If I haven't expressed my gratitude enough...thank you, thank you thank you!!! Everyone that posted, during the Mindy Weiss contest, had such creative and constructive thoughts. Honestly, I feel really confident with the direction that I am taking with the blog and the comments only helped to solidify those sentiments. So, without further ado, the big winner of the Mindy Weiss planner is........

Trolley!!! Here is is her post:

"I'd definitely agree on the suggestions about how-tos & other practicalities, but what I look for most is how to communicate & operationalize (elaborate? expand? develop?) a vision. Many brides, myself included, have a distinct taste. That taste, however, is not trained like a designer's, and it causes confusion, complication, and extra work in creating a beautiful event.

By way of example, imagine my saying "modern" to a florist, because what I wanted was "architectural," to me, they mean the same thing, to her, they mean dramatically different things. This impedes her ability, as a vendor, to give me the best possible service, and it impedes my ability, as a bride, to both enact the vision my fiance a& I share, and to be a good client.

I read many blogs for the "real wedding" aspects, because I like the cameraderie, and the inspiration, but what I read vendor & enthusiast blogs for is the know-how that their unique expertise brings. I think that your style inspiration boards are the beginning step of the enunciation of vision process, and if you were to develop that theme further in this blog, I would be ecstatic."

I chose Trolley's post as the winner because I really feel like this comment is the bottom line of Style Me Pretty. It's seeing your vision, your style to fruition. I remember when I was planning my own wedding, I told my florist that if my wedding were furniture (random, yes), it would be an old vintage wingback sofa adorned with sequined pillows. She responded by telling me that if her wedding were furniture, it would be a steel dining table with an antique crystal chandelier. Makes no sense to the average person, but it makes perfect sense to a bride. It is so incredibly difficult to articulate your vision to all of the different vendors AND ensure that they all interpret it correctly. Style Me Pretty will help you...it will give you inspiration, terminology and tools to bring your ideas into a cohesive style.

Okay, so really, I am not this decisive. I couldn't just pick one winner...I decided instead to pick 3! Yikes. The second and third place winners are going to win a set Abby Jean personalized stationery! YAY! Second Place, goes to Greer for taking to time to write such a thoughtful and insightful post and Third Place goes to SWC for commenting on two really important components of the wedding process...the "how two" portion which is a must if you are on a budget and the logistics of the entire affair.

Although I HAD to pick a winner, I am so grateful to all of those who commented. This blog is a labor of love to me, and I want to make sure that I am writing about topics that you both want and need. I am going to stay focused on the Style aspect of your wedding, though I will also begin to bring in new ways to translate that style into different budgets, different looks and simply different ways to tell your story.

Check back later today for another style post!