Beach Wedding Favors
April 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Bridal Shower Shopping List
April 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A bridal shower is usually the first of many parties the bride and groom will attend after announcing their engagement. The bridal shower is a descendant of the old fashioned bride’s dowry.
For many centuries, the bride’s family would provide a dowry to entice a man to marry their daughter. When the family did not provide a dowry due to disapproval of the groom, or due to their poor financial state, the friends of the bride would gather to gift her with items that would create a dowry for her.
In the early to mid 20th century, the custom of bridal showers had themes like a linen shower, a kitchen or a garden shower. Items for the home were gifted along the lines of the theme, and were to help the bride provide a comfortable home for the couple’s future. As better transportation became available, more family and friends could attend a bridal shower, and the custom changed to more of a household goods theme. No one needs 50 sets of towels!
Today, there are many ways in which to have a bridal shower. Etiquette requires that a gift (or money) is never requested, and bridal registries have become an acceptable method of ‘asking’ for specific items for the couple’s new life together. Traditionally, the family and bridal party are told of the gift wishes of the couple, and if guests want to know what the couple need or want as a gift, they will inquire of the family and bridal party.
Bridal showers are hosted by the Maid of Honour. It is the responsibility of the Maid of Honour to organize the mothers and bridesmaids, and to plan the bridal shower. The mothers of the bride and groom help with the guest list of relatives and close family members who should be invited. The bridesmaids help to ensure friends of the bride and groom are also included in the guest list. The cost of the bridal shower is usually paid for by the bridal party, but if there are a lot of family members, the mothers might also choose to chip in with the costs. Sometimes, if there are many individuals to invite, the mothers might plan their own bridal shower with family members, and the Maid of Honour and Bridesmaids will plan a bridal shower with friends.
Irregardless, there are some basic items that are usually purchased for the bridal shower to decorate the space, and ensure there is a festive air to the event. This usually includes, but is not limited to:
Bridal Shower Invitations
Bridal Shower Favors
Favor Bags, Boxes and Ribbons
Bridal Shower Games
Tissue bells
Table skirt
Table covers
Ribbon pull bows
Tulle & ribbon bows
Feel Your Best on Your Wedding Day
April 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Everyone wants to look and feel their best, but the stresses of planning a wedding can take its toll on not just the bride and groom, but the whole family. Consider the benefits of taking a good supplement to balance all those quick, fast meals that leave you feeling, well, blah!
You have TWO options: eat good food to feel and look great, or take supplements that take the place of eating good food to feel and look great. When you are pressed for time, these supplements will go a long way to helping your whole family look and feel their best on your wedding day!
DETOX PURE AND SIMPLE
Written by Dr. Don of the It Works! Team
You’ve heard the buzz and seen the promotions for the products, treatments and special fad diets proclaiming to be the best or only way to detoxify your body. You don’t need to make use of heroic cleansing procedures that are painful, difficult or expensive. To healthfully detoxify your body, you simply have to abide by some basic principles. Eat well and drink plenty of pure water. Detoxification takes a lot of nutrition, especially minerals. You’ll find all the minerals and vitamins you need every day with It’s Vital and Greens.
Why Detoxify?
When I consult with folks experiencing a pattern of poor health, I like to tell them about the “health equation.” Good Health = Detoxification + a Balanced Immune System. Whether you live with a chronic condition like arthritis or diabetes, a serious illness like cancer, or you just don’t have the energy and stamina that you used to enjoy, detoxification is your first step to feeling better.
Greens provides you with the nutritional value of more than eight servings of fruits and vegetables in each serving. The blend of 38 bio-active and bio-available herbs and nutrient-rich vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and enzymes helps your body to detoxify and alkalize while balancing your immune system.
Many folks I talk to will say, “Well, I’ve got this illness and that’s just the way it is. There’s nothing I can do about it.” I beg to differ! There’s a lot you can do.
For starters, be intentional about what you put into your body. Clean oil even helps an old car run a little better! But, put a little sugar in the gas tank and it’s all over. Most of us take better care of our cars than we do our bodies! Instead of lubricating our cells with pure water and feeding them the nutrients they crave, we load up on sugary, chemical-laden fast food, convenience foods, and soda pop.
When you rely on these man-made foods for nourishment, not only are you ingesting toxins, you also starve your body of the nutrients it needs to break down and excrete toxins that are already there. On the other hand, whole food nutrition, what I call God-made food, gives you the building blocks your body needs to flush toxins out of your system. It’s Vital supplies your body with all the essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients you need on a daily basis.
Simpler Than Science
Every day researchers are finding new ways that the nutrients in whole foods build our health. You don’t have to wait for their papers to be published! It’s easy.
1) Drink eight to ten glasses of pure filtered water every day. Water not only hydrates you, it also flushes out the toxins stored in your fat cells, liver and kidney, arteries and colon. Just like that old car will run better after a radiator and transmission flush—so will you!
2) Eat fresh organic fruits and vegetables. Abolish white bread and pastas from your pantry and opt for 100% whole grains. Fortify yourself with healthy proteins: free range eggs, fish, legumes, and lean grass fed meats.
Eat what you can eat raw—and the rest, cook from scratch. And, unless these foods come from your own garden, supplement with It’s Vital multivitamin/mineral and start your day off with a glass of Greens.
My Beach Favors Story – Losing A Few Inches Has Never Been Easier
April 2, 2011 By 1 Comment
I was going to write about this product, and give you all the technical details of it. But I’ve changed my mind. Instead, I want to tell you our story here at My Beach Favors.
Katharine, our Customer Service Supervisor at My Beach Favors, tried this product first. She lost inches—overnight. You are supposed to wear the wrap for 45 minutes, and lose inches. But Katharine, well, she likes to do things her way. So she wore it overnight. She had applied it to her belly area. FOUR INCHES! That’s what she lost overnight. Her pants were baggy! She was showing us at the next day, at the office. We were all impressed. We started asking questions.
