1.)Bride Gown Hanging-Before she slips into her dress, capture the bride taking it all in and admiring her special attire.

2.)Wedding Shoes-This Connecticut bride will always remember the heartfelt sentiments that her bridesmaids scribbled on her soles.

3.)The Bouquets-Flowers might not last forever, but a snapshot of the pretty bouquets will be a keeper.

4.)Mother helping with daughters dress-There will be plenty of family portraits, few this nostalgic. This moment will take a proud mother back to the days when she helped her little lady get ready for the party.

5.)Bride Looking at herself in the mirror-On this festive day, there will be few times when a bride gets her alone time. Have something to reflect on it for years to come.

6.)Bride with her Bridesmaids-Gather all of the girls for a group shot before heading to the ceremony.

7.)Close-up shot of the Rings-Do you share a special hobby or interest? Get creative. This game-playing duo had their rings creatively photographed with tiles from their favorite boardgame.

8.)Groom with the Groomsmen-Who said girls have all the fun? This California groom and his groomsmen get a little goofy and sport cool shades for the camera.

9.)Bride’s Escort giving her away-Dad shows his soft side and embraces the groom with a big hug as he gives his “little girl” away.

10.)Groom’s Expression while waiting for his Bride-The first glimpse of the groom catching sight of his bride is an unforgettable moment (especially if he’s as sentimental as this guy).

11.)The Kiss-The first kiss is one of the sweetest moments of the day—and a must-take for your album.

12.)Newlyweds Immediately after the wedding-Don’t forget to capture the smiling bride and groom on their walk up the aisle together as husband and wife.

13.)Bride and Groom with the wedding party-How often are all of your best friends by your side? A group shot of the entire wedding party is a priceless possession.

14.)Details of favors, menus, centerpieces, ect.-The guests may get to leave with the favors, but you’ll always have a picture to remember them by.

15.)The Cake-Before the bride and groom cut the cake, snap a shot of the decadent dessert. Stage the perfect display by repurposing the bridesmaids bouquets as decoration for the table.

16.)Hors d’Oeuvres and Specialty drinks-Chances are you put plenty of time, energy, and tastings into picking the menu. Savor every last detail with a photo of your signature drink and personalized cocktail hour treats.

17.)Bride and Groom Arriving-Introducing…one very happy husband and wife. For obvious reason, this is one entrance you’ll want to have forever.

18.)Friends and Family making Toasts-Whether silly or sappy (or maybe even both), the toast will provide the perfect opportunity for an unforgettable snapshot.

19.)Bride and Groom First Dance-A picture tells a thousand words. For years to come, that first dance photo will be just as poignant as when you hear your song playing on the radio.

20.)Bride Dancing with her Dad-There are plenty of opportunities to catch a tender moment between father and daughter during the bride’s dance with her dad.

21.)Groom Dancing with his Mom-Steal a moment in time as the groom enjoys a special dance with his mom.

22.)Bride and Groom cutting cake-Of course you’ll want to take the standard cake cutting shot, but the moment that follows can make an equally memorable (and possibly messy) snapshot

23.)Bride and Groom Leaving Reception-One last magical moment before the evening ends! This California bride and groom share a kiss as they exit the reception under a tunnel of sparklers.

24.)Bride and Groom leaving Ceremony-Whether walking into flying confetti or floating bubbles, catch the couple in all their glory as they depart together.

25.)Guest Dancing-Capture guests showing off their best dance moves (Shout!, anyone?).

26.)Newlywed’s Vehicle-This playful couple rode off into the Long Island sunset on a scooter.

27.)Signing Marriage Certificate-Capture the moment of the bride and groom signing your marriage certificate.

Since Spring is trying to come to Washington I thought I would do a March Giveaway for engaged couples. I will pick out 5 couples from there “How we got engaged ” stories.Please email me your wonderful stories and I would love to give you my services as a wedding coordinator in the Washington area to make your day as magical and stress free.

Your heart’s a-flutter; why not your sleeves? This flowing dress still gives you structure at the waist, so it’s flattering and comfortable at the same time.

Theia

This is one way to make waves—and less risky than a choreographed dance down the aisle. These voluminous ruffles make a bold statement, but the fitted bodice keeps the look modern.

