Etsy Seller Spotlight: THEMONKEYSHOP

My mom had a baby shower favorite as well. She fell in love with the monkey I got from THEMONKEYSHOP:

Etsy Seller Spotlight: Friends of Socktopus by blackbirdfashion

Ok, I admit it. I kind of have a favorite. I got so many great things from Etsy sellers for my sisters shower and was super excited about each of them, so it's bad that I even have a favorite. I can't help it! I fell in love!

Meet Otto the Weiner Dog:

Etsy Seller Spotlight: PartyStarters

One of the favorite elements among guests at my sister's baby shower was the paper mini cake that held the party favors. I got the cake from PartyStarters, an Etsy shop that (true to its name) supplies you with just the right things to turn a gathering into a truly festive occasion.

The cake was done up in pink, green, and white to match the color scheme of the party and a little cake topper with Lily's name in really fun font came with it, so it was perfect on top of the cupcake tower! In fact, I personally think it really made the whole thing and I'm not sure I would buy one without the other:

Etsy Seller Spotlight: KMThomasDesigns

My sister will actually be getting two baby showers, which isn't uncommon these days. The one that I hosted was for family and in a couple of weeks my other sister will be hosting one for friends. We're doubling up on a lot of the decorations by using them at both parties, but since each baby shower really is a unique event, they needed different invitations.

My sister that's having the baby likes cute things, but she's not a huge fan of things that are really fussy or girly. (Yes, I made her have a giant pink cupcake tower and a bunch of pink stuffed animals. That's how I roll.) Not wanting to force too much sweet pink fluffiness on her, my other sister set out to find a baby shower invitation that was classy and tasteful, with just a hint of baby girl. Luckily, she found the Etsy shop for KMThomasDesigns.

KMThomasDesigns specializes in the kinds of invitations and birth announcements that just make you say, "Damn...that is a really nice piece of mail." They're just sleek and simple, but positively dripping with style:

Etsy Seller Spotlight: SimpleSimonPrints

I've seen a ton of wonderful invitations in my time. Between the research I did for our wedding and the great invites Disney brides have come up with, I feel like I've seen every kind of invitation out there. So, when it came to choosing the invites for my sister's baby shower, I was honestly a little overwhelmed by the thought.

I consider sending out really intricate invitations...perhaps little boxes or some sort of pre-party favor or even individualized hand-crafted items. Since we were only inviting about 30 people, it didn't seem unreasonable to go over the top. But then I remembered three things:

Etsy Seller Spotlight: BWinks

There's been kind of an explosion of interest in owls over the last year or so. I feel like I see them everywhere...on blogs and t-shirts and necklaces and advertising. I, myself, was not able to resist the trend and have many a happy owl item that has joined the household recently.

I wanted to get a bunch of cute stuffed animals together for my sister's baby shower because I wanted the room decked out in things that make you go "awwwwww". The first thing that I searched for on Etsy was owls and (not surprisingly) it turns out that Etsy is pretty much owl central. There are all sorts of owls over there in every shape and size! But, there are none as nursery-cute as these ones:

Etsy Seller Spotlight: Feltplanet

I love felt. It's just so soft and thick and friendly. Most of the stuff that I've featured in my Etsy store has been made of felt because I love it so much. So, it should be no surprise that I'm completely in love with feltplanet, the etsy home of all things lovely and felt.

I got a special item from feltplanet for my sister's baby shower. Since my new niece is named Lily, I got a felt Lily Pad Bowl in yellow. Isn't it darling?



Lily pads aren't the only things these guys make. Check out some of their other items:





It's just all so fun and fresh! I can't stand it...I kind of need it all...

Etsy Seller Spotlight: Pedestals

One of the truly stunning things that I ended up getting for my sister's baby shower was the custom ordered cupcake tower from Pedestals. I knew when I first started planning the shower that I wanted to do cupcakes and I wanted to present them on something special, but I was honestly blown away when I saw what Pedestals had to offer.