Applicator Starter Package
I’ve been overweight my whole life. I’ve tried it all, seen it all. OK. I admit. I was jaded. But others in the office started to use the product. They were losing inches. Katharine started having Wrap Parties—inviting a few people over in the evening to try it out (they pay for the wraps they use). I decided to come to the party and try it myself. In 45 minutes I had lost 2 inches on my belly. AMAZING. Most ladies at the Wrap Party signed up as a Loyal Customer, but I signed up as a Distributor. I know a good thing when I see it!
A Loyal Customer means you get the wraps at about 1/2 price from retail, and you commit to receiving 3 auto ship orders. You are a member for life, and don’t ever have to do anything with the company again if you don’t want to. Dave, a fellow in our office, signed up as a Loyal Customer. He wanted to try these wraps on other parts of his body, and thought with 3 orders (4 per box) it would give him enough wraps to do his entire body—neck/chin, upper arms, belly, love handles, inner and outer thighs. You have to wait 72 hours between applying the wraps to give your body a rest from detoxifying and working while it assimilates all the natural herbs in the wrap. That will take him through the 3 months of autoship.
I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT!! Every single person at this Wrap Party became either a Loyal Customer or a Distributor. I could see Katharine was making money on this, and I wanted in. After all, I own this website, and I am a wedding planner, and I know lots of brides who want the little bulging skin above their strapless dress GONE before the wedding day.
I became a Distributor, which means I can make money from people who buy the product from me or through me. I have a business, and this made sense to me. I am looking at Katharine (who is also a Distributor), and she cannot keep enough stock of her product to meet the business coming her way. Friends are telling friends, and she doing one Wrap Party after another.
FITworks Starter Package
I have to say I really like the products they have. Along with the wraps, which are really called the Ultimate Body Applicator, they have a variety of other products. They have the Body Slimming products which includes the Ultimate Body Applicator and the Defining Gel (use together for best results), Skin Care products, Supplements, and for those who want to lose weight there is Fit Works.
I LOVE the Defining Gel—you use it with the Ultimate Body Applicator. Being a little older, it is making my skin feel young again! Firmer. Smoother. Oh, this is definitely an amazing thing. The saggy bits are going away. I met someone new the other day and they thought I was much younger than I am. I am giving the credit to these products!
Not everyone cares about saving a few dollars, and becoming a Loyal Customer or a Distributor. For those people, retail is the way to go. You can get more information on these products here, or you can visit our It Works! retail store here.
All the staff at My Beach Favors is looking pretty good these days (we are ALL using the products), and a few of us are making some nice money on the side. I just wanted to share with you our story here at My Beach Favors, and invite you to check it out. Enjoy your wedding!
A Shopping Guide to Bridal Shoes
October 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
WEDDING SHOES
An important part in any woman’s life is the time when she would walk down the aisle to exchange vows with the love of her life. But what if this dreamy moment turns into a disaster when the bride slips, trips, or feels every inch of pain and discomfort as she treads down the aisle?
This is something that you would never want to happen in your own wedding. That is why you vow to yourself that you would find the perfect pair of bridal shoes that will help you turn that dream moment into a reality. Now, if you have no idea how to find the right pair, here is some vital information that would surely be of good use to you.
Comfort = Happy Feet
Sometimes, brides fall in love with a beautiful pair of shoes that they ignore the fact that they do not feel comfortable wearing them. They make the mistake of thinking that it would not matter. Come the day of the wedding and they realize they have made a huge mistake when blisters start showing up or when the bride could hardly walk halfway during the event. For this reason, it is of utmost importance to ensure that a pair of shoes is comfortable. A bride should feel comfortable wearing and walking with her pair of choice.
The Fit Factor
The fit of the shoes is one factor that affects the degree of comfort. Since the feet are at their largest during the end of the day, it would be better to do your shoe shopping at this time. It is also essential that you do not simply fit the pair but you try walking on it as well.
To Heel or Not to Heel
Another factor that contributes to comfort is the heel. Some “vertically challenged” brides would prioritize height and opt for killer high heels just to look good even when they are not used to it. But the smart thing to do would be to choose a heel height that you are comfortable wearing since you will be doing a lot of standing, dancing and walking all throughout the day.
If you really are not a fan of high heels, flat shoes like satin ballet slippers can also be a nice pair of bridal shoes. Moreover, choose a heel height that would complement the length of the dress and not make the gown drag the ground while you are dancing or walking.
WEDDING SHOES
All in the Style & Color
Many brides choose bridal shoes depending on the style and color. There are various styles a bride can choose from such as pumps, sandals, strappy, stilettos, silhouettes, sling backs, ballet flats, open toes, close toes, pointed, rounded, squared and so many more. Apart from this, there are also various embellishments available, which include jewels, bow, beading, lace, color trims, and embroidery, all of which can make the pair more stunning.
As for the color, most bridal shoes come in bronze, silver, gold, white, off white, pewter metallic shades, cream, light gray and light brown. Choose style and color that would enhance the wedding gown (without drawing attention away from the bride) and would complement the overall theme and style of the affair.
Fantastic Fabric
The two most common choices for wedding shoes are silk and satin. If you are non-traditional or if the wedding is not a typical wedding gown, you may choose other kinds of fabric. However, it would be best that the fabric of the wedding gown and shoe match closely to achieve a harmonious feel.
Designer Bridal Shoes: Chic & Trendy
When it comes to bridal shoes, some of the most popular choices are Vera Wang, Kenneth Cole, Jimmy Choose, Gina Shoes, Kate Spade, Stuart Weitzman, Delman, and Manola Blahnik. Choose a pair of designer shoes that would best fit your style, taste, comfort degree, and budget.
Bridal shoes should be of good quality and stylish design but remember that comfort is still the most important factor. After all, she will be wearing this pair all throughout the day. She will dance on it, walk on it, and even jump while wearing it (if she is that happy). She would walk on carpeted floors, on slick ones, and probably on rough terrain (if the wedding were outdoors). Therefore, it is a must to find a pair that is beautiful, elegant and most of all, comfortable.
