A 'sustainability' theme with a little bit of vintage & some rustic tones

As our loyal readers know, at The Wedding Gurus we love to celebrate those who take a chance and do things a little 'differently'. We love to bring you inspiring pictures and ideas of those who have been courageous enough to try something unique and have pulled it off fabulously.

Vintage themes are definitely a popular choice with couples and wedding stylists and our readers are always on the look out for interesting and inspiring ideas, but the wedding we are bringing you today was much more than simply vintage it carried the theme of 'sustainability'.

The wedding of Leah and Mawson was held in the gorgeous Adelaide Hills town of Woodside  -approximately 38km's south-east of Adelaide City, at Bird in Hand winery.

Take a look at the wonderful ways they have recycled, reused and incorporated produce to create an amazing and fresh look.

Leah's dress was by local designer Caleche Bridal (Norwood), although Leah herself designed the sleeves of the vintage inspired dress.

 Leah spent many months collecting individual recyclable pieces including some pictured below

With the stark contrast of the background against the lucious green lawn and vegetation of the property, this was the perfect setting for a natural look

Some of the local wildlife also managed to steal a small piece of the spotlight

The uniquely brilliant and delicious cake was made out of layers of gourmet cheese.

These arrangements were an assortment of local wild flowers and plants

The couple actually grew all of the herbs that were beautifully placed on the tables with great effect and added to this were lemons and limes for the guests to take home.

The cheeseboards pictured above were actually made by the brides father from old wine barrells in an effort to promote recycling ideas. 

 

These completely cute wooden pegs were used as place settings and the whole scene set amongst the wine barrels with splashes of green herbs and colourful fruit was a sustainability fans dream.

Heirloom seeds were even given to the guests as gifts on the table 

We hope that some of these great and unique ideas have inspired you to think outside the box when it comes to your own wedding. Leah and Mawson have certainly gone to great lengths to create a reception that truly represents who they are and what they believe in and which hopefully reminds us, even just a little to remember what is important to us when it comes to planning our big day.

The Wedding Gurus

xxxx

Placement of the Wedding Ring

Welcome to week 27 of 52 Wedding Tradition/Rituals in 52 Weeks, 

Have you ever asked yourself why the wedding ring is placed on the third finger of the left hand?

We recently pondered the same question and in response we decided to go in search of where this idea may have originated. As you can imagine there were many interpretations and we have outlined our favourite 3 for you.

In Western Culture it was thought to originate from the Greek physicians in the third century B.C where they were misled to believe that a vein of blood ran from the third finger of the left hand straight to the heart. A slightly misguided interpretation of the human anatomy yes, but you can understand their logic of placing the ring that symbolises love and commitment on the part of the body that was thought to be in direct connection to the heart. In fact this vein was later named ‘vena amori’ or vein of love.

The Chinese have a beautiful interpretation and we have outlined this below showing the representation of each finger :

Thumb represents your parents

Index finger represents your siblings

Middle finger represents your self

Ring finger represents your life partner

Little finger represents children

Now this idea is not based solely on just guessing what each finger may represent, there is actually a really sweet theory behind it.

Basically, if you place your palms together in front of you and bend your middle fingers down so that they are knuckle to knuckle (see pic) the significance becomes clear.

Your thumbs (which represent your parents) are easily separated as you are separated from them as you move off to marry.

Your index finger (which represents your siblings) is also easily separated signifying how you will separate from them in your life, creating your own families.

Your middle finger - is removed as it represents yourself.

Your little finger (representing your future children) is easily parted also representing that they too are not with you forever.

If you try however to separate your ring fingers (representing your life partner) You cannot. Why? because you are tied together as one for eternity. The sentiment behind this theory is beautiful in that the inability to separate these two fingers is exactly where the rings should be placed reminding us of this everlasting unbreakable bond.

A final theory (culture unknown) puts forward the idea that the third finger cannot be held out alone, it needs the support of both the middle and little fingers on either side . So what does this signify, well it gives the ring finger union, support and protection thus representing a happy and health marriage and life together..

