Looking for a unique and funky way to bring a little sunshine to your dull wedding favors? Do it easily, with ribbon! Tie one, or even multiple coordinating ribbons, on to your favor boxes, candy jars, sparklers, and more! If you’d like an easy solution to coordinating (and really, who doesn’t?) check out The Ribbon Jar. On this site you can buy any type of ribbon you could ever imagine, and you can search by color family. Silk, stretchy, striped, corded, velvet - just to name a few! And when you search by color, the results shown ALL coordinate together! You can even buy an already packaged collection of coordinating ribbons in various textures - and it comes packed in a unique vintage jar. Use these ribbons to tie tags, seal small favor bags, tie on centerpieces, and more. The possibilities are endless!

The Ribbon Jar . www.theribbonjar.com . Online Retailer

Sure, you’ve looked at thousands of wedding websites looking for great ideas, practical instruction and advice, and invitations. But what is your groom looking at for the wedding? Great news: he has a website completely dedicated to the groom! Check out Groom Groove where he can find all sorts of tips and tricks of his own. From reading about what he should be responsible for to tips for buying gifts, this site has lots of great info for your man. Plus, it’s also a great resource for the best man and the groomsmen, too! Show him this site… he’ll thank you.

Groom Groove . www.groomgroove.com

Attention all 2009 brides! There’s a new kid in town.

A new luxury hotel is opening in downtown Portland called The Nines. As you can see from the website, the place looks spectacular and the ballroom will be fabulous. If you haven’t booked a reception location yet, you may just want to get in on this before you’re only one of many!

As members of the association of Bridal Consultants (ABC), we have been invited to attend the Fourth Annual Oregon Gala at The Nines in December. I can’t wait to see the place all decorated!

The Nines Luxury Hotel . www.thenines.com . Portland, Oregon

Looking for some new, innovative wedding ideas and inspiration? You should definitely check out the Bravo Wedding Affair! Bravo! is a very well known bridal company in Oregon, and Portland has the honor to host this fabulous, once-a-year show. Join New and Blue on Sunday, November 23, 2008 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Embassy Suites hotel in downtown Portland. We’ll be there - along with many other awesome vendors. Ready for the best part? This isn’t your typical bridal show. The show is set up to replicate multiple actual wedding receptions. Each of the ballrooms will feature it’s own theme, color picks, and design elements and will be set up to look like a real reception!

Tickets can be purchased in advance by clicking here. We’ll see you there!

What: Bravo! Wedding Affair

When: November 23, 2008

Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: Embassy Suites, 319 SW Pine, Portland, Oregon

Elizabeth Dye makes our hearts go pitter-patter with her gorgeous creations in her shop, The English Dept., in downtown Portland. Whether you’re an elegant bride or a fashion-forward bridesmaid, you can find the perfect dress in this shop. But why the name? Apparently Elizabeth got her English degree and wanted to name the store in a way that she would be able to say she was still working in the English department. Clever. Her dresses are simple and classic, and nothing in the store is over $1,500. There’s no going wrong when you go English.

The English Dept . www.theenglishdept.com . Portland, Oregon

You probably haven’t heard of a TTD Shoot, otherwise known as a Trash the Dress Shoot. I know what you’re thinking: since when do the terms “trash” and “wedding dress” go together?! But it actually has become pretty popular - and looks awesome in my opinion. After your big day has come and gone, wouldn’t it be fun to have a reminder of your dress in a less than normal fashion? In this photo shoot, the bride puts on her dress for one last time, but for a very different reason. Your photographer can help you find a fun locale to “get a little dirty”. Yes, dirty. Roll in the sand, prance through the ocean, plop down in a muddy field, put on some rubber boots and jump in some puddles, climb a tree, jump in a swimming pool, wade through a pond, get greasy under the hood of a car, etc. Get creative! You are not necessarily ruining your dress for good - you can always have it cleaned. If you do want to keep it pristine and packed for years to come, stay away from car grease and other things that could cause permanent stains. You also don’t have to go as far as rolling in a pig pen - maybe you just have your picture taken in a less than ordinary spot, like a construction site or abandoned building. Basically the photo shoot is to be yourself, get creative, and let go of all of that stress that’s been building for months. Sounds fun, right? And you’ll have some truly memorable photographs that aren’t posed and pretty. What a fun idea!

Loeat oking for an alternative to a pricey 4-tiered wedding cake? Use wedding pie! This new trend has been sweeping the nation and has been featured in USA Today, the Detroit News, and on the Food Network. So where do you get these “wedding pies”? Well, if you don’t feel like making them yourself, you can contact Achatz Handmade Pie Company in Michigan. For $23.95 + shipping, you get a delicious pie in your flavor choice and you get a special treat that many people don’t expect at a wedding. Choose flavors that have special meaning to you - like cherry because your Grandma always made it for you when you visited her house. They have tons of great-sounding options… it will probably be hard to decide. And at less than 30 bucks a pop, you can afford to get all the varieties you’re craving! Sounds like a lot of money? Consider the cost for a traditional wedding cake. Depending on size, flavors, and decoration style, wedding cakes can cost well over $1,000. Pie is sounding better already!

Achatz Handmade Pie Company . www.achatzpies.com . Various Locations throughout Michigan

Wedding invitations can be traditional or modern and funky - and all things in-between! This invitation is from Checkerboard, a company that we at New and Blue know and love. We carry many of their beautiful stationery albums, including multiple wedding albums, a baby album, and multiple party albums. Their finished products are absolutely amazing and everything is their line is easily customizable. Choose your paper colors, ribbon colors, invitation layout and size… it’s so easy! Even if you can’t find one of their ribbon selections that you like, you can provide your own for no extra cost. This invitation features a white top layer with a shimmery navy blue bottom layer. The design shows Persian Blue colored ink and a gorgeous, wide, blue satin ribbon. You can order this online, making the invitation even more attractive! : ) Simply follow this link to the Silken Satin invitation on the New and Blue website, choose your quantities, wording, and matching pieces - and you’re all set!

Company: Checkerboard on eInvite

Design Name: Silken Satin

Availability: In store or online at NewandBlue.com

Colors Used: Persian Blue and white

There are so many florists that have amazing photo galleries… how does one ever decide which one to use? One way to start in your search is the find a picture of a bouquet that you really like, then take it with you when you meet with your prospective florist. They should be able to suggest alternative flowers that might be available and should be able to tell you all the colors each bloom will be available in. In the NY area, check out Alana Rose Designs. The bouquets are big, bright, and beautiful. The photo gallery is extensive and impressive as well.

Alana Rose Designs . www.alanarosedesigns.com . New York, NY