Creative Wedding Favors

To a new bride and groom, wedding guests are special. Each guest has been painstakingly selected based on love, friendship, family dynamics and ‘other reasons’ that maybe only the marrying couple is aware of. For the invited guests, a memento or two can be a nice reminder of that special day.

Matchbook covers, candies, as well as other traditional items have been offered in the past; and brides often spend hours and hours poring over magazines and then selecting large quantities of these trinkets…usually out of exasperation, and then quickly start placing orders without a moment’s hesitation. Why? Well…because it is expected of them. Many of the items, although cute…can be quite useless; and many end up in boxes and junk drawers. Over the last few years, the selections have changed considerably, and there are quite a number of different types of wedding favors to choose from these days.

For example: Wine stoppers, small digital clocks, personalized golf balls, miniature manicure sets, sewing kits, coasters, and book marks can be wonderful alternatives to candy and salt shakers. These items can be selected based on budget, and then personalized and packaged in ways that fit in beautifully with the wedding’s theme and personalities of the bride and groom.

Many of these gifts, although high-tech, can be surprisingly inexpensive. Mercifully, items of more practical use can now be given to the honored guests. Please keep in mind: Wedding favors are usually different than bridal shower favors, in that they are less “frou-frou”, and have a much broader guest appeal. This ultimately requires that a wedding couple recognize the difference between them; and make their selections accordingly. And so, if enough thought is given to choosing of your special wedding favors; your guests can be both…grateful , as well as delighted!

Photo by Sifu Renka

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Easy Ways to be An Organized Bride-to-Be

Planning a wedding can sometimes be overwhelming. That’s in its best moments. A wedding is often stressful and challenging – especially with all of those tiny details a bride has to manage. Today’s bride is busier than ever, with family obligations, a full time job, school and community obligations. How can she keep it all together? Let us suggest some of our favorite tried and true easy bride’s organization tips for you!

1. Create a bridal binder to gather all vital information. Purchase a large binder at a stationary store and keep every detail regarding the wedding in this binder. Add sections related to the wedding such as “reception,” “formal wear,” “honeymoon,” “flowers,” and so on. Each section will help you stay more organized and able to reach information quickly. The trick is to not have dozens of sections – but simply enough to keep the information well organized so you don’t have everything stacked together. Tip: if it takes you longer than five minutes to find something, you need to redo your sections to make them work for you.
2. Put an envelope in your purse or briefcase to keep all wedding related receipts. It’s an old habit and some of us are “savers” and others are “tossers” by nature. If you are a receipt saver then you’ll find this a bit easier than the tossers will. Fortunately this is an easier habit to develop than some. You just need to make it simple and convenient for yourself. Make sure the envelope is large and sturdy and always well within reach. Don’t let receipts wind up all over the place – every receipt related to the wedding during daily life goes into the envelope and at the end of the day you transfer it to your bridal binder. It’s actually that easy!
3. Keep your cell phone (with photo ability) or digital camera on hand for wedding errands at all times. Brides today do a lot of comparison shopping. There’s also the challenge that you need to confer with the groom and each other’s families about some of the things you’ll want to do. So if you want to show your future mother in law how beautiful the flowers will be, be sure to snap a photo of them while you are at the florist’s. No one should mind your taking a few photos while you are running errands and this can also help you make up your mind about which vendor to choose as you do your comparisons of them later on.
4. Delegate wedding related chores wisely. It can be tempting to drop any chore on literally anyone offering to help. But DON’T! This sometimes can cause you double work in the end as you have to redo something they have done. A wedding is a very personal and intimate event. Even your mother or mother-in-law truly might not understand your exact tastes. Having them select something could also cause a frustrating misunderstanding when you go to reselect something on your own – as they will then be offended with your new choice. Delegate only what you can accept with someone else making a choice or where you have done some of the original legwork for them. For example don’t ask your mother-in-law to choose your invitations. You could ask her to get information from three different companies about a particular style of invitation and how quickly they could be printed and delivered. Notice YOU are making all of the important decisions there. Your mother-in-law is not selecting the invitation in any way. Keep all wedding related chores smooth and simple for everyone concerned.

