Sneak Peak

Our new issue of V&V will hit the streets on December 15th!

Keep your eyes peeled...
we have tons of new ideas,
great articles,
a DIY section,
and plenty of vendors to choose from!

You'll love the new issue!


Cover Photography by: Imagination Photography

Winner!

And the winner is :

we hope to be engaged for 363 days, we got engaged on 10/25 and are looking for a local venue to get married on 10/23. this gc would help get us started!

purduelauren@hotmail.com

Congratulations!
Keep checking back for more giveaways.

Gift card giveaway!

Who wants money?

I do.

And I bet you do too.

We are giving away a $25 Simon gift card.

All you have to do is leave us a comment, up to one per day,
until Thursday, November 5th, 2009.

Just tell us something, a small factoid, about your wedding.

Like...
How long in total you will be engaged before your wedding.
What your wedding colors are.
A DIY project you are creating.

You get the point.

Good luck!

***Don't forget to leave your email address so we can get a hold of you if you are the lucky winner***


This giveaway has ended. The winner will be announced, Friday, November 6, 2009.
Good Luck to all!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner...

Er, winner of an awesome black Bride bag!

Congrats to the following winners:

“I pick up bridal magazine for ideas for receptions and of course, bridal gowns!! I also love looking at the local bridal magazines because I enjoy looking at people's weddings in the area and what ideas they used.”
jennifer_kinney@yahoo.com


“its penny,again! i want a bride bag :)
i get mags all the time my last one my finanace picked up 4 me. I got lots of fall ideas n colors out of it”
poolmanpat@att.net


“hey its me again!! I picked up another mag and to my surpise was a pic of 2 of my friends that got married this past may!!!I was WOWED!!LOL!!!anyway we found and booked r photographer today and we found them through a wedding mag.....i want a bag for my stuff :)”
wfymarsh62485@aol.com

Come back for more giveaways.

Congrats winners!

"Bride" Bag Giveaway

Hey guys! I hope we had a chance to see all of you at the Michiana Premier Wedding Expo this past weekend. If so, thanks for stopping by. We love seeing all of your smiling faces and hearing about your wedding plans!

This week we are going to be giving away 3 black "Bride" bags. They are cute and fun to use up to and on your wedding day. You may register once a day until Noon (eastern time) on October 20th. Simply leave us a comment letting us know why you pick up, or purchase, bridal magazines. (Is it for the pictures for ideas, dresses, vendors, etc...). And don't forget to leave your email address.

Happy Planning and Good Luck!

******This giveaway has officially ended as of October 20th, 2009 at noon. Good Luck****

And the winners of the bride t-shirts are:

"I wanna win...I would wear it all day of my wedding since I don't get married until 4pm...and then again on the honeymoon in Cancun! Divinesolace21@aol.com...XL or XXL please!
Can't wait to wear that Shirt!"

"its me again marcia paden and i want one of these shirts for sure :)
size-extra large
wfymarsh62485@aol.com"

"hi my name is cory an my soon to be wife would look beautiful in that shirt. . . So please pick me as a winner so i could give her that i know she would wear it all the time. large is her size. Cman1245@yahoo.com
thanks again. . . Cory"

Congratulations all!

Come back for more giveaways!

"Bride" T-shirt Giveaway

Have you seen those"Bride" t-shirts? Want one? They sure are cute and you might as well not pay for one, right? I mean, if you can just win one. Well it's your lucky day, we are going to be giving away 3 of them. You may sign up once a day until next Wednesday, September 30th at 8 p.m. eastern time, when the lucky winners will be chosen. You may register once a day until then. (Please list your shirts size also.) Good luck!


T-shirt pictured is from http://weddingshop.theknot.com and is not the shirt that will be given away, it's only an example.

**This contest officially ended at 8 pm, September 30th. We will announce winners later today, October 1st. **

AND THE WINNER IS...

Congratulations Liza Jackson!
You a the winner of the free cake by Classy Crumbs Custom Cakes.

We will be sending you an email with the details.

To everyone else, thank you for registering. Keep coming back for more chances to win.

Fall Weddings and Giveaways!

Today is the first day of fall yet it doesn't feel a bit like it. (I suppose Indiana/Michigan are always a bit like that.) I don't know about you, but I'm ready for all things fall including a good fall wedding! What a fun time of year to incorporate the beautiful outdoor colors into your wedding. Bright Reds, Oranges, Yellow, Browns and Purples. Here are a few photos for a little fall inspiration:

What are your favorite elements of fall and fall weddings? Do you have any good tips or ideas for a gorgeous fall wedding?

Also, sidenote, we will be announcing our cake giveaway winner on Thursday, September 24th and will be announcing another giveaway the same day! Check back for more.

All Photos Provided By Amanda Fales Photography

Wedding Cake GIVEAWAY!

The day has come! I promised we'd be bringing you giveaway today - and let me tell you it's a good one. Our giveaway is for a 3 layer cake! Custom made, and you choose the flavors. Our cake giveaway is offered by local artist, Sarah Cook of Classy Crumbs Custom Cakes.

