New York Loves Marriage Equality, introducing theKnot.com's Pop Up Chapel

We’re really excited about marriage equality in New York! I have a feeling you've probably noticed. This Saturday the Kaptur team will be out in full force again to show our excitement and support at the Pop Up Chapel in Central Park.

The lovely people at Pop Up Chapel and The Knot decided they wanted to do something special to commemorate marriage equality. They came up with this amazing idea to create the largest Pop Up Chapel in New York City and provide 24 couples with all of the wedding goodies they’d ever dreamed of. Why 24 couples? Well, since the Marriage Equality bill was passed on June 24th, the Pop Up Chapel organizers felt that '24' made perfect sense. We agree!

The lucky couples will have everything they desire for their special day - from the photographer, to the witness, to the post-wedding bubbly! Officiants are crafting custom ceremonies, City Cakes of Chelsea will be making complimentary cupcakes...yum! You name it, Pop Up Chapel has thought of it.

It's such a thoughtful idea and we can't wait to Kaptur it. We hope to see your memories of this one of a kind day in Central Park, add them to ours at Kaptur.com.

Celebrating Marriage Equality in NYC: July 24, 2011

The Kaptur team was on hand yesterday at the City Clerk's offices in Manhattan and Brooklyn as New York's Marriage Equality Act went into effect. What a day! It was beautiful, joyful and moving. We hope you enjoy the images we captured.

First couple wed in Manhattan under Marriage Equality Act!

After 23 years together, it was a sweet moment when a Chelsea couple exchanged "I do's" this morning on the first day same-sex marriage became legal in New York state.

Kaptur congratulates Phyllis Siegel, 76, and Connie Kopelov, 84 (seated) the first couple married this morning at the Manhattan City Clerk's office. Kaptur was on hand when the couple exited the building and raised their arms in victory to a cheering crowd.

"It was just so amazing,’’ Siegel said outside. ‘‘It’s the only way to describe it. I lost my breath and a few tears." She added: ‘‘This is the first day of the rest of our lives.’’

July 24, 2011 - Marriage Equality arrives in NY!

Today is the first day same-sex marriage is legal in the state of New York! Kaptur is excited to be on the scene in both Manhattan and Brooklyn today to witness the historic events. 823 couples entered a lottery to receive wedding permits in New York City today, and couples started lining up at 4:30 this morning to be the first to wed! Throughout the day we'll be bringing you some of the sights and sounds from the City Clerk's offices. Early this morning, couples on their way to get their marriage licenses in Manhattan were cheered on by crowds with rainbow colored umbrellas (blocking out the sun on this day of 90+ degree heat!).

Kaptur moves into a new office!

On Monday we moved...start up style! We walked (pushing office chairs along the bustling sidewalks of Manhattan) from our old office on the 25th floor of the Paramount building in the heart of Times Square to our current office on the 3rd floor of 450 W. 31st St. Our new home is located just between the new beer garden and food lot created by Tom Colicchio and one of FIT's dorms. Needless to say, things are a little different here. We've already enjoyed a few trips to the food trucks at lunch. There is also a pretty amazing view from the top of the building; apparently it is a popular place to host events or make music videos, as we learned early on when Beyoncé dropped by for an afternoon.

Monday's Idea We Love

One of the guilty pleasures of working in the Kaptur office is getting to see photos and videos from lots of amazing weddings. From time to time we'll be sharing some of the cool ideas and trends from real Kaptur weddings. Of course, we will only share pics or slideshows where the owner has given us permission, because we respect your privacy!

Here's an idea we love...Jenny's gorgeous short and chic wedding gown. It's unusual, but she makes it look both contemporary and classic at the same time. The short veil and pearls are 50's retro, but the lace peep-toe slingbacks are pure 2011. Perfection!

Weddings we wish we'd been invited to...Thailand edition

It's Friday, and here in the Kaptur office we're looking out at blue skies and daydreaming about the weddings we wish we'd been invited to...like this gorgeous wedding on the beach in Koh Samui, Thailand. Beautiful scenery, stunning bride and what looked like a very fun party! We love how the white and aqua pallette perfectly echoes the sand and sea surroundings.



Congrats, Ruth and Marty! And we'd love an invite for your next shindig!

Kaptur Kismet

Many thanks to Brideorama.com for the great shout out today for Kaptur. We really like the fresh and innovative wedding ideas on their blog. Kaptur came about because of a wedding, so we're excited to see Kaptur gaining traction in the weddings space. Kismet, anyone?

To see the full post on Brideorama.com, click here.

Upload to Kaptur!

You asked for it and we answered - you can now upload your favorite photos from your computer to create new albums or add photos to any existing album on Kaptur!!! This is a great way to allow you and your friends to contribute all of your awesome shots without needing to upload them to Facebook or Flickr first.

Head over to Kaptur.com and start uploading now!

Gigmasters Wedding Contest, Win $1500 in Wedding Luxuries

Looking to add some luxury to your wedding? Check out the Wedding Contest on Gigmasters for a chance to win $1500 in wedding luxuries. Prizes include a platinum membership from Greenvelope, a harpist to play at your wedding from Gigmasters, a $300 gift certificate to SmartBrideBoutique.com, cufflinks and money clips from The Man Registry, and a wedding veil from MayRey.

All you have to do is 'like' one of the participating companies on Facebook and you are entered to win. Check out the Gigmasters blog for more details: http://bit.ly/rdnp4d

Wedding trend: tech-savvy couples save money on wedding photos

An article today on SocialTechPop.com tells how social-media savvy couples can save money on their wedding by using...you guessed it - Kaptur! More couples are electing to have digital wedding albums vs. the traditional printed ones. Some are even skipping the photographer all together, and using their guests' pics to create a digital album of both posed and candid shots from the wedding. Kaptur is the only photo sharing application that lets you combine your pics with the photos and videos that your guests post on Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and more.

Here's a great example of a couple who combined their professional photos with candids from their guests (along with some pretty awesome music!) to create a fun Kaptur album (with thanks to the Schuylers for letting us share!):



Click here to see the full article.