I am so enamored by Ketubahs and have been since my very first  encounter. For those of you who may not be familiar, a Ketubah is essentially a marriage contract between a husband and wife – a tradition among Hebrew marriages dating back to ancient times. Typically the document outlines various responsibilities of both the bride and groom and formalizes the groom’s commitment to protect and take care of his wife, though more modern Ketubahs may reference equal rights and protection for both the husband and wife.

While many conjure images and thoughts of the familiar prenuptial agreement – and while there are a few similarities, the two documents do not run parallel. Quite the opposite of a classic pre-nup – which is typically not so pretty to look at much less display in your home, more often than not Ketubahs are beautiful hand written documents which are very often looked upon as works of art. In fact, it is not uncommon for a Ketubah to become an heirloom and be passed down to future generations. However, those who wish to partake in this long standing tradition may wish to tailor the process and design, and even the text of the standard Ketubah.

Ketubah Ketubah – now Ketubah.com,  is an online gallery that features over 750 fine art limited edition Ketubahs and offers a wide variety of themes, texts and many other customization options.  A big fan of the road less traveled, I love the fact that Ketubah.com gives couples the tools and options to tailor a Ketubah to their personal aesthetic, budget and religious preference. It is becoming more and more common for even those not of the Jewish faith to partake in the Ketubah tradition.

In celebration of Ketubah Ketubah’s re-branding to Ketubah.com, this company which has provided more than 45,000 Ketubahs since its inception 14 years ago, will be giving away one Ketubah a week for the next 14 weeks, effective immediately. The 14 winners will be able to choose from 200 hundred Signature Collection Ketubahs up to a retail cost of $350. With prices starting at $100 this is an amazing giveaway that reaches much deeper than the usual freebie.

To enter and for more information, please visit: www.ketubah.com/sweepstakes. If you’d like to keep up with the contest – winners will be announced every Wednesday on Ketubah.com’s Facebook page through the close of the giveaway on August 18th.

In the interim, here is just a small sampling of these stunning documents…

And yes, thanks to this post I am 100% sure that I will be compelled to type the work Ketubah at random on pretty much any document I create for the foreseeable future.  But it is absolutely worth it if one of our fantastic Blogsmaid followers walks away with one of their very own.

xx

Sal

Attention Brides and Grooms-to-be … have you booked your photographer yet? Are you thinking about an engagement shoot but have yet to pull the trigger? If not, this might be just what you need.

On Saturday May 15th in NYC’s historic Central Park, 10 couples will experience an Engagement Photo Day with photographer Christopher Duggan of Threshold Visions. This is a perfect opportunity to meet with Christopher and “sample the goods”. Photography is such an intimate and vital element of your wedding day and to be able to work with your prospective photographer and get a sense of his talent, style and your chemistry is a rarity.

If you are chosen to participate in this special experience, you will receive…

• A 30 minute experience with Christopher creating natural, lifestyle portraits of the two of you. The perfect sampling of his signature style.

• Professional hair & make-up artist on site to help keep you looking fresh and camera ready.

• A chance to win a custom design Lovebook made of images from your Engagement Day (for sample CLICK HERE)

• Digital Negatives of images to use on Facebook, your wedding website or other on-line social media

Officially, the deadline for entries is tomorrow May 7th but Christopher is extending the closing date until Monday the 10th – EXCLUSIVELY for Blogsmaid readers. This is a wonderful and fun opportunity for those of you on the photog hunt and honestly it’s way to easy not to enter! Plus iit will give you an opportunity to practice those camera ready romantic gazes ;-).

To enter to win your Engagement Day, simply email Christopher @ studio@thresholdvisions.com with your:

– wedding date
– wedding location & venue
– a current fun photo of the two of you
– a few brief words about your story or your wedding plans

Visit Christopher’s blog for more details on the 4th Annual Engagement Photo Day. Tell him you heard about the Engagement Day at the Blogsmaid to be considered under this special extension.

Make sure to let us know if you are among the 10 lucky couples selected!!

xx
Sal

Well, my friends – the polls have closed and the winner is clear. We would like to officially name and congratulate Nina and her Pink & Orange Bridal Shower board! Great work Nina, the people have spoken. The board was fresh and fun. It is clear that the pair of Nina Shoes you selected to be your inspiration most certainly did just that. I hope you have been eying the Nina Shoes site, looks like you will have TWO pairs of shoes coming your way.

I am also pleased to announce our 2nd and 3rd place boards:

2nd place goes to Rae’s Tropical Paradise. Fabulous, fun, sophisticated & chic. Rae, I do believe the shoe fairy will be paying you a well deserved visit :)

3rd place has been awarded to LeeLa’s uber sexy and stylish Gallery Opening. A confident and fashion forward downtown vibe at it’s best! Get ready LeeLa, 50% off never felt so good.

A HUGE THANK YOU to all of our participants and the stunning boards that came our way. Each was so different and the style quotient – ridiculous! You guys took your Nina Shoes to a whole different level.

Voters, what can I say? You ladies and gents sure know how to answer the call. Thank you for taking the time to cast your votes. The blogsmaid thanks you & Nina Shoes thanks you. We are totally feelin’ the love.

And if any of you are feeling the urge to pick up something inspiring of your own, stop by the Nina Shoes Facebook page for some inside scoop and to see what other fans are saying.

Winners… we will be in touch!

xx

For those of you who have been following the Nina Shoes Giveaway and even those who have not, our finalists need you.

We have received so many wonderful entries and though it pains us, decisions still have to be made. Well, a little help never hurt. Who better to help make that decision than our faithful readers and shoe lovers out there!

Below are our top three picks – these finalists took this concept and ran with it. We love the colors, style and creativity of these boards and would like you to help us make the final call. How? Easy – pick a board below that strikes your fancy and leave a comment on this post saying which is your favorite. That’s it! The board with the most votes wins the top prize – 2 pairs of fabulous Nina Shoes, 2nd place  will receive 1 pair of shoes and 3rd place will receive 50% off the pair of their choice. Ladies, please take a moment to cast your votes.

The finalists are: (in no particular order of course)

1. Leela’s Gallery Opening

2. Nina’s Pink & Orange Shower

3. Rae’s Tropical Paradise

Forward to your friends, family and anyone who believes in the cause. All votes must be in by next Tuesday April 20th @ Midnight, winners will be announced the following day.

And to our three lucky finalists out there, good luck!! (you may want to forward this post to anyone you have ever met – every vote counts)

xx

Hey there! I hope you are all toiling away creating your Nina Shoes inspiration boards. Though I must admit, if you are anywhere near the NYC/NJ area you may have taken a few hours off to enjoy this magnificent weather. Many a peep-toe and sandal will make a cameo today… plus, it’s Friday! WIN WIN :)

Seriously, time is running out to send in your Nina Shoes inspiration boards. All submissions must be emailed to blogqs@alwaysabridesmaid.us no later than Thursday, April 8th. EEK! Less than a week ladies! Come on… FREE SHOES!

Remember – visit Nina Shoes and pick your fave, get your creative juices flowing and put together a fabulous look to go with the lucky pair you have chosen. Polyvore.com rocks for making inspiration boards but feel free to create however you would like, just make sure to send it over in a jpeg format.

For full contest details, check out the original post here @ Always a Blogsmaid.

APRIL 8th. Six days and counting. Make us proud.

xx

Sal