Colorado Winter Wedding

We do not see much of winter here in Southern California, as most of the year it is sunshine and blue skies.  However, once in a while, I love when a winter wedding comes long that brings a smile to my face. One that usually entails a beautiful winter affair with all the gorgeous details. This one is no exception. This wedding is super romantic.  Behind the lens to capture it all is Mathew Irving Photography.  Pretty snow flakes, lovely white flowers, pine cones, and sparkly details make this winter wedding a magical one. We love that this couple thought of their guests and the cold weather when planning their day. They offered socks to warm up those cold toes, staying cozy and warm throughout the reception. I have seen flip flops, but never socks! This is such a great idea for a cold winter wedding.  And a winter wedding is not complete without a s’mores bar to make your own little treat. Its fun, and yummy. So before you head out to do the day after Christmas shopping, or if you are taking a shopping break, make sure to take time to browse the photographs of this Colorado winter wedding. So, grab a cup of hot chocolate or coffee and see all the winter details from this romantic affair.

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Karin and Travis had a wonderful, wintery wedding. Despite the unseasonably warm December day, the couple’s carefully chosen details glistened like freshly fallen snow. From the sparkling snowflakes to the frosted pinecones, these newlyweds had their theme covered. Their genial personalities showed that opposites really do attract- an icy theme and two warm hearts are the perfect match.

 

Vendors:

Photography: Mathew Irving Photography

Venue: Villa Parker

Event Planner: Marilee & Grace Wedding + Event Desigm

Floral Designer: The Garden Path Co.

Wedding Cake: The Makery Cake Co.

Caterer: Three Tomatoes Catering

Happy Holidays from BHL!

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all of our readers! No matter what you’re celebrating this season, take some time today to feel good about yourself, your family, your friends, and everything you’ve accomplished in 2014. The BHL staff is taking today to be with our families and enjoy the day off- we encourage the same of all our readers!

Our Editor-in-Chief Niloufar Gibson is enjoying the day with her husband Sean (below).

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Niloufar has been loving all the Christmas trees in her neighborhood- look how beautiful this one is!
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Associte Editor Andrea Carter is spending the day at home with her boyfriend, Tom.

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They love Christmas because they get to go out with their friends they haven’t seen in a while (like Alana- hi Alana!).

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No matter how you’re spending your day off, take some time to be with the people you love. Happy Holidays from everyone here at Bridal Hot List. Our from you has been an amazing 2014, and our gift to you will be a fun filled 2015!

From all of us at Bridal Hot List, Happy Holidays!

Top Five Holiday Items for your Wedding

Happy Holidays! We’re almost done with Hanukkah, Christmas is just a few days away, and the holiday season is in full effect- are you feeling the cheer yet? For many of our readers, friends, and family this is their favorite time of the year. If it’s yours too, we’ve got some fun stuff you can stash away for your wedding that will keep the holiday spirit going. If you wait until December 26th, you can probably score these all at a discount, so plan ahead!

Fairy Lights

Putting up lights is always an easy win- be sure to stock up or hang on to yours for your big day! We love the white lights with white cords for weddings and the holidays- try to steer away from the rainbow or color lights. The white lights are neutral and work for all color schemes for your wedding (and for any color scheme you go for with holiday decor!). You can use this to light scenery, light pathways for night weddings, in selfie spots for wedding pictures, all sorts of decor!

Candles

We love candles, and they’re a fantastic staple for the holidays.  They’re really easy to find around the holidays, so this is the time to keep an eye out for some that you can use for your wedding. Bonus points if you can score some candle holders that flow with your wedding decor.We love white pillar candles for weddings and the holidays alike! If you got some for your celebrations, save them for the big day celebration as well. These don’t typically go on sale at a big discount after the holidays are over, so just keep your eyes peeled for any sort of discount or deal you can get on them.

Ribbon & Bows

Are you a hard core wrapper (see what we did there?)? We love bows and pretty ribbon, and you can make that work for your wedding too! Keep an eye out for your favorite ribbons and bows and you can use them throughout your wedding as decor, or to jazz up certain not so fancy things. Use the ribbon to tie your silverware into a bundle so it looks pretty and isn’t just folded. Use the bows on the backs of chairs, on name places, or anywhere you can think of that you’d like a little more festive fun.

Fun Foil Paper

It can be hard to gauge how much wrapping paper you’ll need- most of us end up with weird little scraps that aren’t big enough to use on anything else. Don’t immediately toss that into the recycling- look for places where you can use it again! We love getting foiled patterned or plain color wrapping paper that isn’t holiday or season specific because it’s easy to reuse. You can use them as name places or for directional signage (cut letters, table numbers, etc. out of the wrapping paper and stick it on black or white to pop). Start a pile, stick them all in a bag, and get creative when it’s time for some fun wedding DIY projects.

Gift Bags

If you’re doing wedding favors, be sure to pick up as many small gift bags as you can! Gift bags are one of those expenses that can get overlooked, but still come out of your wedding budget. Since there is an opportunity to pick up a bunch at a discount after the holidays, be sure to swoop in on that. If you find some that are great but have some small seasonal images or say something like “Happy Holidays” across it, don’t let that discourage you! You can always cover that with little labels or stickers with the guest’s name on it or your last names and the date. It’s an easy fix and overall, an easy win!

 

Top Five Holiday Splurges for your Fiance

Tis the season, right? Hopefully you’ve gotten most of your holiday shopping out of the way for your friends and your family, but did you remember the most important person? Sometimes the people you know the most about and that you care about the worst are the hardest to shop for. There’s only a few more days left to shop, so if you’re ready to splurge on your sweetie we’ve got five items that will make them fall in love with you all over again.