Oscar de la Renta

Sophisticated and structured: The high-low hemline paired with the off-the-shoulder neckline create a truly one-of-a-kind gem.

Lela Rose

This simple, relaxed mermaid silhouette hugs curves just enough. Wear an updo to show off the lace décolleté.

Vera Wang Bride

You might not be marrying a prince, but this intricately detailed gown with an over-the-top skirt feels pretty close to royalty.

Alvina Valenta

For the modern girl who is drawn to lace, this style will not disappoint. The asymmetrical layer of lace is perfect for hiding a tummy.

Watters Bride

The details on this flattering, A-line dress almost look like curlicue streamers. What better pick for a party?

Amsale

No mistaking who’s the star—especially with a constellation of crystals scattered across your dress.

Elizabeth Fillmore

Looking for a unique gown that doesn’t scream bridal? This modern bohemian dress is relaxed but still stunning.

Marchesa

Definitely not for the minimalist—oceans of tulle and a flowering peplum give this gown maximum impact.

Jenny Yoo Collection

Simple and absolutely stunning: The wrapped detail on this strapless gown is enough to make this dress a standout. (And you could probably dye it another color after the wedding.)

Hayley Paige

Tea-length and definitely steamy. Peekaboo fabric makes this babydoll dress decidedly grown up.

Rivini by Rita Vinieris

Yes, you can dance in this one. The flowing fabric and front slit gives you room to move—plus a design that camouflages imperfections.

Liancarlo

Flowers aren’t strictly for that little lady in your wedding party. This is how you, too, can pull off flower girl.

Lazaro

Sweet and unique: This pink gown pairs a princess skirt with a cool, casually tucked overlay.

Spring

Perfect peonies made of sugar paste (no, they’re not real) make this one of the best blooming cakes you’ll see. Inside: blackberry buttermilk cake with citrus buttercream. And celadon-tinted fondant adds a subtle hint of color.

Summer

Hand-painted citrus slices hint at what’s underneath: lemon mousseline buttercream. Summer is high time for berries, too. Use them as decoration, in the layers, or, if you plan on chocolate cake, on the side as a fresh topping.

Fall

Leaves in varying autumn colors are painted with food coloring and piped in royal icing. The cake is triple chocolate with mocha buttercream―rich and comforting. Other fall ideas? Incorporate pumpkin or hazelnuts into the filling.

Winter

Icing? Frosting? Cake decor is made for winter. This stark, all-white cake (with white chocolate pinecones and sugar-covered floral wire) has candied oranges nestled in a buttercream filling―a crystallized, crunchy surprise.

Joan Fontaine

August 20, 1939

The story goes that Joan Fontaine received a phone call the night before her wedding to fellow actor Brian Aherne saying that he had cold feet, but she demanded that the marriage take place. It did, and she wore this lovely buttoned-front satin gown.

Jane Wyman

January 26, 1940

After costarring with him, Jane Wyman married rising star Ronald Reagan and the two were dubbed the “All-American couple.” For their church wedding and reception afterward, held at the Beverly Hills home of gossip columnist Louella Parsons, the bride chose a full-skirted satin gown with long sleeves and quilted detailing. The couple broke up in 1948; Wyman would go on to win an Oscar, Reagan the White House.

Gloria Vanderbilt

December 28, 1941

Days after Christmas—and America’s entry into World War II—world-famous teenager Gloria Vanderbilt married Hollywood hanger-on Pasquale di Cicco in Santa Barbara, California (Errol Flynn was an usher). The heiress, whose fitted-and-draped satin-and-tulle gown had a 30-foot-long train, divorced him a few years later, just as she came into her $4.5-million inheritance.

Shirley Temple 

September 19, 1945

Astoundingly popular child star Shirley Temple married for the first time when she was 17 years old. The bride wore a traditionally styled satin wedding gown, while groom John Agar—just weeks after the end of the war—was in military uniform.

Elizabeth Taylor

May 6, 1950

Thousands of fans lined the streets outside the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills to catch a glimpse of 18-year-old Elizabeth Taylor in her sweetheart-necked satin gown (a $1,500 design presented to her by MGM) before her wedding to hotel heir Conrad “Nicky” Hilton. The marriage went south within months, and the actress would walk the aisle seven more times.

