcrafted earrings from Two Sisters Jewelry Boutique!

Today may be April Fool's, but this giveaway is no joke! The lovely ladies at Two Sisters Jewelry Boutique are sponsoring the prize this round and before we get to the details of how you can win, I want to share a bit about them.

I have to thank Shannon Rice for introducing me to the work of Gina Paluch and Jennifer Michelson, the lovely duo (and identical twins) behind Two Sisters Jewelry Boutique. Jennifer began making the jewelry and then called on her sister Gina, with her business acumen, to help with the administrative stuff. By combining their talents, they're now able to offer their modern, chic, and affordable jewelry to more than just friends and family.

For this installment of our Blue Orchid Giveaways, the gals are giving the lucky winner their choice of earrings from the three pairs shown in the photos above. I have a pair of the Emilia design (the set featured at the bottom) and I get complimented on them all the time. They are perfect for when you need to dress up your lobes with some understated class and simplicity.

To enter, simply check out their website, and then come back here and leave a comment on this post sharing which piece of their jewelry is your favorite.

Because they are so generous, they are also offering a 15% discount to Blue Orchid Designs Blog readers! Simply enter the coupon code blueorchid at checkout! With Mother's Day coming up and wedding season getting underway, you'll be able to check some gifts off your shopping list.

Now for the fine print details:
{1} Contest will close Sunday, April 6th at 12 am PST and is open to anyone - brides, vendors, random blog visitors, etc.
{2} Winner will be chosen randomly. Check back here on Monday to see if you won and for instructions on how to claim your prize.
{3} One entry per person. Scout's honor.

Have fun and good luck!