Photography by: Kristen Guin Florist: Bella Blooms

Jeff and Rachel elaborate on our featured article and cover wedding trends in 2010. Listen to our commentary and opinion and check out the article at New Orleans Weddings Magazine.com

Photography by:Studio Tran Flowers by: NOLA Flora

1. Vibrant Color Palettes
2. Landscape centerpieces & greenery bouquets
3. One of the hottest current trends is the mini wedding dress
4. Favors with meaning
5. Video Integration into Events is on the hot scale for 2010
6. The lighted dance floor is one of the newest trends in wedding events
7. Choreographed dance moves are still hot for 2010!

We’d love to hear your comments and plans! Email us at info@thisweekinweddings.com or leave us a voice mail at 504-383-4669

Photography by: John Ly Photography Wedding Planner: Wink Event Planning

This week Jeff and Rachel announce the 2010 Runaway Bride, talk a little about the model search for the 2010/2011 edition of New Orleans Weddings Magazine, and talked about financing your wedding by splitting the costs and taking the financial burden off the bride’s parents.

The 2010 Runaway Bride is Cerinda Morales who finished the race with a chip time of 53:14 and will win a fitness feature in the 2010/2011 Edition of New Orleans Weddings Magazine, a bridal portrait session and 16×20 print from Fine Art Exposure Photography, and a 2010 Gallery Edition Poster from the Crescent City Classic.

Show Links:

• 2010 Runaway Bride
• Cover Model Search
• Burden of Paying for Wedding Bells Shifts (via The New York Times)

We’d love to hear your comments! Call us and leave a message at 504-383-4669 or email us: info@thisweekinweddings.com

Photo-credit: Fine Art Exposure

Rachel and Valerie took over the podcast this week to discuss the featured article makeup article and expand on it with some additional advice.

Don’t forget if you’re an engaged bride running the Crescent City Classic you can sign up as a Runaway Bride! find out if you’re the fastest bride in New Orleans on April 3rd!

Links:

• Featured Article: Natural Beauty in Photos
• Runaway Brides Contest at the Crescent City Classic

Photo-credit: Fine Art Exposure

Photocredit: Artisan Style Photojournalism

This week Jessica and Val talk shoes while Jeff sits in and offers the occasional commentary.

Topics include comfort versus style, what to keep in mind when changing to a different shoe after the ceremony and we also add our own thoughts to the question: Should the bridesmaids all wear the same shoes or could they wear similar shoes?

We also announce the winner of the fleur-de-lis cake knife provided by Ruddman’s Card and Party Shop.

Finally, want to score a free ticket to Bridal event 2010? Follow NolaWeddingsMag on Twitter or become a fan of our Facebook page then listen to the podcast on how to get a free ticket.

We’re getting ready for the parades to start picking up this weekend so  Jeff and Valerie discuss planning your wedding around parades.

A couple of points to think about when planning during a parade:

Scheduling: Friday and Saturday’s are pretty busy during the final two weeks before carnival. You can visit http://www.nola.com/mardigras/parades/ to see what parades are rolling and when. Also depending on the parade people will start lining up and parking in the neighborhoods 2 or more hours (sometimes overnight) before the parade.

Parking: Make sure you know what the parking situation will be like for your church and the reception venue. Street parking can become scarce as the crowds fill in. Make arrangements with your locations if there is garage parking in a area that might be cordoned off especially in the French Quarter.

Logistics: Parades will close off many streets for several hours, so make sure your guests have alternate routes in hand in case the main suggested roads are closed off or impassable. Also if you can plan some extra time between the ceremony and reception to give yourself, guests, and vendors extra time to negotiate the traffic.

As always since carnival starts on January 6th if there is a different date available, for the future you can still plan a carnival wedding before the parades start rolling.

Correction:  There is one correction to make in the podcast. I mentioned the parades starting the week leading up to Mardi Gras start on Thursday. In 2010 there are two parades on Wednesday and continue through Mardi Gras day. – Jeff

This week Rachel and Jeff discuss proposals and some things to think about incorporating Facebook into your announcements.

Tips on making a successful proposal

• Talk about the possibility of getting married, so you all are on the same page..
• Let the setting for the proposal fit everyone’s personalities.
• Have the engagement ring on hand.
• Talk to her parents. Parents still look high upon this!
• Don’t forget to drop on one knee.
• Don’t propose too early in the relationship. Make sure you know each other well.

