Top Five Tips for Brides Throwing a Super Bowl Party

Go Team Wedding! Whether you’re rooting for the Patriots or the Seahawks or you don’t even care who’s playing, there’s no escaping the Super Bowl this Sunday. That’s right- say goodbye to your mimosa brunch and say hello to light beer and hot wings (it’s okay- this can count as a cheat day). If you’re throwing a Super Bowl party we’ve got five awesome tips to keep it fun and score you some serious cool-future-wife points.

Fresh Cut Flowers

You may associate a football field with fresh cut grass, but we like to accent everything we can with flowers. Pick up some hydrangeas or lilies dyed your team’s colors and put them out by your door, table (aka, where the hot wings go), and windows. Flowers always light up the room, make everything a little more feminine and classy and are a great way to show off your team pride!

Dress Code

Your friends are of course going to wear your team’s colors, so make a game of it! Have everyone dress as hardcore as possible and have a prize for whoever dresses the craziest. Once everyone has arrived, have a ‘fashion show’ during the halftime show. The best outfit that hits the runway can get a prize like a gift card or an extra pie to take home after the party. This is a great way to break ice with people who may not know everyone and get the crowd in an upbeat mood before kick off.

Keep it Light

The Super Bowl is such a great food occasion- you can seriously pig out all day and it’s just part of the festivities. If you do want some guilt-free options though, there are a ton of fun foods to lay out. You can start by slipping in some organic veggies with guilt-free hummus and spinach kale dip. If you want to take it another step further, skip the cookies and brownies and get some fruit for dessert. Be sure you always have an organic option for each stage of the meal to combat all the oils, salt, and calories.

Por Favors

Wanna be the hostess with the mostess? Get some party favors for all your friends! Do something small and cute like candy wrapped in your team’s colors bagged up. Something small and sweet is always a great takeaway from a party. Doing a cute DIY is great practice for your wedding too, so get crafty!

Make it a Party!

Want to make your party feel like a well produced event? Use one of our favorite go-to’s and set up a selfie station. Grab fun things like footballs, helmets, and ref whistles as props on top of your favorite standard props. Open up a closet or door and hang streamers over the side that people will take pictures in front of and BAM- you have a selfie station! It’s super fun and easy to play around with and it gives everyone something to do during the commercials that aren’t very funny. You can use the official hashtags for the superbowl, or you can make up your own to find your friends that much faster.

Four Reasons to Avoid Setting Wedding Date on Super Bowl Sunday

Last Sunday, the National Football League held their championship game, better known as the Super Bowl. It is the biggest sporting event in the United States and happens once a year, typically the first Sunday in February. While non-sports fans may not care too much about the big game, the Super Bowl gets an estimated 105+ million viewers each year. Given that one out of three Americans watch the game, the new commercials, and the big halftime show, it’s always best not to make plans on that Sunday. In this article we’ll examine five reasons why brides should avoid setting their wedding date on Super Bowl Sunday.

Reason 1: Keep Your Groom Happy

Sure, you could record the game, but sports scores never stay a secret and the exciting thing about sports is never knowing the outcome until the game is over. Many guys, and even families, make an event out of the entire day, getting together for lunch while the pregame show is airing and sticking around through the game. Your groom might be (probably is!) a huge football fan and taking away his traditions and ability to see the big game is too much of a sacrifice to ask. Sure, you are the number one thing in life, but why force him to prove it when there are 364 other days in the year?

Reason 2: Attendance At Your Wedding

If you book your wedding on the same day as the Super Bowl, you might be shocked at the number of people that end up declining your RSVP or fail to show up at all. Many people travel to be with family or with old friends for the big game. Since this is a yearly event that has become as big as any religious or federal holiday in America, most people are unwilling to change their regular plans to attend an event on a date they believe you shouldn’t have picked in the first place.

Reason 3: Getting Help Will Be Hard to Find

Your groom and your guests will not be the only ones less than enthusiastic about having a wedding on Super Bowl Sunday. If you want to hire a great DJ, or good catering, or an events company that rents tables and chairs, some might decline the business because they want to enjoy the big day. This means finding a good deal and having your choice of vendors will be much harder.

