Swetsville Zoo

I've been to many zoo's in my time, but the Swetsville Zoo has to be the most unique I've experienced! Just outside of Fort Collins in the small community of Timnath, CO you can encounter all sorts of interesting creations, shapes and textures to photograph. I've posted a few images from my recent visit...
Unfortunately, big business has moved in next door and it appears the Swetsville Zoo may be down and out and looking for new homes for it's creatures. This article explains it a little more. It's worth a visit if you're looking for something new and unique.











More Brides Considering Cutting Budget DueTo Economy


This latest wedding stat, courtesy of TheWeddingReport.com, shows the percentage of brides that are actively cutting costs for their wedding due to the recent economic downturn in 2009.

Only 33% of brides surveyed claimed they are not cutting their overall wedding budget at all, while 18% of brides stating they will cut between 10-20 percent.

If you had to cut something from your wedding, due to budget constraints, what would it be?

Also, if you're looking for some wedding budget tips and advice, head on over here and see the latest cost-cutting wedding ideas submitted by BrideTide.com members!

Are you willing to take the 2009 Wedding Pledge?

"I will publish a blog post on Tuesday 21st April about a person in the wedding industry whom I admire but only if 20 other bloggers will do the same."

Something very special is happening in the wedding industry on April 21, 2009.

Will you be part of it?
Sign The Pledge

Will Your Wedding Have A Tweet of Honor?

An emerging trend in the bridal scene is changing the way couples choose to share their special day with distant relatives and friends.

Imagine being at a wedding and seeing someone in the crowd typing furiously on their phone or laptop as if they didn’t even know there was a life changing celebration going on just feet away. Would you say something to them? Would you simply dismiss it as a rude inconsiderate act? Well, don’t be too quick to judge. This person could be immersed in their own little digital world at the exact request of the bride and groom. Allow us to explain.

A recent press release by Hitched.co.uk suggests that engaged couples now need to begin appointing a new key role in their wedding party. They explain that along with your Best Man and Bridesmaids, you now need to make sure you choose someone to be your Chief Twitter.

So what’s a Chief Twitter? {We like Tweet of Honor better)
In simple terms, a couple’s Tweet of Honor, is a specific person designated by the couple whose role is to keep everyone who can’t be at your wedding up to date via short Twitter messages.

On their website, Hitched.co.uk even goes as far as suggesting the ideal main elements that make up the duties for this new wedding role:

- The Tweet of Honor will be required to register an Twitter address for your wedding day : Example: BobSue2009
- The Tweet of Honor will email your virtual guests with the address so they can follow along during the day
- This person will also update Twitter frequently throughout the big day so everyone know when the couple arrives at the church and the exact moment the vows are exchanged.
- Also be required to read out any messages of good luck that have been sent back after the event.

We figure a Tweet of Honor can be either a male or a female and could very well be a text savvy teenager who would probably appreciate the opportunity to stay connected to the Internet throughout the entire day.

Although we understand the concept, we just still don’t get this wedding fad. But, we could be wrong.

So, I guess my only question to you is:
What would you do if someone asked you to be his or her Tweet of Honor?


Wedding Stat of the Week: How Far Brides Travel To Purchase Bridal Shower Invitaitons

We love sharing these cool little wedding statistics with all of our readers.

Courtesy of The Wedding Report

2009 Bridesmaids Market Report

2009 bridesmaid wedding report

This week, The Wedding Report released a new 2009 report and dataset detailing trends in the bridesmaid segment of the wedding industry.
Here are some highlights:

• There are an average 4.3 bridesmaids per wedding accounting for an estimated 9.53 million bridesmaids spending $9.61 billion.

• A single bridesmaid will spend $1,009 on dress to travel and the number of bridesmaids per wedding is expected to increase by 10.6% to 10.54 million by 2014, pushing the average bridesmaids per wedding to 4.5.

• The average bridesmaid will spend an estimated 2% more in 2014 than 2009 moving the average spend to $1,029. The 2014 market value is estimated to be $10.85 billion.

• Besides general cost growth, the average cost of a wedding spending is expected to remain relatively flat. The two biggest factors driving growth are 1) increased number of weddings and 2) a growth in the average number of bridesmaids.

• The bridesmaid dataset includes a detailed breakdown of expense categories at the US, State, Metro, City, and Zip Code level.



Stay current and up-to-date on all the newest wedding market trends.

Wedding Cake Made From 80 Pac Man Cupcakes


This was just submitted to our Offbeat category on our site and we simply had to share.  Looks like the original source came from here.  Could you imagine the entire wedding theme? Sweet.



Like unforgettable cakes? Try Cake Wrecks
:)

Collection of Free Planning Tools From Eco Chic Wedding

This wonderful collection of planning tools from Eco Chic Wedding are free for you to download and print. Click on each tool/icon for more details.