How To Discover Wedding Invitations That Match Your Theme
August 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment
A wedding has always been a joyous occasion in which friends and families come together to celebrate the joining of two lives into one. For ages, the wedding itself was the event. All weddings followed the same path, for the most part: white dress, church, the throwing of rice, etc., but recent years have brought loads of change. Today, the “traditional” church wedding is no longer the norm.
Theme weddings are taking place every weekend of the year all throughout the world. A wedding without a theme is like a bride without something blue…wait, does that belong in a theme wedding that isn’t the “Traditional” theme? In addition to going traditional, happy couples can now plan theme weddings around a favorite destination, flower, or even their pet! Theme weddings can whisk you back into a historical period of time, or into the presence of the gods themselves. It doesn’t seem to matter what interests you, a wedding theme can be created around it.
If you have chosen a theme for your wedding, it means that every part of the celebration should branch out from the tree that is your theme. There is a branch for decorations, a branch for apparel, and a branch for invitations. Finding invitations for your unique theme wedding is one of the first tasks you will tackle once your theme has been decided upon.
Where do you turn when looking for wedding invitations for your theme wedding? Most brides hit the net first. With just a few taps of the fingers, multiple companies that specialize in theme wedding invitations will appear before your eyes. Because you have chosen a theme wedding, you want unique wedding invitations. For example, if your wedding will be a beach theme, you don’t simply want to choose wedding invitations that feature a shell on them. No, you want the invitation itself to BE a shell, or at least the shape of one.
While you can find ideas on the internet for theme wedding invitations, it is also a good idea to visit a local print shop that prints invitations. You may just be surprised to find something there that suits your theme and your budget. Even if you don’t, what it will do for you is give you and idea of the types of paper used to print theme wedding invitations. Because these are invitations that you want to stand out, making sure that high quality paper is used will serve you well.
In addition to just wanting the paper to show off the true vibe of your wedding, knowing what printing techniques can be used on certain types of paper is important. You are going through the details of planning the perfect theme wedding for your friends and family to enjoy. The invitations you send out start the whole process. Take the time to look online, but also know the types of questions to ask and you will be thrilled when you view the first proof of your unique theme wedding invitations!
12 Ideas of Hairstyles for the Elegant Bride
August 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The bride is always the most beautiful woman in any wedding event. She is the focal point of the ceremony, which is why she needs to be able to choose a hairstyle that is both beautiful and elegant at the same time.
If you are a bride, you probably know that finding a wedding hairstyle is not that easy as there are so many factors to consider. Some of these factors include shape of the face, wedding gown, theme of wedding, wedding jewelry, and the bride’s personal style. All these things affect the bride’s decision on what kind of hairstyle to don on her wedding day.
There are many variations and possibilities on wedding hairstyles that even those with short hair have many styles they can choose from. Here are 12 elegant ideas for wedding hairstyles that you can consider.
1. Classic Bun Updo
In this classic hairstyle, the hair is pulled into a neat and compact bun at the back part of the head without any hair sticking out. It can be low on the neck, on the middle part, or high on the crown of the head. This gives the traditional look that can make any bride look stunning.
2. Sophisticated French Twist
The hair is swept to the back part of the head and twisted and secured with hairpins. This type of hairstyle speaks of beauty, elegance and timelessness, making this one of the most popular choices on wedding hairstyles.
3. Playful Braids
French braids, twisted braids, or large braids—whatever type of braids you choose and whether you form it into a bun or hang it loosely from your head, the end result is the same. You will get an elegant and yet playful look that many brides want to go for.
4. Side Swept Hair
In this type of wedding hairstyle, the hair is neatly swept to one side to form a roll or bun.
5. Curly Long Locks
Long hair curled and hung loosely on the shoulders of the bride look elegant and sexy.
6. Bun with Accessories
Pulling the hair into a perfect bun and topping the crown with a tiara or securing the bun with a flower is another great hairstyle idea to consider.
7. Combed Short Hair
Who said, brides could only sport long hair? Short hair neatly combed can look just as elegant and beautiful. It is also practical and easy to fix.
8. Sexy Loose Large Waves
Loose large waves look stunning and sexy. Brides with this type of hairstyle appear confident and eye-catching.
9. Half Updo
Classy and elegant, the half updo has half of the hair pulled up into a bun at the back of the head while the lower half is curled or hung loosely on the shoulders.
10. Ballet Bun with Curly Side Strands
A compact bun with curly strands on the side of the face is both elegant and exciting.
11. Simple Ponytail
For simple brides who do not like the fussiness of elaborate hairstyles can go for simple but sophisticated ponytails.
12. Bun or Ponytail with Wispy Bangs
Modern but at the same time elegant, a bun or ponytail with wispy bangs in the perfect choice for trendy and chic brides.
With the right choice on wedding hairstyle, the bride can truly exude sophistication and exquisiteness that will amaze the guests and wow the groom.
Do Whatever Makes You Happy When Decorating
August 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Depending on where you are getting married, ceremony decorations may be a very important part of your planning. If you are getting married in a church, you may be able to get away with just a few ceremony decorations. However, if you are getting married in your backyard, on the beachfront at your family cottage, or at a local reception hall, you may need to plan and budget for a significant amount of wedding ceremony decorations.
Use your wedding location as a launching point to find decorating ideas. Keep in mind that flowers, aisle runners, chairs, alter décor and more will all vary depending upon where you are exchanging nuptials. If your wedding dress is elaborate and you are getting married in a large cathedral church, you certainly do not want beach themed or comical wedding ceremony decorations.
In such a case, you want to stick with taffeta and tulle bows to decorate the church pews, fancy aisle runners for your flower girl to adorn with fresh or silk rose petals, and large spectacular floral arrangements to showcase the marriage alter. However, only about 1 in 50 brides actually has a full-blown cathedral wedding anymore. If you are in the majority and will be tying the knot somewhere unique, fun or unusual, we have assembled some enjoyable decorating ideas for you.
