{Product Review} Flash bags

This is totally different and very unique. Have you seen the flash bags collection?

About flash bags:
"Flashbags was founded in 2006 by Ali Marchildon and Laura Cheney. After being introduced by mutual friends, these two former teachers teamed up to create the plan for growing Flashbags out of Ali's living room and into the real world. This entrepreneurial endeavor is based out of Burlington, Vermont and is growing by leaps and bounds. It started with one home sewing machine and one big idea.


What we love most about Flashbags is that it allows our customers to become a part of the creative process and carry a conversation. We took to our sewing machines in good times and bad- to be creative. And now we can help others create, smile and carry conversations."

What's really cool about these bags are that they are totally green... they start with recycled papers and turn into a bag for you to carry. You can also use pictures as well and any other item made from paper.

And the thing is, they are like real clutches...

How cute!!

And what made me really appreciate the design was the big storm that came through DC yesterday. A friend of mine showed up to my place SOAKED from head to toe and her bag... soaked through! (So soaked i gave her clothes to change into and threw her stuff in a dryer)... and having a bag/clutch made with a plastic cover... well, that'll help keep the water from getting through!

So go on over and check out the creative designs of flash bags...

Fun Engagement Shoot inspiration

Have i mentioned before how awesome my photographer (Hazelnut Photography) is? I just got to see Jordana's most recent engagement shoot and fell in love. The colors were so vibrant and the couple she shot -  Haleh & Itai are just adorable together... I had to share, but if you want to check out more from their shoot - check out Hazelnut Photography's Blog! 





Look how gorgeous her ring is!!!











I absolutely love the shots with the computer. It's so clever and original!

{Product Review} Urbanity Studios

Urbanity Studios has some great designs, but not only that, the quality is good and their designs are customizable.  In addition to already stock designs made at their studio, they can customize designs to reflect the couple accurately by creating one of a kind designs as well.

They sent me a couple samples to look at ... and I can honestly say that the card stock is very nice, the colors are vibrant and after looking at their selection online, i think my readers would benefit from knowing a studio/store like Urbanity Studios is out there to help customize their needs...

Check out the two sets they sent me...

 

  

I love that they sent two samples one more modern, funky and upbeat with bright colors, and the second a little more traditional, classic and with the A (for AmyJean yay!!! LOL)

So go on over and check out Urbanity Studios!

Advice to Maid of Honor

Be sure to check out Bridelines' post about Advice to Maid of Honor on the Weddzilla blog!!!

Win $5k towards a down payment

WeddingChannel.com is doing a sweepstakes where couples can win $5,000 towards a down payment for a home. Each time your wedding guest purchases a gift from one of the couple’s WeddingChannel.com registries (i.e. Macy’s, Crate & Barrel, etc.), the couple’s automatically entered to win. The more times someone gets the couple a gift, the more times they’re entered into the contest.

The promotion ends at 11:59pm on September 15.

Winner of Cigar Roller Giveaway!

The Cigar Roller giveaway was quite a success. After two weeks of running and 65 entries (including 3 from twitter) - we have a winner!  But before I announce the winner, I have to really say thank you to a couple of my readers who diligently entered almost daily (if not daily) and actively tried to win. I would love to give this gift to all of you, but stay tuned, we shall have more great giveaways soon!

And without further ado... The cigar roller gift box is given to...

Her winning entry is:

Nicole-Lynn, be sure to contact me at amyjean@relentlessbride.com so that i can put you in touch with Coastal Cigars and Congratulations! Thanks for all your entries and daily comments prove yet again to pay off for our winners! :)

Get Married's New Magazine

From cover to content, Get Married magazine takes a completely unconventional and fresh approach to wedding inspirations. Each issue will deliver a distinctive cover, including a design challenge, by a leading wedding professional. The premier cover includes a bridal tablescape design challenge showcasing the latest décor trends. Celebrity florist Mark Held of Mark’s Garden in Los Angeles leads the first cover challenge shot by nationally-renowned photographer Elizabeth Messina.

As the “new shopping & trend guide for the savvy bride,” Get Married magazine will launch its first issue October 2009 for FREE. In addition to offering the first issue of Get Married magazine for free, one lucky bride will win some of the products displayed on the cover tablescape as well as the 8-piece Lenox Ivory Frost dinnerware set showcased in the cover. Brides can get a free issue by going to www.getmarried.com/magazine.

Wedding Insurance - CHECK!

So you may call me risk adverse... but ok, well after the swine flu episode with my good friend's wedding in Puerto Vallarta and then hearing horror stories, i thought it best to take thinking about it into more concrete, getting insurance.

Wedding insurance covers various things... for instance (just an example):

Under this level, up to 75k (through wedsafe) is covered in the event of full cancellation or postponement, and in order to prevent full cancellation or postponement - up to X amount is covered within each category. The greatest part of this is that b/c my Brother and Sister in Law are on the venue contract; by putting the insurance under their names - the insurance covers the honorees of the party (FH and I) and them! So it's perfect since their names are on the venue contract. Also, with Wedsafe, they also cover the rehearsal dinner as long as its within a certain time frame of the event, as well as hotel accomodations, and even honeymoon costs (if the event is actually cancelled). So its best to round up, and make sure you find the insurance amount that will for sure cover all your costs - in worst case scenario.

