Stylist Secrets for Your Day Of Emergency Kit

Having a wedding day emergency kit is the standard for every bride-to-be on her big day. Most have the necessary "go to" items like:

-Nail file

-Kleenex

-Fabric tape

-Dental floss

-Shout wipes or a Tide To Go pen

etc.

We include all of these items and more in our Day Of Emergency Kits, and encourage you to add these often overlooked items to yours:

-Hollywood Behind the Seams ($10/12 shields)

Undetectable disposable shields line the inside of your dress to prevent underarm stains.

-Expert's Choice Shoe Stretch ($2/1.15 fl. oz.)

This spray instantly softens leather to make shoes more comfortable.

-Strap Tamers ($9/6 concealers)

These little clips fasten straps to the shoulder seams of your dress so they'll stay put all night.

-Mighty Mendit ($9/3 fl. oz.)

For use on any fabric rips, torn hems, etc. It sounds funny, but this product has saved the day for us on several occasions!

-Band-Aid Blister Block ($7/1 roll on stick)

This roll-on formula creates an invisible barrier between your shoe and foot preventing blisters from forming.

A Note of Thanks!

We received such a beautiful note of thanks from Shi Shi couple, Dan & Erica today that we had to share it with you. We loved working with them, and can't wait to share photos of their spectacular wedding day with you!

"Dear Gina & Shi Shi Family,

Thank you; thank you; thank you!!! We are so very grateful to have had you on our team! We could not have done it without you! You went above and beyond to make our day not only gorgeous but a reality!!! You became a good friend, who truly cared about us and that means the world!

With love,

Dan & Erica"

Look for the gorgeous shots from Dan & Erica's wedding coming soon!

More Ring Pillows From 5eizen!

So we've been posting the absolutely lovely, crush inducing ring pillows from 5eizen we found on Etsy all week on our Facebook page. And, we want to fill you in! Here are the rest of the pillows we love so much, we spent a week covering them:

Now Featured On Elizabeth Anne Designs!

We are so thrilled to announce our inclusion in Elizabeth Anne Designs vendor library! EAD is one of our favorite blogs to peruse, as it's chock full of eye candy and DIY ideas. We particularly love this gray and purple inspiration board Elizabeth designed. We're sure you'll agree this deliciously opulent and vintage inspired board is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what you'll find amidst her pages!

Shi Shi on Wedding Chicks!

Erin & Brian's wedding is featured on the Wedding Chicks blog today - check it out!

Just click here.

Ring Pillows Get Chic

Often overlooked, and mostly not quite fashionable, the ring bearer's pillow typically falls into the "What do I do about that?" category with our brides. We found this completely gorgeous option by 5eizen today on Etsy. And, we think the entire line is so utterly splurge worthy that we're going to pepper them into our posts all week. Enjoy!

A Very Merry Un-Birthday To Us!

We're celebrating our (4th) birthday this week with swoon worthy savings for YOU on our Full and Partial Planning services. Want to join in the celebration? Call 440-623-3822 or email us at info@shi-shievents.com by Sunday 10/25. After that, we pack up the party (and the savings) until next year!

Perfect Wedding Day Videography

I found another video by Stillmotion, an absolutely delightful photo & cinema studio based in Toronto, on The Cinderella Project this afternoon. It was an absolutely perfect video from start to finish and overwhelmingly touching. So I visited Stillmotion's site and found this. Undeniably great work. If you are questioning the need for a video, imagine yours looking like this.

jc plus esther // all 7d highlights from stillmotion on Vimeo.

Engagement sessions are a beautiful thing. We love it when our brides and grooms book them with their photographers! The biggest benefit of an engagement session is that you and your fiance get a chance to work the camera prior to your wedding day. Practice makes perfect, as for most people, comfortability in the presence of a lens is the key to great shots.

What does all of this mean? An engagement session can equal better photos on your wedding day! Your photographer has already gotten a chance to see what your shooting style is as a couple, and you've already gotten out all of your pre-lens jitters. So, you can expect seamless shooting, and far less "awkward moments" than if you had not elected for an engagement session.

Here are some engagement session tips from us to you:

The shots featured here are from the wonderfully talented Steven Mastroianni. Our couple, Timothea & Pat, plan to be married at a private home in North Bloomfield, OH in June of next year. The home is positioned on over 125 acres of gorgeous grounds where these shots were taken just last week.

We always recommend choosing sites that are personal to you not only for your engagement session, but for your wedding

day photos as well. Every element of your wedding helps to tell your story as a couple, so the places "in the background" should mean something to the two of you. For Timothea & Pat the site of their wedding made perfect sense as their were so many different areas in which to shoot and the homeowners are lifelong friends of the bride's family.

For you, a personal site might mean your favorite restaurant or bar, a city park, a coffeehouse, a bookstore, or your favorite place to spend a Sunday. What matters, is that the spot you choose, matters to you. Trust us, if you're shooting somewhere close to your hearts, it will shine through in the photographs as it does here with Timothea & Pat.

Some couples like to schedule their engagement session during the season in which their wedding will be held, and some like to shoot during their favorite time of year regardless of the season of the wedding. We think either are great. However, if you're planning on using shots from the engagement session for your save the dates, keep in mind save the dates should be sent out to guests no later than 6 months prior to the wedding. Talk with your photographer about your timeline and schedule accordingly.

Last but not least, we love engagement sessions bound into guest books. This is a lovely way to put a twist on the traditional guest book, by allowing your friends and family to leave personal messages among your favorite engagement shots. Guests love it too! Ask your photographer if this is an option they can provide for you.