If I am allowed to get sappy for a bit, I will. I had a few “moments” this week where I was truly overwhelmed with emotion about Hill City Bride. The site has been up and running for a mere 6 weeks, but the response has FAR exceeded my expectations! I am so thankful for all of HCB’s readers, and I am thrilled to have such quality columnists on board.

Also, I need to give a shoutout to the advertisers (see them there on the right?) as most of them trusted me right up front without seeing anything … they jumped on board with faith in what I was doing, and that in itself is amazing to me. I can not thank them enough for being a part of Hill City Bride.

The surveys have been great for me. I have had a few things to ponder, so I will be making some changes (yes, already!). You want to see MORE … more weddings, more details, so I am going to be moving from featuring one Everyday Brides session to two. We have such a great mix of quality photographers in our area, and I am proud to feature their work. If you would like to weigh in with any comments, please feel free to click here to fill out the survey.

For our Flower Friday, I chose a bouquet photographed by Heather Cheatham of Visions by Heather. I mainly chose this bouquet because to me the word “happy” came to mind, and that is just what I am feeling right now. Plus, the more I looked at it, the more I noticed each and every different color  and texture that was within the bouquet … very beautiful!

If you missed our giveaway, please feel free to enter … just click here. Again, you do not have to be a bride to be a part of the giveaway, so enter as much as you can. I hope that you have a wonderful weekend, and I will join you again next week!

You definitely can not go wrong with a vintage feel and a parasol … but throw in a beautiful bride-to-be who is half Thai, and all we can say is “wow!” Carrie makes a beautiful bride, and she and Crystal George from Crystal George Studios went to some hidden locations around Lynchburg (including a logging road … shhhh!) to capture these stunning images. Enjoy!

I adore the blue shoes (as something blue?), and the bubblegum shots are too cute! In addition to being flawlessly pretty, Carrie is also a local nurse, which Crystal says “makes her a little bit of a hero” … I wholeheartedly agree!!

Carrie, may you and your beau have a wonderful future together, and thank you, Crystal, for sharing these with HCB. More of Crystal’s work can be viewed on her website, Crystal George Studios … head on over there, and check it out!

Oh, and do not forget about this week’s Giveaway Wednesday! You have until 11:59 pm on August 3rd to enter, and just click here to view the post. Have fun!

Fun photos at weddings are all the rage! Who says a bride can’t don a mustache on her wedding day or that a groom can’t grow an instant beard? Sound odd? Well, maybe it is, but it is fast becoming a hip, offbeat trend at weddings. If you have any doubt, just check out these fun accessories from Maro Designs on Etsy.

Their pieces are a unique way to have the bridal party, family members and guests let their hair down at the reception while making some great memories. These accessories make perfect, fun and affordable additions to guarantee a lot of laughs.

From monacles and mustaches to glasses and lips, Maro Designs has the perfect assortment of pieces. Best of all, most of these handmade pieces are priced at under $5, which makes having an assortment of “looks” a great possibility!!

And now for the giveaway … Maro Designs is giving away a great set of their choosing, which will include a beard, two mustaches and a pair of lips. Just imagine the fun your guests will have snapping photos of themselves in a fun disguise (or better yet, have the bride and groom take fun photos with them!).

So, here is how to enter for this great giveaway, and you can enter multiple times if you follow the guidelines below (be sure to post separate comments each time you do one of the instructions):

1. Comment on this post.

2. Tweet the link to this post, then come back and comment saying that you tweeted it.

3. Follow Hill City Bride on Twitter, and come back and comment letting me know that you did. If you already follow HCB, just comment and let me know you are already a follower.

4. Put the link to this post on facebook, and then come back and comment saying that you facebooked about it.

5. Fan HCB on facebook, and come back telling me that you became a fan (okay, “like”, but I still like “fan” better!!). If you are already a fan, just comment on this post letting me know that you are a facebook fan.

6. If you have a blog, blog about this post, and then come back and comment along with leaving the link to your blog post.

7. Subscribe to the RSS feed, and come back and tell me that you did. Again, if you are already an RSS subscriber, just post a separate comment telling us so.

8. Subscribe to HCB via email (just click subscribe, and enter your email address), and be sure to come back to this post and comment telling me that you subscribed. If you are already a subscriber, just comment and tell me that you receive HCB’s email updates.

9. Click on one of HCB’s wonderful vendors, and come back to tell me who you clicked on and why … fun!!

10. If you have another cool way to get the word out about this post, feel free to do so, but just come back and let me know what you did. I have given you 9 of our fun ways to gain entries, so keep those comments and entries rolling!!!

You have until next Tuesday night (August 3rd) at 11:59 to enter so that I can announce the winner next Wednesday the 5th. Do you have to be a bride to enter? NO!! I just want to spread the word about Maro Designs and Hill City Bride, so anyone is welcomed to enter … have fun.

Again, a big thanks goes out to Maro Designs for hosting this great giveaway. Be sure to check out their other fun pieces on Etsy! Oh, and as a sidebar, Maro Designs owner, Suzi, just got married! I wish her and her new husband all of the best … thanks, Suzi for hosting this super giveaway!

What a fun week at Hill City Bride … especially with the giveaway! I love treating HCB’s readers to the thrill of being able to win something (I know I like to take my chances and enter for freebies!!).

Next week, there are some fun things in the works such as the new feature, “The Exclusive”, which will answer some of your wedding planning dilemmas … this column will also be an avenue for you to ask questions of a qualified, experienced wedding planning team (likened to the “Dear Abby” column of wedding planning!).

A beautiful bridal session will be featured that you will not want to miss (think parasols and bubbles of a different sort), and the next Giveaway Wednesday is full of fun for anyone … especially at a wedding reception (hint, hint!). I even have a creative DIY posting that was submitted by one of HCB’s talented vendors, and it has the bonus of being budget friendly!

If you have a little time, feel free to pop on over to Survey Monkey and fill out the survey. I would love to hear your feedback … after all, this is YOUR site.

Also, today’s Flower Friday bouquet (do you not love the unique color combination?) was photographed by Jeremiah Guelzo of Stone Blue Productions … I am also sending him a big “Happy Birthday” today from Hill City Bride. Everyone have a wonderful weekend, and I am truly looking forward to a great week ahead in postings!