Fun and Unique Wedding Ceremony Decorating Ideas
No matter what you can imagine, you can make it come true on your wedding day. There are no rules written in stone about how your wedding must look or how you should or should not decorate for your ceremony. If you are mad for the colour magenta, use it… everywhere! If you have always wanted to have an oceanfront wedding where everyone comes in bare feet and beachwear, have it!
If you own an Italian restaurant, what is wrong with wanting guests to throw colored macaroni pasta instead of rice? How fun! Perhaps you work as a marine biologist or a trainer a Sea World – why not have your bridesmaids decked out in mermaid style dresses with starfish jewelry? Maybe Casablanca is your all time favorite movie. Feel free to plan a wonderful, black and white, old style wedding with a candlelight ceremony. A modern way to do this is to use luminaries down either side of the aisle for a soft, wonderful ambiance.
If your dream wedding is on the beach and you live in the middle of Idaho, you can still have a beach themed wedding. Plan your big day in the summer, find a large park, ballpark or vacant lot that you can rent or use and call a company to dump a few tons of beach sand on it. Decorate with lots of brightly coloured flowers like hibiscus, geranium, birds of paradise, and angel trumpets.
Have everyone come casually dressed and sit on beach mats for the ceremony. Add a starfish or tropical breeze wedding cake topper to your pineapple tropics wedding cake, use beach chair shaped place cards if you have arranged seating for the ceremony, and use beach or nautical signs to point everyone from the parking area to the ceremony location. Lovely beach themed paper and stationary would be ideal for casual wedding invitations or for your ceremony program.
Flowers, birds and butterflies also make lovely wedding ceremony themes. You can never go wrong with garlands of roses, an alter arbor overflowing with wisteria, a butterfly embroidered ring bearer pillow and toss garter, or a wonderful cake topper with stylized birds wrapped around the bride and groom. Dress up the church pew bows with large oriental lily blooms for a splash of fresh colour or perhaps choose silk flowers that you can keep forever.
If you are your partner are sports fans, have fun with it. Get married on a golf course with your wedding party dressed up as caddies, exchange vows on the pitcher’s mound at your favourite baseball field or centerfield on the soccer field where you met your spouse to be, or order all of your wedding ceremony decorations in the colours of your beloved basketball team.
Whatever the couple wants should be when it comes to the ceremony décor. Your wedding party should be there to help, offer advice and run errands – but not dictate or decide wedding ceremony decorations. Your parents or in-laws had their own wedding day, and this is yours! Do whatever will make you happy and give you a warm feeling of happiness when you think about your wedding day 25 years from now.
Barefoot On the Beach With Tropical Wedding Cake Toppers
August 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Tropical wedding cake toppers are the perfect way to top off your exotic destination wedding. Whether you exchange vows at a local beach or in a tropical paradise, beach themed wedding cake toppers add to the seafaring spirit of the day. Celebrate your unique waterfront wedding with these cake toppers; lasting keepsakes of your big moment.
Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
Many couples feel compelled to plan a conventional wedding to please their friends and family without consider their own personal preferences. A private destination wedding can keep your guest list small and exclusive while making your wedding dreams come true.
After you say, “I do”, you can dive right into your reception and honeymoon for a non-stop party. Destination weddings also have celebrity status with couples such as Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon choosing to get married in the Caribbean. Popular destination wedding locations include Hawaii, Jamaica and the Bahamas.
Capture the exotic spirit of the day with an elegant tropical breeze cake topper. All your guests gather around the wedding cake during the reception. A couple embracing under heart-shaped palm trees expresses the essence of your unforgettable destination wedding.
Barefoot On the Beach
Couples living near a beautiful beach can stay close to home and still have a fantasy waterfront wedding. Imagine being barefoot in a flowing white gauze gown with flowers in your hair while the groom wears khakis with his toes in the sand. Bring this feeling to all your guests with a beach bride and groom on your wedding cake. Everyone gathers around the cake during the reception and it is the focal point during the cake cutting ceremony.
A couple that catches the spirit of your barefoot on the beach wedding is an eye-catching detail in photos and videos of that once in a lifetime moment. When the party is over, a charming beach bride and groom cake topper is a treasured keepsake of your nautical nuptials.
Gone Fishing
Do you and your partner love to get away from it all and go fishing together? While some couples consider a day at the beach a tropical getaway filled with sunbathing and romance, others get up early to try to catch the big one together. Invite all the fish to share in the joy of your eternal love with a beach wedding. Big game fisher folk choose Caribbean destination weddings to try for their second largest catch.
The first largest catch is your other half, humorously communicated with gone fishing cake toppers showing a bride reeling in the groom by the seat of his pants. Local beaches by a lake or bay are also romantic places for a beach wedding. Dare to be different. Get married by your favorite fishing hole and make it a special place for more than one reason.
Personalize Your Wedding Day
Mix brushed silver monogram cake toppers with your favorite tropical wedding cake toppers to personalize your day. Use your initials or spell out unique statements including “I Do”, “Love”, “Beach” and “Fish” based on the beach themed wedding cake toppers you choose. Add additional monogram cake toppers near buffet tables and guest book tables for a uniform look throughout your reception.
If you want to add a bit of bling to you beach wedding, use a few jeweled monogram cake toppers for a touch of sparkle. Your personalized statements can be as unique as your destination wedding when you combine monogram cake toppers with beach cake toppers.
Add a touch of nature with a contemporary lovebirds cake topper along with your beach cake toppers. Put the finishing touch on an Irish wedding by the sea with a traditional Claddaugh cake top. Put a touch of modern art on your cake with a love link stylized heart cake topper. Use several beach wedding cake toppers to create your own unique design.
It’s your big day and tropical cake tops express it your way. An outdoor wedding is an unforgettable event for everyone. Have a lasting memory of your waterfront wedding with keepsake beach cake toppers.
