Mayuri Joshi and Akshay Bangale Wedding Highlight!

We are so excited to share with you another amazing wedding highlight. Mayuri and Akshay got married last November in Texas! We worked with some amazing vendors to make this beautiful wedding happen! We want to give a big thanks to them! 

• Decor: Elegant Affair Southwest

• DJ: DJ Riz Entertainment - Indian Wedding DJs

• Photo: MnM Photography

• Video: Epique Cinema

• MUAH: JTorry Makeup & Hair Artistry, LLC.

• Horse and Carriage: Happy Trails Horse & Carriage

• Cake: Fancy Cakes by Lauren

We also want to share our brides testimonial with all of you! 

I wanted to reach out to convey a HUGE thanks to you and your team for working with us on our wedding day and the weeks leading up to it. It was such a pleasure working with you, and we don't know what we would have done on our wedding day without your team there. You all were such a big help and relieved a lot of our stress, so we can't thank you enough for that. You made sure everything was executed smoothly and kept us all on time. I will happily recommend you to others looking for wedding planners. :)

Memorial Day Sales!

Today we rounded up all of the best sales for you guys. It’s the perfect time to build up your summer wardrobe, invest in some quality pieces for your closet, and just take advantage of so many incredible deals!

7 For All Mankind // up to 40% off

Abercrombie & Fitch // 40% off entire store

Ann Taylor // 40% off your purchase with code SOREADY

Anthropologie // extra 40% off sale + 20% off full-price furniture and decor

ASOS // 30% off select styles

Backcountry // 20% off one full-price item with code MEMORIALDAY20

Banana Republic // 40% off your purchase with code BRSUMMER + free shipping on orders over $100 with code BRSHIP

Barney’s New York // up to 40% off

Baublebar // up to 70% off – tons of earrings under $20!

GiGi New York // 20% off orders $125+, 30% off orders $250+, 40% off orders $500+, plus free shipping on all orders $100+ with code MEM2018

Intimissimi // 30% off select styles

J. Crew // up to 40% off with code GETAWAY

Kate Spade // extra 30% off all sale items with code GREATFIND

Loft // extra 50% off sales + free shipping on all orders

Lulu & Georgia // up to 25% off with code LONGWKND25

Macy’s // extra 20% off with code MEMDAY

Madewell // 20% off dresses with code PRETTYPLEASE

Bloomingdales // save 20 – 50% off full-price items + save 40 – 50% off sale items

Crate and Barrel // 15% off full-price items with code SAVE15

eBay // up to 70% off

Everything But Water // up to 40% off swimwear + coverups

Nordstrom // half-yearly sale, save up to 40% off

One Kings Lane // 20% off your purchase

Pottery Barn // up to 30% off with code SAVEMORE

Rebecca Minkoff // up to 50% off

River Island // 20% off with code MEMORIAL18

Saks Fifth Avenue // up to 40% off

Shopbop // up to 40% off + free shipping

Sole Society // up to 60% off + free shipping

T3 // get up to $125 off with code SAVE125 – these are my favorite curling irons + hair dryers!

Tula // get 2 free masks with any order over $55 with code MASKDUO

Urban Outfitters // up to 50% off

West Elm // up to 30% off with code SAVEMORE

Williams – Sonoma // 20% off your order + free fast shipping with code SPRING

Wedding Artist Feature: Lakshmi Sarkar!

1. What made you starting drawing these amazing pieces?

Weddings are a joyful milestone -the start of a married life. Recreating a scene from a wedding is an incredible experience . I love live painting/sketching - the interaction with guests , being able to create a piece in the moment has its own  . I derive my energy from everything around me - the music, the people , the ambience - all of which directly translate into my work . 

My clients appreciate art and creativity and like to imbibe as much of it into their wedding day . They are very keen on making sure guests are huge part of their day by creating experiences that'll remember for a long time. Live painting is just one aspect of their wedding day.  Once I got the opportunity to paint live at a wedding , I grabbed it . I knew I would be able to bring something extra special to the couple's big day. 

2. Can you work with physical photos?

I work with photographs all the time . I create artwork of families, couples and more . Sometimes, I am unable to be present at a wedding to paint live . Sometimes, it works best in the client's budget to be able to get a piece commissioned from me , rather than painting live. In such cases, I work from their favorite photographs and create a memorable painting for them . A lot of times, my artworks are gifts from families for their loved ones to commemorate an occasion - which fills my heart with so much joy . 

3. What do you require from the bride and groom for a live painting? 

Creating a live painting at a wedding is a very special moment for me - and the couple. The couple envisions a certain moment that they'll like to painted . Sometimes, its the ceremony or the first dance or the reception filled with guests enjoying the occasion .  I have phone consultations with my clients to understand what is important to them and what elements of the wedding/reception they would like to see in the final piece. 

I ask many questions to fully understand their vision , so I can do my best to create the scene for them.  I need a physical space where I can paint from and have an clear view of what needs to be captured at the event. I make sure I have a point of contact at the venue on the day of the event with whom I can coordinate since both the bride and groom will be caught up with the day ! 