Every moment of your wedding is special. Good organization helps you enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime event all the more!

Wedding White

White is white…right?  Wrong!  Any woman in search of that perfect wedding gown will be the first to tell you that she has discovered otherwise.  After waltzing into her local bridal shop;  and being faced with row upon row of gorgeous white wedding dresses, many a bride, has been shocked to discover that there are countless shades of white…There are : creamy whites, eggshell whites, brilliant whites, white whites,  blue whites; as well as other hues of white that she may never have dreamed of! For many, this has been a rude awakening, and an unexpected ‘punch’!

With all of these shades of white around, how do you decide which is the right one for you?   A good place to start would be with your own skin tone.  The shade you select, should be one that is best for you.  First of all, you will need to know whether your skin tone is either cool, warm or olive.  Experts tell us that if your skin tone is ‘cool’, bright white is often the right choice; as its blue undertone very easily complements this particular skin type.   If your skin tone is ‘warm’,  because of its creaminess, a soft, ivory shade may be the one for you.  Olive toned skin requires a  not-so-stark ’white’ that is on the deeper end of the spectrum.  Ecru and antique white can often show off a skin tone of this type to its best advantage.

While there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to selecting the gown of your choice, it is nice to know that there are resources available to assist you in choosing one that will help you to look your best on your very special day.

Additional Source: EisemanColorBlog.com

Why Wedding Reception Invitations?

Wedding invitations and wedding speeches are important part of the planning, however they can have different style and type just like fall wedding invitations.
Why are wedding reception invitations different from the wedding invitations as such? The arrangement doesn’t suit everybody due to the higher costs that it involves. It seems that if the wedding ceremony and the party occur in the same place, wedding reception invitations are not necessary. On the other hand, if the party is held somewhere else, then separate cards are sent.

Wedding reception invitations give guests a good idea about where they need to go, and they are normally mailed together with the wedding invitations but on separate cards. Moreover, it is also necessary to add a response card in the envelope so that the guests may confirm their participation. Such a detail is very important given the fact that you need to make arrangements with the caterers for the party, and you have to know how much food and drink to order.

In special cases, the ceremony is organized in a very quiet and simple mode, while the reception takes place at a later time when all the friends and family members join the couple. Wedding reception invitations are meant to provide all the necessary details. Consequently, you will send more wedding reception invitations than wedding invitations.

Then, it is good to know that the wedding and the reception invitations have to follow the same decorative line although they are designed in a different way. Use common elements for uniformity, but also distinctive patterns to allow a differentiation between the two types of invitations. You can use the same envelope for mailing but with different pockets, and, for the reception, you should not forget to add the response card too.

Do not overlook costs: you will pay more when you have separate wedding reception invitations because the number of items will be double. There are ways to cope with the money challenge if you buy discounted cards or if you choose the do-it-yourself solution, printing all the cards starting from distinct free templates. When the budget is very tight, be as inventive as you can to keep costs minimum and to achieve good aesthetic effects and a positive feedback from your guests.

Pearls: The Ideal Wedding Gemstone

Many brides put on their mother’s or grandmother’s pearl necklace for their wedding, thinking this is a sweet sentiment. But the meaning behind pearl necklaces is just as thoughtful and special to a bride-to-be. We’d like to share it with you now – so you understand exactly why women for centuries have chosen pearls as their wedding jewelry of choice giving them as much importance as their engagement rings.

Most of you surely have noticed the pearl, lustrous, white and smooth. They have been considered precious by men and women for centuries – some might even say as valuable as diamonds. Pearls represent innocence and purity, ideal for a bride to wear for her wedding day. The most popular color for pearls is white. Pearls have a beautiful, shining luster to compliment a bride’s love light in her eyes and her traditional white wedding dress. The radiant glow of the pearl easily reflects back the bride’s natural beauty. These natural gems are an ideal choice for brides of all ages and personal tastes and styles. What if the bride isn’t wearing white? Not to worry….pearls are available in a variety of colors now from deep purple, soft pink, gold and even black. The very fussiest of brides can be soothed and pleased with a feminine, pretty pearl necklace to suit her wedding day dress.

