Kedai Photo Kiosk

I just got an interesting email from fellow ABC member Lauren Saul about her product, the Kedai Photo Kiosk.  This a new take on the photo booth, incorporating your guests photos into one slideshow and online gallery.

Your guests simply take their memory cards out of their cameras, insert them into the special kiosk, and then choose the photos to add.  Each guest gets their own gallery on the website, and all the photos are compiled into an instant slideswhow.

Check out the website for great step-by-step videos!

Super Cute Sparklers

Fabulous wedding blog Style Me Pretty has been featuring great DIY projects, and I saw one that I just had to share.

I simply love this idea.  We are always looking for new and fun ways to handle sparklers, since so many brides and grooms love to have this departure shot in their wedding albums.  And this is so simple:  basically, it is a design printed onto card stock, with two little holes cut out for the sparklers to slide through.  Genius!

Be sure to check out the post over at Style Me Pretty for the supply list and instructions. There are two posts, actually, one for the sparklers and one for the match books.

• http://www.stylemepretty.com/2008/10/28/diy-project-custom-sparklers/
• http://www.stylemepretty.com/2008/10/28/diy-project-custom-matchbooks/

Introducing...Planning Websites!

Our team (especially Danielle!) has been working hard on developing a great new service for our clients, and I'm proud to announce that we are ready for the big reveal!

We are introducing Planning Websites for all of our brides and grooms to interact with their coordinator.  It's a great way to share documents, photos, to-do lists, ideas and more!

We're still in the process of creating individual websites for our current clients, but we are busy uploading files!  You'll receive an email when your website is up and running.

But don't be worried - these sites are only accessible to people that are invited, so the entire world won't know how much you're spending on your flowers or what your dress looks like!

Special Contest for Blog Readers!

This Sunday, September 7th, we will giving away a great prize to the first bride or groom that comes to our booth and mentions this post!

FREE WEDDING WEBSITE FOR 6 MONTHS from Wedding Window!

Wedding Window offers the best customization and easiest setup of all the sites we have previewed.  This $59 value goes to the first bride or groom that comes to our booth (look for us with The Wedding Party) and mentions this post!

How much easier could that be?!

Dancing Through Life

While I was at the ABC conference this week, I met two super fun people with a super great product - "Dancing Together: A 90-minute Guide for a Beautiful Wedding Dance."  While I often suggest to my couples that they should take dance lessons prior to their wedding, this DVD is great for those that have limited time or limited budgets.  Plus, it can be done in the privacy of your own home! The DVD breaks down basic steps, and teaches you how to either "lead" or "follow" rather than choreographing specific moves.  This means you not only learn to dance for your wedding, but you learn to dance for life!  The 90-minute video is broken down into chapters, which include:

First Dance Steps

Moving Your Partner

Rotating Steps

Follower's Turn

The Entrance

Moving Away and Together

She Goes Turn

Waist Slide Turn

The Ending

Selecting Your Music

The video's website, http://beautifulweddingdance.com, has sample clips, reviews, and ordering information.

As a special gift to all First Coast Weddings and Events 2008 couples, we will be sending this DVD to you for free!

Very Special Bouquets

To add a special touch to your bouquet, have each bridesmaid carry a bouquet of one type of flower that is in your bouquet.  It's a neat little preview of your bouquet and looks great in pictures.

If you have your wedding dress made for you, have your seamstress save material to wrap around the stems of the bouquets.     

Wedding Maps Made Easy!

If you want to share a great map with your wedding guests, be sure to visit Wedding Mapper!  You can create a free interactive map that includes the ceremony and reception sites, plus hotels, airports, attractions, restaurants and more!  You can even upgrade to a map with no ads, a personal web address, and additional links (such as your registry information) for a one-time fee of $9.95. 

As an added bonus, Wedding Mapper has partnered with Distinctive Directions to give you 10% off when you turn your online map into a printed version.  The graphic they create can be used for programs, map/direction cards in invitations, welcome basket letters, and more!

The Last Dance

My new favorite wedding tradition was suggested by Darrin Franz of Deland Entertainment for the wedding of Mandy and Zeus.  

When it was time for the last dance, all of the guests were asked to leave the ballroom, leaving only the bride and groom. Even the vendors and venue staff left the room after photographer Nikki McEneaney snapped this pic. (Okay, I'll be honest - we took turns peaking in through a tiny window!)

What a romantic way to end the evening.  And when the dance was over, the guests were all positioned outside to send the bride and groom off.  What new or unique "traditions" can you start at your wedding?