Picture the Possibilities

The other day I received a package from Shutterfly with information about everything they have for today’s bride and even her bridesmaids. As I was looking at the fun goodies, flipping through their nice little Wedding Solutions book and searching their site, I discovered some new things I had no idea Shutterfly offered. A few of my friends have created photo books on their site and I knew they offered stationery, but what surprised me was all the different ways you could incorporate these things (and your photos) into your wedding. Here are a few of my favorite features and ideas:

WINK PHOTOSTRIPS: This is something I thought was pretty cool because I love photo booths and think that photostrips are so fun. When I was younger I used to drag my friends into one and take goofy pictures. Well, since there isn’t always a photo booth nearby, Shutterfly has a new service that lets you create photostrips using your pictures and then print them on high-quality photo printer. If you have an iPhone, you can even download an app and do it all from your phone! I love the idea of sending these as save-the-dates, thank-you cards or engagement and wedding announcements.

CARDS & STATIONERY: They have quite a selection to choose, from modern to classic, and they cover absolutely everything—save-the-dates; engagement and wedding announcements; bridal shower, bachelorette and rehearsal dinner invites; thank-you cards and even new-home announcements. Check out the ones that caught my eye:

Now Playing Save the Date: The simplicity of the black background and the no-frills font make this one of my top picks. Plus, I love movies and this would be perfect for a movie-themed wedding.

Courtly Collage Mint Wedding Announcements: This is a cute way to announce to everyone you're married or to thank everyone for attending your wedding. You could even use those engagement pics to create an engagement announcement.

High Tea Bridal Shower by Stacy Claire Boyd: I love tea party themes for bridal showers, so it's no secret that this would be one of my faves. Even though tea parties are thought of as traditional, I like that this invite has a contemporary feel.

Take Your Place Rehearsal Dinner Invitation by Stacy Claire Boyd: Cute and simple—perfect for a low-key dinner before the main event.

PHOTO BOOKS: I knew Shutterfly offered this product, but it never occurred to me that there were all these wedding-related things you could do with it. Not only is this a great way to preserve your wedding and honeymoon memories, but they also make wonderful presents for the wedding party and the happy couple. If you’re a bride, imagine how sweet it would be to receive a book from one of your bridesmaids chronicling the bridal shower, bachelorette party or your years of friendship. Or imagine how happy your mothers will be when you hand them their own personalized wedding book as a thank you for all they’ve done. Another creative option: Instead of the traditional guest book, change it up a little with a photo guest book that features your love story. The possibilities are endless!

WEDDING PHOTO CHECKLIST: This is a must-have for any bride who wants to make sure every moment of her wedding is captured. It covers everything from the getting-ready process to the goodbyes.

There’s so much more—I highly recommend you take a look at their wedding site and do some exploring. You’ll find more great gift ideas for your wedding party and other ways you can record and display all your beautiful wedding memories. To help keep you organized, they broke up the site into three sections: Just Engaged, Bride-to-Be and Newlywed. They even have a free shipping promo going on now until May 19 if you make a purchase of $30 or more as well as a whole bunch of other special offers and discounts!

Head over to shutterfly.com/wedding to find out more!

Posted by Lori Francisco, Managing Editor, at 1:57 p.m.