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A Bit of Fit

One of the hottest splurge gifts this season is the FitBit. The FitBit is, at its’ core, a fancy pedometer but it can do so much for your fitness routine and overall health. It syncs to your phone so you’re able to track all your activity, track your calorie intake and calories burned, and you can even have it show caller ID right on your wrist! They may seem simple, but once you start being able to track your activity it’s really fun. Plus you’re encouraging your fiance to be fit before the big day- that’s always a plus!

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Game On

If your loved one is a little more of a nerd, pick them up a new handheld gaming console. We love the Nintendo 3DS which is being more and more common to find under $200. You’re able to download apps like Netflix and Youtube on top of playing a ton of fun games. If you have a PlayStation, you can get the accompanying handheld PS Vita to keep it in the family. Handheld games are much more fun than you remember them being, and they go way past Tetris.

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Throw Some Shade

If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas, but they’re holding out for a sunny Spring appease them and pick up some new sunglasses. If you love accessories, this should be a walk in the park. Sunglasses can be so hard to shop for, especially if you’re investing in a good pair. You know your fiance’s face better than anyone and you’ve got to know what they look good in. It’s a practical for life and will come in handy on the honeymoon. If you want something classic, we love the Ray Ban aviators and the wayfarers- they never aged and always look good in black.

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Tablet Time

This is one of the best seasons to buy a tablet- there are so many specials that it’s really affordable and easy to pick up a good tablet! If you’re partial to Apple products, check out Target which is almost always doing a gift card with purchase promotion with iPads. That pays off for your fiance and for you- save that gift card for doing another round of holiday shopping! If you’re not into apple, the Microsoft store is always doing promotions with the Surface Pro tablets. The Amazon Fire tablets are also a great value for the cost, plus you can get a free month of Amazon Prime for buying one. Score for both of you!

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Onesie Party

If your fiance is more the stay at home and cuddle type, invest in a fluffy soft onesie. It’s comfier than a snuggie and keeps you much warmer. It’s a fun departure from the classic holiday PJs that makes your gift way more unique. Plus you can get a fun one (we’re partial to dinosaurs) to make your loved one even cuter. They can range in price on a wide scale- we have found a few that were quite affordable, but it’s nice to spring for the super fluffy warm ones that will last forever.

Happy Holidays and Season’s Greetings from Bridal Hot List

Good morning lovelies! It is gorgeous Christmas morning here at BHL headquarters in Southern California. We are taking a break from blogging today to wish all of you a very heartfelt Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.  We hope that each and every one of you has a very blessed day full of happiness, love, laughter, and joy with friends, family, and loved ones. From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!

Take a look at some of our favorite holiday inspirations:

Christmas tree: We love this Christmas tree. It is not over the top, but simple, and the best part is that is it Disney inspired. Do you notice the ornaments are shaped with a very iconic Disney character?

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Holiday Centerpiece: We fell head over heels in love with this over the top centerpiece. Glamour and chic meets California love. What a beautiful fusion which makes for a fabulous centerpiece for a holiday party. Super stunning!

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Holiday inspired TableScape: Gasping over this tabletop.  This table has all the holiday charm adorned with glitz, glamour, and elegance. We can not get over how fabulous this table looks. Don’t you just want to sit down and have dinner here? You will feel like a Hollywood star! If we could, we would eat at this table for every meal.

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Happy Holidays- BHL staff

Three Ways to be Holiday Festive

December is one of the most festive months of the year with Christmas, Hanukah and New Years’ Eve all in the span of four weeks.  It’s a busy time but it’s an exciting opportunity to have the festive holiday wedding you’ve always dreamed of! Here are a few ways you can make your winter wedding holiday festive.

FLOWERS AND GREENERY

 By choosing the right flowers and accents your guests will be immersed in holiday cheer.  Be sure to mix in lots of reds and greens into your arrangements for that wonderfully Christmas feel.  You can also add touches of gold or silver into bouquets and boutonnieres or blues, silver and white for an elegant Jewish affair.  However, if you want your wedding to be unmistakably Christmas themed add a beautifully decorated Christmas tree as a focal point and wrap garland over any staircases.  This will serve as a great photo opportunity for you and your guests.

LIGHTS

Lights are a huge part of any festive event.  Rely on large amounts of candles during your ceremony.  The warm, low light of candles will not only make for a romantic ceremony, they will produce an intimate atmosphere where guests will feel they are sharing a special moment with a couple in love.  Also, what could be more festive than Christmas lights?  Dress your reception space in white twinkling lights to create your enchanted winter wonderland.  If you want some more sparkle use lots of crystals in your décor and the reflection of light off the crystals will create a snowy feel in the space.  Finally, play with projections on the walls and dance floors.  Snowflakes would be perfect projections on the dance floor and tie into the holiday theme brilliantly!

FAVORS AND ACTIVITIES

There are so many great opportunities to be festive when it comes to favors and fun activities for your guests.  First, create holiday feelings of a cozy night by the fire with friends by offering a warm beverage station with holiday treats like peppermint hot chocolate or spiked eggnog.  Next, have holiday themed favors at the tables.  Snowflake shaped frames, yummy holiday treats or even a monogrammed ornament are all great options.  Last but not least, kick up the holiday fun with a holiday photo booth!  Provide Santa hats, reindeer antlers, elf ears, a Santa beard, etc.  Your guests will have a ball taking photos and who knows, you might even see some of the pictures in future Christmas cards!

There are so many ways to be festive at your holiday wedding.  The most important thing to remember is to enjoy the time you spend with your family and friends in this celebration of your love.  The holidays are a time to be together with the people you love.  Have a wonderful holiday wedding season!!