Friday Find: Must Reads for the Newly Engaged

When two out of three in your office are engaged there is a lot of wedding talk happening. Especially when you already work in the world of weddings! Our staff put together some of our top picks for newly engaged couples to help you not only get started on your wedding planning but also to make sure you start your marriage off on the right foot. Check out our list below!

• The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
  
  
  
   

• The Knot Complete Guide To Weddings

• Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette

• The Knot Book of Wedding Lists

• Williams-Sonoma Bride & Groom Cookbook

• 101 Conversation Starters for Couples by Gary Chapman

And just for the groom because we would never leave him out...

• The Groom's Instruction Manual: How to Survive and Possibly Even Enjoy the Most Bewildering Ceremony Known to Man (Owner's and Instruction Manual)

• The Knot Guide for the Groom

What are some of your favorite wedding and marriage books? 

Friday Find: Wedding Live Caster

Are you a military couple? Planning a destination wedding? Or simply have several loved ones that can't make it to your big day? If so, we may have the perfect solution...

Live Wedding Caster allows you to share your big day with wedding guests that can't make it to the wedding. How? By live streaming your wedding onto a unique website that is only available for your guests, thanks to their password-only login!

Live Wedding Caster offers several packages to meet every bride's budget and wish list. DIY brides, there's even a package for you! Want to learn more? Check them out here or watch the video below.

Friday Find; Married at First Sight

Picture from Entertainment Wallpaper

Yes, this is a real show and yes, I watched every minute of it. On Tuesday, July 8 at 9pm, I took part in watching one of the most ridiculously awkward, yet entertaining shows ever. I'm talking, when an individual marries a complete stranger.

Picture from New York Post

The new reality TV show, Married at First Sight, is about singles who are looking for love. Sounds typical, right? Wrong... so very, very wrong. In this scientific matchmaking experiment, six contestants undergo intense interview processes with several relationship experts; including a sexologist, spiritualist, psychologist and sociologist.

By the singles creating an online portfolio, allowing the experts to conduct field visits at their homes, and spending hours at a time filling out a questionnaire (no kidding, one contestant spent six hours filling this thing out), the experts hope to narrow down the 625 potential matches into three perfect couples.

But get this, the first time they meet their other half is when they are walking down the aisle. Yes, they all agreed to legally marry their scientific match the very first time they meet them. Disaster? Maybe. Trainwreck? Possibly. Great TV? Absolutely!

Since we all know our obsession with The Bachelor, we are just going to throw in that one of the contestants is a Bachelor alum, Jamie Otis.

Picture from The Knot

Of course Jamie's match doesn't know it's her until she's walking down a rose-petal walkway in a big, white gown. The contestants don't even know their partner's name until the day they say I do! Once married, the show follows them for the first four weeks of living together as newlyweds; it is then when the couple has to decide if they are going to remain married or if they are going to get a divorce.



Mad you missed the first episode? You can read the recap here. Although I missed this past week's episode (don't worry I TiVoed it), I can only imagine it was just as odd and entertaining as the last! Don't miss the third episode of the series next Tuesday on FYI!

Friday Find: Olivia Palermo's Wedding

It's official! Olivia Palermo and German model, Johannes Huebl finally tied the knot after over 6 years of dating! As expected, this couple put a unique twist on their nuptials...

Notice something a little different? Palermo ditched the traditional wedding dress in favor of three Carolina Herrera separates: a cream cashmere sweater, white shorts, and a sheer satin and silk tulle skirt. Wondering about her something blue? Don't worry! She was sure to tie in the same Manolo Blahnik pumps that Carrie Bradshaw married in at her civil ceremony for the Sex and the City movie, providing the necessary "something blue" for her big day.

Only a handful of family members and a couple friends attended the quiet ceremony in a Bedford, New York park. Later, they met in New York City for a party to celebrate becoming husband and wife. Of course, this was only "part one" of the Palermo/Huebl wedding. Rumor has it the couple is planning a second celebration later this year in St. Bart's, where Johannes proposed.

Friday Find: Happy 4th of July!

It's almost 4th of July, so let's throw a party! Check out some of our favorite inspiration (from Pinterest, of course!) to get you ready for the long weekend!

Friday Find: Bridal Fitness

We all want to look stunning in wedding photos and with that new addition on your left ring finger, there's suddenly a little more motivation. So which workout is best for you? There are so many options these days like bootcamps, gyms, and even extreme workouts like Insanity and Crossfit. No one workout is best for everyone, so we've included some suggestions below:

• Insanity
• 10 workout DVDs focusing on plyometrics, interval training and core work. From Alyssa's personal experience, this workout works wonders. From Laura's personal two-week experience, she would much rather be sitting in front of the TV than running in front of the TV. 

