Capsule

Bridesmaid Gifts!

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:34:00 -0400

Sisters…best friends…how do you say “thank you” for standing up for you on your big day and all of their efforts to help make this special time in your life so meaningful? Since they have expended valuable time and money on your behalf, it is incumbent upon you to find a personal way to show your appreciation. It doesn’t need to cost a fortune or create more inconvenience. Just plan a simple luncheon on the day of the rehearsal dinner!

It is not the venue or menu that matter—heartfelt words and thoughtful tokens are what will make it all worthwhile for these treasured women in your life. Spend some time searching for a gift that reflects your personality, or make it yourself! Use your clever imagination to tie it to your luncheon toast. A hand-knit scarf could be a metaphor for the warmth of your friendship, a designer clutch represents something that is always near and has just what you need for a night out on the town or that unexpected emergency, and decadent chocolates symbolize the rich, sweetness of a dear friend. If you need a little help thinking outside the box, check out the theKnot’s 50 inspiring bridesmaid gift ideas here. Remember…you wouldn’t be who you are today without them, so show them your love!

Creativity > $

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:44:00 -0400

Small wedding budget got you down? Think outside the box! Just because you can’t afford to host your reception in a castle doesn’t mean it can’t still be the storybook wedding of your dreams. Lauren and DJ did just that…for under $5,000! (Check out their Featured Capsule Gallery to see all the details.)

This romantically rustic barn setting in rural Alabama provided the perfect backdrop for an intimate, homemade wedding—the kind that is so beautifully natural, it just feels “meant to be”. Creative, savvy and utilizing the internet for inspiration, this energetic couple managed to transform a barnyard field into their own personal wedding stage. DJ collected discarded old wood from rundown local farms and built the simple, yet sophisticated wooden wall to frame the ceremony and add texture to the venue. On top of scouring for great deals on wedding wear, including finding her gorgeous gown on a $100-off-everything-on-clearance day, Lauren used burlap and fabric to give a crafty feel to wedding bouquets, boutonnieres and centerpieces. Operating within a limited budged does not have to limit your wedding experience! Check out the fabulous photos of how this couple not only pulled it off and came in under budget, but according to Lauren, “Everything meant so much more to us because of the time we spent working on it and the fun we had doing it!”

See all the details of Lauren & DJ’s wedding in their Featured Capsule Gallery!

Blushing Bride or Bridezilla?

Thu, 09 May 2013 15:06:30 -0400

Congratulations on your engagement! There are so many plans to make before you walk down the aisle on the day you have dreamed about since you were a little girl. You are determined to create the perfect wedding…careful…there is a fine line between “organized bride” and “bridezilla”! Avoid the three major pitfalls that can turn the happiest time of your life into tension-filled disaster.

There is a tendency for brides to think that they can do it all. Resist the urge to become a “Superbride”, spending every moment on wedding planning, you will burn out! Delegate the stuffing of envelopes and bundling of party favors to the loving friends that want to help and then, let them do it! Don’t be bossy and controlling. You have chosen the special people in your life to stand beside you at the altar, just as they have stood beside you in life. They are not your brides “maids”, they are your best friends. You are asking them to spend money on dresses and parties; be appreciative. Finally, and most importantly, remember your fiancé. Let the one person who has agreed to spend the rest of their life with you be involved in the preparations and make sure to take time together to enjoy the anticipation of your future! Wedding planning is just the beginning of forever. Make it something you both want to remember!