Etsy Seller Spotlight: Diaper Displays

When I first started planning my sister's baby shower, I kept hearing that I simply couldn't have a baby shower without a diaper cake. I admit that I had nearly no idea what a diaper cake was, since I haven't attended a baby shower in quite a while. So, I started searching high and low for the loveliest diaper cake out there and, luckily, I found it at Diaper Displays.

Diaper Displays specializes in truly beautiful diaper cakes that rival wedding cakes in how spectacular they are. I really feel like they took the diaper cake idea and stepped it up a level. I mean, these cakes would truly be at home at a wedding reception. That's how lovely they are!

Etsy Seller Spotlight: Kims Sewing

My friend Janean is a huge fan of supporting local Ohio businesses. Her theory is that there's just something about Ohio that makes things just a bit more special. Looking at the items coming from Kim's Sewing on etsy.com, I think Neaner might be on to something...

Kim's Sewing is the best place to find those handmade, carefully crafted items that are classic Americana. She specializes in quilted items and soft toys. Take a look:

Etsy Seller Spotlight: Chickabiddy Baby Boutique

There are certain Etsy shops that really get me aching for a little bundle of joy and the Chickabiddy Baby Boutique is one of them. First off: the word "chickabiddy" = cutest Etsy name ever. Second, have you seen these sweet items?

Etsy Seller Spotlight: LittleGestures

Speaking of making the little things count, these little hand-folded origami stars were a HUGE hit at my sister's baby shower. Aren't they darling? They're made by LittleGestures, an Etsy shop run by the nicest woman out in Malaysia and she sent me a whole bundle of them. I scattered them everywhere...food table, gift table, end tables...basically if I could find a flat surface, it had little stars on it. At the end of the party, though, none were left because everyone had scooped them up and carried them off!

Etsy Seller Spotlight: Rule 42

Ever since I saw Becky + Jeff's wedding pictures, I've been slightly obsessed with pinwheels! So, when I was thinking up decor for my sister's baby shower, I realized that I simply had to have some pinwheels in there somewhere. I mean, come on...what says happy baby more than a few bright colored pinwheels?

Luckily, I found Rule 42 on Etsy and fell completely in love with their fantastic custom pinwheels! They have all sorts of sizes and patterns and wonderfulness, so I ordered a pair of these tea party pinwheels:

Etsy Seller Spotlight: DSSDesigns

If you've been reading me for a long time, you'll know that I really like vintage things. I'm not talking about vintage-style or vintage-inspired...I mean honest-to-goodness-older-than-I-am vintage stuff. It makes my insides happy.

Etsy Seller DSSDesigns specializes in beautiful vintage items that you can't find anywhere else. Since the pieces in her store are so unique, her inventory is constantly changing and you have to swoop in and grab something if you really love it. I swooped in before the baby shower and grabbed this red vintage cupcake holder for my sister's baby shower:

This Week It's All About the Baby Shower!!

So, how many of you just read that title and thought, "wait...where am I?" Yes, this is The Disney Wedding Blog. Don't worry, you're not lost. I just thought I'd mix it up a little and throw in a rogue week full of pretty pictures, great Etsy sellers, and easy-beautiful DIY projects.

My little sister is pregnant with her first kid and this past Saturday I threw her a baby shower. I got tons of help from great Etsy sellers all over the world and lots of ideas from readers on this blog, so I thought I'd take a week out to focus just on this shower because...

• many of the things we used and did for the shower would work great for a wedding

• lots of past Disney brides are starting to need baby showers of their own

• I'm in charge and I'm happy for my sister and I want to share it with you!

PLUS, I have a very special giveaway for you this week! (Since we're talking about babies and cuteness and great Etsy sellers and all...)


Giveaway
My mom has just opened an Etsy store called Baby Brown Bear where she's selling some adorable stuff! Here's a small sample:

She has generously agreed to let me give one of her handmade baby blankets away and she even made a special Disney-themed blanket for one of you lucky readers! Check it out:

How cute is that? Is my mom talented or what?