To reduce the amount of ink used while printing, the great folks over at Eco Chic Wedding have formatted all the files in grayscale. Although using a paperless online planner would be a more eco-friendly tool, we understand it is not always the most practical when you are away from your computer visiting vendors and sourcing venues.

When printing this planner, we encourage you to print multiple pages on one sheet. Click here for multi-page printing instructions.

Send us your thoughts!

Top 100 Wedding Blogs (and Twitters) To Follow In 2009


best wedding blogs


top wedding blogsBelow you will find the best & most popular active wedding blogs that truly create, drive and inspire the pulse of our bridal industry. If available, we tried to also include their tweet info so you can easily follow them on @Twitter. Also, if you notice, we did not list all 100, but instead opted for leaving a bit of room to add the blogs we accidentally forgot about. Please note that this is by no means an exhaustive list of all of the great wedding blogs out there. Send us an email to suggest a wedding blog or update your information. Thanks and congrats to the blogs listed!



DIY Wedding
Follow the latest trends in do-it-yourself wedding projects. Save some money by checking out these DIY wedding blogs.

DIYbride
A weblog and community dedicated to do-it-yourself wedding projects.
@DIYbride
http://www.diybride.com/

100 Layer Cake
Crafting your wedding, layer by layer.
http://100layercake.com/blog/

Etsy Wedding
Shop for unique, handmade wedding items on Etsy, a global handmade marketplace.
@Etsy
http://etsy.com

The Handcrafted Wedding
The cure for the common wedding.
http://blog.thehandcraftedwedding.com/

iDiY
Design Goodies for ìI Doî-it-yourseself weddings
@iDIYblog
http://www.i-do-it-yourself.com/

2000 Dollar Wedding
Budget-minded, hand-crafted, eco-friendly tips + advice
http://2000dollarwedding.com/

Design, Style & Fashion
Find chic wedding styles and the hottest bridal designs and fashions for your special day at one of these blogs.

Syle Me Pretty
For the style obsessed bride.
@StyleMePretty
http://www.stylemepretty.com/

Wedding Paper Divas
Wedding News, Articles & Guides On Invitations, Planning, Cards & Etiquette.
@WeddingPaprDiva
http://blog.weddingpaperdivas.com/

StyleSchool from InStyle Weddings
Inspiring celebrity wedding fashions, tips and tricks.
http://styleschool.instyleweddings.com/

Polka Dot Bride
Polka Dot Bride is an Australian wedding blog dedicated to inspiring you to create a beautiful wedding uniquely yours.
@PolkaDotBride
http://www.polkadotbride.com/wp/

Offbeat Bride
Altar your way of thinking and dare to walk off the beaten aisle.
http://offbeatbride.com/

Austin Wedding Blog
Trendy and chic wedding resource from Austin,TX.
@AustinWeddings
http://www.austinweddingblog.com

Yellow Flowers
Shares her creative ideas with anyone who is looking for something beautiful to give to their guests.
http://www.austinweddingblog.com/2012/05/yellow-flowers-that-inspire.html

Perfect Bound
Bridal, Style, Design and Dish
http://perfectbound.blogspot.com/

Bridal Cheek
A journey toward non-traditional wedding bliss, with style.
http://bridalcheek.wordpress.com/

Lucky Me
The Official blog of Lucky Designs
@luckydesigns
http://www.eluckyme.com/

Santa Barbara | Wedding Chic
For the destination bride who canít leave her style at home.
http://www.kellyoshiroevents.com/blog/

Vintage Glam Weddings Blog
Vintage wedding styles and trends.
@vintageglam
http://vintageglamblog.com/

Trendsetting Wedding
A modern blog with romantic flair that is dedicated to providing wedding planning ideas
@trendsettingwed
http://trendsettingwedding.typepad.com/

Eco & Green
Finds tons of info on having an eco-friendly green wedding event with the help of these creative ethical blogs.

Earth Friendly Weddings
The official blog of EarthlyAffairs.com.
http://earthfriendlywedding.blogspot.com/

Blue Planet Wedding
Green, ethical and eco-friendly wedding information.
http://www.blueplanetwedding.com/blog/

Ethical Weddings
Give everone something to celebrate.
@ethicalweddings
http://ethicalweddings.com/blog/

Inspiration
Find the bridal inspiration you need for your wedding day and beyond by visiting one of these thought leader blogs.