You have one week for your chance to win! Just leave a comment including an email address where we can let you know if you've won. You may only register once a day until Sunday, September 20th at 8 pm. You must live in the local Michiana area to be a valid winner.

Good luck!

****This contest is officially closed as of 8 pm, Sunday September 20th. Good luck to all of you. We will announce the winner on Thursday, Sept. 24. (Sorry, I had this wrong when I said Tuesday previously) *****

Blog Giveaway!

This is a warning. I repeat this is only a warning....but girl (or boy), you don't want to miss it!

Starting next Monday, September 14th be here or be square because our blog giveaways will be starting! That's right, we are going to be having weekly giveaways, and of course, we want you to win some awesome prizes. Until then, check out some of our wedding planning advice on here or head over to our website. Have fun and be merry (be marry-- sorry i couldn't resist).

See you Monday!

A Lovely Table Numbering Idea

Photo by Martha Stewart Weddings

Oh don't you love these?! And they are so easy to make on your own. Buy some pails and enamel numbers, stick the numbers on and you're done. Of course you would need to buy flowers or if you are a green thumb, go ahead and grow them. WA-LAH and oh so cute!

Starfish Cake Topper

I came across this cake topper that is so perfect **and white - an extra bonus in my book** for a beach themed wedding. Check it out at Pink Frosting!

RSVP

With the way the economy is right now (and being green is much more "in", of course) brides are in search of ways to make their weddings more affordable without losing the ambiance of their wedding day. So, what about having e-mail or website RSVP's? The idea seems genius in some ways. You don't have to pay for those extra stamps *Huge Plus* which will save you a slew of money as the price of stamps are ever increasing. And possibly people will be better at responding? However, something you don't want to forget if you go this route...there are people who do not have computers or email and you don't want to leave them out. One thing you could do for these people is to include a phone number that they could call to RSVP or possibly send paper RSVP's to particular people you know do not have email or computer access (particularly Grandparents & Great Aunts and Uncles). So go forth and decide which way works best for you...neither way is right or wrong, it's about making your day as special as you can!

Photo by Amanda Fales Photography

Color Palette {Royal Purple, Han Purple & Dark Silver}

{Royal Purple, Han Purple, and Dark Silver}

What a fun color palette for any time of year, especially as we are embarking upon fall. Purple is in and a great choice. With so many color varieties you will surely find a hue you like.

Photography by Amanda Fales Photography

Big Dream Makeover Winner

Congratulations Alicia Hilton on winning our Big Dream Makeover!

We're looking forward to the Big Dream Makeover on July 1oth!

Thank you to our vendors:
Reactions Hair Studio & Spa
Amanda Fales Photography
Bernardo's For The Bride
Chef Laurent, Inc.
Fun Tan
AudioBahn Productions
Aegis Dental Group
Images Jewelers

So Stressed

With all of your wedding planning, I'm certain wedding planning is getting a little stressful, especially if you are planning a wedding that will happen in just a couple months. Being stressed isn't good for anyone - it can even create tension between you and your future spouse. So why not take a break this week. Get a massage, work out, read (a fun book), our just sit outside and enjoy the beautiful sunshine. Weddings are supposed to be fun. A celebration of you and your fiance and your love for one another so don't let the planning get in your way. Take time to celebrate each other along the way. Remember a wedding is for just a day, a marriage is for a lifetime.

Candy Buffet

Candy Buffets are so much fun. I love that candy buffets can be incorporated into any wedding reception, no matter if you are planning a low or high budget wedding. You can make candy buffets a beautiful work of art for your wedding guests to enjoy - and nothing makes a piece of art more enjoyable than when it's edible art! Be creative. There are so many different things you can do and I guarantee your guests will love it.

If you are looking for a particular type of candy or simply want to search by color try Candy Warehouse, they have plenty of choices!


Photos provided by Amanda Fales Photography

Headbands, veils, belts, oh my...

I think I'm in love. Please take the time to check out twigs & honey when you have a chance. I love the flora, I love the headbands, I love the veils...

I promise, you'll love it too!

Color Combo {Maya Blue & Dark Blue}

Maya Blue & Dark Blue with splashes of white are perfect colors for a refreshing and fun wedding. These colors can work anytime of year. During the winter try including snowflakes for the perfect wintery feel. During the spring and summer months these are definitely the perfect colors for a beach or poolside wedding.

Photography by Amanda Fales Photography

It's All About The Shoes

Have you noticed that your typical white heels with a bridal gown don't cut it anymore? Of course, you can still wear them but WHY when there are so many fun options out there to choose from. Brides are choosing a shoe that screams "ME". So go for it. Find a shoe that you love. Go for a bright heel, platform, flip flop, or splurge and get those Manalo Blahnik or Jimmy Choo's you've been dying to get! Believe me, if nothing else they'll make a perfect photo op that you don't want to miss out on.


Photography by Amanda Fales Photography

another fantastic wedding COLOR {PURPLE}

Purple is an elegant color that can be complimented
with shades of green and pink. Try purple for your
2009 Summer Wedding!

pictures provided by: amanda fales photography

Last Few Days

We're in last few days to register for The Wedding Magazine's:

BIG DREAM MAKEOVER

Go and register now for your chance of a lifetime.
Contest ends June 26,2009
You may register once a day until contest ends.