I'm feeling a bit relieved now that we have this and not as worried about vendors going out of business etc... It's a small price to pay for some peace of mind... i think!

Anybody else do wedding insurance?

{Product Review} Smocks Design Apron

I was so very excited on Tuesday because i received Audrey in the mail. Audrey???  Yes, Audrey... Audrey is the oh so fabulous and cute apron from Smocks Design. Have you ever seen heard of them?

 

According to their About us:

"Smocks are aprons designed for women who love to cook and entertain with style. Inspired by contemporary designers, we created Smocks to complement and protect a woman's wardrobe. Serving champagne to your guests in elegant Armani slacks? Add a dash of sophisticated color with a stain-saving Smock. Grilling fish tacos on the BBQ? Stand out from the crowd with an eye-catching Smock. Slaving over yet another budget-saving spaghetti dinner? Put on your stylish, sexy Smock and pretend you're somewhere else.


Smocks are designed to fit a woman's body. We know you have breasts. We know you have hips. These wonderful features of the female anatomy are enhanced by Smocks, not hidden, smashed or enlarged.


All of our Smocks are manufactured in the USA under our watchful eye. The quality is old-fashioned, even if the looks are not. We choose our fabric with an eye to what's stylish. We think you'll be very pleased with your Smock, but to ensure that, we guarantee your satisfaction. If you're unhappy for any reason, you can return your Smock for a full refund of the purchase price."

And here I am with my own smock. I'm in love. it makes me want to cook. It's super cute, the material is sturdy and strong and I feel so feminine and stylish in it! (Excuse my self - portrait, i was too excited to wait for FH to come take a pic of me in it!)

And lucky for us....

I get to "Smock a Friend" by letting you know that Relentless Bride Readers get 15% off for the next two weeks when you order by simply putting RELENTLESS into the promo code! This is an excellent idea for bridal shower gifts, bridal party gifts (if you got friends who love to entertain and cook), birthday gifts and more... i'm so in love with mine!

Check out this clip from the Today show about the Smocks Design!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Save the Dates ORDERED!!!

So our STD's are ordered.... and after all that is said and done... here it is...

Flower Enchantment from Magnet Street Weddings! :-) I customized it to reflect the color theme of our wedding, Soft Yellow, Gray and  navy trim.... I used more navy than i planned to b/c the pictures are in black and white and i thought the gray may just blend in too much.

What do you think?

PS. I appreciated all the input i got... every comment was carefully considered, and we came to this choice... Hope you like it!

Cigar Roller Giveaway

This week's giveaway is Great. It's something different that I think may appeal to not only my female readers, but my male readers or male friends of my female readers. I'm very excited b/c i'd love to see some fun stuff that are not just "girly" but also the items that may be considered more manly... Like a Cigar Roller from Coastal Cigar!!!

Coastal Cigars have awesome Cigar Roller Gift packs that would be perfect for groomsmen gifts, father's gifts and any cigar connoisseur... the service includes

* personalized cigar gift packs for social and corporate groups
* cigar tastings and cigar rolling demonstrations for special events
* premium wholesale humidors provided to restaurants, golf courses, hotels, resorts, grocery stores and other businesses of choice

And for you ladies who love cigas, they even have a Girls Night Out set that comes complete with a mini bottle of Kahlua and four Kahlua-flavored cigars, the perfect addition for a classy night on the town.

And today, and for the next TWO weeks on the Relentless Bride, we are giving away to one lucky reader, one “Boss Box”- containing four cigars, a cutter, and mini-bottle. The Boss Box will have the initials of the bride and groom along with the date and location of their wedding on the face of the box.

HOW COOL!!!

How to win:
1. Go to Coastal Cigars
2. Come back here and comment on which gift set you like, or simply comment how you'd use this gift if you won it.
3. Enter daily starting today, once a day until July 27, 2009 Midnight.

Extra entries, if you retweet or repost this contest via blog or facebook. (Be sure to leave a comment when you do, and for tweets, add @RelentlessBride so i can confirm)

Who can win:
1. Anybody in the US, Over 18 Years old.

Winner will be chosen by Random.org

Good luck!
Also check out their website for their other cigar roller gift sets, cigar events and ways to customize these cigars for your wedding!

chloe and reese

Have you seen these beautiful chloe and reese dresses? I just found out that they now have a bridal inspired collection... You can see them all here, but here are a few that caught my eye...

 

  

And of course the yellow one... SWOON!

 

And the best part - they actually can customize style to color to fabric to really make your bridal party unique... make sure to check out their other styles and dresses at chloe and reese!

Best Real Wedding Blog

So the results are in... and the big poo poo is that FH and I didn't' win our honeymoon to St. Kitts. We had an amazing lead the whole week and was just outdone in the last 2.5 hrs of the voting. It was pure craziness but it taught us one thing... we have some REALLY awesome and amazing family and friends - both blogosphere friends and real life friends. Through Facebook, Twitter, email and blogs... we had masses of people letting us know they were rooting for us and really - what better feeling is that. And really, my little blog... nominated as a finalist from hundreds of AMAZING blogs - that was another big perk.