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post with your favorite baby shower gift. I'll pick the winner next Saturday. Remember, if you don't play you can't win. Good luck, everybody!

Just Married Spotlight: Wendy + Eric

Location: Boardwalk Resort
Photography: Randy Chapman

...and now more from the lovely Wendy and Eric...

Wedding Spotlight: Irrum + Jeff

Location: Disneyland Hotel
Photography: Mango Studios

You remember Irrum's Mad Hatter Tea Party? Well, she went and outdid herself with her tented outdoor reception at the Disneyland Hotel...

We Have a Winner!!

We have a winner for this week's giveaway. They've won a Princess Protection Program shirt from Pick-a-Lilys Custom Design Studio and the winner is...

Jodi Renshaw on June 21, 2010 11:06 AM said...

My husband just became the daddy of a 13-year old girl ... through adoption. She is our second child. Our first is a 5-year old boy whom we adopted from Haiti when he was just a babe. Anyhow, this immediate journey into the teen years of a girl has been aquite a roller coaster ride, but my husband has handled our girl with such love, tenderness and grace. She has been through alot and has never had a real Daddy to love her unconditionally and PROTECT her. My husband has been wonderful for her and vice-versa. And he is totally her protector. This shirt is perfect for him to wear ... and she would love to see him wear it :)

Thank you,
Jodi Renshaw
jrenshaw@hotmail.com

Congratulations, Jodi! I hope you love the shirt!


Thank you to everyone who participated! We have an extra special giveaway coming up tomorrow, so stay tuned...

Engagement Spotlight: Jocelin + Nic

Location: Disneyland
Photography: Ed Pingol Photography

The Greatest Save The Date Video Ever

I know I say things like this all the time, but this is the greatest save the date video ever. EVER. And I love it about 1000% more than those commercials that Disney has put out for the Fairy Tale Wedding Collection. I want to see more stuff like this!! I feel like this video would make brides stampede to have their wedding at Walt Disney World!!!

Thanks to Rising Moon Video Productions for being awesome!

Weekly Update - 6/25/10

Photo by Amelia Lyon Photography

Welcome to the mini-update!

• Congratulations to all the newly engaged, newly married, or newly anniversaried peeps out there!

• Sorry I didn't blog a ton this week...I've had craziness going on behind the scenes. There really is something about that full moon that just makes people nuts!

• Coming next week: awesomeness that is absolutely, completely different from the usual Disney Wedding Blog stuff...but I think you'll like it.

• Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!
  

Wedding Spotlight: Wendy + Eric

Date: June 3, 2010
Location: Wedding Pavilion, Citricos
Photography: Jason Angelini
Floral: Disney
Hair/Makeup: Beaute Speciale
Bride's Dress: David's Bridal
Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Bride's Hairband: Etsy seller LottieDaDesigns
Groom's Suit: DKNY
Groom's Shoes: Cole Haan
Coordinator: Kathleen
Officiant: the groom's stepfather

When Your Dad Isn't At Your Wedding

Earlier this week, I wrote about stressing over whether or not my father was going to come to my wedding. He pulled through and I was lucky to share the day with him. However, there are lots of brides who don't have their dad on their wedding day, either because he's passed away, he's unable to attend, or he just isn't in the picture.

For brides whose fathers have passed away, a wedding can be filled with reminders that your dad isn't celebrating with you. Traditionally, the bride's father walks her down the aisle, gives her away, and then shares a special dance with her at the reception. When your father isn't there because he's passed away, it may be hard to face some of these traditions without feeling sad, but with a little creativity you can incorporate these traditions into your celebration. You can even be sure to let your father's memory take a special place in your event.

If your father won't be involved in your wedding for other reasons, don't worry about "how it will look" if he isn't there to walk you down the aisle. Many other brides have found themselves in similar circumstances and they found creative solutions that worked perfectly for their wedding. It's important to let yourself feel disappointed, frustrated, or angry at the situation, but be sure to work out all those problems before your big day, so you can focus on your new husband and all the joy that's in front of you.