Pearls are also available in many different styles of jewelry, from necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings. Go for a truly luxuriant look with a three-strand choker on your wedding day. Or tiny seed pearls in seven or eight strands for a feminine look. Or a classic single strand pearl necklace in white or ivory. These pearl jewelry styles easily compliment many wedding dress looks.

To obtain pearls, one needs to find them from oyster shells. Some have said that pearls were created from raindrops falling from the heavens. Very romantic thoughts indeed! But we have to admit there is certainly something romantic about the very act of finding pearls. You have to search to find just the “right” oyster and not every oyster will have that pearl. Just like finding your lovely bride – pearls are selective and special. The perfect way to show the woman you love that you’ve found someone you truly want to keep forever.

The pearl is a romantic gem and often is given as a token of love. For many years the pearl was considered to be the most valuable of gemstones. To give or receive pearls showed the value of a relationship. One’s bride is valuable and precious indeed.

So as you put on your pearl necklace like your grandmother and her grandmother before her, remember the romantic pearl’s history. This sweet sentimental gem is honored to be with you on your wedding day!

Source: http://crystal-cure.com/pearl.html

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Centerpieces for Weddings Ideas

In any wedding reception party, wedding centerpieces play a very important role in determining the mood of the party and it is also a reflection of the taste of the couple. Before moving on to a final plan for centerpieces for weddings, you must consider the theme of the wedding and also your budget. You can also consult a florist or a wedding planner to get some innovative ideas. But your idea must go with the theme of the wedding. But you should not worry if you have a limited budget. There are really many cheap ideas available which can really make excellent centerpieces for your weddings. In addition, you must also consider what type of surroundings you are looking for and also what size of tables you are going to use in the reception.

Depending on your budget and theme you can have a lot of ideas for centerpieces in wedding reception. You can decorate it with flowers. Though many flowers are available in the market, before choosing a flower you must see that it is available in that season and it suits your budget. Many inexpensive flowers are available in the market that may suit your budget and also the theme of the wedding.

You can also make the centerpieces with fruits. You can decorate them with colorful fruits that may look great. If you can add fruits like citrus, it has got a beautiful smell and your guests will really feel charmed. The fruits can be kept as a whole or they can be cut and decorated in pieces. The chosen proper color combination of the fruits may present a very elegant atmosphere to the wedding.

You can also decorate the tables with vegetables in the same manner. You are able to make different designs using the vegetables and create many wonderful centerpieces for your wedding. This is really an inexpensive idea, but at the same time, will add beauty to your guest tables. For this purpose, you can choose asparagus, artichoke or even green beans.

Using candles is another wonderful idea of decorating the centerpieces of weddings. Candle is such a beautiful option that it goes along with any budget or any taste. It helps to create a very romantic atmosphere, if the wedding takes place in the evening. If the wedding hall is dimly lit and if you can add some flowers to the decoration, then using candles as centerpieces for weddings will have a long lasting impact on your guests.

But you can make great centerpieces if you are planning to get married in fall. The weather is cool and you can get a lot of beautiful flowers at that time. If you are planning a beach side reception party, the centerpiece colors have to be bright and vibrant. It is really wise to use sunflowers as the focus flower and can have some carnations and golden rod to add more colors. If you decide for a Mexican theme reception food, you can add some peppers that may go well with the centerpiece design.

Give a Unique Personalized Wedding Gift – Wine Label

I was just at a large wedding this past weekend (my roommate from college, in case you were wondering). The bride and groom gave a very thoughtful and unique gift – a bottle of wine. But that’s not the unique or thoughtful part in my opinion. The label was “From…” and it had their new married name and the date and location of their wedding. It also had a quote from the first song they danced to as man and wife. Perfect!