So we competed against a lot of GREAT blogs... some i never even knew of, so this contest also enlightened me b/c there are some amazing blogs out there and i will continue to read them to help inspire me all the way through my wedding and beyond... The Relentless Bride did end up winning the Best Real Wedding Blog Category (this was by how many clicks we got, so all it says is my army of voters were relentless and kept me in the race) but I have to mention the three other blogs in this category b/c they are pretty awesome. inspirational. and a must-read! With This Ring, iDiY and Peaches by Plum (Editor's pick)

I also wanted to give huge shout out to my fellow Weddzilla ladies.

The Budget Savvy Bride - Jessica is not only an amazingly talented graphic designs (check out all our exciting new looks on the Weddzilla page and here - all Jess' handy work)

Jess' blog was the Editor's Pick for Best Budget Wedding Blog!

Congrats Jess. That's super awesome!

The ladies of Bridelines, Jill & Lauren!

Advice for wedding planning from the other point of view. It's simply brilliant. Their motto is "its exactly what your friends are thinking."

"Follow our advice/ideas to maintain your friendships long after all the "I do's." Bridelines will get you through this wedding season and beyond!

Congrats Lady for winning Editor's Pick for Best Wedding Planning Blog. A well deserved acknowledgment for your great blog!

A couple other shout outs to some great finds for me from this contest. Gray's Photography (Uber talented couple who shoot in the Nashville Area) and Michael McNett Photography (who shoots all over the PA-NJ-DE area) and What Junebug Loves and The Bridal Bar blog!

Canvas Unwrapped Series

Geezees Custom Canvas Art has a new weekly series on her blog called Canvas Unwrapped.  I'm really excited to help her spread the word about this b/c i not only love quality products, but i love quality service and quality people...which is why I was so excited to have Stephanie host a giveaway on the Relentless Bride.

Stephanie says:
"I would like to introduce Geezees FIRST story behind the canvas.CANVAS UNWRAPPED. I plan on doing a weekly spot to show the art and someones story behind the words or images. I hope to share the most beautiful part of my job with everyone. Everyday I get a glimpse into the inspirational , heartfelt , sometimes bittersweet stories that people share with me to create their custom canvas art. I would like to thank Jamie, so much for being the first story and sharing her AMAZING and beautifully honest life story."

So go here and check out Geezees Custom Canvas Blog and be sure to read Jamie's story on the very first post on the new weekly series of Canvas Unwrapped!

Thank you's and a GO VOTE!

Although voting is still going on for the big grand prize to St. Kitts, that FH and I are hoping to use as our dream honeymoon... I wanted to take a moment to thank all my friends, in and out of the Blogosphere, for taking minutes out of their day to vote, to spread the word and to give support. It really is amazing how many people have been so supportive that with or without winning (but preferably with winning), we have been so touched by it all... So my big shout outs go to...

Keonte (Blog & Twitter)
Dana @ Broke-ass Bride (Have you visited and signed up for her Bride$hare yet?) (twitter)
Carly @Westside Bride (twitter)
Kelley @My Island Wedding (twitter)
Nicholas @Fatmanafterdark (Twitter)
Debbie @Circle Ten Events
Lena @Bridechka & the Wedding
Nicole-Lynn @Seaside Smitten
Kristal @Planning my Purple Wedding
Louise @ThirtySomething Bride (Twitter)
Jessica @Budget Savvy Bride (Twitter)
Jess (my Best blogging Friend) @An Atlanta Bride  (who posted this while having pregnancy sickness!! What a gal!)

and of course...

Weddzilla crew (Site, Blog & Twitter)

A few non blogging friends

mathiew l, jessica g, dave l, stephanie c, arzu e, laura r, michelle c, pk, caroline l, michelle s, kelleah l, red, emily c, suz k, stacy c ,guru, jennifer j, staci a ,christine k, nikki b, kamal k ,brock p, susan lee k, yulia n, janelle c, barb z, cynthia r, paula d (let me know if i missed anybody)

And to my twitter friends. BIG shout out to y'all as well

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abcddesigns

gift_girl

carlysdreams

asmalltownbride

tmyoung79

perfectpalette

IamKeonte

BrokeAssBride

mycitygirllife

TheBridalBFF

exshopgirl

dbyourstruly

twitseeker

forever_wedding

fatmanafterdark

bridalinquirer

unisonevents

LettieGooch

joannieliss

ladybead

BeaucoupFavors

papercakegal

TrulyHeidi

NaiWedFavors

gartergirl

TeamGiles

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AbsolutlyRhonda

TheNearlywed

savvybride

DietHealth

Thank you guys again... and don't forget voting isn't over til Tuesday, so if you spare a moment, please go vote!

********************

Everybody, i need your help... The Relentless Bride has been nominated for Best Real Bride Wedding Blog and I need you to go here and vote for me :)

Please vote for the Relentless Bride Blog as many times as you can and please spread the word. :) Voting ends July 21, so let the voting begin!! :)