We love weddings! And it’s a good thing we do because with each issue, we get hundreds (yes, hundreds—this issue we had more than 200 submissions!) of real weddings for print and Web consideration. The ones that immediately get our attention are those where the couples make a statement—by throwing caution to the wind, taking some creative cues from the pros and making them uniquely their own—and in turn create their perfect wedding day. We love to share these weddings with you in the hopes that they’ll inspire you to make your own statement—to get creative and hopefully have a little fun in the process so that your wedding day is even more uniquely special.
As always, we’ve packed this issue with ideas and resources meant to get your creative juices flowing and to help guide you through the planning process ahead. Starting on page 68, we present 21pretty groovy real weddings. There’s just no way that we can tell these couples’ entire stories in the magazine, so we put even more of their information along with additional wedding photos on our Web site, so log on and get inspired. And while you’re on our Web site, check out the additional nine real wedding stories featured exclusively online for this issue—you can get a sneak peek of these couples on page 110.
Also in this issue, our gift finder extraordinaire Melissa Camilleri Magliola tracks down some unique gift ideas for everyone in your bridal party (and dare we say a few for you too?!). Rebecca Black, our go-to etiquette expert, helps you navigate through some sticky situations with grace and ease. Our Always a Bridesmaid columnist Darren Elms highlights some trends in the world of weddings. Heading out to some bridal shows and want to figure out the whens and wheres? Check out our Bridal Show Calendar on page 26. Don’t miss Sharon Penny’s For Your Review column for some helpful wedding planning tools. Can’t figure out where to go on your honeymoon? Check out our resident travel writer-girl Jenn Thornton’s piece on honeymoon destinations for any season. Rev. Jeri Murphy offers up “Five Pearls of Wisdom” as you and your beloved begin your journey together in the Ceremony column on page 44. Planning a bachelorette party? Aimee Mundy presents some unique ideas on page 64.
And, of course, our editorial team presents our Style Files: Your Local Wedding Planning Resource Guide from Sacramento to the Sierra. Our team has assembled fabulous photos featuring exquisite flowers, scrumptious cakes, fun favors and glamorous invitations—all from local wedding professionals—along with usable tips, helpful hints and extensive local vendor resources to help you assemble your wedding dream team.
Last, but certainly not least, we present our cover model finalist feature with this issue’s finalists Kimmi, Kate and Theresa. Each issue, we select three local brides from hundreds of entries to be our cover model finalists—this issue’s finalists are not only stunningly beautiful, but they were just so darned fun to work with on our recent photo shoot. We cannot thank you ladies enough for working so hard—you make our jobs easier (well, and also tougher because we’ve got so many great shots from which to choose!)! A special thanks to all of the vendors who contributed to this feature—we couldn’t do it without you!
Real Weddings Magazine is a labor of love for our team. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy producing it for you! As always, I’d love to hear from you—feel free to email me at wendy(at)stylemg.com.
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