Author Archive

Aug
16

I’ve fallen head over heels for the lovely hair pieces over at Love Always, Anne Marie!  If you are a bride still looking for fun hair accessories for your special day, then look no further.  We’ve found the perfect online store for you to peruse.  Vintage, modern-chic, or stunningly classic, Anne Marie is sure to have something for your bridal style.

Bird Cage Veil, Love Always Anne Marie

I really need this Silver Crystal Bridal Headband in my life…

Silver Crystal Bridal Headband with Side Accent, Lov Always Anne Marie

And I’m definitely swooning over this pretty piece made of Pearl and Swarovski crystals…

Pearl and Swarovski Crystal Bridal Headband

Would you like to show off one of these beauties on your wedding day?

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If you’re in love like I am, then you’re also in luck. Love Always, Anne Marie is giving away a $20 gift certificate towards the purchase of one of these gorgeous hair pieces to one of our readers!

What must you do for your chance to win?  Head on over to Love Always, Anne Marie and browse through her hair pieces.  Come back here and tell us what hair piece is your fav!  Easy enough right?

Enter before 12pm EST, Friday, August 20 for your chance to win!  Winner will be announced Friday afternoon.  Good luck ladies!!

Category: Attire, Giveaway  One Comment
Jun
11

Happy Friday!

In celebration of the big World Cup kick-off in Johannesburg, South Africa, I couldn’t think of a better way to start the weekend than South Africa’s own destination wedding location of Cape Town!

Brides and grooms are traveling all over the world these days to take their vows and how stunning would a wedding be on the coast of this lovely country?

By the looks of these amazing photos captured by photographer, Christine Meintjes, this couple’s wedding day in Cape Town, South Africa was beyond unforgettable.

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It seems marrying in South Africa is a growing trend among couples from the UK and Australia and I can certainly see why! It wouldn’t surprise me, with all the attention the country will gain by hosting this year’s World Cup games, if more U.S. couples start to consider taking their own vows on a small beach somewhere in South Africa themselves.  The Mediterranean climate and strikingly gorgeous landscape creates a perfect setting for a bride-to-be and her groom all year long!

Head on over to Christine’s website to see more of this couple’s wedding day! And to get a better glimpse of what this wonderful country has to offer, I’d encourage to browse through Christine’s other amazing photos.  The pictures she took on her trip to Botswana makes me wish I could teleport myself and be there now (with my own Mr. Oceanside).

Have a great weekend ladies!

Jun
09

If you’re planning a wedding that may require some of your closest friends and family to travel a good distance to your destination, why not make them feel special by welcoming them with a welcome bag, tote, or basket?  It’s a simple little gesture that will show your love and appreciation for them coming to share in this memorable event with you and your husband-to-be.

I found this great collage of wedding welcome bags and baskets that I thought might give you inspiration to create your own unique and fun welcome basket that your guests will love.

Photo via MG Events via All Things Lovely

Photo via MG Events via All Things Lovely

You can use almost anything for your bag such as a crafty and cute paper gift bag, boat shaped weaved baskets, or big beach totes that they can throw over their shoulder and head straight to the beach to catch some sun before the big event!

What are some items you might include? Anything! Sky’s the limit, but your welcome bag for a beach wedding may include….water bottles (customize the label with a picture of you and your beau for a personal touch!), sunscreen, beach towel, a local map, and a few of your favorite fruits, cookies or candies that your guests can enjoy for the weekend! For those of you who happen to be in the New York area, you could always order pre-packaged or customized gift bags from Sara’s Gracious Goodies, who provides savvy gift packaging expertise and best of all delivery to your hotel location the day of your guests arrival!

Did you or are you planning to put together an Out-of-Town Bag as part of your wedding weekend?  We’d love to see your pics and hear about what you included in them!

Jun
08

It’s a great day for The Oceanside Bride as we celebrate several occasions!

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First, a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY shout out goes to The Oceanside Bride which turns ONE today! Time has flown and I really can’t believe a year has already gone by.  It’s been so much fun capturing my own personal wedding planning details here and I hope I have been able to share some inspiration with other beach brides out there who are planning their own special day.

Some great things are in store for The Oceanside Bride in its second year starting with a blog re-design and new post features which will be coming soon. 

Beginning this blog last year on June 8th seemed perfect since it also happens to be World Ocean Day!

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Reasons we should celebrate our ocean…

  • Generates most of the oxygen we breathe
  • Provides food for us
  • Helps regulate our climate
  • Cleans the water we drink
  • Used for the study of and creating new medicines
  • Great beauty and inspiration!

Although there are often harming circumstances completely out of our control (i.e. sadly the oil spill we are dealing with here in the U.S), there are many ways we can contribute and do our part to help keep it clean. I mean, there are plenty of us out there who would love to have  the ocean serve as backdrop to our own beach wedding, enjoy a tropical beach island honeymoon and plan for family vacations with the future kiddos there right?

You can check out The Ocean Project to find out how you can participate in the “Seven C’s” for ocean conservation!

Last but certainly not least, I’m celebrating Tiffany, a long-time friend of mine (who also happens to be a bridal consultant), by welcoming her to The Oceanside Bride as an official partner and blogger!