Contest

This Black & Gold Fleur de Lis Second Line Umbrella from Pamela’s Parasols will be given away to one lucky bride!

Starting Thursday, December 3rd through Tuesday, December 8th, email your proposal story to info@thisweekinweddings.com!

We will pick one entry at random and the winner will be announced on Episode 21 of This Week in Weddings (airing 12/10/09). All entries must be received by 6pm CST on Tuesday, December 8th. No purchase necessary.

We will also pick several entries to be featured on a future post. Please indicate in your message if you do not wish to be featured or if you would like your names changes. This will not affect your chances of winning the Parasol.

Links

• How Facebook Ended My Engagement
• Just Married: Groom Changes Their Relationship Status at the Altar

Update: We have extended the contest to December 29th, 2009 6:00pm CST and will announce the winner on our podcast on December 31st!

This week Jessica and Jeff discuss some of the unexpected visitors that might grace your wedding. We’re not talking about wedding crashers… but tourists, well wishers, the unexplained, and some of the environmental noises that can happen while you’re saying “I do.”

We also discuss making alternate plans for inclimate weather.

And for those curious to what has been caught and posted to the Internet for posterity the people at Photobomb and  Wedinator have seen it all.

Update: Somehow the link to the MP3 was not posted. It has been corrected.

For a New Orleans destination wedding, the city offers a variety of venues to suit the theme and personality of your special day. Some of the more popular venues include:

• Royal Sonesta Hotel- This hotel offers up a tropical courtyard and sweeping ballrooms for your special day.
• Bourbon Vieux- With the largest balcony on Bourbon Street, you and your guests can have the best view in town from this popular wedding venue.
• Broussard’s- This French Quarter restaurant is old-world French Creole. The cobblestones and flowering courtyards add charm and beauty to your nuptials.
• New Orleans Museum of Art- Get married surrounded by classic and contemporary art in the gardens, patio or courtyards of the museum.
• W Hotels of New Orleans- For an elegant modern flair, these two hotels do everything for you. From offering wedding packages to planning the big day, they do it all.

Other popular New Orleans wedding places to check out include: Nottoway Plantation, Maison Dupuy Hotel, Magnolia Plantation,  Southern Oaks Plantation, Le Pavillion Hotel, Omni Royal Orleans Hotel, Tchoupitoulas Plantation and many more. But whether you choose an indoor location or a floral courtyard, New Orleans makes a perfect wedding destination spot.

[View with PicLens]

Photo Credits:

• NOMA- Wedding: Laura Krevsky & Aron Goetzl, Photographer: Oscar Rajo
• Royal Sonesta- Wedding: Amy Jacobson and Randy Kessler, Photographer- Studio Tran
• Maison Dupuy- Wedding: Deanna Lambert and Dan Thomas, Photographer- Artisan Style Photojournalism
• Le Pavillion- Wedding: Julie Viosca and Nico Lambert, Photographer- Eau Claire Photographics
• Broussards- New Orleans Weddings Magazine, Photographer: Jessica Caradona

Note: Locations and photographers in this post are vendors featured in New Orleans Weddings Magazine.

We received a video of a bridal party being approached by a New Orleans Parks and Parkways employee for using Jackson Square without a permit. Click this post’s title to see the video.

New Orleans Weddings magazine has also posted a new article offering tips for brides or grooms who want to change their name after the wedding. We have some additional tips to make the change go easier:

Order multiple copies of the marriage certificate. Also, call ahead or check out the websites of agencies like the Department of Motor Vehicles to make sure you have any additional paperwork needed.

• Louisiana DMV Website
• Louisiana DMV Frequently Asked Questions

When changing your bills, credit cards, and other accounts you can order your annual credit report to use as a checklist. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com to order your yearly report.

Finally if you are leaving the country for the honeymoon wait until you return to change your information. It’s important your passport name matches you itinerary and tickets. While the TSA at Louis Armstrong International Airport are some of the nicest people I’ve met in the security business, your mileage may vary.

In this week’s episode Jeff and Amanda talk with Emily from Get Polished about some more budget planning topics. Once again you can visit her website at getpolished.biz. Next week, we’ll have our third and final interview of the series with Emily. We’ll discuss planning some of the Do It Yourself projects and offer tips to manage the projects time and budget.

Also the Masion Dupuy Hotel hosted their Extravaganza in the French Quarter last night. You can also join them for Cork in the Courtyard every Wednesday from 5-7pm through October 28th. More info is available through their Facebook page.