Here are some thoughts if you're planning a wedding day that won't include your dad:

• Have a brother, favorite uncle, or your grandfather walk you down the aisle and share a special dance with you.

• Have your mother walk you down the aisle. The two of you can also share a special dance on the dance floor (lots of brides do this!).
  

• Have a memorial candle for your father burning at your ceremony. If you'd like, you can make a note about it in the program, but if you'd like to keep it private (just for you), that's perfectly acceptable.

• Walk yourself down the aisle and have a note included in the program that you are accompanied by the memory of your father.

• After the doors open and the guests see you for the first time, let the groom walk down the aisle to meet you and accompany you to the altar.

• Skip the parent dances altogether or choose to dance with your new father-in-law while your husband dances with his mother.

• For favors, leave a postcard with a photo of you and your father on one side and a note explaining that a charity has been made in the guest's name on the other. This is a good way to honor your father if you lost him to illness or if he was particularly passionate about a certain cause.

Playlist: Father-Daughter Dance

I admit it. I can't stand Butterfly Kisses. If you used it at your wedding, please don't be offended. My opinion about that song is severely in the minority, since it's the number one father-daughter dance request used in weddings across the country. What can I say? Can't freaking stand it.

If you can't stand it either or you're looking for something a little different, try one of these:

My Dad is Not a Disney Person

In honor of Father's Day and Father's Week, I thought I'd share this small, personal tale:

Before we became engaged, Kyle called my dad and asked him for my hand in marriage. Since my father lives in Utah and we lived in Ohio, the traditional face-to-face meeting was reduced to a 30 second phone call. Even so, my father appreciated the gesture and when I called him to tell him that I was engaged, he had already gone out for a celebratory dinner on my behalf.

Four days after I got engaged, I told my father that we were thinking about having a small wedding in Walt Disney World, since we met there and it was only fair to make both sides of the family travel (rather than just one). My father's response? "Well, that's sounds like a pretty dumb idea. Why would you do that? Why don't you just have a normal wedding like everyone else?" I explained our reasons, but his response to those was, "Well, I don't know if we'll come to that. Maybe we'll just skip it."

For the record, my dad is not a bad person. He simply isn't very keen on things like theme parks and Disney and doing things in an unusual fashion. So, I tried not to take it personally that he'd said he might skip my wedding. Still, I admit that it was a bit of a thorn in my side and every change to the wedding plan was followed by a phone call to my father so that he'd be up to date, since my dad is also the type of person to just blow an event off if it sounds too complicated or seems like too much work.

By the time we were midway into our wedding planning, lots of things had happened in our little world. For one, my father got a sudden and unexpected divorce six months into our engagement, which made constantly bringing up the wedding a little awkward. For another thing, our casual little Disney wedding turned into a great big Disney wedding complete with ball gown and 16 attendants. Suddenly, family from all over was planning on joining us, including two of dad's siblings and his favorite niece. What had started out as some silly thing my dad might skip was starting to turn into the big romantic family reunion of the decade and it was all happening on top of the end of my father's marriage.

Let's just say it wasn't the greatest timing.

I finally convinced myself that I'd be fine if my dad didn't end up coming to the wedding. I knew that he wasn't into crowds or being in the spotlight or big events or things like Walt Disney World. Plus, I was always kind of an independent kid, so I hadn't really set him up for a "daddy's princess" type of wedding. As it was, he barely knew Kyle and all and only saw me a few times each year. So, it seemed petty and self-involved to feel sorry for myself because he wasn't leaping at the chance to fly to Florida and I decided to stop updating him on all the wedding planning.

I went home for Christmas just two weeks before we got married. My father introduced me to the wonderful woman that he had started seeing and I met her two sweet children, who are now my youngest step-siblings. They were all joining us in Florida for the wedding and although I didn't expect any of the traditional gushy daddy-daughter stuff to happen on our big day, I was really happy they were coming.