I saw that many people opened up their bottles of wine right at that event and I was reminded of how difficult it can be to find that perfect large-event gift. You want to get something thoughtful and personal yet please the whole crowd. I think a lot of the success of their gift was the beautiful custom wine label on the delicious wine. It gave the perfect message with the bottle of wine to celebrate their wedding and marriage. The fact that the wine was delicious certainly didn’t hurt!

Custom wine labels would be ideal for many occasions. A family reunion where you give a bottle of wine to every adult present. Or that milestone birthday – like the big 4-0 or 6-5 birthday party where you want to give the guests something special. It would also be great for the holidays, where you are looking for a gift you can give everyone on your list that will be sure to be a winner. Create a thoughtful and celebratory note on your customized wine label and give out wine for the holidays!

Wine can be a great gift for everyone’s hard work for that community fundraiser or event. Many times a charity or board wants to give a thank you gift they know will be appreciated. With a clever wine label design you have the opportunity to leave a special note on each bottle.

So enjoy a glass of wine – with our thanks!

P.S. Join the wine label design contest and win $100.

Stay Organized with a Wedding Invitation Timeline

Wedding invitation planning…you may not realize just how many steps there really are to organizing and preparing your invitations. From creating your guest list to finalizing all your ceremony and reception details, many things affect your wedding invitation preparations.

There really are no absolute deadlines for many of the steps in your wedding invitation process. Although there are some general timeframes that you may find helpful to avoid last-minute rushing since you have so many other things on your mind as well.

Here is a basic timeline to simply use as a guideline for your invitation planning:

9 months – 1 year

• Begin working on your guest list so you will know how many wedding invites (and maybe save the dates) to eventually order (one per single adult, couple or family invited).
• Start your wedding invitation shopping so you can narrow your choices down to only your favorites. Ordering samples, which are usually blank, will give you a chance to see the paper and design up close.
• If you are planning to mail out save the date cards to guests, begin searching for your preferred design of them as well.

7 to 8 months

• If you will be sending save the dates, place your order based on the number of guests to whom you will be mailing them as they are optional.
• Give some thought to how your wording will read by browsing through sample wedding invitation verses.

6 months

• If sending save the dates, prepare and mail them.
• Select your wedding invitation design and gather all the details that will be printed on them such as date, times, name and address of location(s), etc.
• Determine if you will also be ordering any invitation enclosures or added options – response cards, reception cards, direction/map cards, pre-printed return address on envelopes, decorative envelope seals, colored lining for inner envelopes, matching thank you or informal cards. Some of these options may not be available depending on your chosen style. You may also be able to order matching menu, table and place cards for your design. You will save on separate shipping costs by purchasing as many items as you can all in the same order.
• If you are including response cards, check with your dinner location to see how far in advance they need your final guest count so you can select the RSPV date that will be printed on them (typically 2-3 weeks before wedding). You also need to decide whose address will be printed on the response envelope or postcard meaning they will receive the replies.

4-5 months

• Finalize your wording and place your wedding invitation order. Remember to order some extras now so you won’t run out if there are last-minute guests to invite and so you also have a few as souvenirs. If the option is available, order some extra envelopes just to be safe.
• Check your guest list making sure you have complete addresses for everyone.
• Consider mailing your wedding invites using custom wedding stamps. Many online retailers provide you with the alternative of choosing from pre-designed wedding postage or simply uploading a photo to create your own stamp design. NOTE – Have one of your ready-to-mail invitations weighed at the Post Office BEFORE purchasing your postage stamps so you know you are using the correct amount for each one.

3-4 months

• Fold and/or assemble your wedding invitations, if necessary.
• Hand address mailing envelopes and write guest names on inside envelopes, if they are included.
• Purchase and apply postage stamps to the response card envelopes or response postcards, if they will be included.
• Assemble all wedding invitation pieces and insert them into already addressed envelopes.
• Take one fully assembled and sealed invitation to the Post Office to have it weighed to determine the correct amount of postage needed.
• Purchase your stamps or order custom wedding stamps with appropriate postage amount required for mailing.