Creating Your Own Centerpieces Personalizes Your Big Day
August 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Wedding table centerpieces make your special seating area more eye-catching while reflecting the theme of your day. Everyone will be watching the bride and groom so the best ideas are attractive but not overwhelming. After all, the bride and groom are the stars of the day and should be seen without being hidden by an oversized centerpiece.
First, consider the theme of your wedding. Is it elegant, casual, whimsical or child-friendly? This will help you determine the best centerpiece for your bride and groom table so you can match it to your theme. For example, at a sophisticated adult wedding you can use a variety of glass holder with candles in different sizes and mirrors to reflect their glow. At a wedding with children, you can incorporate color and humor into your wedding table centerpieces with a large bowl filled with candies and prizes that is sure to attract your younger guests.
Remember the wedding table will be a place where guests come to talk to the bride and groom and spend some time. It is also a focal point during the toast to the bride and groom so all eyes will be watching your table. Your ideas should suit your type of wedding for a professional, uniform appearance in all the photographs and videos of the event.
Next, determine the size of the table to figure out how many centerpieces you need. The number of items is determined by the amount of people seated with the bride and groom. A long table may need three or four centerpieces for balance, while a smaller table is perfect with just one. Once you know the theme and the number of centerpieces you need, you can choose the most appropriate ideas.
For the bride and groom’s table, a white centerpiece with gold and silver accents suits all types of weddings. If you have a luxury adult wedding, use a variety of candles in different sizes places on mirrors because you don’t have to worry about little hands being attracted to all the flickering light. You can also have a small fountain in the middle of your table for a romantic, calming touch.
At wedding with or without children, flowers make classic wedding table centerpieces. Make sure the flowers are not so tall that they hide the faces of the bride and groom. Choose unique vases and stones to customize your centerpieces. You can even make them yourself with a bit of creativity, using your choice of dried or fresh flowers. At a country theme wedding, you can fill western boot glasses with stones and flowers. For a sophisticated look, fill beautiful glass vases with colorful stones, mystic crystals or even water activated diamond lights for a glow beneath your bouquets. Add glitter on the branches for sparkling appeal.
The flowers you choose depend on the season and the colors worn by the wedding party. Match the flowers to your theme for a uniform appearance throughout your wedding ceremony and reception. Make sure the flowers are not too tall or wide for your wedding table. Also, avoid fragrant flowers that may upset members of the wedding party with allergies or sensitive stomachs during the excitement of your big day.
A fun way to decorate your wedding table is with a heart-shaped fondue set. The bride, groom and wedding party will have a great time gathering around a chocolate fondue and dipping strawberries. The fondue makes a fantastic centerpiece you can take home after the wedding to relive romantic moments with your own private fondue.
Another attractive accent for the wedding table that won’t interfere with viewing the bride and groom are plates spelling “L-O-V-E” filled with goodies such as nuts, mints, candies and fruits. The bride, groom and wedding party can pick on the goodies and the plates are lovely keepsakes after the reception is over.
While you can have a professional make your centerpieces, these ideas can all be easily put together yourself to save money. Creating your own centerpieces also personalizes your big day.
Give The Beauty Of Nature With Island Wedding Favors
August 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Radiant sunshine, windy atmosphere, soft whispering waves and some warm soil. It’s perfect for a tropical getaway! What’s more exciting is planning out not just a day of relaxation or vacation, but one of the most special days of your life- the wedding day!
Tropical-inspired nuptials are mostly preferred by adventurous couples or those who would want a casual feel of their wedding. No heavy, sweaty feeling under those ball gowns, no over-decorated halls, no much artificial arrangements, just simple and natural look of the environment, flimsy white dresses and khakis, and outdoor ambience which will surely lighten up this very memorable event.
Apart from the given art of nature which would mostly keep your day in a tropical atmosphere, it’s a must that you incorporate the accessories and the stuff to the theme. The venue mostly chosen for this is in an island setting or some beach side areas. Adorn your setting with brightly colored umbrellas, balls and large pieces of cloths all over. You may want to include a summery dress code for your guests. Some Hawaiian-look is best picked! Also, you can ask your invitees to wear some floral clothes if not whites or khakis.
Of course, the party after the matrimonial rites should be as colorful or as island-y as possible! A lot of island wedding favor ideas are sure to make them keep these items as island treasures!
Take for example the feel of the sunshine. Bring the vibrant sunny day atmosphere with tiny felt bags. Better if you get them in different pastel or candy colors, but the brighter is more recommended! Accentuate it with little flower felt pieces, some ribbons or ornamental butterflies or pieces of artificial flowers (don’t forget to put the stems out!). Aside from bags, you can also make some small throw pillows or toy pillows. Decorate it the same way with the bags.
If you want to take more of the seas, beach accessories are nice suggestions. Purchase some miniatures of those benches or chairs you use during sunbathing. Aside from having it as a souvenir item, you can also use it as place card holders during the reception and it could also serve as a mobile phone holders to your guests! Another beachside item could be some sands and little shells that you can place inside a shot glass. Pour in melted candle gels, when it hardens, it will look like a mini beach diorama…plus, it’s a candle! You can add scents if you want.
For some Aloha! Island escapade, why not welcome your guests with handmade artificial flower-arranged lays or some flowery bracelets and crowns. You might also want to give out some sun visors matching your motif and with printed couple’s name inside the brim. These will not only be a keepsake for those invitees, it will also help the event feel and look more Hawaiian, all the more, your guests will have some free accessories, just in case they fell short of the dress code!
Since the reception is casual, might as well pick up a flip flop design for your favor. You can either get some flip flop slipper keychains or convert it into a mini frame by placing a photo sticker of the two of you in the middle portion of the item, or a little copy of your photos with the corners tacked with very small crafted thumbtacks.
Another island wedding favor you can easily do-it-yourself is a thank you note. Simple as it might seem, it can still take you back to the islands. Roll up your personalized thank you notes and place it inside clear long-necked bottles. Cap it off with bottle stoppers with some decorations and present it as floating decors on artificial or man-made pond!