During my trip home, I tentatively broached the subject of who would walk me down the aisle. As I've said before, my dad hates crowds, spotlights, and silliness, so I didn't think he'd be interested, but I didn't want to give my stepfather the job without clearing it with my father. To my surprise, he told me that he was gearing up to walk me down the aisle, despite having quite a bit of anxiety about it. Then, to double my shock, he said that he had secretly gotten some dance lessons on video to practice for the daddy-daughter dance I didn't think we were having and asked me what we were dancing to. I gave him a list of choices and he ended up picking one of the sappiest, loveliest songs.

On my wedding day, my painfully shy and fairly awkward father arrived at the Grand Floridian in the Mickey Mouse tie that he had bought just for my wedding. He walked me down the aisle, gave me away, and waltzed me around on the dance floor (even though I found out later that the whole ordeal gave him stomach pains that lasted for weeks). Did he want to do it? Probably not, but at the end of it all I realized that my months of worrying and stressing had been for nothing. I had forgotten the most important thing: my dad isn't a huge fan of weddings or dances or Disney, but he seems to be a huge fan of me.

This Week It's All About the Dads!!

Happy Father's Day!!

Photo by Disney Fine Art Photography & Video

In honor of father's day and all the great men who pretend they aren't getting teary-eyed at their kid's Disney wedding, I thought we'd focus on the dads this week. Hooray for dads!

In honor of dads and their awesomeness, I have a special...

Giveaway
This week's giveaway comes to us from Pick-a-Lilys Custom Design Studio. Cherise at Pick-a-Lilys makes the cutest stuff, including tons of Disney-inspired clothing and since she does custom orders, her items are perfect for outfitting group events like weddings and family reunions. I love that her stuff is different and unexpected, like this...




...Princess Protection Program shirt! Isn't it great? What a fun thing for a dad to wear in the parks, no matter how old his princess is! Cherice has generously donated one of these shirts to this giveaway, so some lucky reader is going to be able to gift this great shirt to the dad of their choice!

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post that says something about dads. It can be something about your dad, something that you love now that your husband is a dad, or some other dad-related happy thought. I'll anounce the winner on Saturday. Good luck!

We Have a Winner!!

We have a winner for this week's giveaway and it is...

Daniella Schmidt said...

Sandwriting by the Sea- Personalized Beach Message Photography

Sandwriting by the Sea, offers personalized sand message photographs, save the dates, table numbers and digital images so you can create your own masterpieces. .

Its a unique gift for your wedding, shower, anniversary, Bridesmaids or for youself to remember that special moment.

Being a former Disney Bride myself I even have a Happily Ever After collection and would love to help out a Disney bride.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/malibelle


Thanks for the opportunity!
Daniella
malibellefoto@comcast.net

Congratulations, Daniella! You've just won yourself a 12-month spot on the Featured Vendor list!

Thank you to everyone who entered! The next giveaway starts tomorrow...

Wedding Spotlight: Jenny + Nathan

Location: At-home Disney Wedding, Raleigh Sheraton
Photography: Luster Studios

I look at lots and lots of weddings. It's pretty safe to say that I'm wedding saturated. That being said, every now and then I'll look over some wedding photos and before I know it, I've got happy tears...

This is one of those.

Weekly Update - 6/18/10

In this week's video...

• we have a special introduction by a friend of mine...
• I talk about where to find good vendors...
• I also talk about what to do when you're mad at your vendor...
• and tell you what next week's theme will be.

For The Week

• Congratulations to Tomoya Okitsu and Mio Ashida, who became the 10,000th couple to get married at Disney's Ambassador Hotel in Tokyo Disneyland.
• The giveaway this week is for a Featured Vendor listing on this site. Enter to win a chance to promote your business or to nominate the vendor who deserves a year of free publicity!
• Next week: All About the Dads

Other Blog Business

I'm working hard on those Featured Vendor directories, which will go live on July 1st. I forgot how exhausting it is to research every single vendor and try to figure out if they're offering high-quality services! This is the part of wedding planning that I do not miss!