4. Do you prefer to paint images live?

I do enjoy painting live more than working alone at my desk for a variety of reasons. Painting live is like a performance . I bring a vision to life at the venue . People are always curious and stop to chat about what I do . They enjoy watching the process. I like interacting with people. Painting live gives me a better sense of the event . Every couple is unique and so is every wedding . I can fully understand it at the wedding . I take a lot of reference photographs . I finish a bulk of the painting at the venue . Then I take the painting back to my hotel room / studio at home to finish it up . A lot of my detailing and finishing touches happen using the photographs .  

5. If our brides want you to live multiple events....is that something possible?

Yes, absolutely ! Sometimes brides request to paint live at the wedding and the reception .  A painting that captures the exact moment that is special to a couple is something that my clients cherish .   I make prior arrangements with my brides about setting up for multiple events and painting through the  events. As described earlier , I  take the paintings to finish them up after the event and deliver them to my brides at a later date - typically within a week or so of the events .  

6. Can you create custom bags for either bachelorette parties or even welcome bags? 

Yes and yes . Handpainted custom bags are a great gift for bridesmaids and guests . We see beautiful images of custom bags with printed images or typography . People love the idea of a hand made gift . What better way to thank your bridesmaids and/or your guests with something thats handmade and personalized?

7. We can see you creating amazing pieces on album covers..do you work on multiple types of materials like leather?

Thank you ! I'd love to do album covers someday ! 

I work with all kinds of materials . I've worked on leather, cloth , faux leather, bottles and more.  If its a material that I have not worked with , I will figure out a way to work with it and create art on it . Try me ;-) So, my lovely brides AND grooms , if you have an idea that you'd like artwork for - custom bags, backdrops, live painting, live sketching , wedding invitations , save the dates etc etc etc , get in touch with me and we will figure out a way to make it happen .

8. Do you have a max on custom orders? 

No,  so far , I haven't had an order that I haven't been able to fulfill. My clients understand and value my work , because its custom made . The same applies to custom orders for bags. That means, every single piece is unique.  Clients are usually aware that I need time to create these pieces .  When I see the joy on my clients faces when they finally see the custom orders / paintings , the long hours are totally , totally worth it . 

Check out all of her work here: https://lsartillustrations.com/ 

Skip the registry!

We know along the way registries can become a really daunting task and truly a hassle. But we have found a new way to register- receive a package. Now you must be thinking a package? What does that mean? We are starting to see couples create funds guests can donate to. Whether it's their mortgage, new car, or even honeymoon!  

While it's something unconventional, we've seen many couples feel less stressed and enjoy this form of a gift! How great would it be to have your honeymoon paid for? Or help a down payment on a home? Guest's will feel like they are giving you something you truly want! Even if you may not take a honeymoon right away or going at all, you can still registry for something you want. 

We've seen even couples add some gift cards for airlines or hotels in their registry. And just like any registry, your honeymoon one should be personal.

The Newlywed Fund

Have your (wedding) cake and eat it too with cash wedding funds . Think honeymoon registry , first home or date nights. You do you — the options for your cash wedding registry are endless.

One Registry to Share, Track and Manage

With The Knot All-In-One Wedding Registry, your Newlywed Fund cash registry and classic gifts come together in one list so it's easy for guests to choose what they’d like to gift.

Traveler's Joy

Traveler's Joy allows couples to arrange their travel whenever and wherever they'd like. With streamlined registration and their Instant Registry feature, creating a complete registry takes only minutes. If friends and family send a gift by cash or check, it's completely free to use the customizable site, though credit card payments include a 2.95 percent fee deducted from the gift amount, plus a 2.95 percent fee $0.99at checkout. You also have the option to give all the credit card fees to the guest, making all gifts 100 percent free for you to receive. From the same settings, you can also choose to have all fees deducted from the gift amount. This makes a gift cost guests $0.99 to provide. It's free to receive your presents by bank transfer, PayPal or a check in the mail. (PayPal or bank transfers typically take two business days or less.) Traveler's Joy also offers extensive honeymoon stories and honeymoon destination guides that are super helpful when looking for the perfect honeymoon destination.

Wanderable

Wanderable helps couples focus on making memories with their loved ones by creating stylish honeymoon registries. The team focuses heavily on registry page design, making the details of your honeymoon an expression of you, through and through. Gifts provided by cash or check are completely free. If your guest uses a credit card, there's a 2.5 percent transaction fee deducted from the gift amount. The gift giver is also charged a 2.5 percent and $0.99 transaction fee on checkout when using a credit card, bringing the fee to a total of five percent. Couples may choose to cover the 2.5 percent fee on behalf of their guests. It's always free to receive your gifts by bank transfer or a check in the mail. (Bank transfers typically take two business days or less.)

Honeyfund

Honeyfund's platform can be used for any type of cash gift, from a down payment for a home to a donation to your favorite charity, and, of course, your honeymoon. Couples can link other registries to their Honeyfund page and splurge on an upgrade package for more design template options, photo slideshows, personalized images and more. You make your own travel arrangements while Honeyfund encourages guests to send gifts via cash or check directly to you to avoid all fees, though they can pay by credit card through WePay (2.8 percent plus $0.30 fee) or PayPal (2.8 percent plus $0.30/transaction).*

*Thank you The Knot for the helpful website.