Congrats to Kendra & Tom! See their wedding in our new "Featured Gallery"

Tue, 07 May 2013 15:53:00 -0400

Destination weddings offer an ambiance ranging from incredibly personal to impersonally unnatural. Kendra and Tom’s wedding album proves that even if you ask friends and family to travel to the southernmost point of the USA, creativity and individuality can make for the most romantic of experiences for the betrothed and an unforgettable weekend for all their special guests. The bride and groom chose a tropical-themed wedding in Key West, Florida to celebrate their nuptials and judging by the photos, everyone was in vacation mode! The ultimate in elegant simplicity, the rhythmic dance of the ocean waves set the backdrop for tables covered in sand-colored linen, centered with unaffected floral arrangements of white orchids and hydrangeas, lit by crystal chandeliers strung through breezy palm trees. The bridesmaid dresses accented the venue with their own personal choice of style and shade of sunset orange, floor length gowns and the bride dazzled in her beaded ecru-toned bodice tied at the waist with matching ribbon over a white, silk mermaid skirt. There is too much to describe and so much more to inspire from this destination wedding…now you can see it all here and other original events at tryCapsule.com/featured!

Wedding Hair... Dazzling or Disastrous??

Wed, 01 May 2013 18:34:11 -0400

Your wedding day is a few months away, the gown of your dreams is ordered and now you are wondering what to do with your hair on the biggest day of your life. Remember those prom pictures with the fussy updo that made you look like your mom…or the not-so-classy photos of you as the maid of honor at your best friend’s reception, when you wore your hair down in long, soft curls that turned to tacky frizz by the end of the night? With trends ranging from elegantly glamorous to irresistibly innocent, it is not only the style that you must consider; many factors will influence whether your hair compliments your bridal beauty or whether you will never want to open that wedding album…ever!

Many brides are tempted to use their wedding day as an excuse to take “let’s play dress-up” to the extreme. Crazy, headache-inducing hairstyles, fake eyelashes that have never been tried before and spray tans are great ways to insure that not only will your fiancé not recognize you at the alter, but these fashion faux pas will haunt you each time you pass by the wedding portrait prominently displayed on top of your bedroom dresser. To avoid disappointment:

Cut out pictures in bridal magazines of hairstyles that you like on women with similarly shaped faces and hair length/texture.
Find a stylist that you trust and ask to see photos of their work.
Make an appointment months before the wedding for a trial run—bring magazine pictures, a photo of your dress, any hair accessories you plan to use and a camera.
Discuss issues with your stylist such as expected weather and how wildly you plan on dancing at the reception.
Do not make any radical changes in color, texture or length of your hair.
After your sample wedding day hair is done, have your stylist take pictures of you from every angle so that it can be recreated and because your wedding day photos will not all be taken from the front.

If your hair is everything you ever wanted, gorgeous from every angle and you still recognize yourself…go dancing! Make sure it holds up. Then, go home, take out all the bobby pins, look in the mirror and see if this is the way you want to look for the most memorable moments of your big day, the ones spent in the bridal lingerie! If not, make another appointment!

Wedding Music

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:57:10 -0400

The ceremony, venue, flowers and cuisine are the heart of your wedding…but the music is its soul. Make it personal, make it ROCK, make it yours! With so many options available, between a throw-back Motown band or hit-mixing DJ, choosing the sound is one of your most important wedding decisions and should be at the top of your to-do list. Although the average budget trend is 50% on catering and venue, 10% on flowers and decorations, 10% on photography (Capsule’s free ;)) and 20% on invitations, attire, transportation, etc., that leaves only 10% left to be spent on the one budget item responsible for all of the fun! Research is critical to stretching those dollars for maximum entertainment value; let’s face it, party favors and centerpieces will be forgotten, the dancing will not!

Live bands have a dynamic sound and know how to keep a wedding reception moving but there are limitations. Considerably more expensive, bands are also limited by the songs available in their repertoire, so it is critical that you take the time to study their song list and hear them live. Important issues to keep in mind are that they also take up more of the available dance floor space and you will be expected to provide meals for all members. DJs, on the other hand, are much more flexible for placement at the venue, tailoring the music to your specific tastes and providing an emcee for your reception. You can even provide a personalized script for the introduction of specific tunes that are meaningful to you and your friends and family. Whichever avenue you pursue, do your research and remember, the music IS the party…go with chicken instead of steak, order peonies instead of roses and pump up the dollars for the sound!

Invite All of Your Friends!