In other news, I'm working out soft plans for a trip to Walt Disney World this fall to talk with vendors, check out what's new with DFTW, and maybe meet some blog friends for dinner (or better yet, a tea party!). If you'll be around this fall and you're interested in getting together, let me know because I'm still trying to figure out when I'm coming down. Oh, and if anyone has the scoop on cheap rooms, send me a note!

As for our winter trip, we're working hard to get ready for that half-marathon. Right now it seems like I'll never be able to run 13 miles, but I keep reminding myself that I did it five years ago and I can do it again. Plus, our fundraising is going well, so that's some added motivation!

I have been trying to figure out what to do for our anniversary (besides the event). Originally, I thought I'd surprise Kyle with a little two-person vow renewal, so I could try an Escape wedding and some new vendors, but our anniversary is on a Saturday and the price tag for that surprise is a little too steep. Anyone else have any good ideas?


Other Wedding Business

Which Fairy Tale Wedding Are You?
AOL put out an article this week that lets readers see which princess-inspired Kirstie Kelly wedding gown would be perfect for them. It kind of requires you to make a judgement call on yourself, so it's not the most accurate way of figuring out what your perfect wedding style is, but it's still a fun read. (I'm either Jasmine or Belle...not quite sure...) You can find the article here.

Which Outside Vendors Can I Hire For My Disney Wedding?

Basics:

• If you are having an Escape wedding, your package cost is determined based on what it costs to have Disney cover your floral, photography, and other services. If you decide to bring in an outside vendor instead of using Disney, you won't get a credit back towards your cost.
  

• If you are having an in-park wedding, you may have different restrictions than if you had your wedding outside of the parks. For example, you cannot use an outside vendor for photography or videography. If your wedding is happening in the park, check with your coordinator to see which vendors you aren't allowed to bring in.

• Any costs accrued by using outside vendors do not count towards your required minimum.
  

Photography in Walt Disney World:

• If you're having an in-park wedding or event, you cannot use an non-Disney photographer.

• If your event is taking place outside of the parks, you may hire an outside photographer. If you are having an Escape wedding, you will still have to pay for the photography portion of the package. If you are having a Wishes wedding, the cost of your outside photographer will not count towards your minimum.

• Outside photographers are not allowed to sneak into your wedding event by pretending that they are a guest. You may be able to find an outside photographer who is willing to chance it, but Disney will come down on you hard if you get caught. That being said, if you happen to have a friend who is a professional photographer, there's nothing stopping them from bringing their very nice camera to your wedding to take some pictures. Just be aware that if the guest seems like they're actually acting as your main photographer, Disney might take notice and give you some trouble about it. 

• Outside photographers are not allowed to do in-park engagement sessions.
  

Photography in Disneyland:

• If you're having an in-park wedding or event, you may use an non-Disney photographer.

• You may also use a non-Disney photographer if you'd like to do an in-park engagement session at Disneyland or California Adventure. If you do an engagement session, everyone in your party is responsible for purchasing admission to the park, including your photographer. Your photographer may bring standard professional camera equipment, but large items (such as lighting sources and screens) are prohibited because they might interfere with other guests' enjoyment of the park. During your engagement session, you may not go into prohibited areas or block off areas of the park to keep people from ruining your shot. The basic rule of thumb is that you're fine as long as you're following the rules and you aren't interfering with anyone else's fun.

• If you have a Disneyland wedding, there is a chance that you may be allowed into the parks before they open for a bridal park session. However, this is not guaranteed and may not be an option available to every couple. To figure out whether or not this option will be possible for you, you'll have to speak to your wedding planner.

Videography:

• As long as your event is not being held inside a Walt Disney World theme park, you may hire an outside videographer.
  

Floral:

• If you are having a Wishes wedding, you may supply your own floral or hire an outside vendor to do your floral.

• If you are having an Escape wedding, you may only hire an outside florist to do your personal floral (bouquet + boutonniere).
  

Food/Beverage:

• You cannot hire an outside vendor to your food/beverage at any event, including your wedding cake.

