This sweet couple stopped into The Wedding Cottage the other day needing a Bride Hankie for their niece who is getting married, and mentioned to me that they bought their cake topper and unity candle from The Wedding Cottage in December of 1988!!!  They are still happily married after 23 years, and for a newlywed like myself, what a wonderful inspiration these two are.  A story like this always make me proud to own a store that has been open for over 25 years!

Jan and Mike Irwin on their wedding day…

Jan and Mike at The Wedding Cottage!

Happy Holidays to Jan and Mike!

I wish you many more happily married years, and congratulations to your niece!

One of my best friends proposed to his girlfriend last weekend, and I could not be more happy for the two of them!  I remember that feeling of being newly engaged – it is just such a special time for a couple to start envisioning their happily ever after.  Since my friends do not live in Portland I am putting together a little “happy engagement” gift to send to them.  I think the best engagement presents are ones that get the couple excited about starting to plan the wedding – not to overwhelm them with a to-do list, but to get excited about being a Bride and Groom-to-be!

Here is what I am sending them – hopefully they wait to read this post until it arrives :)

If you know someone who is about to be engaged, pop into the store and we will be happy to show you some other fun engagement gifts!

Know someone who deserves the wedding of their dreams?  The Abernethy Center is giving away a dream wedding to a couple who due to military, financial, or medical reasons isn’t able to have the wedding they truly deserve.  Below is the information on how to enter the giveaway – submissions are due on December 16th, so don’t wait too long!  The Wedding Cottage has partnered up with The Abernethy Center and we will be giving away the invitations!

The Abernethy Center Dream Chapel Wedding Giveaway

In conjunction with the completion of the new Abernethy Chapel, coming spring 2012, Abernethy Center and its vendors / sponsors are partnering together to give one deserving couple Abernethy Center’s Dream Chapel Wedding for up to 150 guests on April 27, 2012. Please see our Giveaway Inclusions page to view all of the amazing aspects of this dream wedding.

WHO IS ELEGIBLE? All couples who are currently engaged and 21 years of age or older. You must be a legal US resident and live in Oregon or Southwest Washington. You must be willing to get married on a date selected by Abernethy Center at the Abernethy Chapel in Oregon City, Oregon with a reception to follow in the Abernethy Ballroom. You must be willing to follow the rules of this giveaway. You must be willing and able to participate in meetings, photos shoots, press and other related promotional events surrounding this giveaway. You must have a unique and compelling story or situation that is holding you back from being able to have the wedding of your dreams. (ie: military, family emergency, financial difficulties). We must be able to verify your story with more than one source. Currently contracted Abernethy Center clients are not elegible.

HOW DO YOU SUBMIT YOUR STORY? Fill out the following Application Form. We will need some details, including a short essay and a photo. We will begin accepting submissions on October 15th, 2011 and all submissions must be turned in by December 16th, 2011.

HOW IS THE WINNER SELECTED? Abernethy Center and the vendors/sponsors who are participating will determine the three couples who will be the finalists to win the Abernethy Chapel Wedding. The finalists will be announced on December 19th, 2011. Once the finalists are selected, a public voting campaign will kick-off and your family, friends and the worldwide web will help determine the couple who will win. The voting will take place on our website and will be open for one week: From January 9th through the 13th. Voters will be allowed one vote. The winning couple will be announced on January 16, 2012. The date for the wedding is set for April 27th, 2012.

If you have questions please call Abernethy Center at 503.722.9400.

I’m dreaming of a white winter wedding…

with white winter boots

or maybe silver wellies

and a gorgeous Bolero

and fabulous fur shrugs for the girls

and for the flower girl

and of course a white fur muff

Dreamy…

but this picture makes me cold…someone get this girl some boots and a scarf!

photos credits

photo 1: Martha Stewart Weddings ; photo 2: Charlotte Geary Photography ; photo 3: Hunter Boots ; photo 4: English Department (in Portland!); photo 5: theknot.com and Libby James Blog; photo 6:Charlotte Geary Photography ; photo 7 www.weddingbee.com photo 8 & 9: Jenny Haas Photography

