Easily collect all your guests wedding photographs

Gone are the days of disposable cameras on tables, now a website has been created to gather all your guests images in one place.

Now, you may be thinking that you can do all this within Facebook. Which you can but Facebook would rely on your guests posting photographs onto their profile and tagging you in the image to make sure you see everything that is added.

I know in the past I have seen people post wedding photographs within another album, say for instance 'July 2009' so if you aren't tagged as being part of the photograph you may never see it.

Olapic works in a different way.

They provide the cards and email templates that inform your guests of the details of where to upload their images. You can also track who has uploaded image and who hasn't.

Images can be downloaded in bulk and at a high res quality, perfect to pop into an album. You can also order prints through the website.

Your images remain private until you choose to publish them.

The demo video is really cute too, you can see it here. As well as a simple overview.

Because we know it's always friends who get the most entertaining wedding pictures. They get the true essence and fun of the wedding.

Wedding Gift Registry - The NEW Trend

Setting up a wedding gift list can be a daunting task. First of all you need to find a store that both of you, as a couple, like. You also have to consider what your needs are when you first start out your married life.

Many couples already live together before they get married and so have all the generic household gadgetry that you would originally think of when choosing a wedding gift. We are also seeing the growing trend of couple's each having a house of their own that they sell to buy a 'martial' house once they are married... this results in having two sets of everything, so sometimes material objects are not the way forward for an ideal wedding gift.

I know many couples who think the only solution for them in this situation would be to ask for money. We ended up doing this for our wedding as we were emigrating to Canada soon after the wedding, packing up as much of our belongings as we could afford to take and leaving the rest behind. Taking heavy gifts with us wouldn't have been an option, but we also felt really bad about asking people for money. It seems really cheeky and we were scared of giving out the wrong impression.

UponOurStar is a website that could solve this problem. Instead of asking for money, the bride and groom can ask for donations towards 'wishes' that they have. Be it a new home or a dream vacation, all your wishes can become reality.

Upon registering, the couple is given a custom web page, like with most other online gift registry sites. Guests are invited to 'donate' to their wishes via an e-invite and after the wedding the money is transferred into the couple's bank account so they can live our their dreams.

This is a nicer solution than asking for money as people really feel they are contributing to a cause, giving you life experiences that otherwise you simply couldn't afford.

The only downfall is the 6% transaction fee that guests are charged. This may mean that you get a smaller gift than was originally intended as people counter balance this fee.

One idea could be to ask people for money, but give them a little notelet to fill in to tell you what they would like you to spend you money on...

We did this for our wedding, which people thought was a nice touch. They still felt in control of the gift they were giving us without the hassle of going out to buy anything!

The Website is LIVE!

... Finally!

After months of procrastinating I've finally managed to complete my website.

It's not perfect yet, but more work will be done to it in early 2010.

Visit strawberriesandchampagne.com or click on the link!

I'm so excited to finally have this up and running, here's to a more productive 2010!

Wedding Trend Review 2009

At the beginning of a new year I find it is always beneficial to take a run through of the previous years trends.

So, here is a brief run-through of the most exciting wedding trends of 2009 - and here's looking forward to 2010.

1. Male Engagement Rings.

I find this to be an unusual trend, but why should men feel excluded at this happy time. Why should women have all the fun (and sparkle!)

2. Themed Weddings.This is a continued growing trend. We are not only talking about Las Vegas style weddings, but more subtle themes exploring something couple's have in common, be it a love of gaming or a certain food type... No matter how subtle your theme it is a great starting place for planning any wedding.

3. Unusual Bouquets.An interesting trend that I decided to use for my wedding back in 2008 was a bouquet made from brooches. I was getting married abroad and wanted a bouquet I could transport to my wedding and use back at the reception at home. Other unusual bouquets may be created from felt or feathers, providing the perfect accompaniment to your wedding dress or theme. Also, this is a great keepsake and something that you can pass down as a heirloom.

4. Romantic Wedding Getaways.These have been growing in popularity over the past few years. Gone are the days where you can only get married in a hotel resort abroad. Specialized companies are now set up to give you any wedding you choose. Be it a secluded island or an ice hotel, the choice is yours.

5. Descriptive Wedding Invitations.Your wedding invitation is no longer just a piece that tells people where and when your wedding is, it should tell a complete story on how you met. Giving your guests a snippet into your lives together is such a beautiful personal touch.

6. Eco Weddings.Give something back to the environment after your wedding, ask people to offset the carbon footprint of your honeymoon, or give guests environmentally friendly favors like tree seedlings.

7. Maternity Wedding Dresses.The most beautiful wedding gowns are now available in maternity sizes. Following on from the trend of high street stores holding maternity ranges this gives women the chance to feel both beautiful and fashionable on this special occasion.

8. Multi-function Wedding Dresses.This is a relatively new trend that I'm hoping we will see more of over the coming years. My wedding dress is still wrapped up in the suitcase that I brought it home from our wedding reception in. I absolutely love this dress, but would never be able to wear it again. I would love it if it was multifunctional so that I could shorten it or take pieces from it to add to other outfits - but I don't dare cut it up.

9. Whimsical Weddings.I love that people feel comfortable enough now to really be themselves on their wedding day. I love that people don't feel that need to have a white gown, that it doesn't have to be floor length and that they can be proud of the skin they are in tattoos and all. Here's celebrating beautiful people on their special day.

Creating this list has made me so excited for what is to come in 2010. I hope you will join me on my journey.

pantone colour of the year 2010

pantone announced their colour of the year for 2010 today...

pantone 15-5519 - turquoise

this is a beautiful shade, something i think we will be seeing a lot of over the next 365 days!

read more about it here