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy

September 12, 1953

Not quite eight years before she became the first lady, Jacqueline Bouvier married Senator John F. Kennedy in Newport, Rhode Island.  Her dress, said to have required 50 yards of fabric, was ivory tissue silk; her wedding was indisputably the social event of the season.

Grace Kelly

April 19, 1956

Grace Kelly wed Prince Rainier III of Monaco in a lace, silk taffeta, and tulle gown with a fitted bodice and flared skirt created by Helen Rose, MGM’s costume designer. Kelly gave up Hollywood, where she held the title of Oscar winner, to become Her Serene Highness the Princess of Monaco.

Luci Baines Johnson

August 6, 1966

When Luci Baines Johnson married Air National Guardsman Patrick Nugent before some 700 guests and 55 million television viewers, it was a wedding to which “nobody [was] invited except the immediate country,” a comedian quipped. So it’s not surprising that she set a trend with her A-line taffeta Priscilla of Boston gown, which featured a nine-foot-long Watteau court train that fell from between her shoulder blades. Three years later, her sister, Lynda Byrd, would wed in the East Room wearing a high-necked white silk-satin Empire sheath Geoffrey Beene design.

Liza Minnelli

March 3, 1967

Introduced to Peter Allen by her mother, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli married the Australian performer (later immortalized on Broadway as The Boy From Oz) in a simple gown with a white lace bodice and a streamlined skirt.

Selecting the right stationery is one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make in preparation for your nuptials. The invitation not only sets the tone for your wedding, but also serves as a lifelong keepsake. Rachel Ivey, vice president of product and creative development at Crane & Co, gives us the inside scoop on choosing an invitation suite that reflects both your style and budget.

What are your thoughts on working with a stationer versus ordering invitations online?
I do not personally purchase invitations online because I’m so particular about the details. I like to have all the options laid out in front of me, so I can see and feel the various paper weights, finishes, and printing styles. Stationery is a form of self-expression, so it seems only natural that the experience of choosing it be personal and tactile. There are also benefits to working with a stationer, who can help guide the design, suggest wording, and find ways to cut costs. That said, you will probably save more money online. The invitations on our website are priced the same as in stores, but there are fewer options for customization, which can add to the bottom-line. I think the question ultimately comes down to: What type of bride are you? If you are lower maintenance and don’t want to make as many decisions, the web is a great place to go. Another nice thing about designing online: You get to see a proof at the end of the process. When you go to a store, it can take anywhere from 24 hours to a week to receive a proof via e-mail—that turnaround time is something we’d like to improve on.

What are the most popular printing techniques?
Sixty percent of our brides go for thermography, a raised print that gives you the look of engraving for about a third of the cost. Engraving is what we’re known for and about 30 percent of brides choose it. Anyone familiar with engraved type can recognize it immediately: The process of creating the raised letters leaves indentations, known as “bruising,” you can feel on the back of the paper. There’s a vibrancy and fineness to engraved print you can’t get with other techniques. About eight percent of brides select letterpress printing, a handcrafted method that involves pressing ink into paper. Letterpress can be up to 20 percent cheaper than engraving and has a less formal feel. The least expensive option is digital printing, also known as offset printing or lithography, and it accounts for about two percent of our sales. The type is smooth to the touch and has a casual effect.

If cost is a concern, where should couples focus their budgets?
Concentrate on the invitation. You don’t need double envelopes, which are very traditional and not done so much anymore, or envelope liners—these are a beautiful touch, but we’re talking about something people open and throw away. Some couples put their wedding websites on their invitations and have guests go online to RSVP, choose meals and get all the wedding details, eliminating the need for a response card, and separate reception card (used when the party is in a different spot than the ceremony), altogether. People sometimes think they have to spring for super-thick paper, but thinner cardstocks can be really elegant. We have beautiful wedding announcements from the 1930s and 40s in our archives that are printed on paper that almost looks like onionskin. I think 96 pounds is a good baseline weight for invitations—any thinner, and the paper starts to look like something you picked up at Kinko’s.