The Wedding Gurus xx

Wedding Snap Review and Competition

During a recent planning meeting we (The Wedding Gurus team) were excited about an interesting, new wedding trend that we had recently heard about. Wedding Snap had come to our attention through one of our readers and it had immediately tweaked our interest.

When Wedding Snap contacted us two days later with an offer to not only review their app but to give one lucky couple the chance to win one for their big day, to say that we were surprised would be an understatement. Co-incidence or fate? We will let you be the judge.

So with our fast little fingers we eagerly set about doing our research, playing with the app and checking out what people had to say about it.

Wedding Snap seems to be literally taking wedding industry by storm. According to their website “Wedding Snap is the simplest way to capture all your wedding memories in one place” and never has there been a truer statement!

We have been totally blown away by this user friendly, modern and exciting technology which not only enables wedding guests to capture on their smartphones every intricate detail of the bride and grooms big day, but instantaneously upload them to the online album.

The idea of this is simple, but brilliant. The technology, available on iPhone and Android, is a concept similar to the old-school disposable cameras which allowed guests to capture amazing moments that may have been missed by the official photographer.

Wedding Snap has taken this concept, modernised it and taken it further allowing you to capture and upload not only photos but also videos too. Imagine having that “I do” moment at your ceremony captured from every angle or being able to see moments amongst your guests that you may have missed out on – after all not you or your photographer can be everywhere at once, but this app sure is.

By far our favourite aspect of this is the fact that the shots captured often show the true spirit of the day, the real reactions of the guests at pivotal moments and the candid shots that will be laughed about with the grandchildren in years to come.

Want more? Well there’s plenty! When the photos and videos have been captured and uploaded they are available on the app and online for all guests with the album code to view instantly. So for example - an image that ‘Roger’ captured at the garden ceremony is instantly available for ‘Pam’, who was unable to attend the ceremony due to work commitments, to view. With every guest able to take pictures and upload them, the photo album becomes choc full of priceless moments that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. For those who are not as smartphone savvy, grandma ‘Sue’ can still use a digital camera & upload photos into Wedding Snap after the wedding.

When the big day comes to an end and the bride and groom set off into married life together, the newlyweds can log in online and view their guests captured moments from anywhere in the world..

The online album allows you to download your images straight onto your computer with one click whilst also giving the options to edit and share them with your social media friends.

The whole process is simple, easy and 100% user friendly.  Here’s a rundown of the steps:

Step 1

Sign up for a package and create an album title and album code. All packages allow you to create multiple albums so that your guests have the option to use the app for your hens night, bridal shower or even to upload images from your professional photographer for your guests to view after the big day (your albums are generously available up until 1 year after your wedding date).

Step 2

You will receive from Wedding Snap 200 free customized cards to send to your guests  - see below, (why not with their invitations) with instructions on how to download the app to their phones and how to upload the captured media on the big day. You may also choose to send these instructions via facebook or include on your own wedding website or blog page.

Step 3

For Iphone Users:

On the day of your wedding the guests simply have to open the app, enter your album code and get snapping. The app screen is completely idiot proof where on the iphone you are brought directly to the camera itself to take your shot, you may then choose to edit it if you like with various filter options including antique and sepia and hey presto the image is saved safely into the album. You may choose to click on the Gallery icon to view the album photos of not only the ones you have taken and uploaded but also the photos which have been uploaded by other guests on the day.

Iphone Screenshot

For Android Users:

On opening the app on the android you are presented with 4 simple options:

Camera - Where you are able to take photos and videos which are instantly uploaded to the album
Gallery – Where you are able to view not only your captured images but also the images that other guests have captured.
Upload from Gallery – This function allows you to upload any images from your phones inbuilt gallery that you may have taken without the help of wedding snap. On choosing this your personal gallery will open and you may then select which image you would like uploaded.
Settings - Providing you with links for help and feedback.

Android Screenshot

Step 4

After your big day grab a drink and settle in to begin looking through the amazing moments captured by your guests. You can view, edit and download all of your captured images and videos and have them printed, stored in an online album, emailed, shared amongst friends or whatever you wish.

The possibilities are endless.

Wedding Snap are so confident that your guests will love participating and having fun with this that they even offer a great guarantee that if you end up with less than 100 images in your albums they will give you a 100% refund.