Sea shells are nice accessories you can share with your guests. Also, some cute little colored artificial gemstones can add up to the beauty and luster of a treasure chest or box. Put that island treasure into life with a mini treasure boxes. Fill them up with small shells and gemstones. Customize the container with engravings of the couple’s names, the date and venue of your wedding day. Or, you can put some candies, potpourri, or some beads and pearl-like objects inside the chests. Pick your own object, it will surely be more pleasing and appreciated when they reflect you on it!
Engraved Toasting Flutes As Permanent Reminder Of Your Special Day
August 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Unique toasting flutes for your wedding party add a professional, uniform look to this special moment during your reception for unforgettable photos. You and your wedding party will treasure personally engraved ones as a lasting memory of the day.
When everyone raises their glasses to their lips, engraved toasting flutes look so elegant. Your guests will appreciate your attention to detail when you have these flutes to celebrate your new lives together. They are available in a variety of shapes and sizes including goblets and long stemmed glasses. The bride and groom can express their own unique sentiments on them. The glasses are custom engraved or printed based on the glass style chosen.
Names, dates, a logo, a monogram or a special message can be engraved on your wedding toasting flutes. Have a special set of engraved flutes just for the bride and groom. A good way to offset the bride and groom flutes is to display them in a matching holder. A silver plated love stem champagne holder and glass flutes keeps both glasses together with a linking heart until the toasting moment. Silver plated interlocking heart stems with glass flutes express joining together in one heart.
The matron of honor, best man, bridesmaids and groomsmen all receive their own unique engraved flute sets. The bride and groom can use this opportunity to express heartfelt sentiments to each of the people who helped make their wedding day possible. Include your names and date with a line or two of text to tell everyone how you feel. These specially engraved toasting flutes are also lasting keepsakes of your wedding day for the party to proudly display in their homes. Personalized flutes for your entire wedding party also look fabulous in all the photos and videos of your marriage toast.
Select ones for a formal wedding. Interlocking diamond stem champagne flutes add a glamorous touch to your head table. Silver plated open heart and jewel drop stem champagne flutes add sparkle and heart to your toast.
Hearts are a timeless, traditional way to show your eternal love. Love burst toasting flutes feature a bursting heart, much like the way newlyweds feel about each other. Silver plated heart stem glass flutes look opulent for the bride, groom and wedding party. For truly unique ones, silver plated stacked hearts glass flutes will make your guests stop to admire them. A classic double heart toasting set shows two hearts are coming together for one marriage. Capture the very essence of marriage itself with engraved diamond ring champagne flutes.
Wedding themes express themselves in many aspects of your special day. A decorative flower basket makes the ceremony even more wonderful. An eye-catching, themed cake topper brings your ideas right to the top of your wedding cake. Themed, engraved toasting flutes capture this special moment and become keepsakes you use to celebrate your anniversary every year. For a winter wedding, winter wonder sets bring snowflakes to your head table. Fall weddings are complete when you use an autumn splendor set with unusual oak leaf embellishments.
Flowers are an integral part of many wedding themes. Match your sets to the flowers displayed at your wedding ceremony and reception. A flower of love in romantic red toasting set matches red roses perfectly. A bridal beauty calla lily toasting set matches the beauty of the calla lilies in the bridal bouquet. Ribbons and roses bring a timeless floral touch to these items.
From wedding white to irresistible chocolate and strawberries, your sets reflect the colors and themes of your one-of-a-kind wedding day. Add your own personal sentiments and these engraved wedding flutes will permanently remind everyone of your incredible day.
Wedding Lists – Use Checklists for Your Beach Wedding
June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Welcome to our video series of the top 20 questions brides ask when planning their wedding. Juliet may have said: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.”. Well, I say: “What’s in a list? That which we call a list, by any other name would be as useful.”
Find the transcript of this video below:
Ah, you can tell we are getting to the end of our video series. I’m getting whimsical and quoting Shakespeare! Well, you may have figured out that today’s video is about LISTS.
Lists need to become your best friend during the wedding planning process. Start with getting a bunch of wedding planning checklists. Take what YOU need from them, and make YOUR list. You don’t need to do everything on every list. For example, if you are having an informal wedding in your backyard, you don’t need to book a church—but you might need to book a tent in case it rains. So takes those lists, and make it YOURS.
Then, you need to find lists that state what the responsibilities are for the bride, groom, MOH, bridesmaids, Bestman, Groomsmen, and parents of the bride and groom. There are traditional responsibilities for all these people. They need to know what they are if they are going to do them. It will make YOUR life a lot easier because they are doing their stuff. Feel free to add stuff from your list onto their list. That is what the bridal party is for—to help the bride and the groom with their wedding.
Then, there are the lists that state who traditionally pays for what at the wedding. You can then approach the parents of the bride and groom, and ask them, based on that list, what they might be willing to pay for. If you gave them a copy of the list, it will break the ice, and give them a basis from which to start from. They might just give you a set amount of money, or offer to pay for something from the list. Whatever you get—be thankful. Weddings cost a lot of money and everything helps. It is rare these days that the old traditional list of who pays for what is strictly followed, but it is a nice place to start.
In our online wedding planning membership site, we have extensive lists, which we call SmartBride Action Plans. Interviewing a caterer? We have a list of questions to ask. Need to tell your bridal party what to do? We have a list for that. In fact, every module on our membership site consists of an informative, fun video, and a SmartBride Action Plan to get it done. Information and a to-do list. No reading and researching. It’s right there for you. If you have a question, no problem! Talk to one of our coaches and get your answers that day.
Wedding planning does not need to be difficult or stressful. You just need the right tools—information to make smart decisions, and checklists to make sure it is done.
Good luck and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.
Experiencing Wedding Stress – Not a Problem
June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Welcome to our video series of the top 20 questions brides ask when planning their wedding. One of the big problems I see when I work with brides is how tired and stressed they are by their wedding day—-never mind their wedding night.