With all the time you spend making decisions about your big day, sometimes it is fun to just put the planner down and watch some funny wedding flicks.  Here are what I think are the Top 10 Best Wedding Movies…

10. Bride Wars

9. My Best Friend’s Wedding

8. Made of Honor

7. 27 Dresses

6. The Wedding Planner

5. My Big Fat Greek Wedding

4. The Wedding Date

3. License to Wed

2. The Proposal

1. Father of the Bride

So turn off the computer, put away the seating charts, grab some popcorn and get watching! :)

I know next summer seems very far away, and honestly it is strange to think about the summer when I am drinking a big cup of hot coffee while wearing boots and a scarf.  But for all you newly engaged couples starting to plan your 2012 summer nuptials, it is time to imagine those warm months and start thinking about your save the dates!

The best time of year to send out your save the dates, if you are getting married in the summer, is right after the holidays in January or February.  This is the time that people begin to plan their upcoming year and the trips they will take.  If you send them during the holidays, there is a good chance your save the date could get lost within the piles of holiday cards or forgotten during the hustle and bustle of the holidays (and that would be sad!)

Why send out save the dates you might ask?  Because you want people to attend your wedding!  If you are getting married, let’s say on a Saturday in August (which is a fantastic time to get married in Oregon), then there is a good chance that many of your guests will get other save the dates for the same weekend.  And you want make sure all those wonderful people come to your wedding!

The other important reason to send a save the date is to give your guests enough time to be able to book hotels, make travel arrangements, and get excited about your big day.  As wedding invitations get sent out 6-8 weeks prior to your wedding, this doesn’t give your out of town guests a lot of time if there was no save the date.

We have a lot of great options for Save the Dates at The Wedding Cottage and we are happy to help you pick out the perfect one!  We are also here to help answer any questions you might have, and get excited with you about all your wedding plans!

This coming Sunday The Wedding Cottage will be at the Bravo! Wedding Affair at The Embassy Suites Downtown.  This show is a favorite of ours, and one not to be missed!  You can get wonderful ideas and inspiration for your big day all while enjoying some delicious treats, and champagne!

This Halloween I am all about the white pumpkins.  Not that I don’t love carving a big orange pumpkin, but white pumpkins seem so chic and decorating them puts a spin on an old tradition.  I see a lot of gorgeous fall weddings incorporate oranges, purples, golds, and browns which are of course perfect fall colors, but I love the idea of using white pumpkins for a fall wedding.

If you take off the creepy spider, this is definitely my favorite for a centerpiece!

Black and white damask + white pumpkins = perfection

White pumpkins with a vintage vibe

White pumpkins as centerpieces

Paired with pinecones

What do you think?

Are you still into orange pumpkins or are you joining my white pumpkin team?

Photos: #1 from theknot.com and Janae Shields Photograph; #2 from BHG ; #3 from Stone Gable; #4 from Craftberry Bush; #5 from Martha Stewart; #6 and #7 from Shanty 2 Chic

Think it is too early to think about Holiday Cards?  Au contraire!  The holidays are right around the corner and we are debuting a new line of holiday photo cards here at The Wedding Cottage!  Now I know you are probably thinking that shutterfly is calling your name for your holiday cards (and I understand that it is a bit hard to compete with their prices) however, I have the top 5 Reasons why I hope you will shop for your holiday cards this year at The Wedding Cottage!

TOP 5 REASONS

1. We want to see you!
2. Your amazing wedding photos or family photos deserve an equally amazing holiday card
3. All the colors, text, font can be customized for no extra cost
4. 10% off your order if you place it in October or November!
5. Free shipping on your order!

Bonus reason – you are shopping local :)

~

We hope you will stop into the store and let our friendly staff help you pick the perfect holiday card!

(Please note… these photos were taken on my iphone and the colors on these holiday cards look MUCH better in person, trust me!)

The leaves are changing, there is a nip in the air, and the aisles are filled with Halloween candy, and that means it is time for our FALL SALE!

October 20th-23rd (Thursday through Sunday) – this weekend!

Everything in the store will be at least 10% off* and many items will be 50% off or more!

(*excludes save the dates, invitations and shipping costs)

…plus on Saturday we will be serving some yummy fall treats so stop on by!