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:37:38 -0400

Ideally, you want to select your wedding venue after you have discussed your guest list and financial parameters with all the appropriate parties involved in the planning. Everyone envisions the special people in their lives that they expect will be in attendance to celebrate the big event, yet it is inevitable that lines will be drawn and difficult decisions will have to be made. In order to make this aspect of the wedding planning as non-confrontational as possible, start with a few lists.

Depending on how the event is being financed and by whom, you will need to decide what percentage of the entire guest list would be fair to both of you and your families. Then determine the “must haves” between the two of you and consider that “List A”: those friends and family with whom you enjoy close personal and enduring relationships. If you are limited by a pre-determined size constraint, you may need to stop there but it is worth the time to create “List B”: close high school friends you may have stayed touch with, co-workers with whom you expect a future, working relationship or relatives that are not a day-to-day part of our life but special to you, none-the-less. If size and money are not an issue, there is always the next tier of guests, “List C”.

Once you know exactly who and how many absolutely must be invited, the venue and budget issues can be resolved. It is important to keep in mind that if you set clear parameters for the invited, such as: aunts and uncles but no cousins, single friends without guests, then it is much easier to explain to someone why you were unable to extend an invitation. If you have your heart set on a small chapel, or a destination wedding with size constraints, or you are just unable to financially accommodate all of the special people in your lives, consider a post-honeymoon party. Instead of accepting someone’s generous offer to throw you another couple’s shower, why not suggest a wine and cheese reception to greet the newlyweds and invite all those friends you were unable to include in your wedding? Remember… “happiness is only real when shared” (Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild).

Wedding Stress??

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:49:01 -0400

So you are engaged…on top of all the things you were juggling, now you have a wedding to plan and finance! Your anxiety levels will definitely rise during this “happy time” and it is imperative that you make space in your day to balance the new pressure with moments of “you time”. Whether it’s yoga, reading a good book or quiet moments spent in meditation, schedule calendar time for your peace of mind and the health of your relationship. Let’s face it; life is demanding. Once the wedding has been paid for and all that tension has passed, don’t expect the rest of your days together to be a blissful, prolonged honeymoon. With each new blessing comes a new hurdle.

Home mortgages, colicky babies, inflexible in-laws—just a few of the pesky little problems that could arise at one time or another in every marriage. There is no better time to develop constructive coping skills, both as an individual and as a couple than during your engagement. It is impossible to offer your best self to your partner when your tolerance capacity is at its limit. Take a walk on the beach, spend some time with a friend or schedule a lavender-scented massage…for two!

TheKnot.com in paperback…a $12.95 investment will save thousands!

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:51:00 -0400

So he popped the question! Now what? With so many decisions to make, friends and family to contact, the bride can be overwhelmed with the how, when and where to initiate planning the most memorable day of her life. Following their great online planning success by offering comprehensive wedding planning advice and ideas, TheKnot.com has now made their invaluable checklists, timelines and tools available in an easy-to-carry book that will insure that all of the bride’s critical planning information and peace of mind are within reach throughout the dazzling whirlwind that follows, “Will you marry me?”

For just $12.95 on their website, The Knot Book of Wedding Lists by Carly Roney will save the bride, groom and their families thousands in the unexpected costs that arise from common wedding planning mistakes. With calendar-oriented tasks, it is a must-have for the bride, from the moment there is a wedding date circled with a big red heart on the calendar, to all that must be done until she says, “I do”. So why not have it right at your fingertips, conveniently tucked in your purse! For that matter, it is the perfect gift to alleviate unforeseen conflicts between bridesmaids and the mother-of-the-bride..buy a few.

Jerseymaid

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:49:00 -0400

Preceded by a parade of the beautiful sisters that have stood beside her through life’s journey, the glowing bride will float down the aisle in her stunning gown, personally selected to make her feel like the radiant princess she undoubtedly will be on her wedding day. She has spent hours, searching for the perfect dress to flatter her shape, convey her fashion savvy and insure the illusory image of her dreams is captured and memorialized in the wedding (Capsule) album. When each one is unique in their own way, why should her bridesmaids be conscripted in the uniform of a one-style-fits-all dress.

