Our next guest post is from one of the most helpful resources out there for a bride to be: Wedding Bee! I love hearing from other brides and brides to be about their wedding ideas and how to incorporate their budget into their wedding style . I was overjoyed when I found out that Cathy was willing to do a guest post for us! Here is what inspires her:
I’ll be completely blunt: reading and editing countless wedding posts a day for Weddingbee (about 8,300 posts a year, to be more precise), it’s hard to be truly inspired by fresh ideas. New brides enter the wedding world every day, and what’s new and fresh to some is old and recycled to others. Blogs have the power to push trends to the extreme—and to tire them out quickly. I totally love that, though—it pushes us all to bring unique and fresh ideas to market at a rapid pace.
However, one element of weddings never ceases to inspire me or go out of style in my eyes. Finding ways to honor those who shaped our histories and will continue to influence our futures is an element of weddings that I think and hope will never be overdone. Wedding days are a special moment in time not just for brides and grooms, but for everyone that has molded them into the couple they’ve become, and I’m continually inspired by the multitude of ways couples honor their loved ones.
Connecting your guests to yourself and each other:
Wedding genealogies by Melangerie Inc. Similar to a family tree, Melangerie’s wedding genealogies detail the relationships of the bride and groom to all of their wedding guests. (Melangerie Inc. via What Junebug Loves)
Recreating moments from the past:
Monica, AKA Miss Jellyfish recreated the feel of her favorite photos from her parents’ city hall wedding at her own civil ceremony. (Weddingbee)
Special gifts for special guests:
Bride Carolynn honored family members and close friends by packaging up assorted vintage hankies. Each package was personalized with the individual’s name the hankie was intended for. (Via The Sweetest Occasion)
Love, then and now:
Heirloom family love letters on display next to your guestbook, as conceptualized by Kelly Oshiro Events
Keeping those who’ve passed close to your heart:
Mrs. Hot Cocoa’s groom’s boutonniere included a locket with photos of his Zadie and Bubbe. (Mrs. Hot Cocoa via Weddingbee)
Long after the candy at the candy buffet is digested, after the flowers have wilted, the last gift is unwrapped and long after the last dance is danced…
… family remains
Me and my mom on my wedding day during our Thai Water Ceremony
So today I’m inspired by the past. And Leila—I hope that your day was everything you ever dreamed—for you, for your husband, and for all those who shaped you into who you both are today.
Lots of love,
Cathleya
I love the last photo! and it’s so true family is everything!!
Aw, Cath, thanks for the shout out. I couldn’t agree more with your inspirations.
Loved this post. I wish I had incorporated more of our families into the wedding. We displayed framed photos of both of our parents on their wedding day, which everyone loved. But I really, really like the family tree idea. I’m passing that along to everyone I know that’s getting married. 🙂
Thanks for the shoutout, Cathy – I feel honored to be on here! I also wholeheartedly agree. These are the things that make a wedding meaningful.
I agree 100% I, too, love the family tree idea. It would be a cute idea in anything couple related… rehearsal dinner, showers, even baby showers. And the personalized gift photo really caught my eye making me think “why didn’t I do that.” The packaging is sooo cute!
I absolutely love this idea! The family trees you found were beautiful…It would be cool to do a black and white photo board of all the past family weddings, too! It would make a great keepsake and you could leave a space for your own wedding picture.
I love the family tree ideas and the recreating photo from the past idea. I think we will start to utilize these ideas with our brides too.
Thanks
What a wonderful post. It does become difficult to feel inspired some days by the beautiful but frivolous details. Thank you for reminding me that the greatest inspiration dwells in the places where the heart lives – our family, friends, and loved ones.
Hiya – do you have to have the beading at the front or could this be left off?thanks!