Happy Friday! How’s the weather where you are? For us, the temperatures have plummeted to single digits, the snow has paraded on in…

Yet, despite the arctic chill, I keep thinking of the beauty and charm of winter:  horse-drawn sleigh rides, sipping hot cocoa by the fireplace…winter is a wonderful season to do many activities–including getting married!

Winter has its charms and benefits, so if you haven’t set the date yet for your wedding, don’t rule out December, January, and February! Even if you don’t consider yourself a “snow bunny” (or bride), you might want to read our Five Cool Benefits of a Winter Wedding below.

#1 — Less Competition

Have your heart set on a particular reception hall or photographer? Winter weddings are far less common, which means you’ll probably be able to snag that highly coveted venue or wedding vendor that you’ve been dreaming of. And since their schedule is likely to be pretty open, you won’t have to settle for a less-than-ideal wedding date (such as a Friday, which can be hard for guests that work). Less competition, more freedom of choice — it’s a winter win-win!

#2 — Lower Prices

Are you a bride on a budget? A white winter wedding can save you lots of green. Because December through February is such a slow season for wedding vendors, many of them offer discounts or are willing to negotiate prices. You can save a lot of cash once you add up your savings on a DJ, florist, bakery, dress shop, etc. You can then either pocket those savings, or re-invest them into other wedding items, like decor, apparel, and accessories. Spend less, get more…another win-win for the winter bride!

#3 — Fun Decor & Accessories

Winter has so many themes and motifs that you can weave into your wedding day. You can go quirky and cute with some fun penguin cake toppers (see above) and a hot cocoa/cider station at the reception. Or, you could create sophisticated romance with a bold palette of scarlet red roses and evergreen centerpieces.

To stay cozy and warm, you can drape yourself in elegant cover-ups and accessories. Stay fashionably warm with some faux fur ear muffs and hand warmers–or accessorize you and your bridesmaids’ dresses with a chic stole, shrug, or wrap (see below). Or, how about wrapping a cashmere scarf over each of the groomsmen? Very handsome and chic!

#4 – Beautiful Photo Ops 

For unique wedding photos, just step outdoors! Winter is such a beautiful, romantic, and unique time of year. From snow dancing down to the the ground and blanketing the landscape, to frost dusted over tree branches, winter offers plenty of opportunities for stunning wedding photography. An added bonus? No fears of looking sweaty or having your makeup melt under the hot summer sun! And if your cheeks get a little rosy…well, that will just add to the adorable beauty and romance of your wedding photos.

#5 – Unique & Memorable Experience for You AND for Guests

Because winter weddings are far less common, simply having your wedding in the winter will make it very unique and memorable. You and your wedding guests attend so many weddings throughout your lives, so having a winter wedding will be something fun and different for everyone involved.

Read how our intern Kathryn describes one adorable and memorable winter wedding she attended:

“My favorite winter wedding was in the month of February. It was my cousin’s wedding, and although they were on a very tight budget, everything was perfect! Her bridesmaids wore navy dresses with one or two little snowflake clips in their hairdo’s (too cute!). The backdrop behind the head table was full of white string lights with a sheer white fabric hanging over them to create a soft glow. Her snowflake theme wasn’t too over the top, but you could see how everything connected.”

So, what do you think of winter weddings? Have you attended a winter wedding, or do you plan to have one yourself? I’d love to hear your thoughts and memories!

Rachel for MagnetStreetWeddings

Photos: Penguin Toppers Photo (RedLightStudio from Etsy), Bridesmaids and Bride/Groom Photos (Brosnan Photographic)

Happy Birthday Dr. King!

Not only is it Martin Luther King Day and for MLK volunteers, a “Day of Service” it’s also Color Monday on Truly Engaging … Did you tune into the 69th annual Golden Globes last night? If you witnessed the walk of fashion, then you saw lots of shimmer, glimmer and glam–steeped in jewel-tones, pretty pastels and knock-out neutrals. Here are 12 of our favorite gowns for color and style inspiration. Be sure to let us know what you think!