Reason 4: Distractions During Your Wedding

Sure, they might actually show up. But in today’s era of WiFi and High Speed Cellular internet networks. as well as the ability to stream video, folks will either be listening or even watching the game at your wedding. Whether it is on their smartphone or their tablet, fans will find a way to stay up to date with their game and if there is a big play, people will distract from the wedding to watch or celebrate a big play.

NFL Football Theme Wedding from Silver Gecko Photography

Today is the day that most people get together to watch the big game. Yep, it is all about eating some delicious food, enjoying the new commercials, and cheering on their favorite football team.  (Or cheering on football in general, if there teams are not playing today). All in all, it is all about the parties, and having a good time with friends and family. That is exactly what this gorgeous couple did on their wedding day! Well, not exactly. (Minus the commercials. Smile). Their wedding consisted of good food, cheers from their guests, and their love for football all enjoyed by all who were at attendance. What I really love is the groom’s cake! Totally awesome! So before you head off to a party, or start the cooking, take a moment to view the fun-filled images from Silver Gecko Photography.

Oh and Happy Super Bowl Day!

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From Silver Gecko Photography …

It was an absolute honor to photograph Liz & Dave’s wedding at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu. I’ve known these two for about 10 years, before they even started dating. Dave is one of my fraternity brothers from Sigma Phi Epsilon and Liz, a Tri-Delt, was always a big supporter of our chapter. I also knew most of the bridal party as many of them were fraternity brothers and sorority sisters of Liz, including her Matron of Honor, Kristin, whose wedding I photographed last year.

It was great seeing so many familiar faces and it made photographing that much easier. I made sure we spent time photographing the bridal party and getting some really dynamic photos. I also wanted to make sure to capture a few “signature images” with only Liz & Dave, something I’m trying to do with every couple I photograph. Calamigos Ranch is an amazing property and we found this great tree that had a large branch that was perfect for wrapping around the new Mr. & Mrs. Hames. The results are outstanding!

Three Super Bowl Beauty Tips

This year’s Super Bowl is merely days away, which means all the Super Bowl parties are right around the corner. Whether you and your fiance are going to a party, holding one yourself, or just enjoying the game together, we’ve got ways to show some team spirit in the cutest way. It doesn’t matter what team you’re rooting for either, we’re just here to make sure you look adorable.

Two-Toned Nails

You could do the accent nail, a french mani with team colors, or one of our favorites- the two-toned mani. Do one color as a base color with a glitter top coat over part of your nail (or all of it- up to you!). We tried out the accent colors of both teams, orange for the Broncos and green for the Seahawks, and did a blue glitter shade right over it. Both are bold, fun, and show your team spirit. We love this blue glitter polish by OPI, but any fun light blue would be beautiful.

Pairing Eyeliners

Football is all about teamwork- and so is this awesome look! If you’re adventurous, put on a thick line of the lighter color (orange or green) then do a tight line of blue close to your lashline. If you want to go a little lighter on liner, just do a dab of color on the inside corner of your eye and pair with a dark blue liner instead of your normal brown or black. We love the Stila All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliners ($20, Sephora) and the Urban Decay 24/7 eye pencils ($19, Sephora) for bright, vibrant colors that last through the whole game.

Go for Glitter

If all else fails, grab some glitter! Get together with your girlfriends before the game and go crazy! Dab a touch of orange glitter over your lipstick to be a Bronco beauty or pack on the glitter over your whole eyelid to be a sassy Seahawk. Wear glitter anyway you want, just be sure to stock up on makeup remover for later. We have the Forever 21 glitter palette ($7.80, Forever 21) on retainer for fun events like the Super Bowl. Use it as an accent color in moderation or go all out to show how dedicated you are. If you have enough fun with it, you may be able to get the guys involved in the war paint too!

 

A FootBall Love: An Engagement Session from Silver Gecko Photography

The Big Game is right around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than with this super fun engagement session featuring an adorable couple who loves to show their spirit for football. We want to keep the team spirit going this week, and that is why we love this e-session so much. Of course it is even better when  Silver Gecko Photography  is there to capture the love that this couple shares with each other. It is kind of sweet to see a couple like this one, run on the football field, and share their obvious love for each other. So get your pom pom’s out and cheer for this cute couple!

