Press Release: Winner of WeddingWire Bride's Choice Awards 2011!

Dover, NH - 1/27/2011

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce The Wedding Belle has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for Wedding Planning Services! Recognition for theBride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation. The Wedding Belle stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year. “WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud The Wedding Belle for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.” We are happy to announce that The Wedding Belle is among the very best Wedding Planning Services within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011. For more information, please click here visit our WeddingWire Storefront today. For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com. About WeddingWire, Inc. WeddingWire.com, the nation's leading technology company serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 local wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge.

Belle Turned Bride: The Proposal by Spencer

I stood in line at the security gate in a cold sweat as a million thoughts raced through my mind. “What if they ask me to open my camera case and take the ring out? What if Emily sees what is in there? Oh my God, what if I end up proposing to her right here, in the security line at Logan Airport?!” To me, at this moment in time, these all seemed like very likely possibilities. I needed to act fast. Time was running out....

I turned to Emily who was standing behind me in line and said as I gestured over to the right “I am going to hop over to that line over there, it looks a lot shorter.” Emily looked towards the line I was referring to and gave me a weird look. The other line was just as long as the one we were in. “Ok…” she replied.

Phew, what a stroke of genius. I was saved… for now.

Emily and I were travelling to Italy together for a ten day tour of the country. This was the first time either of us had been to Italy, and we had been planning the trip for over five months. As we boarded the plane, both of us knew that this was the culmination of the many hours spent planning and the many sacrifices made in order to save up for the trip, and we were both brimming with excitement.

I, on the other hand, had been working on another plan for quite some time. I was going to propose to Emily on our vacation and was carrying with me the proper piece of hardware required to make such an effort. I had taken the day that we were leaving off from work for what Emily thought was a dentist appointment. As far as she knew, the dentist had discovered a cavity the week before and said I needed to get it filled before I left. The truth was that, after more than a month of searching for the perfect ring, I had arranged to finally pick up the one that I had chosen from the jeweler. Be at the jewelry store at 10am and on the plane to Italy at 6:00pm.... what could possibly go wrong!? Thankfully, I pulled it off!

Two days later, Emily and were walking through the narrow, winding streets of Capri. We were both in heaven as we twisted our way through the town exploring shops, trying different foods, and doing our best to get lost in the maze of interlinked, unnamed streets. I had not planned out how I was going to propose to Emily, but I had thought all along that Capri would be a good option. I thought that, at some point, I would realize that the time was now, and the place was here. Well, there we were, and I knew it was time to act… almost.

“Let’s get a glass of wine.” I said to Emily. So I needed a little liquid courage, big deal! We stopped in a wine bar and sat down for a glass of vino. We paid and left, and continued our journey. As we walked back to the town center, we found ourselves looking up at a staircase that led to a high street level. Two nuns were making their way slowly down. Emily wanted to see what was up there and I obliged.

As we reached the top of the staircase, there was a small sign that read “Vista Panoramica 100 Metri”. We decided to check it out. As we walked up the inclined street, we passed door after door. These were the entrances to people’s homes, nestled way up on a hill overlooking this beautiful island. “What a place to live” I thought. “How do they get their furniture up to these houses?” Emily said. Always the pragmatist, that one.

After walking for what seemed to be much more that one hundred meters, we came to an overlook that was partially obscured by branches from the trees that grew on the hillside. What a letdown. We took a few pictures and were about to turn back when Emily said “Let’s keep going, maybe there is something further down the path.” I agreed, and we continued onward.

After walking for another five minutes, we emerged from the tree lined path into a place that I will forever remember.

We stood on a terrace, hundreds of feet above the clear, blue ocean. The sun shone down gently upon our faces. We could see people below us that looked like tiny little ants milling about. In the distance stood two massive rock formations protruding from the sea, like sentinels charged with protecting the island from harm. I could hear soft voices in the distance and the faint clinking of forks against plates as a family settled down for a late meal. Emily peered over the edge of the terrace down towards the ocean.

I knew that this was the place. I had the ring. I had the courage. It was now or never.

Ditch the Pillow

A trend we've seen a lot of lately is ring bearers toting anything but pillows and we LOVE it! From moss to sand dollars to nests, why go old school? Here are some options we love...

Moss pillow surrounded by birch bark. Photo courtesy of Aphrodite Wedding Photography

Similar to the moss idea, but a different take...

Love this nest idea from Etsy seller thepaperynook

Or if you want to go the more traditional route with an actual pillow try spicing it up with these options.

Dupioni silk with a shimmery gold backing from Wedzu seller Maihar Design

A "green" ring bearer pillow in lush cable knit upcycled from an old (and laundered) sweater. Wedzu seller Lillian's Garden.

Or take a tip from one of our brides and use some fabric with meaning to create your own ring pillow, like a swatch from your mother's wedding dress!

Here's a tip: No matter what you choose to carry your rings, use fake rings instead of the real ones. Slippery ribbon + young kids = disaster! Make sure the ring makes it on your finger by having the best man hold onto them. Nobody will know the difference!

Winter Wonderland Wedding

With multiple feet of snow surrounding The Wedding Belle offices, we can't help but think back to a fabulous winter wedding we did complete with snow globes, pomanders that looked like snow balls, a cake with snowflakes impressed in the fondant... so many gorgeous wintery details. So pull up a blanket, grab some hot cocoa and embrace the snow! This couple did...

Bouquets of white with silver accents illuminated by white pillar candles.

Crystals reflect the element of ice

The brides bouquet

Pomanders that look like snow balls... no throwing allowed!

Escort cards "in the snow". Notice the subtle pops of glitter.

This scene reminds of sitting by the fire in a ski lodge... so warm and cozy

Snow globe centerpieces, with actual snow!

Illuminated by waterproof LEDs

All the elements made for a perfect winter wonderland wedding!

The winter is such a fantastic time to have a wedding. Not only is the season magical but you can score some great deals on venues and vendors! Planning a winter wedding? Make sure you have an inclement weather plan!

Now go make some snow angels.

Final Office Update and an Invitation!

So you have had a sneak peak of the storage/spare office and Leslie’s Office, but what about the main meeting space? Below you will find some before and after images to give you a hint of the EXPERIENCE of visiting us. This isn’t just an office space, this is truly a space where dreams become reality and love fills your heart! You can’t help but feel the warmth as soon as you open the door and step inside. Remember – these images don’t show the finished product! If you want to see that, you will simply have to come visit. You can schedule an appointment by calling our new main line 603-828-1525 or come to our Open House in February! Details are at the end of this post…

This is the view of the office the day Leslie first walked through the door…

What will eventually be the design space where clients can get a first-hand look into their wedding day!

More blue boxes! They are just so mysterious!

The view looking into the office spaces

Hard to believe, but this is the focal wall for the entire office…hmmm…really? But wait! Leslie has a plan!

Blue boxes gone…

Much brighter…that looks like white? Could it be plain white paint? Never! Not with Leslie at the helm! Texture is the name of the game in this space!

Here is the focal wall – looking much more stoic! Eggplant Venetian Plaster…royal, regal, stunning!

Linen walls created with paint, glaze and wax! Gorgeous and neutral enough to blend and change with each wedding created within this space.

Some assembly required…

A motto that we hope will follow our couples as the walk out the door!

Words to live by… Who's photos are going in these frames??

Assembly done! Now picture looking at this while…

sitting on this!

The new view from the front door

To see the finished product please join us for our Open House on

Saturday February 19, 2011

2:00PM – 6:00PM

at

453 Central Ave, Suite 102

Franklin Galleria, Lower Level

Dover, NH 03820

Visit the event page here