6-8 weeks

• Seal the envelopes, apply postage stamps and mail them all at the same time directly at a Post Office location.

3-4 weeks

• Prepare and mail any other related wedding invitations…rehearsal dinner, post-wedding brunch, etc.
• Keep track of the response cards as they are returned by checking off their names from your guest list.

2-3 weeks

• Contact any guests who didn’t mail back their response cards.
• Provide final guest count to reception/dinner location.

That pretty much takes care of everything related to your invitations prior to your wedding. The only thing left to do is to write and mail out your wedding thank you cards, especially if you ordered them with your wedding invitations. They should be sent out about a month after the wedding and no more than three months after.

Again, this is just a guideline for your wedding invitations process but hopefully it will help you stay organized which is the key for all of your wedding planning.

What Exactly Are Modern Wedding Invitations?

You often hear the phrase ‘modern wedding invitations’ but what really classifies them as modern.

We all know modern is the opposite of traditional.  When it comes to wedding invitations, traditional brings to mind a simple white or ecru invitation card, classic black ink, a standard font style and two envelopes for mailing.  Modern wedding invitations, on the other hand, let you be more creative and unique which seems to be quite appealing to today’s couples who tend to look for ways to truly personalize their weddings including their invites.

Here are some trends that you may feature on your modern wedding invitations depending on the design you choose and the options available:

·  Multiple Lettering Styles – A larger and sometimes fancier font style is used to emphasize the couple’s names on the invitation compared to the rest of the wording.

·  Contrasting Ink Colors – A second distinct ink color can be used to highlight certain details on your wedding invitation like your names.

·  Pockets – Becoming increasingly fashionable, this style has a pocket for holding the wedding invitation and possibly a separate pocket for any enclosure cards, depending on the specific design.

·  Self-mailing – So named since they turn into their own self-mailing piece eliminating separate mailing envelopes.  Some designs have an envelopment, which may be colored, that wraps around all the invitation pieces for easy mailing.  Another self-mailer design option are seal and send wedding invitations that actually fold and seal up into their own mailing piece.

·  Bright and Bold Colors – Today it is easier than ever to make a personal statement with your invitation colors either through your paper, design or ink choices.  You can also create a unique look by combining colors that you may not normally consider as complementary but really look stunning when paired together.

·  Distinctive Sizes & Shapes – You can easily select a wedding invitation design that has a unique shape such as being square or is an unusual size such as tea length.

·  Patterns – As part of the invitation design, patterns are becoming stylish including paisley and retro motifs.

·  Colored Papers or Envelopes - Make your wedding invitations eye-catching by choosing a design that has colored paper stock or colored envelopes.  Just be sure to choose an ink color that will look good on the colored paper.

·  Recycled Paper – For those striving to be more eco friendly, there are now many beautiful wedding invitation designs that are printed on recycled papers.

·  Embellishments – Ribbon has become quite popular as an added special touch to wedding invitations.

Everyone’s idea of what modern wedding invitations are may vary but the above trends are definitely options that will make invites look more contemporary.  Your invitations will surely reflect your own unique personal style using any of these options.

Funny First Wedding Dances

For many people, walking down the isle is the biggest day of their life. They spend months looking for the perfect dress or tuxedo for the traditional wedding ceremony. The whole occasion is usually very formal and organized. Even the couple’s first dance can be static and frankly, quite uninspired. Some waltz and act like they are at a regal ball while others like to have more fun using the time to be silly while shaking a leg. This post is about those who like to actually have fun when they dance. You’ll see songs and dances you know, but also ones that will surprise you. Either way, you’ll certainly get a kick out of these funny first wedding dances.

Evolution of Wedding Dance

Crazy in Love

Dirty Dancing

Come Fly With Me – Skills!

Original Wedding Surprise – Viral YouTube Goodness

Chariots of Fire

Thriller Original

Beat Ballet

Charleston – AMAZING!

Or, the Groomsmen can just dance by themselves

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