• If you're having edible favors, run them by your wedding consultant before you commit.

• You may be able to hire an outside vendor to bring in a candy buffet or cookie bar, depending on the event and where you're having it. Check with your coordinator if you're interested.
  

Entertainment:

• You may hire outside vendors to provide music for your ceremony or reception.

• This includes solo musicians (such as harpists), full bands, and DJs.

• Entertainers must pass certain standards before being allowed to work a Disney event. This includes having the necessary insurance. Temporary insurance is available if your entertainer doesn't have it.

• When you hire a DJ through Disney, you're often hiring from the same pool that you'd be looking at with outside vendors. If you have a specific DJ in mind, check to see if you can request him through Disney. If you can, the cost of the DJ will count toward your event minimum.
  

Transportation:

• Depending on what you need the transportation for, you may be able to hire an outside vendor.

• If you're using it to take guests or the wedding party to and from the wedding events, you may hire an outside vendor.

• If you're using it to take guests between wedding events (such as from the wedding to the reception), you cannot use an outside vendor.

• Disney transportation can go where outside vendors may not. For example, some Disney transportation can go up on the sidewalks of Disney property. This is something to consider, depending on where you're getting married.
  

Officiants:

• You must hire an outside vendor to be your officiant. Disney does not provide one.

• Disney will provide you with a list of suggested officiants if you're clueless about it and just want to pick one without going through the hassle of searching.

• Your officiant does not count towards your wedding minimum, although their meal will count towards your minimum if you decide to feed them.
  

Hair/Makeup:

• Your hair/makeup costs do not count towards your minimum, regardless of whether you have them done by Disney employees or by outside vendors.

• If you're having an in-park event, you may not be able to bring in your hair/makeup person. It seems to depend on the vendor and the situation (for security reasons).
  

Other Vendors:

• If you want something different at your wedding (like a photo booth, light show, juggler, etc.), you may be able to hire them, provided your wedding isn't happening in the park. Disney will evaluate these requests on a case by case basis. Your vendor will need to meet the insurance requirements, especially if their service involves some type of food or beverage.

• If your outside vendor bails on you at the last minute, your coordinator won't be as much help to you as they would be if it was your Disney vendor bailing. They may still be able to assist you in finding a replacement, but it isn't a sure thing. So, if you're a nervous bride, you may want to use Disney for as much as possible, just to save yourself the hassles of last minute changes.
  

Engagement Spotlight: Amanda + Terrance

Location: Downtown Disney
Photography: Randy Chapman

I love that I get to showcase all of these Featured Vendors this week! Here's an engagement session from Randy Chapman, one of the more popular choices among Disney brides and grooms. I'm used to seeing wedding albums from him, but this engagement session has just as much of his signature style.

Offbeat at the Boardwalk from Jess Cumbie Photography

And now an image from another one of our new Featured Vendors, Jess Cumbie!

I love it when vendors step outside the box. This portrait would be right at home on Offbeat Bride (which is, incidentally, one of my favorite wedding blogs). I love that it's sweet, romantic, fun...and completely different from most of the images we see here on the blog.

Dos and Don'ts of Working with Your Wedding Vendors

Do:

• Double check with Disney before hiring outside vendors to make sure there won't be any problems. Disney has special rules regarding outside vendors (such as no outside photographers for events that take place inside the theme-parks), so it's a good idea to check in with them before you put down a deposit with a non-Disney vendor. Don't worry, they won't try to pressure you into using a Disney vendor instead. In fact, the chances are good that they've worked with the vendor you've chosen before.

• Give your vendors some notes for your big day. For your officiant, this means a list of all of the members of the wedding party and a transcript of your ceremony. For your photographer, this means a list of all the shots you'd like them to get, with truly important shots highlighted. Even the person doing your hair and makeup may need notes if you're requesting something special that requires special tools or accessories.

• Pay your vendors in full by the date set out in your contract. It's not a good idea to irritate your wedding vendors, especially before your wedding. Plus, the whole "it's just been crazy because we're getting married soon" excuse isn't going to work with them, since they hear it all the time. It's a good idea to mark the dates payment is due on your home calendar, so you can see them coming.