Follow the script below:
How do brides arrive at their wedding day so stressed and tired? No one PLANS to have that happen, yet I see it over and over again.
The usual culprit is uncertainty. You make a decision you really aren’t sure of, but you make it and it is done. Then you build on that decision by making another decision, and now you really are unsure. But, you ignore that feeling, and keep going. Things need to get done, and you are running out of time. Then a family member questions your decisions, and you feel even more unsure, but, time is running out. So you keep going, and you try to ignore that feeling in the pit of your stomach.
This is what I like to call the “stress cycle”. Just think how much easier it would be if you could just pick up the phone and ask someone in the wedding industry what they think! Someone who knows wedding stuff, and has experience with all the wedding options and choices, and is available to you every day.
Well, that is what you get when you become a member of The Bridal Coach.ca. Every day, we have a live coaching hour where you can phone, email or text in your questions, and discuss your decisions. Best of all, you get a competent, professional opinion so you can feel good about your choices, and you can get that pesky problem solved once a for all.
Although we have many fun, video modules giving you information, and great SmartBride Action Plans to follow, the real benefit of the membership site is the fact that you have a coach—a real, live, knowledgeable, certified wedding planning consultant to talk to—every day if you want to. Unsure about something? Don’t wonder. Just call in. Wondering if you should spend a certain amount of money on a specific wedding package or if there is something better out there? Just send a quick email and ask. But all our coaching is not just on the coaching hour.
When you join us, you become a SmartBride member, and a wedding planning consultant will contact you and set up a telephone appointment. We assess where you are in the wedding planning process, and we give you a tailored guideline to follow to get you to your wedding day. No need to watch all our videos (although you can if you want to), or to read all our SmartBride Action Plans—your coach will direct you to just those things that you need, based on your personal wedding plan, to get to your wedding day relaxed and confident that you have it together. And, we don’t just leave you hanging out on the website. We follow up with you to make sure you are on-track and getting things done, and of course, we are there to help you with any problems that might come up.
Planning your wedding need not be a stressful experience. Get the answers you need to make this a fun experience for you. It is your wedding after all, and why shouldn’t it be a joyful experience instead of a stressful one?
Good luck, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.
Stuck with your Wedding Planning? Some Great Advice that Can Help You…
June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Welcome to our video series of the top 20 questions brides ask when planning their wedding. I often get emails from brides who get stuck in their wedding plans. What I see is that there are those brides who get stuck once, get their answer and can move on. Then there are those brides who are overwhelmed and keep getting stuck.
Read along the full text below:
The overwhelmed and stuck brides usually have a lot of responsibility in their life, and have little time for wedding planning—and they need help. In order to make the right wedding planning decisions, you need information. The stuck bride usually doesn’t have the time to do the research necessary to feel informed and confident in making a decision. It’s not that they aren’t capable, but not everyone has the time to spend to research all their options and figure out what they want. So, they tend to be unsure, and then “get stuck”. Are you a “stuck bride”?
The problem is, if these brides don’t get help making their decisions, well, they tend to start procrastinating. Then, they are scrambling at the last minute to get everything done. What happens then, is that they don’t take the time to research their options, and they often overpay for simple things. Bad decisions are made because they are in a hurry. And all that hurrying gets them to their wedding day totally stressed out and they turn into BrideZilla! It’s amusing until it happens to someone you know—and, really, no one believes that it will happen to them.
One of the nice things about having an online wedding planning coach is that they keep you on track, and help you when you get stuck. They are there to give you all of your options so you can make realistic, intelligent decisions, and most importantly, help you not inadvertently overspend when you don’t have to. Having a coach gives you a break from the constant research and planning that goes on during the wedding planning process. The average 250 hours it takes to research and plan your wedding is reduced to less than half when using a wedding planning coach. Through the various modules on our wedding planning membership site, you can watch fun, quick videos to educate yourself on what you need to know, access the SmartBride Action Plan with detailed instructions on what needs to get done, and if you have questions, you can ask your bridal coach during the daily coaching hour. If you want one-on-one personal wedding planning with your own personal consultant, you can have that too.
Everyone’s life is busy, busy, busy. Planning a wedding can make you even busier, and then the stress comes in. Get some help—whether it is a wedding planner, a friend, your bridal party, or an online wedding planning coach, it doesn’t matter. Get someone knowledgeable who knows the wedding industry who can just help you get things done so you can get to your wedding day relaxed and organized. Of all the days in your life, that is the day you should arrive at relaxed and full of energy so you can truly enjoy your day.
Good luck, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.
Beach Weddings on a Budget – Planning Series
June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Welcome to our video series of the top 20 questions brides ask when planning their wedding. One of the questions I regularly get is “How do I have a wedding on a limited budget?”
Read along with the text published below:
The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada states that in 2009, the average cost of a urban wedding is $25,000 and a rural wedding is $20,000. How much you spend depends upon many things, but the biggest expense is your wedding reception. The number of people you are inviting to the wedding will have a big impact on that figure. The average cost of a wedding reception —that includes food, alcohol, tips, rentals, and miscellaneous fees—is approximately $50 per person. Large cities and upscale locations may cost more, and rural locations will cost less, but $50 per person is the average reception cost.
SLIDE: Where does your money go? Let’s take a look. A full 37% goes to your reception & catering. A $10,000 budget means that $3,700 goes towards your reception, which is approximately 75 pp attending your wedding. A $15,000 budget means that $5,550 goes towards your reception and catering which means approximately 110 guests, family and bridal party members. A $20,000 budget means that $7,400 goes towards your reception which means approximately 150 guests.
24% of your budget goes towards wedding rings; 8% is for Miscellaneous (things like bridal party gifts, gifts for parents, gift for spouse, etc.); another 8% for Photography, 7% goes to Gown & Tuxedo, 4% to Videography 4% to Flowers, 3% for Music, 2% for Invitations, and 1% each for Cake, Limousine, Ceremony costs.
