Today kicks off Caroline & Evan Photography’s Anniversary Special! You see, Caroline & Evan are a fabulous husband and wife photography team, and their wedding anniversary is this month (just like mine)! So when we were talking about doing a little something special to celebrate the awesome shoot we did together, we decided that it would be super fun to celebrate their anniversary too! So now, because I really like celebrating things and so do they, YOU (if you don’t already have your wedding photographer that is) get to celebrate with us too!

Free stuff is always pretty awesome, right?! ;) No need for giveaway entries or anything like that… all you have to do to take part in Caroline & Evan’s Anniversary Special is inquire with them by May 20th! Super easy, right?! So go learn a little more about them over at their ELV listing, check out their AWESOME website, and then email or call them- and be sure to do it before May 20th!

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE celebrating things… especially when it’s about love! So now it’s time to CELEBRATE! :)

Rachael, who said…

Congratulations Rachael! I will be emailing you shortly for your address! And to all you who entered, thank you SO much for the sweet words and for helping to spread the word about ELD! I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you! I love you all! :)

It’s TIME! In honor of Every Last Detail’s 2 year Blogiversary, I’m doing a GIVEAWAY! It’s true, I usually don’t do giveaways here on ELD, but this time it’s special. I want to thank you all for being such awesome readers, and so I’m giving away 15 of these acrylic table numbers!

The font of these table numbers is a modern block, in white. The winner of this giveaway will receive 15 numbers- and if you have more than 15 tables, no worries- we’ll work something out! ;) So if you think these table numbers would be perfect for your wedding, or even for a friend’s wedding, go ahead and enter!

I have a few different ways to enter. When you complete each, just leave a comment on this post- each comment will count as an entry!

1. Comment on this post with why you love Every Last Detail, how it’s helped you in planning your wedding, and/or what you hope to see more of on ELD in the future!

2. If you tweet, follow me and @ELDBlog and tweet, “Happy Blogiversary to @ELD_Lauren! I want to win these table numbers! http://ow.ly/7RXJi”

3. If you’re a Facebook-er, Like ELD, and then tag Every Last Detail in a status saying, “Happy Blogiversary to Every Last Detail! I want to win these table numbers! http://ow.ly/7RXJi”

4. And just for the heck of it, if you don’t already, go ahead and follow me on Pinterest and pin an image from this post!

So there you have it- 4 chances for entries to win these table numbers! For the methods that require you to go elsewhere and tweet, Facebook, or pin, don’t forget to comment here saying you did it! :) So now go on and get your entries in and tell your friends! A winner will be announced on Monday the 12th!

And the winner is….

Congratulations Melissa! I will be emailing you, so keep an eye out for my email! And for everyone who entered the giveaway, thank you so much! If you would still like the book, you can find it here!

I’ll be honest- at first I was skeptical of this book, as I am with all “wedding planning” books, mostly because the ones that I read didn’t help me at all in planning my own wedding. But when I actually flipped through “How I Planned Your Wedding” and read a few pages, I was sold. Mostly because it’s written by a mother and her daughter about their experience in planning a wedding together. I planned my wedding with my mother (and a planner) and let me tell you- it was an interesting experience. :)

So what is “How I Planned Your Wedding” all about?

You basically join Elizabeth (the daughter) and her mother (Susan) through the process of planning her wedding. It’s always helpful to learn from other people’s experiences, and Elizabeth shares all of hers in the book! From choosing a dress and bridesmaids and finding a wedding planner to gift registries, thank you notes, and the day of the wedding, there is a lot of “real bride” advice in this book- and stories to back it all up too!

Elizabeth’s mom, Susan, shares her own perspective with other mothers of the bride, suggesting they try to provide a sea of calm and maintain the voice of reason—even as they waffle between delight at their daughter’s happiness and denial that they can’t be old enough to be the mother of a bride. It’s absolutely perfect to share with your mom!

Before I get down to business with the giveaway, I thought I would share some excellent advice from the mother & daughter authors:

The single best piece of advice that Elizabeth gives a bride: DON’T FREAK OUT. No matter what happens, or how much you want to stab your mother, your wedding will be the happiest day of your life. Just keep your eye on the prize. And the prize is not the $15,000 Oscar de la Renta gown; it’s the man with tears in his eyes watching you walk down the aisle to become his wife.

Why Elizabeth recommends a wedding planner: I was planning the wedding while living in Chicago, and I needed people on the ground in Seattle. A good wedding planner pays for herself many times over, and that was definitely my experience with my team. In the end, they managed to negotiate some amazing deals for us that saved thousands of dollars—way more than they cost. Also, they kept me from going all Exorcist on my mom when we were disagreeing with one another.