• Let your vendors know if they did a great job at your wedding. Sending a note or even a small gift is a nice gesture if you were happy with their work and it lets them know that they're doing a good job.

Don't:

• Panic if your vendor still hasn't returned an email that you sent him/her more than five hours ago. It's pretty common for a couple days to pass without an email response, particularly if your vendor travels often or doesn't work in front of a computer. A good rule of thumb is to wait 2-3 days and then follow up with a phone call if you still haven't heard from them.

• Double book vendors, especially without telling them. It may seem like a good idea to hire a back-up photographer, videographer, or cosmetician, just in case there's a last-minute hitch, but your vendors will be pretty annoyed if they find out they'll be competing for your attention on the day of your event. The same goes with telling your oh-so-talented photographer/videographer/cosmetician cousin that they should plan on "assisting your vendor". That's much more likely to be intrusive than helpful.

• Withhold payment until you receive the service. That's just not how it works in the wedding business. It may seem strange to pay someone before you receive what you've paid for, but them's the breaks.

• Vent your heated frustration with your vendor all over Facebook/Twitter/the message boards/etc. It's tempting to let the world know what a complete jerk you thought the vendor was, but you'll do better if you calm down a bit before you say anything. It's one thing to give an honest review of a disappointing performance. It's another thing to post nasty, personal, and possibly dishonest things just because you're upset. (In fact, we call that slander.)

Any more dos or don'ts to add?

Couture Wedding Spotlight: Susan + Jonathan

Location: Disney's Wedding Pavilion
Photography: Misty Miotto

And now, a little magic from one of the site's new Featured Vendors, Misty Miotto...

Letter From the Editor: On Choosing Your Vendors

As you guys know, I like to use these "Letter from the Editor" posts to talk in depth about subjects that are important to me. Today's letter is one I hope you'll take the time to read, especially if you're still planning your big day, because it's an issue that seems to have really become something of a problem in our little Disney wedding community.

I'd like to talk about the process of choosing your vendors based on other people's reviews. So many people who are planning Disney weddings are planning them as destination weddings, because they don't live in the Orlando or Anaheim area. That means that a lot of people are hiring their vendors based on what they've seen on the Internet, either on the vendor's site or on the blogs and trip reports that other Disney couples have created. This is actually an incredible resource, because it gives a good, in-depth look at what working with that vendor would actually be like and what kind of product you could expect to receive.

Cuter Than Cute Custom Graphic from craftyFOLK

Sarah at craftyFOLK is one of my favorite Etsy sellers because her products are very fun and fresh while also having a really nice vintage quality.

Online Vendors I Love: The Class of 2010

www.modcloth.com
"Best Dressed"

Featured Vendor: Impressions

You guys know that I'm a complete sucker for details. I think a couple can have a wedding in the most beautiful place on Earth and it's still going to be the napkin rings or place cards that stick out in guests' minds when they think back. There's just something about that little extra effort that makes your guests feel like they're being taken care of and are in for something truly special.

When it comes to bringing lovely details to Disney weddings, tons of couples turn to Impressions. In fact, I can honestly say that Shelley from Impressions stands out in my mind as the vendor that I most often hear rave reviews about, so I'm happy to feature her company as my first Featured Vendor spotlight.

If you've had your Disney wedding planning session, you've probably seen some of the great things that Impressions can bring to a wedding. Franck's, the bridal salon at Walt Disney World, has a large selection of Impressions items scattered around for brides to ooh and aah over. Just in case you haven't made the trip down to Franck's yet, here's a small selection of loveliness from Impressions:

It's worth noting that although Impressions is based in Florida, they work with many Disneyland brides and couples who are planning at-home Disney themed weddings. So, even if you aren't a Walt Disney World bride, there's plenty that Shelley and her team can dream up for you!

I know that many of you used Impressions on your wedding day. Anyone else have any lovely images to add?