Indie Wed - Wedding Planning Redefined

If you made it last weekend’s Indie Wed (a recap coming soon), then you may have noticed A LOT of vintage rentals.  We had a ton scattered throughout the space and also had our fair share of rental companies participating.  While the vintage rental thing may not be everyone’s (antique) cup of tea, for those who can’t get enough and want some for their big day, I was excited to come across this directory.

Some of the Indie Wed staff with rentals via A La Crate Vintage Rentals.  Photo by Colin Lyons Photography

A Portland based vintage rental company, Something Borrowed, created a National directory filled with tons of vintage rental companies.

I’m certainly going to keep this list in mind as we expand to other cities.  Do you have a vintage rental company?  Make sure you are on the list. If not, send the Something Borrowed gals a message to be added to the list.  With the popularity of vintage rentals, I’m sure this list will continue to grow.

As we continue to entice you with all the fun things going on at this year’s Indie Wed, here is a list of the scheduled performances for the day.

On the First Floor Main Stage there will be a variety of great musical performances mixed in between live DJ’s on both the first and second floors. As you go about your day, make sure you stop by to listen to these great acts.

• 10:30 – 11:00     Fumee Gypsy Project
• 11:15 – 11:30        Hector Fernandez Music
• 11:45 – 12:15        We, Unity Candle
• 12:30 – 12:45      Neil Dixon Smith
•   1:00  -  1:30      Yazz Jazz
•   2:00  - 2:15       Hector Fernandez Music
•   3:00  - 3:15       Neil Dixon Smith

At the 2012 winter Indie Wed show, Tuan H. Bui Photographer and Naturally Yours Events  teamed up to offer one lucky couple a free stylized engagement shoot. The session included all the images, custom event stylizing, hair/makeup, and even a video from Bokeh Line.  Our winners, Chelle and Dave, were a blast to work with and the shoot  fit their fun and quirky relationship perfectly.  You can read all about their submission HERE.

ENTER TO WIN A FREE STYLIZED ENGAGEMENT SESSION!

To enter, stop by Naturally Yours Events’ booth at Indie Wed on February 2^nd. Or if you can’t make it to Indie Wed, you can enter HERE – contest closes Saturday, February 9th. We’re asking for the normal stuff – your names, wedding date, a way to contact you if you win, and we want to hear your love story (i.e. how you met, how’d you pop the question, or what’s the most unique/interesting thing about your relationship?). With this information we can really customize a unique engagement session to fit your style.

We got to know Chelle and Dave and found that they are truly kids at heart. Many of their dates and most memorable moments (like when Chelle and Dave got stuck in the rain under a viaduct on their second date) involved picnicking near Lake Michigan. So, we took the idea of a picnic a step further as they built a “home” out of blankets, right off Lake Michigan complete with skyline views – and spaceship sheets!

Vendors for Chelle and Dave’s shoot:

coordination + styling: Naturally Yours Events // photography: Tuan H. Bui Photographer // videography: Bokeh Line // desserts: Fritz Pastry // hair + makeup: Saleha and Safaa with Alluring Artistry

Fine Print:

• Enter to win by visiting Naturally Yours Events’ booth at Indie Wed on February 2nd or HERE
• This contest closes February 9th
• Winners will be announced by February 16th
• Winners will meet with Sponsors by for their consultation session
• Only one entry per couple
• You must be 18 years or older and engaged to enter
• You must not have booked your photographer or wedding planner yet (we don’t want to step on any toes)
• You live in or near Chicago, or are willing to travel to Chicago for your engagement shoot

Recently some folks over at a site called JewelMint contacted me about getting involved with Indie Wed.  When I looked into the site more, I thought it was pretty interesting.  JewelMint started in 2010 as a collaboration between actress Kate Bosworth, and celebrity stylist, Cher Coulter.  It is actually one of the brands owned by BeachMint. Their 6 brands also include Justin Timberlake’s HomeMint and Rachel Bilson’s ShoeMint.  

Each of these sites are meant to be a more personalized online shopping experience tailored to your tastes and style.  They are also a type of membership/subscription service.  When you join JewelMint, you take a quick quiz that determines your style profile.  From there you are shown selections that match your style profile.  You can choose from necklaces, bracelets, earrings and more.  All pieces are created specifically for JewelMint and can’t be purchased anywhere else.  Better yet, everything on the site is $29.99.  Each month a new collection is released.  All the pieces are limited editions so if you see something you like, snap it up or it might sell out.

At the beginning of the month, if you don’t like any of the selections, you can just skip that month with a click of your mouse.  If you forget to ‘skip the month’ you do get charged a $29.99 fee but that turns into a credit you can use later.  However, if you decide it isn’t for you, you can cancel your membership with a simple email or phone call.  Easy peasy.

Looking at the site I found several pieces that I thought could be lovely bridal pieces for a more modern gal.  Then there is the rehearsal dinner, honeymoon, bridesmaid gifts and so on.  Really you could take care of your entire accessories ‘wardrobe’ in one fell swoop.

Now what does this have to do with Indie Wed?  Well the folks at JewelMint are so sure that our guests will love their jewelry that they are sending us a big box chock full of gift cards to hand out at Indie Wed.  We will be passing them out all day to attendees as they enter the show!  Hooray.  So what is better that stylish and affordable jewelry?  Stylish and free jewelry!  Yet one more reason to head on over to Indie Wed this coming Saturday.

I’ve mentioned before about our new partnership with Design Bureau magazine.  They are a national magazine focusing on all aspects of design from fashion to industrial design.  They have been working hard on a special wedding issue that will hit newsstands any day now.  I squealed with delight when a few days ago, an advanced copy showed up in my mailbox.  Here are a few sneak peeks for you.

Here is the cover.  I think what surprised me the most was the paper stock they used.  It felt thick and sturdy.  Overall the whole magazine felt much more substantial than a lot of the wedding mags on the market.  Besides… look at some of those names on the cover. There are a lot of interesting interviews and articles with some established wedding pros as well as some up and comers…..

See that little blue box up there.  Um, yeah… that is me in there.  I am pretty excited though I feel a little embarrassed too.  I get self-conscious and don’t want to seem like I’m bragging so I feel weird sharing.  I guess I try to look at it as an endorsement for Indie Wed rather than a blurb about just me.  Here is a closer look.  (I’m blowing bubbles if you can’t tell)

Indie wed is mentioned in a few other places in the magazine including a little resources section in the back but then there is this little gem….BAM!

We have a full page ad on the inside cover!  While it mentions our upcoming show, it really is an ad for Indie Wed in general and hope it will be a big boost for us in general as well as our future shows.  Any excuse to bring more attention to all the wonderful vendors we work with is good  news in my book.

If you want to see more, check out newsstands or you can just hop on over to Indie Wed 2 weeks from today.  Design Bureau will be at the show with a big table and some free magazines to give out!