Makeover and Cover Shoot include:

Photography by Amanda Fales Photography
Videography by AudioBahn Productions
Wedding Gown by Bernardo's For The Bride
Jewelry by Images Jewelers
Teeth Whitening by Aegis Dental Group
Hair/Makeup/Spa Services by Reactions Hair Studio & Spa
Tanning by FunTan
Chocolate Truffles by Chef Laurent, Inc.

Don't miss your chance to win!

Color Combo {hot pink & bright orange}

We love this {hot pink & bright orange} color combo for a spring or summer wedding!

pictures provided by: amanda fales photography

Summer, What?!

I know, I know. It seems like Spring has just sprung. But guess what, summer is just around the corner and around here we are planning our Summer Issue of Veils & Vows and couldn't be more excited! Summer will be full of style. We will have articles and pictures to help you determine and plan your wedding style for the months to come. So, get ready to pick up a new V&V the beginning of June and start (or continue) your planning.

Also, come and see us at The Spring Bridal Affair at the RV Hall of Fame in Elkhart on May 16th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hope to see you there!

Brubaker First Dance

Some of you may have seen this already, but we think this is just hilarious! It puts a good spin on personalizing your wedding, and it gets people up and dancing.

Check this out it will surely put a smile on your face!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeoi16lScf4

Engagement Announcements

If you plan to send out formal engagement announcements, this is a good format to use:

Mr. and Ms. John Doe of South Bend announce the engagement of their daughter, Jane Nicole, to Rick Brown, son of Jack and Karla Brown of Elkhart. Ms. Doe, a graduate of Indiana University, is a wedding planner for Weddings-R-Us in Mishawaka, Indiana. Mr. Brown graduated from Purdue University and is an Engineer for ADMA of Elkhart, Indiana. They are planning a July wedding.

If you do not have a date set, you may substitute "No wedding date has yet been set."

Spring Issue

Hello Brides-To-Be! Just letting you know our new Spring Issue will be hitting the streets today (March 2nd)! We feel that this is our best issue yet. We have made some improvements to page layout such as our Contents Page! Don't forget to keep on sending in your BIG DREAM MAKEOVER ENTRIES! We have had good response...keep it up Michiana Brides!

Big Dream Makeover

Continue to sign up for our Big Dream Makeover! We are having great results with a lot of brides-to-be signing up. The more you enter our contest the greater chance you have to win! Log onto www.michianveilsandvows.com or www.theweddingmag.com click on the Big Dream Makeover Contest button and fill out our survey. It does not take long and it will be well worth the time if you are the winner.

Here are our current sponsors with more to come....

Aegis Dental Group -Teeth Whitening
Amanda Fales Photography - Photography
AudioBahn Productions - Videography
Bernardo's for the Bride - Dress
Chef Laurent Inc. - Chocolate Truffles
FunTan - Tanning Sessions
Images Jewelers - Jewelry for Photo shoot
Reactions Hair Studio - Hair, Makeup, & Nails

A Fantastic Bridal Show

Michiana Veils & Vows Team (Nic Bradley, Ryan Bradley, Brooke Shaw)

If you signed up for our Dream Makeover you had a chance to win
a Bridal Bag or Bride T-shirt.

Set up by Cheri' Bradley (She is always so creative)

We want to thank all of you that stopped by to see us at our booth at the Bridal Spectacular! If you stopped by you found out that we are doing a Big Dream Makeover for a chance to be a Front Cover Photo Model! We hope you signed up with us there, if you did not get the chance to sign up at the bridal show you can sign up online one time per day until the end of June. Don't miss out this will be a lot of fun and we have a lot of good companies involved in the makeover!

Bridal Spectacular Gift Winners.
We also passed out a couple of different gifts at the show, a bridal bag, and bride t-shirts. We had over 30 winners. Here are the winners: Sara Britton, Emily Dibley, Rebekah Wagner, Katie Sahlhoff, Tabatha Peters, Renee Shank, Crystal Albright, Stacey Chen, Jessica Kesterke, Andrea Dunn, Barbara Malsch, Sarah Lavengood, Shelly White, Tracy Parsell, Dani Stenbeck, Ruthie Reichard, Mandy Garver, Katie Girten, Ashley Dull, Serena Howley, Kimberly Brayton, Stephanie Krull, Amber Brummett, Chrissie Knight, Kristin Metzger, Laura Dickerson, Amanda O'Connor, Alicia Lee, Shenita Staggers, Eugenia Tanner, Sida Chanhma, Jessica Herman, Toni Weaver, and Kim James,

Keep checking back with us and our website for wedding ideas.

Happy Planning!

Veils & Vows Team

Bridal Spectacular

Hey Michiana Brides-To-Be come joins us at the Bridal Spectacular! It is located at the South Bend Century Center on Sunday, January 4th from 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm. We will be handing out plenty of prizes! While you are visiting don't forget to sign up for our First Annual Big Dream Makeover!

We are so excited to meet all of you newly engaged and soon to be brides. Hope to see you there!

Happy Planning!

Veils&Vows Team