The single best piece of advice for the mother of the bride: Don’t ever lose sight of the ultimate goal of this whole process–the launching of a magnificent new love. If you’re doing something that doesn’t nudge you toward that goal, like shrieking over the cost of vegan cupcakes, stop and take a breath. And above all, leave the Spanx at home. Nobody will think less of you if you forget to put on your Spanx.

EXCELLENT advice from both of them! From what I’ve seen, most of the time brides and mothers ask their friends about their own wedding experiences and then base their decisions on that. “How I Planned Your Wedding” will definitely provide some great insight for a bride and her mom who are working together to plan a wedding!

And now for the giveaway! In addition to receiving a copy of “How I Planned Your Wedding”, the winner will also receive a $50 Sephora gift card! Um, I wish I could win!! :) So here are ways you can enter to win:

1. Comment on this post with why you and your mom would love to have this book.

2. Become a fan of ELD on Facebook and post a status update with “I want to win ‘How I Planned Your Wedding’ and a Sephora gift card on Every Last Detail!” tagging Every Last Detail, and then commenting again on this post.

3. Follow ELD on Twitter and tweet “I want to win ‘How I Planned Your Wedding’ and a Sephora gift card on @ELD_Lauren!” and of course comment again on this post.

So you have 3 ways that you can enter. You can do just one or you can do all 3! The more entries, the better chance you have of winning! :) The winner will be announced Monday of next week (the 23rd, also my anniversary)! So let the entries begin!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored giveaway from Big Honcho Media and Every Last Detail. Every Last Detail has in actuality received and reviewed the featured giveaway product. Big Honcho Media is responsible for providing the winner with the prize.

Thank you all for your comments! And thank you for the birthday wishes too!

But now, I AM making a big deal of it with a GIVEAWAY to say thank you for being such awesome readers! I’m putting together a little gift basket for whomever the winner may be- the fabulous pink and gray shoe clips by LindenLovebirds from last week’s shoot, and some Kiwi Smiling Feet products to make your feet feel ten times better when you’re wearing the pretty clips!

So here’s what you have to do to enter the giveaway:

Leave a comment on this post of what your favorite wedding detail is- favors, table numbers, escort cards, decor items, etc. The comment must include the type of detail and a description- it could be something that you’ve seen before, or something that you haven’t seen but are dreaming up! So get to commenting! The winner will be selected on my birthday- Thursday!

Lauren of Ten23Designs has such fabulous products. They’re that perfect bit of personalization to add to any wedding!

And the winner is….

Ginger!

Ginger, I will be sending you an email with details on how to claim your “prize” of a $25 gift certificate towards your favorite custom decal by Ten23Designs.

As a thank you to everyone who entered, Lauren is offering {ELD} readers 10% off custom orders of $50 and up through the month of March! Thank you for that great offer Lauren!  Be on the lookout for the next {ELD} Giveaway soon!

Lauren of Ten23Designs has teamed up with {ELD} to do a $25 gift certificate giveaway! Lauren creates custom decals for just about anything! Decals can designed as monograms, a design, your name…Lauren says that if you can think it, she can make it! You can put the decals on your walls, on a dance floor, on a car window…wherever your heart desires! The decals are removable, and they won’t leave behind any sticky residue. These are a great way to add personalization to your wedding, especially if you’re carrying some sort of theme throughout! These are absolutely perfect for a dance floor or decorating your “getaway car”!

To enter the giveaway, just visit www.ten23designs.com and leave a comment on this post mentioning your favorite dance floor decal or monogram design. You can also earn extra entries by following Lauren’s blog or {ELD} or by following us on Twitter (Lauren of Ten23Designs and Lauren of {ELD})!

The giveaway entry period will last 2 weeks, and the winner will be announced on Tuesday, March 2! Get your entries in to win a $25 gift certificate for something amazing from Ten23Designs!

Joanna of Joanna Wilson Photography is celebrating her 6th year of business by giving away 2 portrait sessions! One will be for a couple or family in New York, and the other for a couple or family in California!

In Joanna’s words:

“We are asking you to submit your WORST family or couple’s portrait. And we mean WORST. Blurry, blown out and big hair are only some of the attributes of the photos we’re after. Send us your digital images, or scan in old 70s, 80s and certainly 90s portraits and email them to us. You can even mail us old prints if you’d like — we’ll scan them for you! Over the next two weeks, we’ll be posting some of our favorites on the JWP blog.