The Ritzy Bee
Little details that make events, weddings + life so charming and fun!
http://www.ritzybee.typepad.com/

The Unbride
Covers weddings that are both unconventional and unforgettable.
@justineungaro
http://theunbride.net/

Blogger Brides
A wonderful online blogging community brought to you by GetMarried.com
@GetMarried
http://www.bloggerbrides.com

Bridal Buzz
The latest and greatest trends, products and inspirations for all kinds of weddings and events.
http://bridalbuzz.blogspot.com/

Blush Events
Dedicated to everything pretty, some things wedding, and a little bit of life.
http://blushevents.blogspot.com/

Classic Bride
Classic Bride is a daily blog that strives to celebrate a balance between the traditions of yesterday and the modern trends of today.
http://classicbride.blogspot.com/

Junebug Weddings
Its easy to see that Junebug Weddings is an absolute fanatic about wedding planning, fashion, food, shopping, creativity and beauty of all kinds.
http://junebugweddings.com/blogs

Our One Heart
The blog is now part of the fantastic network of Blisstree.
http://www.blisstree.com/ouroneheart/

Wedding Fanatic
Inspiration and style from a fellow wedding fanatic.
http://www.weddingfanatic.com/

Oh Joy!
Soft + Pretty = Style
http://ohjoy.blogs.com/my_weblog/here_comes_the_bride/

Inspired Goodness
Your source for creative and distinct ideas for your next event.
http://www.inspiredgoodness.typepad.com/

A $10,000 Wedding
Can she do it?
http://tenthousandonly.blogspot.com/

The Wedding Chicks
Connecting Sassy Brides
@weddingchicks
http://www.weddingchicks.com/blog/

Bellissima Vita Blog
Fun + Fresh ideas for Weddings and Beyond.
http://www.bvweddings.com/blog/

Hostess With The Mostess
Fabulous finds + Inspiration for contemporary entertaining
http://www.hostessblog.com/

Sparkliatti
Presented by Sasha Souza.
@sparkliatti
http://thealisters.typepad.com/sparkliatti/

Snippet & Ink
Daily Wedding Inspiration.
http://snippetandink.blogspot.com/

Weddingbee
Weddingbee is a wedding blog updated daily by 20 or so real brides across the world.
http://www.weddingbee.com/

The Blissful Bride
Living + Learning + Loving All Things Wedding.
http://theblissfulbride.blogspot.com/

Brendas Wedding Blog
Daily inspiration for the one-of-a-kind bride and groom
@weddingsites
http://www.brendasweddingblog.com/blogs/

Intimate Weddings
Prroviding brides with a slew of planning articles, as well as a place to find the ideal venue for their small wedding.
@intimatewedding
http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog/

Savvy Scoop | OneWeds Bridal Blog
The official wedding blog of OneWeds
@OneWed
http://www.onewed.com/blog/savvy-scoop

PWP Wedding Blog
Products With Personality Wedding Favors Blog is designed with you in mind.
@PWPonline
http://blog.pwponline.com

Color your wedding beautiful with this wonderful blog.
@PerfectPalette
http://theperfectpalette.blogspot.com/

The Pink Book Blog
Classic + Cutting edge inspiration for your magical day!
http://ebrideconnect.com/

Practical
This group of blogs offers stylish practical wedding tips & ideas to make your event even more special.

Simply Stated
This blog from RealSimple.com is a must for finding information about simplifying your life.
http://browse.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/weddings/index.html

WeddingWire Blog
Plan. Share. Organize
@WeddingWire
http://blog.weddingwire.com/

Simply Modern Weddings
Fresh. Chic. Simple
http://simplymodernweddings.wordpress.com/

Cynthia Martyn Events Style Blog
Elegant ideas.
@cynthiamartyn
http://cynthiamartyn.typepad.com/

Truly Engaging
Celebrating the Big picture
@TrulyHeidi

The Lazy Bride's Guide

Quick tips for the Lazy Bride who wants a fabbo wedding but doesn't have the time.
@LazyBride
http://www.LazyBride.com

A Practical Wedding
Creative. Thrifty. Sane.
http://www.apracticalwedding.com/

Vendors
These vendor blogs have a lot to offer for planning, style, and more.
Weddingbee Pro
Weddingbee PRO is a blog updated daily by some of the most talented wedding vendors in the industry today.
http://www.weddingbeepro.com/

Lemiga Events
Exquisite Design + Flawless Coordination
@lemiga
http://lemiga.blogspot.com/

Pink Cake Box Blog
The Pink Cake Box Blog is a must read for some sweet inspiration.
@pinkcakebox
http://blog.pinkcakebox.com/

Blue Orchid Designs
Luxury is in the details.
http://www.blueorchidblog.com/

The Wish Blog
It all started with two women entrepreneurs and a wish to fulfill a special niche in the wedding marketplace.
@WishLaura
http://www.wishspecialevents.com/blog/

Rice Ink
A peek into the days + ways of an artist turned stationery designer
@RiceInk
http://www.custominvitationlady.com/

BeSpoke | A White Box Blog
It is thinking inside The White Box.
@TheWhiteBox
http://www.thewhiteboxblog.com

Pearl Events
By Aletha Vander Maas
@Aletha
http://www.pearlseventsblog.com/

Wedding News
Get the latest wedding news and stay up-to-date on the latest buzz in the bridal industry.