Overall we have been super impressed with this fabulous technology which is the only one of its kind available in the world. With impressive package options and a friendly support team whom we have chatted with first hand, we know you will not be disappointed.

This app offers a unique experience for the bride, groom and their guests to be involved in the big day from every angle, more so than ever. Not only does it provide the bride and groom with some beautiful keepsake memories but also gives the guests a unique and entertaining opportunity to attempt to capture those special, intimate and sometimes funny moments every wedding day is sure to experience.

If your wedding is approaching and you are looking for something different and exciting, then Wedding Snap is definitely for you.

You can find all of the details including package options and detailed information at www.weddingsnap.com.

We can’t wait to see some of the fantastic pics from all of your weddings captured using Wedding Snap App. Send them through to us, we would love to showcase some of the fun moments you are all capturing!

COMPETITION TIME:

Wedding Snap have been generous in giving one of our lucky readers a chance to win the Wedding Snap Unforgettable Pack (RRP: $149) which includes:

- Unlimited high quality photo & video uploads by all your guests
- Unlimited albums for all your wedding occasions: bridal shower, bachelorette party etc.
- The ability to download or order prints of all your photos in high quality
- Live moderated slideshow: As your guests take photos during your wedding, the photos can    
  be instantly shown on a live slideshow as the wedding is happening. Our professional    
  moderators virtually moderate the photos to make sure they are all appropriate.

To enter:

Leave a comment on this post telling us in 25 words or less 

"What is your favourite 'Wedding Snap' feature and why?"

To earn extra entries simply share this post on facebook, twitter and/or a +1 on google (each option counts for an extra entry).

Entry example:

Anne Smith wrote:
My favourite feature is its ability to capture video as I love knowing I will be able to view my weddings milestone moments again and again.
Have shared on Facebook and Twitter

For this comment Anne would have received 3 entries. 

Terms and Conditions

- Entrants must be 18 years or older.
- Competition is open to all residents (over the age of 18) worldwide.
- Maximum 4 entries per person - 1 entry for 25 words or less answer, 1 entry for a facebook share, 1  entry for a twitter share and 1 entry for   

  a +1 on google.
- Competition drawn 25^th January 2013. Winner drawn at random on the 25^th of January 2013 between 0900 and 1700.
- The winner will be announced on the 25^th of January 2013 after 1700 via a separate blog post on The Wedding Gurus and shared 

  amongst facebook and twitter. It is the winners responsibility to contact The Wedding Gurus (theweddinggurus@live.com.au) to claim their 

  prize.
- The prize must be claimed by 31^st January 2013. Should the prize remain unclaimed, an unclaimed prize draw will be conducted on the 

  01^st of February 2013 where a new winner will be announced.
- The prize does not include personalised instruction cards. The cards are available free on request to Wedding Snap, postage of the cards 

  will be at the winners expense.

- The winner may choose to upgrade their prize package (at their own expense) by contacting info@weddingsnap.com

- The prize will be presented to the winner by Wedding Snap via email.

Goodluck!

The Wedding Gurus

xxx

Top Celebrity Weddings 2012

2012 has been and gone so we thought what better way to celebrate than to review the top celebrity weddings of the year. 

Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth  

March 26th 2012

Their ceremony took place in the Ojai Valley near Santa Barbara.

Anne Hathaway and Adam Shulman  

September 29th 2012 

They shared their vows at sunset on a cliff overlooking the ocean in Big Sur, CA.

Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied 

August 4th 2012 

Alike that of Anne Hathaway the ceremony took please on a cliff overlooking the ocean in Big Sur, CA.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds

September 9th 2012

Wedding photos not available due to their top secret ceremony held in Charleston, South Carolina.

Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves 

June 9th 2012 

This sunset Ceremony was held at their Malibu home.

Drew Barrymore and Will Kopelman  

June 2nd 2012 

Pregnant with her child Olive, the couple said I Do at their home in Montecito, CA.

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel  

October 19th 2012 

 The couple were wed at the luxurious Borgo Egnazia resort in Puglia, Italy.