Where do you recommend splurging?
I know I just said you don’t need to spend extra for thick paper, but if you can afford something in the 192 to 220-pound range, and you combine that with engraving or letterpress printing, you truly have a work of art. If I could only splurge on one piece, I would choose the finest paper and printing technique for the invitation and select a cheaper paper, and digital or thermographed printing, for the response cards and envelopes. Your guests are going to hold onto the invite for a while, and you’ll probably keep it forever, so it should be fabulous.

Is it possible to have an invitation that feels modern and fun, yet formal?
Definitely. I love the idea of doing engraving or thermography, which look really traditional, in an unexpected color palette. You could do bright coral type against a yellow or smoky gray paper for a cool, Tory Burch look. Or think about how Vera Wang has been putting black, chocolate-brown, and nude wedding gowns on the runway. A card in one of those shades, juxtaposed with white engraving and some hints of gold, would look sophisticated and right on trend. Letterpress and digital printing tend to have a more relaxed feel. To dress them up, you could mix calligraphy with a modern, graphic font or incorporate a vintage-inspired botanical print.

A delicate bouquet of tightly woven cloth rosettes adorned with pearl accents and a soft lace ribbon won’t wilt and is just as stunning as the real thing.

Cotton

Complement a cozy outdoor affair with a rustic cotton bouquet filled with dried cotton burrs, echinops, and poppy pods.

Books

The ceremony isn’t the only place to incorporate a favorite reading or song. This one-of-a-kind arrangement features hand-rolled “flowers” crafted using the pages (or photocopies) from the couple’s favorite book or sheet music.

Pinwheels

Looking for something a little less expected for a destination wedding or casual summer soiree? This bouquet is made up of clusters of brightly colored pinwheels, which keeps the vibe light-hearted and festive.

Maps

Is there a spot (where you met? where he proposed?) that has a special meaning to you and your fiance? Give a special nod to that place by carrying a handmade arrangement of paper roses crafted with recycled maps.

Paper

Large paper rosettes in your signature shade is an attractive option for the bride who wants a tangible memory of her special day.

Traditional and Formal

What it is: An elegant, generally all-white cake with an understated design. Flowers made of sugar paste (such as the gardenias here) are popular accents, as are sugar-paste roses and calla lilies. Typically, the cakes are composed of three- to four-inch-high tiers (inside each tier are four layers of cake). One common combo: citrus-vanilla-flavored cake topped with buttercream.

What to know: No matter the icing you choose, the white color almost never varies, so don’t try to match the shade to your off-white gown. A no-fail pick: pearlized white, which emits a slight luster.

Money-saving tip: Opt for buttercream icing instead of fondant―it’s cheaper. And commission a simple cake. Intricate designs will set you back financially.

Contemporary or Modern Original Design

What it is: A hip take on the traditional cake―it’s taller (tiers are four to six inches high) and design-heavy, with repeated patterns on the sides or the top. (The motif shown is the double wedding ring, often used by quilters.) Tastewise, these cakes are usually bold. Flavors range from red velvet to hazelnut to hummingbird (a variation of carrot cake, with a twist of pineapple).

What to know: You can ask for any design that piques your interest. A baker can create silhouettes of butterflies, birds, flowers, and more by hand or with pastry cutters.

Romantic and Nontraditional

What it is: A whimsical cake inspired by something sentimental―in this case, the embellishment on a wedding dress. (Here, the baker used sugar paste to mimic buttons on the bride’s gown.) Whereas modern cakes tend to feel structured, these are much less formulaic (note the flowing design and how each tier differs in height).

What to know: Because these cakes are highly personalized, you’ll need to work with the baker to develop a vision. Feel free to bring fabric swatches, a favorite quote, an inspiring photograph, or even a beloved childhood storybook.

Casual Wedding Cake Alternative

What it is: A laid-back, creative alternative to the typical three-tiered wedding cake. Here, an assortment of pies evokes a playful country mood and gives guests multiple flavor options.

What to know: Who’s doing the slicing, as cutting into pies can be tricky. If the guests cut their own slices, choose pies with thick fillings, like coconut custard, pecan, and pumpkin. Crust options include braided edges, lattice crusts with sugar, or a solid top with cutout motifs. Other casual ideas: a cupcake tower or an ice cream-sundae bar.