Check it out! Affordable for every budget and adaptable to any figure, The Jersey Maid convertible bridesmaid dress compliments every “body”!

The Anti-Wedding Invite Trend

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:35:00 -0400

Normally, you would find out that you weren’t invited to a wedding by simply not receiving a save-the-date or an invitation. You would come to your own conclusions about why you weren’t invited, whether it be budget constraints, a destination wedding, etc. But there’s a whole new wedding trend: sending an “anti-invite” to those who didn’t make the cut.

Discussions about wedding “un-invitation” etiquette are flooding forums on The Knot and other wedding blogs. Is it uncalled for? A snub? Or a gentle way to inform guests who assume they’re invited?

Check out The Knot Etiquette forum to see what other brides have to say about it! The Knot LIVE channel even shows editors talking about the topic!

http://blog.theknot.com/2013/03/11/how-to-tell-someone-theyre-not-invited-to-wedding/

Capsule Giveaway for Martha Stewart's Wedding Party in Chicago!

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:55:19 -0500

Wedding planning can become a crazy, stressful, expensive feat. But every so often, the clouds part and a ray of wedding planning hope descends upon us. Martha Stewart, goddess of event planning, is hosting her annual Wedding Planning Party in Chicago, and we want to give YOU the chance to be a part of this amazing day.

Attendees of Martha’s Party are in for a day of fashion, jewelry, goodies, hundreds of wedding vendors, and panels of event speakers, including representatives from Martha Stewart Weddings. There will be prizes galore raffled at the event. You don’t want to miss this day of fun and exposure to wedding ideas!

Capsule has been chosen as the official wedding photography app for the event. We will have a public capsule set up to capture all the inspiration and action! If you haven’t already, this is a chance for you to become familiarized with our product!

Lucky for you all, we have scored 6 FREE TICKETS to the event!! The event is THIS SUNDAY, March 10th, 2013.

All you have to do for a chance to win a ticket is follow the link below to our Facebook page, ‘Like’ Capsule, and write a short post on our timeline about what wedding inspiration you are looking for at Martha’s Party.

Winners will be chosen randomly, and will be contacted by Friday 3/8 at 5 pm PST. Good luck!

https://www.facebook.com/tryCapsule

Oscar Fashion: 5 Bridal Worthy Trends of Celebs

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:25:00 -0500

We all love getting together for Oscar parties, filling out sample ballots for the winning films and drinking champagne. The Oscars are not just about the films though, they are about the fashion! Every year there are a few “love it or hate it” trends on the Red Carpet. And this year, writers in the Huffington Post Weddings section have picked out 5 trends that are a definite “Do” for weddings. Jennifer Lawrence did stumble on her way to the podium to claim her statue, but she looked fabulous! Check out this link and see the wedding fashion buzz from this year’s Oscars

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bridal-guide/oscar-fashion-5-weddingwo_b_2759473.html?utm_hp_ref=weddings&ir=Weddings#slide=2152157

Prequels

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:42:34 -0500

Getting engaged means that you will be telling “the story” of your relationship leading up to the proposal dozens of times. There are plenty of couples for whom telling the story never gets old, especially since by the wedding day you will have perfected it down to every last detail. But wouldn’t it be lovely if you could tell the story to one person, and have them transcribe it for you? Enter Prequels.

We had the privilege of connecting with Denise Oliveira, one of the founders of Prequels.net, a service that professionally documents your love story. Oliveira interviews you and your partner about how you fell in love, your favorite relationship memories, and the details of the proposal. The final product is your story, composed into a written, newspaper-like piece of art. Essentially, shes capture everything that happened preproposal.