Our friendship sparked in our first semester of college after we learned of each other’s passion for event planning and all things weddings (even way before either of us would plan our own). So after 11 years (yikes-has it been that long?), we are finally partnering up on a few things here at The Oceanside Bride. 

Through our blog, we’ll continue to share DOUBLE the inspiration with other brides planning their own beach or destination weddings.  Then coming in August, we’ll be launching our very own online beach wedding favor boutique and we’re so excited!

So a big welcome to my girl, Tiffany- I know your love for planning, details, and weddings will make you an awesome partner and wonderful friend!

Apr
22

What better way to celebrate Earth Day, then a beach wedding in beautiful Costa Rica! This gorgeous setting incorporates some of Earth’s best natural elements- the ocean, natural rain forest,  coral reefs, miles of sands, and fresh air.  What a site to see as you step out to join your fiance on the beach with crashing waves as the perfect background during your ceremony and an awesome cool breeze.  Enjoy your family and friends as the sunsets and glistens off the natural waters.

Captured here was a gorgeous wedding in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. Loved how it provides such a fun, casual and unforgettable atmosphere for the marrying couple. Anywhere on this beach can be a “picture perfect moment” or possibly use the rain forest as a breathtaking backdrop!

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You can view more pictures from this beautiful wedding at the White Box Blog. As you know we postponed our own wedding planning for a little while and our plans are to marry in Southern California.  I would say we still have time to rethink those plans though- anyone want to travel to my wedding in Costa Rica?!

Did you or someone you know get married in Costa Rica?  Would love to hear about your experience planning your wedding!

Mar
04

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Came across this very amazing modern ocean themed wedding table decor on Elizabeth Anne Designs blog today and fell in love!  Forget paying the money to marry in a fancy aquarium banquet hall when you can create your own! Orchids, succulents, lit candles and other beautiful oceanic details created a serene and intimate setting.  When I see these beautiful nautical pictures I imagine hearing sofa spa-like music playing the sound of ocean waves crashing in the background while a small group of family and friends toast a happy future to the newly-wed couple.  Check out more details on this modern ocean wedding table decor at Elizabeth Anne Design’s blog!

Mar
02

Look at these super cute and super FUN Ice Cream Towel favors!  I know the country has been experiencing what seems to be never-ending winter storms and the last thing you want to eat is ice cream, but I couldn’t resist sharing these! I love fun and unique wedding ideas and this has got to be one of the most unique beach wedding favor ideas I have seen out there. You can choose your favor “flavor” from vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry color towels which come in a cone-shaped holder.  I would absolutely love to be a guest at this wedding so I could take home one of these fun re-usable favors!

Feb
28

MST

What better way to come back than to share a great giveaway! Well Leslie Loves Veggies has partnered with My Salon Tools to offer one of two chances to win a $50 gift certificate to their online store! With the gift certificate, you will have your chance to select from a variety of professional hair straighteners and flat irons or blow dryers from popular brands such as Babyliss, Hai, Karmin, Twin Turbo, Solano, and Hot Tools.  It’s possible you won’t need another flat iron so ask your sweetie if he is in need of a new set of clippers, or a trimmer or razor! My Salon Tools sells other products such as salon shears and scissors and cosmetology kits in case there are any hairstylists out there in the bridal blogsphere that might be in the market for some!

Every bride-to-be has at least one special event (and some have 5 or more!) outside their wedding day that will require them to get pretty, pampered, and prepared to make a grand entrance in front of friends and their family.  Brides will attend  engagement parties, bridal showers, bridesmaid luncheons, bachelorette parties and of course the big finale, their wedding! Sure there are many girls who will have their hair styled at a professional hair salon the day of their wedding  as it is one less thing for us to worry about the day of and for some of us (me being one) it would be scary to think about styling my own hair on my wedding day since I hate doing my hair every other day of the year! I know there are many brave brides out there that did an awesome job styling their own hair so kudos to you!  So on all these other fun and memorable event days where we will be the center of attention, we still want to look great right?

To enter the giveaway first head over to Leslie Love Veggies for giveaway details and entry rules.  Then head over to My Salon Tools to check  out their inventory and see if there is anything you might like to add to your bridal hairstyling tools.  Once you find something, head back over to Leslie Loves Veggies and tell her what item you have your eyes set on and how you would use your $50 gift certificate! Very simple and easy steps to enter and Leslie gives you more way than one to do so. How awesome is that?

The giveaway ends on March 20th so make sure to visit Leslie’s blog and enter!

Feb
28

So I’ve taken about a 3 month hiatus from The Oceanside Bride blog for more reasons than one.  I think I mentioned in a earlier posts (earlier being back in November) that my fiancé has been out of full time work since last September which as you can expect put a hold on many things (including the wedding) and yes, has definitely tested us in all aspects of our life and future together. Big bummer but thanks to God we’ve witnessed many blessing since then. We started an e-commerce business, Wisemark Distributions (using his and our awesome business partner Andrew’s previous technology experience).  With him no longer committed to working a 9-5, he’s been able to devote 150% of his time to really jump start our online stores.  Business is slowly but surely picking up and we’re staying positive this opportunity only leads us to better and brighter things in the future!