BrideTide
The Official website for user-generated wedding news. A constant flow of bridal info.
@BrideTide
http://www.bridetide.com

Wedded Bits Blog
Expert bridal advice, tips, trend coverage plus celebrity wedding news.
@brides
http://www.brides.com/blog/weddedbits/index.html

Planning Advice
If you are seeking help with etiquette, trends, or just completing projects, these blogs have what youíre looking for.

WhollyMatrimony!
WM! was started in 1998, making it one of the older online websites full of everything wedding related.
@whollymatrimony
http://whollymatrimony.com/

Martha Stewart Weddings
The Bride's Guide: Ideas from the Editors of Martha Stewart Weddings
@MarthaStewart
http://blogs1.marthastewart.com/weddings/

Simply Dazzling Events
Wedding planning advice + wedding and lifestyle eye candy!
@simplydazz
http://simplydazzlingevents.blogspot.com/

Always A Blogsmaid
Wedding Advice and tips to help brides get married with less stress and more style.
@theblogsmaid
http://alwaysabridesmaid.typepad.com/

MyWedding.com Blog
Great advice articles and bridal trend coverage.
http://www.mywedding.com/blogs/mywed/

Bride Diva
Not Your Momma's Wedding Advice.
@AllDivaMedia
http://www.bridediva.com/

Planning | Forever Events Blog
For the love of laughter and wedding planning.
@planningforever
http://planningforever.com/blog/

Tried and True Weddings
The advice to get you something borrowed, something blue.
http://www.triedandtrueweddings.com

Wedding Etiquette by Luxurious Weddings
Dedicated to bringing you the best resources to complete your wedding planning.
http://www.luxuriousweddingetiquette.blogspot.com/

Globetrotting Bride
Where travel + weddings collide in style.
@travelbride
http://globetrottingbride.com/

OTHER
Complete your arsenal of everything wedding related and visit these other bridal resources.

Celebrating excellent wedding blogs online
http://www.weddingblogawards.com/

Here Comes The Guide
Your insiderís guide to California weddings and events
http://www.herecomestheguide.com/blog/

Green Wedding Shoes
Daily wedding inspiration for the Southern California Bride
@grnweddingshoes
http://greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com/

The Man Registry | Grooms Advice Blog
Wedding registry for men + top groom's resource for wedding planning information including bachelor parties.
@themanregistry
http://groomsadvice.com

Away Soiree
The Events by Evonne blog.
@EventsbyEvonne
http://awaysoiree.com/

Blue-Eyed Bride
A southern newly wed from Louisiana + little something extra.
http://akincarroll.blogspot.com/

Wedding Podcast Network
The largest, most comprehensive collection of original wedding talk radio programming for couples planning their wedding.
http://www.weddingpodcastnetwork.com/

Bliss Event Group
Bliss is a Wedding & Event Planning Company in North Carolina, Destin, Pensacola, Mobile, Birmingham, Atlanta and the Florida Gulf Coast.
http://www.blisseventgroup.net/

Southern Weddings
The Daily SW BlogSite highlights the best in real Southern weddings and incredible event details from all over the country.
@laracasey
http://www.swsmag.net/

TeamWedding.com
Helpful online wedding planning guide with 100's of wedding ideas.
@TopWeddingSites
http://www.TeamWedding.com

TheKnot.com Community
The popular wedding resource that is a haven for brides sharing ideas.
http://community.theknot.com/cs/ks/community/default.aspx

Wedding Channel
At WeddingChannel, you can get wedding ideas for wedding gifts as well as search couples' online registries.
@WeddingChannel
http://www.weddingchannel.com/

Project Wedding
Project Wedding - plan your wedding with confidence.
@project_wedding
http://www.projectwedding.com/

Dallas Wedding Planner Blog
Dallas Wedding Planner presents this great bridal resource.
http://dallasbrides.wordpress.com/

iVillage Weddings
Where you'll find all of the top wedding planning essentials.
http://weddings.ivillage.com/

Bridezilla
Get the bridezilla perspective on wedding planning , wedding etiquette, fashion, lifestyle and much more.
http://www.bridezilla.com/

CakeWrecks
A gallery of deformed, distasteful and bizarrely decorated wedding and birthday cakes.
@cakewrecks
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/


wedding blogs

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Snow Finale?

_______________________________________________________________________________________
It's March and I'm already missing the snow! Snow has a wonderful way of transforming the mundane into something spectacular, or in this case, something worth a closer look. It's not difficult to find interesting things to photograph near my neighborhood in Fort Collins, just a little patience and some warm clothes. In the meantime, I hope we get at least one more snow-fall; before too long green buds will be poking through to a new season. Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure.

* every now and then I like to play with photoshop - can you spot which one!?