Oliveira and co-founder Jeremy Sierra, both writers who contribute to the Huffington Post and other publications, believe that every couple deserves to have their story written, and enjoy adding depth and meaning to every couple’s wedding experience. They will capture your story artistically and leave you with a keepsake that you will always cherish. And plus, referring your friends and wedding guests to this story means that you can spend less time talking and more time dancing the night away with your spouse ;)

We are sure you are pressed for wedding planning time already, so hurry and get your story written down at www.prequels.net !

The Dream(y) Couple

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:55:47 -0500

Some fall in love by nurturing a relationship. Some fall in love at first sight. No matter how it happens, every couple deserves to be able to celebrate their love with the wedding of their dreams. On this day of love, St. Valetine’s Day, Día de los enamorados—however you call it—we want to congratulate the winners of The Knot Dream Wedding Contest, Andre and Sierra!

If you watch this couple’s submission video for the Contest you just know that there is love there. Andre and Sierra’s wedding will premiere today, everything from the dress fittings to ceremony to cake cutting. This magical day would not be possible without the help of both The Knot and 100 Layer Cake, the official blog partner of the Dream Wedding.

We have had the good fortune of working with the dream couple, the Knot, and the girls at 100 Layer Cake, and can not think of a better group to pull off the “dream wedding!” Stay posted for Andre and Sierra’s official wedding capsule as well as 100 Layer Cake’s firsthand coverage (www.100layercake.com)

Locally Grown Love Contest

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:10:00 -0500

As you go through life you realize that you can find joy and happiness by simply opening your eyes and looking around you. This month, Capsule is partnering with Locally Grown Weddings & Events to celebrate ‘local love’.

This Bay Area-based company is run by a creative and sustainable wedding team with an emphasis on green business practices. On March 10th, they will host their first ever pop up event called ‘Locally Grown Love’ at a location in the Bay Area. This event will showcase handpicked artisans and event professionals that will bring your wedding from ‘wonderful’ to ‘amazing’.

As a sponsor for the event, we have created a special capsule to feature a ‘local love’ photo contest! Sign in to the capsule and submit your most inspired photo to represent ‘local love’ for San Francisco and the Bay Area. A photo will be selected as the grand prize winner and announced Monday March 4th. If you win, you receive two tickets to attend Locally Grown Love, a FREE capsule for your event, and other goodies (who doesn’t love goodies).

Don’t forget to mark the event on your calendar for March 10th! And for those of you who cannot make it into the city that day, we encourage you to take a look at Locally Grown Weddings & Events’ website to learn more about their amazing business.

And definitely take a look inside the Locally Grown Love capsule—the pictures submitted already are just tooo darn cute and will surely make you smile!

Direct link to the Locally Grown Love capsule!

http://trycapsule.com/c/119386-locally-grown-love

Locally Grown Weddings & Events

http://www.locallygrownweddings.com/wptest/about/locally-grown-love/

SAVE on Packages During the Month of <3Love<3!

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:19:35 -0500

The month of February somehow has the ability to stir up a plethora of emotions within us, from love and happiness all the way to loathing cynicism. There’s no doubt that everyone has a right to feel the way they do about Valentine’s Day. All of us at Capsule obviously fall in the “Romantics” category and we want to do our part to make every couple’s celebration of love better than it has EVER been before!

For the ENTIRE month of February we are offering our ‘Discount of Love’. Receive 20% off ANY wedding package by entering the code CUPID20.

(see links below)

We want all you boyfriends/soon-to-be-fiancés/fiancés out there to know that,

1 bouquet of long-stemmed roses for every month you’ve known and loved her: $200

1 heart-shaped box of gourmet chocolates: $25

1 teddy bear: $20

2 tickets to a rom-com in theaters: $30

1 Capsule wedding package: PRICELESS

Purchase directly HERE: http://trycapsule.com/weddings/pricing

Cheers to all you lovebirds out there!

Plan, Share, and Remember with Capsule and The Knot!