Congrats to Michelle Williams {Best Actress in a motion picture comedy for My Week with Marilyn} who seemingly has the ability to pull off “cute” and “amazing” simultaneously.

Reese Witherspoon never fails to look fantastic and no less in this red stunner!

Emma Stone looked fabulous in her regal-looking color combo.

Viola Davis from The Help- set the bar very high for the red carpet look. WOW, she looked beautiful!

Zooey Deschanel- Adorable and very mod! Do we need to say more?

Octavia Spencer- Looking radiant in her airy pastel gown…. a big congratulations to Octavia as Minnie in The Help–winner of Best Supporting Actress!

Jessica Alba- looking lovely, and sweetly embellished.

 Charlize Theron- in a gown with a modern Great Gatsby look and feel!

Sarah Hyland- no wardrobe malfunction here. Sarah has the look of a young, “Old Hollywood” great.

Salma Hayek- Combining shimmer, chic and a little geometry Salma always looks great!

Congrats also to Claire Danes- Best Actress in her TV series Homeland. Looking wonderful and quite classic in her structured black & white gown.

George Clooney & date Stacy Keibler- my vote for best looking couple on the carpet! Congrats to George for Best Actor in the drama series The Descendants.

Who has your vote for best look?

source: TV Guide

Just when you thought you were done being tempted by sugary delights …

All things confectionery, there are few things cuter than the inspired designs of sweetly-decorated cupcakes! Am I right? So delicate and whimsical–they are certainly the attention-grabbers at the dessert table.

To inspire you further, these lovely little works of art present yet another easy and fun way to carry your wedding look and jazz up your dessert table at the same time! To illustrate, we’ve paired 4 fanciful cupcakes with 4 wedding invitation designs–from color and design, to shape and pattern. So fun!

Simple & Sweet.

Simple Love Rectangle Wedding Invitations

Light & airy.

Lovely Blossoms Square Wedding Invitations

Pretty in Pink.

Paris Appeal Layered Wedding Invitations

Butterflies in flight.

Fluttering Bliss Tea-length Wedding Invitations

Which is your favorite?

Note to self: must remember that it’s 2012 now! Does anyone else have troubles keeping that straight in January? Maybe it’s just me. Speaking of the New Year–did anyone get engaged over the weekend or witness any proposals? We’d love to extend our congrats and hear all about it! In any case, we hope you had a wonderful weekend! While we’re still out of the office at MagnetStreet today, we didn’t want to leave you without inspiration for Color Monday.

Today’s inspiration is for anyone having difficulty deciding on a wedding color palette or simply deciding on paint colors for a room in their home. Well sometimes, it’s as easy as uploading your favorite photo into a color generator tool–like this one to get your answer{s}. For photo inspiration, I tend to look to my surroundings–because regardless of the season, mother nature always gets it right!

Take for instance, the following images–bursting with the beauty and bounty of a snowy winter.

Doesn’t the “rainforest” green of the bird feeder just pop against the white snow, and amidst the fluttering “champagne”-colored birds and “latte”-colored branches? What a pretty palette that would make for a spring or winter wedding–one that’s lively but grounded with elegant neutrals. We personalized “Luminary Approach” Save the Date Magnet design and “Charming Lavender” Tea-length Wedding Invitation to showcase the beauty. What do you think?

For those that prefer a more traditional approach to a winter wedding color palette, we personalized “Luminary Approach” Save the Date and “Charming Lavender” with “hunter” green and “scarlet” red.

Soft, subtle and romantic, here the stage is set with the “dusty rose” of her hat. With an almost nostalgic feel, this palette would be beautiful in a wedding offering a nod to a bygone era.

Check out “Luminary Approach” Save the Date Magnet design and “Charming Lavender” Tea-length Wedding Invitation as they are originally designed and see for yourself how simply changing the colors can transform the design before your very eyes!

Which palette is your favorite? Do you prefer cool and lively or a palette of soft neutrals?