We came across this adorable flower girl dress while searching for examples of highly customizable bridal wear.  Any girl will feel like a little princess in this concoction of tiered tulle and satin ribbon.  This dress is available in 35 colors with 28 ribbon accent options,  allowing easy color matching for your wedding.  Check out other customizable bridal attire by this company at watters.com.  

Picking a venue for a bachelorette party can get a little tricky.  You want it to be fun, hip, and have an atmosphere where you can relax with your girls and have a great time.  Here at New and Blue we always keep an eye out for new venues that may serve for any of your wedding purposes and we’ve found the perfect new spot.  Departure,  located on the top floor of The Nines hotel in Portland, Oregon is a modern Asian restaurant and bar with amazing architecture, a swanky ambiance, and panoramic views of the urban cityscape.  An ideal location not only for a bachelor/ bachelorette party, the venue would also be suited for an engagement party or even rehearsal dinner.  We recommend making reservations well ahead of time to reserve space.

We love engagement parties!  Celebrated before the wedding stresses start to press you, engagement parties are a care free celebration of a couples upcoming nuptials.  This fun atmosphere can be further punctuated by incorporating a party theme.  We chose to highlight some ideas for an All- American Fourth of July  engagment party. Below are some fun images with catering ideas from Peter Callahan, invitation available at Save the Date , large sparkler made by Tops Malibu, beverage recipes available at Hostess (with the mostess)and decorations by New and Blue and Martha Stewart!

We’ve had more than a few brides come in and ask us, “What is a Unity Sand Ceremony?”.  There are many unity traditions with ceremonies ranging from candle lighting to garland exchange. These varied ceremonies are unique in there own right with a commonality that they symbolize the unity of the new found family.  For the Unity Sand Ceremony, both the bride and groom have individual vases filled with different color sand and when saying their vows, each pore sand from their separate vases into one “unity vase”.  With two separate sand colors blended inside, the vase is a symbol of the bride and grooms unity.  The vases can be personlized by adding a monogram and after the wedding, set them on a mantle or other place of display as a personal keepsake of the special day. 

Shopping:  Pick a Unity Set from Weddingstar then match the Unity Sand to your wedding or home decor!

Alice-Louise Press is a small letterpress print studio located in Northwest Ohio and owner, Amy, visited our store in Portland on a recent trip to the area.  She commented that it was a beautiful store to have her album in and of course, we are thrilled to be the only invitation boutique in Oregon to carry her album.  We love her designs! 

“Letterpress printing is the oldest printing technique, in which a raised surface is inked and then pressed against paper.  Back then it was considered a printing sin to leave any kind of a ‘dent’ in the paper.  The flatter the better.  Now letterpress is highly valued because of the tangible indentation it leaves on a piece of beautiful paper.  Not only will your guests see a gorgeous impression, they will feel it as well.”

Stop by New and Blue to see the fabulous Peacock Invitation.  It is currently featured in the Spring 2009 essentials article of Elegant Bride, which is on newsstands now through June.

We have all seen the traditional ring bearer pillow that your cute little nephew carries down the aisle.  That white or ivory satin pillow with coordinating ribbon to match your colors, and depending on his age, sometimes you attach the real rings, other times you attach something not quite so valuable.  Today while browsing on Etsy, we came across three modern takes on the traditional.  These ring bearer bowls and dishes are not only unique but make a beautiful keepsake for years to come.  Use them to hold something precious or hang on your wall after you say “I DO” to remind you of your wedding day.

Love Grows by Giving, Paloma’s Nest and Dawn Dalto

 As a symbol of love and romance, red is a classic color choice for any wedding. Use red accents in cake decor, dress, invitations, as well as favor and gift ideas. There are numerous ways that any color or color combination can be incorporated into the ceremony, reception, and more.  Below are some ideas of how you can use color to create your perfect wedding ambiance. 

From top left; wedding cake by Papa Haydn, Beverly Clark ring bearer pillow, David Donahue silk tie, red satin sash available at Davids Bridal, LOVE glass coaster gift set with ribbon and thank you tag, Inter Courses Aphrodisiac Cookbook, Weddingstar unity sand set, invitation by Checkerboard, Maggy London bridesmaid dress, table decorations by Punch, flower girl dress from Perfume River, colored monogram cake toppers by WMI, Stuart Weitzman shoe, and garter by A.C. Bridal Original.

New and Blue loves custom favor boxes by b.t. elements!  Highly customizable, you can choose the type of favor box from classic cube to miniature take out and more.  Then, decide from one of their many paper, ribbon, and tag options to really incorporate your wedding themes and colors.  Once these basics are taken care of, further personalize your boxes by including the bride and groom’s names and wedding date.  Such a beautiful touch, your guests will not only appreiciate the favors, put the packaging as well.  Visit New and Blue to check them out- You can’t go wrong! 

Here at New and Blue, we like to scope out new products and let you know what we find.  To support local vendors in our area, we will now include a weekly vendor highlight.  This week we want to introduce you to Belle Jour Floral Design.  Self described as “giving color, life and personality to events through the beauty and romance of flowers…” Belle Jour provides beautiful products to the San Fransisco Bay Area and Portland Area.  Further areas may be available upon request. Below is a gorgeous example of what they can do for your table arrangements; we absolutely love the incorporation of the orange slices!

To remember the special day, brides may choose to keep the gown, veil, shoes and other bridal accessories but what happens to the wedding bouquet?  We all know that most likely the gorgeous arrangement is catapulted into a crowd of hopeful single women, reaching and sometimes pushing to grasp a bit of wedding luck.  Even if this bridal tradition never came to pass, flowers are not exactly long lasting memorabilia.  Here at New and Blue we are always on the lookout for unique products and bouquet charms from Etsy are a perfect keepsake to remember your walk down the aisle.  These personalized silver charms by Cherry Creek Designs are $40.00, come in sets of two, and are customized to include the Bride and Groom’s initials as well as their wedding date.  How cute!