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:42:09 -0500

It brings a smile to our faces every time a couple chooses us to be a part of their wedding experience. What brings us the most joy, however, is announcing our own partnerships and being able to expand the Capsule family. Last October, our CEO Cyrus wed his beautiful fiancée Diana. And we have more big news today! Our relationship with TheKnot.com has become quite serious and is headed to the next level.

We are pleased and proud to announce Capsule’s integration and partnership with The Knot wedding websites! Since being incorporated into the site’s online suite, all registered users can utilize Capsule’s mobile app and shared group photo albums in their wedding websites.

Any woman worth her wedding planning knows just how incredible The Knot is as a wedding planning resource. We have faith that combining our technologies will make every user’s wedding experience that much more easy, memorable, and special.

Being united by a common interest and dedication to (perfecting/optimizing) each individual couple’s wedding experience, it will be thrilling to watch this partnership grow and progress. How lucky are we to have found such a partner to tie the knot with?!

Take a peek at a CNBC press release from earlier today!

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100397430

Sweetheart Starbucks--A Perk for Your Wedding Day!

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 18:03:00 -0500

This little secret is useful for all coffee addicts, engaged couples, and really anyone who loves freebies. It is well-known that you can obtain free Starbucks on your birthday, but did you know you can also score a free cup o’ Joe on your wedding day?! There’s nothing like a pick-me-up on the morning of your Big Day, not to mention a small but useful way to save a few bucks on the wedding. To be extra cute, give your name as “Bride-to-Be” or “Future Mrs. So and So” :) Here’s a blog post with photos of a woman who got the Newlywed Special at Starbucks!

For other Starbucks freebies visit the actual blog here:

http://www.closettherapistblog.com/2010/07/how-i-save-money-at-starbucks.html

Feeling sick on your wedding day? Tips for looking and feeling better

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:49:00 -0500

Being flu season and all, we at Capsule (well, the women) began thinking about what we would do if plagued with sickness on our wedding day. It could be the flu, headache, sinus infection, allergies, what have you. All of the above fall under the “Wedding Disaster” category.

On the day you are supposed to look and feel your absolute best, let’s be honest—you have no choice but to tough it out. Women tend to abide by the philosophy of “Beauty is pain” anyway…so here are some tips to avoid sickness or minimize the symptoms.

To avoid sickness…

For destination weddings- purchase some Vitamin C or Airborne pills to take with you on the flight and on the days leading up to your wedding. Also, consider the weather where you will be and whether (ha) that will cause any of your allergies to stir up.

Minimize stress- everyone is sure to get run-down in the planning process. But don’t go past your limit! That’s what your maid-of-honor is for, to help take on some of the responsibility.

Treat your body like a temple- Eating healthy, exercising, hydrating, and getting plenty of sleep are even more important for everyday life leading up to your Big Day. Make healthy choices now so you won’t regret them later!

If you’ve caught a bug…

Rx is your friend- Go to the pharmacy and stock up on whatever you possibly need to give you a perk that day. Claritin, Vitamin C, probiotic, ibuprofen, you name it!

For red or puffy eyes- wrap some ice cubes in cloth or grab some cucumber slices and sit with them on your eyes for 10 minutes to constrict the blood vessels and be camera ready!

For red face and under-eye bags- Apply a creamy bronzer to even and normalize the skin tone.

For Digestion issues or tummy ache- Seek relief through Pepto-Bismol, Immodium A-D, or Tums!

For headache- Break out some extra-strength of any meds you have handy. Or go for something caffeinated to help constrict blood vessels (followed by water for hydration).

For sore throat- Heat any kind of thin and mild liquid to a warm temperature, such as tea or broth, to relax your throat. Adding peppermint, lemon, and honey are wonderful accompaniments.

For cold or congestion- Sadly, this is the longest ache to get rid of. Take what normally works for you in addition to the steps above to make yourself at least look better. And be sure your bridesmaids have tissues and hand sanitizer handy just in case!

Whatever the case that makes you not feel or look 100% on your big day, just remember to not focus on it!!! Make the best of it and remember you will have your hubby to make you chicken noodle soup in bed the next time ;)