Fun Photos on Animoto

You've had an amazing time at the bachelorette party, shower or even the wedding, but what do you do next? Well, if you are anything like me- you were basically the photographer of the event (or paid photographer's shadow at the wedding) and now you have about a zillion pictures to share with everyone. Sure you could upload them to the the plethera of sites out there like Kodak Gallery, Picassa, Snapfish, etc. and they'll obviously go up on Facebook, but have you ever thought of doing something a little different? Taking it one step further?

If the answer is yes- then you should definitely check out Animoto. Animoto takes your pictures (and video clips if you have them) and produces amazing quality videos set to music that look extremely professional, yet it's not difficult to use. To quote their website, it's "Fast, free, and shockingly easy." All you need to get started is your own pictures and an mp3 of the song you want to use. I made an Animoto video last year for Bride #8's bachelorette party, and set it to Lady Gaga's "Just Dance"- one of the songs we rocked out to all night long. (They have stock songs on the site, but you can also provide your own.) I would share that video, but Bride #8 would probably defriend me for life, so instead, I'm going to share the samples from Animoto's website. It's just a fun, different way to share your pictures with everyone, one that your bride is sure to love.

Happy Bridesmaiding!

P.S. Thanks to H in Atlanta, one of my mom's best friends from growing up (and bridesmaid circa 1973) who introduced me to this site. H was always taking pictures of our family vacations growing up and made them into VHS videos accompanies by music. Now that we've entered the digital age, she's taught me about great sites like this!

Cooking Class Bachelorette Parties

For those of you who read the Styles section today, you may have come across this interesting article-- Bachelorette Cooking Parties (Girls Gone Mild!). The article talks about the surge of more mild bachelorette parties that entail cooking classes instead of strip clubs. We did this three years ago for Bride #3, and it was such a hit. I highly reccomend this activity for your more tame brides, who may not be in to taking shots and staying out all night.

We went to Miette's Culinary Studio in the West Village. It was an adorable little kitchen and dining room. We split up in to groups and were all responsible for different courses. It's BYOB, so we were able to keep costs down by picking up a few bottles of Two Buck Chuck, and of course brought some festive bachelorette decorations (i.e. mardi gras beads, penis straws, etc). After we cooked, we were able to relax and enjoy our delicious meal and great company as we were served by Miette's staff, and then they took care of cleaning up. We all got copies of the menu and recipe to take home with us.

You can make this even more fun by making custom aprons for the group. Bride #3's father is in the premiums business, so he made all of us aprons that say "Not milk?" because Groom #3 has a severe lactose allergy. The bride had a special apron that said "Groom #3's Chef". We all had a great time at our custom dinner, enjoy some of the pictures from the night below!

In addition to the places listed in the article, I have also heard really great things about the DJ Chef who comes to you and plays awesome party music while cooking up a storm.

Have you ever done a cooking bachelorette party? Would you? What do you think?

Happy Bridesmaiding!

Charmed, I'm Sure

In 2006, my roommate at the time (aka Bride #7) was in a wedding and the bride’s sisters decided they were going to buy a charm bracelet for the bride and all of the BMs were to buy a charm indicative of their relationship or friendship, or something that reminded them of the bride. I fell in love with this idea instantly.

When the MOH for Bride #2 suggested we do this at her shower, I was totally on board. This time it was a little different, as we all ordered the charms from the same company. The pro? They were all consistent and would fit on the bracelet perfectly. The con? We were limited to the charms at one website. We used the website http://www.mycharmedlife.com/ and were all really happy with the results.

At Bride #2’s shower, instead of doing a poem, or a top ten list, etc as our bridesmaid "presentation"- we got up in front of everyone and presented her with the charm bracelet and why we chose each individual charm. Bride #2 and I were roommates in New York City in our first apartment after college graduation. We lived on 34th Street , so to remember our time living together (and before she moved in with her now husband), I got a charm of the Empire State Building (an iconic New York building, also on 34th Street ). Other charms friends got were our sorority’s mascot, a phone from a long-distance friend, a shopping bag from one of her shopping buddies, an elementary school from her friend from growing up, etc. We even got the moms involved, and her mother-in-law got her both her and her husband’s first initials to include. Other great ideas I know that Bride #7 and her friends did were their college mascot and Big Ben (because they studied abroad in London together.

I think this is such a special gift because it is so one of a kind. No one else will have the same bracelet, and all of the individual charms are so personal and meaningful. This is a gift your bride will cherish for ever. And for SuperBridesmaid’s future bridesmaids (no, I am not engaged-- this is just for the future!), this may be a test to see if you read my posts, as I definitely would love to have one of these. :)

Happy Bridesmaiding!

Bridal Gowns on A Buck

Ok, I know I've blogged about bridal sample sales before, so you are probably scoffing at another one, but this time it's different. I live near the Housing Works Thrift Shop on 23rd Street, and sometimes pop in to take a look. Recently I went in and noticed they have a roped off area in the back filled with gorgeous bridal gowns (and even a few BM dresses!)

So, I did a little research, and sure enough, this is now a permanent fixture and not a seasonal sample sale. They now offer by appointment only service for help with designer gowns. Retail prices range from $100 to $1,000. This is definitely worth checking out for any brides on a budget (or who don't believe in spending oodles on a gown). Check out the press release for details.

Happy Bridesmaiding!

Forever And Ever Platter is Great for Showers!

Anyone who knows me knows that I have always loved arts & crafts. There used to be a paint your own pottery place by my old apartment that I loved going to called Our Name is Mud. Now they don't really do paint your own, but rather you can purchase customized pieces (and trust me, they look way better).
While searching for an engagement gift for Bride #8, I recently stumbled across the Forever and Ever Do-It-Yourself platter. I thought this was a great thing to have at showers. All of the guests could sign it and write well wishes to the bride & groom, then they have a great serving platter to use "forever and ever". And for only $42, this won't break the bank either.

Happy Bridesmaiding!