Our three main online stores are My Salon Tools, Scrubbing In, and School of Uniforms.  I”m hoping soon we’ll launch one more directly tied to the “ocean side” bride theme and create an online store for beach wedding decor and favors! What do you think?

So now that things have settled with our decision to postpone our wedding and re-focus our energy on continuing to build our relationship stronger with each other, with God and our families, as well as move forward with our new business venture together, hopefully I’ll be able to get back in the blogging groove on Oceanside Bride and offer more great tips, tricks, and wedding details for the beach bride!

Oh and great news- my sister got engaged over Christmas so our family is still planning a “backyard wedding” for this November at a cabin in the mountains of Helen, Georgia! Maybe I should talk her into starting a “backyard wedding” blog! =)

Nov
26

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Chatting via email with my best friends a few days ago, one girl asked the rest of us who were married, engaged, or in a long term relationship if we really thought we found our “dream man” and what makes him that for us.  We’ve a very honest group of friends and she expected real, raw answers from  us.  She wanted us to share the struggles, the triumphs, or anything else that made our significant other- perfect for us.

So in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I would share a few of our mushy, lovey-dovey answers to this question about why our husbands or fiancé (aka our “dream man”) makes living in this world a wonderful reality and why we’re thankful for them…

Written and shared by friend Nicole (married 4 years):

I know LaMonte is my dream man made for me. I’m not perfect and Lord knows he’s not perfect by any means but when we first started kickin it I really wasn’t sure I was feeling him like that and he would tell you the same about me. The funny thing is before we started dating I actually prayed about wanting to meet my perfect match even if we didn’t have to be involved at the time but I laid out specific guidelines in my prayers and LaMonte was who I got. Honestly I smile and think about how lucky I am all the time because he really does make me happy, we talk all the time about every and anything and sometimes just for hours and hours about nothing. I miss him a lot when he’s out of town on business. He is a Great Dad and a Great Husband.

Written and shared from friend Tahiana (married 5 years)

I know I have! =)  Just when I think I can’t be any happier in my marriage something else comes up and we overcome yet another obstacle. But I can say that I did not know he was my perfect man until we grew together as a couple. So maybe we just grew to be perfect for each other. It’s amazing how much you continue to learn about each other as you get older.  One thing that I love is how much we talk or communicate to each other about anything and everything. Future, past, present, finances, sex, work, kids, etc. When we first met we spoke on the phone for 6 hours straight…and if you stick us in a room alone now we can still talk for 6 hours straight.  When he’s gone for the night I realize how much I get done around the house because he’s not around for us to chit chat. I can just see us at 90 years old in wheelchairs just talking about the past 70 years of our life, LOL. Another thing I love about him or us is that we make a great team. Of course we’ve also had to build that throughout the years with the kiddies and both of us working. Anyway I can go on and on about this topic. =) 

Written by Me (Engaged! Together 2.5 years, marrying July 2010)

Do I think I found my “dream” man? Of course! I sit here saying “where do I begin?”

We wake up loving each other more than the day before, we know each other better than anyone else, can read each others minds, and take care of each other better than anyone else could. We know how to entertain ourselves and make each other laugh uncontrollably every single morning, afternoon, and night. Laughing now thinking about how silly we can be. We can talk for hours about nothing at all.  Although “space” is good for us, we hate being away from each other- even if it’s one of us just running to the store around the corner for 15 minutes. And our life revolves around “fun”!  We eat “fun” food, play “fun” games, watch “fun” things on tv- fight with our infamous “fun” swords to lighten the mood if we’ve been arguing. We want a “fun” wedding day! Feels like we’ve known each other our whole lives but still feels so “new” at the same time. We’ve experienced so much in our short 2.5 years together and because of it, know we can get through a tsunami together if we needed to. We can get “down” like anyone else or any other couple, but when we do we just remind each other about how bright our future is together. 

Mark is all the good things I’ve ever dreamed of having in my future partner. As I dated different guys over the years, I’ve said before “I wish he (whoever he was at the time) could have the fill in the blank that so-and-so had, and the fill in the blank that so-and-so had, etc.” Well the weird (and great) thing is, Mark has ALL the fill in the blank’s!!! LOL. We clicked from the first email, phone call, to our first date (and my best first date ever!), and of course ever since! I knew he was “the one” during our first date. He’s a true gentleman (still opens my door, car door, pulls out my chair at restaurants, lays down his jacket so I can walk over a puddle! Ha ha! He cooks for me every night, okay- I’m spoiled and maybe I just need to learn how to cook!).  I love how he loves everyone in his life including my family and friends and knows how to take care of his “family”- me!

Mark is good for me because he keeps me on my toes!!  Never know what to expect from him! Lol!  Okay- I’m done for now. Whoops I wrote a lot as usual…but I’m the engaged one though right- still on “Cloud 9” and “head over heels in love”….LOL!

 

Why are you thankful for the man in your life and what makes him your dream man?

 

***Thanks Windy for the post idea!