• Crossfit

• high-intensity workouts, constantly changing functional movements. 

• Bridal Bootcamps
• Offered through The Knot in 12 DVDs with 8 workouts on each 
• Offered locally in gyms, like at Blushing Brides Bootcamp in Cincinnati

• Pure Barre
• 55 minute in class workouts focusing on sculpting and toning your muscles

• 30 Day Challenges
• daily workouts for a month with several selections for just one area of your body or a full beach body focus

Grab a friend (oh hey, bridesmaids!) and get your sweat on! Always remember to listen to your body and consider working with a trainer to prevent injury. Have a workout you love that isn't listed? Let us know by commenting below! 

Friday Find: Capturing the Moment

We are betting a pretty penny that Lindsey Crouch and Tae Cho of Knoxville, Tennessee are ecstatic to have crossed paths with photographer, Heather Swanner. Swanner of Birmingham, Alabama was strolling the beach after finishing a photography session when she stumbled upon a huge moment in Lindsey and Tae's lives.

Swanner witnessed Tae drop to his knee to propose to his girlfriend. After seeing their family hiding behind some bushes, hoping not to spoil the moment, Swanner decided to continue on without taking any further pictures.

After getting home and viewing the proofs, Swanner realized how great of a photo she had on her hands and turned to Facebook to find the two love birds. 589 likes and 386 shares later, the picture made it's way to Lindsey and Tae who could haven't been more excited to have a photo of this precious moment.



To read more about this lovely couple, click here. Congratulations to Lindsey and Tae!

Friday (or Saturday?!) Find: Best. Proposal. Ever.

Best. Proposal. Ever.




Not only did Jack Hyer know he was going to marry his now-fiance, Rebecca, after their first date (swoon), he also spent four years creating the perfect proposal video. While traveling through 28 countries, he video taped himself singing the song "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers to, literally, proclaim his love. In case you were wondering if it could get any more precious, it can. After Rebecca watches the video, Jack says to her "I've been on many adventures. I've traveled on elephant, on camel back, hiked to the lowest point on the earth and I've gotten to see some of the highest. But the best adventure I've had is loving Becca." We can't take the cuteness!

Friday Find: #FashionByMayhem

In case you haven't heard, paper dresses are the new must have! Just kidding, but this cute little girl from the Cincinnati area and her mom are really taking paper fashion to the next level! Just take a look for yourself...

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Fashion by Mayhem was introduced after Mayhem and her mom, Angie Keiser, started creating their own dress-up clothes for playtime. Now, #FashionByMayhem is trending on Instagram and all over the internet.

 

We first found out about this duo here, but be sure to check out their website to learn more about this fashionable toddler. 





Friday Find; How to...

Yes, we know Opening Day was a little over a month ago but we are still obsessing over our Opening Day Viewing Party! The flowers, the food, the décor, EVERYTHING was great! And as our treat to you, we wanted to show you how to create your very own Pinterest-inspired baseball center pieces. Batter up!

• It all starts with an empty, square vase. The Flowerman donated these vases to us and we couldn't be more appreciative! The vases we used were 5x5 but feel free to make them as big (or small) as you'd like.

• Fill the vase halfway with peanuts. These can be found at your local Sam's Club or Walmart.

• Cut a portion of turf into a square to fit your vase. While you may be able to buy turf at Home Depot, we purchased ours from a past bride and groom! They used the display (pictured below) for their escort cards arrangement. We love staying connected with The Center's previous brides and grooms and buying this turf from them was a great way to catch up. Thanks, Alex and Tom!

• You can then use a hot glue gun or masking tape to place a ribbon in between the peanuts and the beginning of the turf. This hides where the peanuts stop and where the turf begins.

• Lastly, place a baseball on top of the turf and there you have it! A home run for the baseball-loving bride!

Kentucky Derby

In case you didn't know, it's Derby Weekend! We couldn't be more excited at The Center and wanted to share some ideas for your Kentucky Derby party!

Appetizers - Kentucky Hot Brown Bites

 They are to die for! Find the recipe here.

Cocktails - The Mint Julep

Mint Juleps are a MUST for your Derby Party and are super easy! All you need is:

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

Sprigs of fresh mint

Crushed ice

Early Times Kentucky Whisky

Derby fashion

Derby Décor