Vintage Brooch Bouquets by Floral Fantasy Designs

Amanda Heer of FANTASY FLORAL DESIGNS, could have never imagined that ten years after her first creative spark to turn her vintage brooch collection into a bouquet, would lead her to where she is at now…handcrafting and selling vintage brooch flower bouquets to BRIDES AROUND THE WORLD!

If you are looking for a bouquet that will last forever, then stop searching, because these beautiful, handmade-vintage flower brooch bouquets are an absolute treasure! They would especially make a perfect bouquet for sentimental and eco-conscious brides.

I would say that Amanda has found a way to turn her fantasy for making brooch bouquets into a reality! To learn more about her services and to see more of her sparkly bouquet designs, visit her brooch blog at Fantasy Floral Designs Blog. WAIT! There is more…I stopped in to OmniBride and searched the wedding blogosphere to find other bloggers who have found and raved about Amanda’s brooch bouquet creations. Visit these other fabulous wedding blogs and read what they had to say about this very “broochable” topic…Ruffled Blog, and Memoirs of a Wedding Planner

OmniBride™ & TWC: New Beginnings & Fond Farewells

The Wedding Chat has been a labor of love and a launching pad to something new and exciting for the entire online wedding community. You see we discovered a black hole…

As bloggers in the wedding industry we adore the vast blogosphere but, for a while, have felt such a deep void when attempting to research and find great content. Oh, we know it’s out there. In fact we take pride in the topics we’ve covered. But think about it-when you try to find something it’s often a time-consuming, hit-or-miss experience. There is so much valuable information out there and searching is like drifting aimlessly out in space.

Well, our frustration turned into opportunity. We connected with some tech virtuosos to help us create OmniBride, the first search-find-share destination solely for the wedding industry.

Our mission was to bring the entire online wedding community together so none of us has to wander aimlessly through the Internet to find great ideas, inspirations and resources.

We are just beginning to officially launch OmniBride and say a fond farewell to The Wedding Chat. We are sad for TWC to end as it has been steadily growing in popularity but feel our mission to bring together the entire online wedding community is the best use of our energies. We felt it even more when blogger Kelly Gribben, Keg Design, landed on us while she was randomly checking her site meter…”I discovered OmniBride as a referring site and one that is solely devoted to wedding-related things. What a cool concept! It’s definitely something the online wedding community can use.” We hope you think so too!

For brides: You’ll find that OmniBride is the most comprehensive destination for researching and planning your wedding.

For bloggers: Your voices will be heard by an exponentially greater audience. If the community loves your content, your stats will grow—and so will your fan base.

For industry: You have the opportunity to find out what the online wedding community is saying (or not saying) about your goods and services. You can engage in the community dialogues.

For journalists: This is your tool for researching and uncovering the latest buzz and resources.

You have the power to rate the value of a search result by either “loving” or “trashing” it so, unlike a general search engine, the community determines what rises to the top. So participate often and let your voice be heard throughout the wedding universe!

But there’s more to OmniBride—check out our feeds for the daily news and the most current wedding-related contests and giveaways. And if it’s being talked about—we’ll find it!

You may have noticed that this is a BETA version of OmniBride. This means that Version 1 is ready for take-off. But our vision doesn’t end here—count on an explosion of features and functions in the near future. For now, enjoy your exploration…and let us know about your experiences of finding it in the wedding cosmos.

Modern-Ancient Roman Wedding

If you want to create impact and something totally unique -  add fire to your wedding ceremony!  Imagine how dramatic two of these Tower units from EcoSmart Fire would look – a great alternative to an arbor or floral display.  And when the wedding’s over, you’ll have a haute alternative to a traditional fireplace in your home.

EcoSmart Fire is an Australian innovation and every one of their products is environmentally friendly and safe.  They’re flue less and don’t require special utility installation so they fit anywhere.  Fueled by denatured ethanol, they burn clean and are virtually maintenance free.

The Tower is a modern interpretation of the entrance lighting that signified prominent status during the Roman Empire.  Constructed of black or white powder coated steel, it features a stainless steel burner insert and toughened glass surround.  It can be installed indoors or out.  You can find EcoSmart Fire products all over the world. – JM

“Conflict” on a wedding blog?

Okay, when I say “conflict” on this website, what comes to mind first? The wedding’s OFF!

In today’s political climate, probably something else should come to mind…conflict diamonds.

About the same time that conflict diamonds began appearing on the market, something VERY interesting was happening near the Arctic Circle. In the early 90s, a tenacious geologist, Chuck Fipke, discovered a vein of diamonds up in the Northwest Territories of Canada, with the first Canadian diamond mine opening in 1998.

The miracle with all this is that now, in just a decade, Canada has become the third largest producer of diamonds in the world, even beating out South Africa!

So you ask, what does this have to do with me? When the time comes for you to purchase gems, especially diamonds, there is a place to go if you want to ensure that none of your purchases include conflict diamonds: BRILLIANT EARTH, located in San Francisco.

Beautiful diamonds aren’t the only good reason to visit BRILLIANT EARTH. Five percent of its profits are donated to communities impacted by the jewelry trade: from gemology training in Madagascar to medical assistance to amputees and other survivors of the war in Sierra Leone, and more. BRILLIANT EARTH makes a difference.

So, as you contemplate purchasing a new diamond (and we all know that diamonds really are a girl’s best friend) and you want to know where that stone was mined and under what circumstances, visit BRILLIANT EARTH first! See for yourself and feast your eyes!

Above Photos Courtesy of www.soophotography.com

To learn more or to see more sparkling conflict free diamonds, visit www.brilliantearth.com