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From Silver Gecko Photography …

This was a very fun session! I’ve known Liz & Dave for years and I’m more than honored to photograph for them. Dave is one of my fraternity brothers from Sigma Phi Epsilon at Calif. State Univ., Northridge and Liz has always been a big supporter of our chapter. They’re both very fun loving people and huge sports fans!

Our session was originally supposed to start at the football field at Westlake High school, where Dave’s father coaches one of the football teams, but we couldn’t find the gate that was supposed to open for us. This actually worked in our favor since it was ridiculously hot and extremely sunny when we first arrived at the field. We decide to start with what was to be our second location, the beach at Point Mugu State Park. When we got to the beach Dave was telling me how they love to come to this beach since it isn’t well known and and they can watch the waves crash into the rocks at the shoreline.

This was my first time at the any beach since my honeymoon in Hawaii, so it was a little bittersweet, but photographing Dave & Liz interacting and enjoying the environment was great, despite the wind that was blowing Liz’s hair everywhere.

When we got back to the field in Westlake the lighting was perfect, thanks in part to the solar eclipse that was occurring.  I photographed Liz and Dave just playing around on the field and ended with them under the score board, with the setting sun behind them.

Healthy Super Bowl Party Ideas

Super Bowl Sunday is here. The party is about to begin, and all you can think of is how to avoid stuffing yourself with all those delicious salty, sugary and saucy Super Bowl snacks. After all, you have been getting in shape,working out and eating well, all in preparation for your wedding day. But, do not despair. Just because you have opted for a healthier life style, it does not mean that you have to give it up for one day. Follow these easy steps and you will have a great time without the guilt!

Step One: Preparation

Make all your food ahead of time. Focus on what you made for yourself, and don’t go looking for something else.

Step Two: Variety

Avoid the one type food thing. You know it will lead you right in the trap. Before you know it, you will be reaching for the chips and salsa and pigs in a blanket.

Step three: Don’t Eat for the Sake of Eating

Keep your focus on the game. Not the food.  In this case, you have more than one game to look for….the Super Bowl and your Wedding Day.

To help you stay on track, here are some easy and healthy recipes:

Dip without the Guilt

We all love the fatty, delicious and high calorie dips. But guess what? You can still have dip without all that! Yes it is possible.

Mint/Basil Greek Yogurt dip

Mint/Basil Greek Yogurt dip

Mint/Basil Greek Yogurt dip

Here is how to prepare it:

  1. Chopped fresh mint
  2. Chopped fresh basil
  3. Non fat Greek Yogurt

Can it be any easier? Paring with Cucumbers, Carrots and Celery for a crunchy snack!

Crunch without the Guilt

Have you heard of the wonder world of Kale? Kale is a power food, full of fiber and vitamins. Most importantly, when baked right, it becomes the best crunch you will ever crave. The good news? You can have bowls after bowls and not have one ounce of regret!

Kale Chips

Kale Chips

How to prepare Kale Chips:

  1. Chop some fresh Kale
  2. Toss with salt and olive oil
  3. Spread on a baking sheet
  4. Cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes then broil for another 5 minutes
  5. Enjoy!

For the Sweet Tooth

You will never believe it, but this is not your average pudding. Not at all. The main ingredient? Avocado! Believe me, you won’t even taste it. This will satisfy your sweet tooth.

Choc-ado Pudding

Choc-ado Pudding

Choc-ado Pudding

Here is how to prepare this yummy treat:

  1. In a food processor or blender, add one avocado, chocolate powder (the one without sugar), and honey
  2. Blend
  3. Chill for one hour
  4. Devour

Drinks

Cappuccino

Cappuccino

I am not going to lie. You have to stay away from the soda, the alcohol and the mixed drinks. Don’t worry, there are other options.  With the following substitutes, you will not feel the craving and you will still enjoy the party spirit.

  1. Lemon Spritzer: Sparkling Water with lemon
  2. Steamers: Warm drinks which will delight you. Here is how:
    • Microwave some milk
    • Add sugar free vanilla syrup (or any other syrup)
    • Dress up with a cinnamon stick
    • Sip to your life
  3. Cappuccino
    • Hot milk, Foam and Espresso. This sophisticated drink is the party VIP.

ENJOY THE SUPER BOWL!