"StyleMePretty" news and stories

Wedding menus of all styles. Photos: Style Me Pretty (far left), Brides.com

If you've spent an enormous amount of time putting together a fabulous menu for your guests, as we did, what's the best way to showcase it?

Written, typed and even painted menus are making their way into many receptions these days; the kind of wedding you have dictates the type of menu you'll use. For example, it would be more appropriate to offer guests a menu card at their seats for a black-tie affair in a ballroom, whether it be a card or the more recent trendy circular card that fits in the inner circle of the charger.

On the casual end of the spectrum, the surfboard pictured above doubled as a menu and a decoration for a beach-side wedding, and at an outdoor and/or country wedding, a chalkboard menu adds a rustic and personal touch. This is the route I'll be taking -- chalkboards will be propped on antique easels at every cocktail station. Even though you may think your menu is straightforward, it's a good idea to name every element of the dish, even down to the sauce (just in case of allergies).

Still hungry? Follow the Hungry Bride on Twitter!

A Backyard Wedding Courtesy of Style Me Pretty

An article in Tuesday's New York Times titled "With This Burger, I Thee Wed" chronicles an (economy-fueled) trend away from lavish, over-the-top weddings and towards the seating of guests comfortably in a backyard. Whether the yard belongs to a family member or is an old, rented-out estate, the fare being served at these weddings is reminiscent of a backyard barbecue: comfort food with simple flavors that aren't complicated or pretentious.

While I agree that the backyard reception is becoming trendy -- across class lines -- I think it started before the economy took a turn for the worse. Some of my favorite wedding blogs, such as Style Me Pretty, a go-to for many brides (especially DIY brides), have been stressing the importance of having a wedding that truly reflects the couple's personality.

A shiny, fancy affair may still be the Cinderella dream of many, but for others, it's a dream transformed into something lower-key. In the eyes of many, the more comfortable the wedding, the more fun is to be had.