The number one way to save money on your wedding is to educate yourself on all your options. There are always less expensive ways to do everything, so you need the guidance of someone who knows. You might find these less expensive ways through some research on the internet, or through the many wedding books available on the market, or you can use an online bridal coach to advise you of all your options.
At The Bridal Coach DOT Ca, our membership site has lots of great video interviews with wedding vendors who not only inform you of the things you should know when looking at their services, but they also talk about the many ways for you to cut costs. In addition, we arrange for periodic discounts for our members when they purchase their wedding supplies.
There are many ways to save money—from choosing alternative services to choosing different ways to celebrate your wedding with your family and friends. All you need to do is research your options or find someone who has already done the research to guide you through the wedding planning process. The choice is yours.
Good luck, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.
Wedding Planning Timeline – Beach Weddings
June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Welcome to our video series of the top 20 questions brides ask when planning their wedding. One of the questions I regularly get is “How long before my wedding day should I start planning my wedding?”
Follow along with the full text of the video:
SLIDE: A recent poll stated that 24% brides start planning their wedding 18 months or more before their wedding, 23% start 12 to 18 months before their wedding, 13% start 9 to 12 months, 16% start 6 to 9 months, 14% start 3 to 6 months, while 9% start planning 3 months or less before their wedding. How long you need to plan your wedding depends upon how big and how formal a wedding you are having. If you are planning a formal wedding for 300 guests, it will take longer than planning an informal wedding for 50 guests.
If your chosen ceremony and reception sites are popular locations, you might have to book them over a year in advance to get your wedding date. If you dream of a grand formal wedding, booking ceremony and reception sites to match your vision might be hard to find on short notice.
The next thing to consider when deciding how soon you should start your wedding planning is how much time you have available to work on it each week. Did you know that it takes an average of 250 hours to plan your wedding? If you have a lot of time commitments each week—like a full time job, community activities, sports activities, etc., you will have to make time to research and plan your wedding details. There are many choices available to brides, and part of the joy of planning your wedding is looking at all the options available to you. If you have a clear vision of what you want for your wedding, your wedding planning process will be faster, so that is also a consideration.
SLIDE: If you are feeling the time pressures, there are solutions available to you. Along with the usual wedding planning books, wedding planning checklists, and wedding planning consultants for hire, there are now internet solutions that are new to the modern bride. The two main ones that come to mind are wedding planning software solutions, and ‘on-line bridal coaching’ where all your options are found in one place and you are coached through the wedding planning process by your personal bridal coach.
No matter how much time you have to plan your wedding, brides tell us that they always wish they had more time so they could have done things differently. Don’t be one of THOSE brides. Take the time, and if you don’t have the time or if the planning gene isn’t in your DNA, consider hiring someone to coach you through it, or to do it for you. Of course, there are costs, but depending upon the services you choose, the cost will be one of the least expensive things on your wedding planning list. And it is worth it to get to your wedding knowing everything is exactly like you wanted it.
Good luck, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.
Wedding Invitation Wording Examples – Planning a Beach Wedding Series
June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
> Shop for beach wedding invitations
Welcome to our video series of the top 20 questions brides ask when planning their wedding. One of the questions I regularly get is “How Do I Word My Wedding Invitation” followed by a specific scenario. We cannot address every scenario, but we will cover the most common scenarios. All examples shown are for a formal, traditional wedding invitation.
Read along with the text below:
SLIDE ONE: It is tradition that the bride’s parents pay for the wedding. If this is what is happening in your situation, the invitation starts with the bride’s parent’s name. Formal wording is always “request the honour of your presence at the marriage of…” Notice that the groom’s name has the honorific of Mr.; the date and time is written out, not with numbers. No abbreviations are used in the address.
SLIDE TWO: If the groom’s parents are sponsoring the wedding, the wording changes. The groom’s parents names are at the top of the Notice that the honorific of Miss is used on the bride’s name, and not the groom’s name.
SLIDE THREE: If both the bride’s parents AND the groom’s parents are sharing the cost of the wedding, their names are both listed at the top of the invitation. The bride’s parents are listed first, followed by the groom’s parents. Notice that both the bride and groom have the honorific of Miss and Mr. before their names.
SLIDE FOUR: Many couples pay for their own wedding, and the wording of the invitation again changes. In this case, the invitation simple states: “The honour of your presence is requested at the marriage of Susan Margaret Alexander to James Wilson…etc. Notice that neither the bride nor groom has an honorific applied to their names.
SLIDE FIVE: Sometimes, due to the cost of the wedding reception, more people are invited to the wedding ceremony than the wedding reception. In this situation, you would send a ceremony invitation to your entire guest list. A ‘reception card’ with date, time and place is enclosed in the invitations that go to the guest who are invited to the reception. The Reception Card is placed in front of the Ceremony Invitation.
SLIDE SIX: Sometimes, the wedding ceremony is a private or family affair, and the reception is opened up to more guests. In this situation, everyone on the guest list would receive a Reception Invitation. The limited list of those who are invited to the ceremony would receive a Ceremony Card which would state the date, time and place of the ceremony. The Ceremony card is place in front of the Reception Card.
If parents are divorced, remarried, widowed, or if a family member or friend pays for the wedding, there is specific wording for each of these situations. Your printer or wedding invitation supplier has examples of wording—whether formal, contemporary, or informal. Speak with them directly, for they are the experts in their field.
Good luck, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.
Bridal Parties – Beach Wedding Planning Series
June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Welcome to our video series of the top 20 questions brides ask when planning their wedding. I get a lot of questions about the bridal party.
Read the text below along with the video if you prefer:
The biggest problem couples face when putting their wedding party together is the expectations of family and friends. Hurt feelings, angry words, and unrealistic expectations are all common problems.
If family is being unreasonable, it is up to you to be the mature one. You will live with your family for the rest of your life, and you really don’t want hard feelings carrying on for years. It’s not fair to you or your partner to create problems with the family. Sometimes you need to make a choice for the sake of peace in the family. It’s only one day, after all.
Only you can make that decision, but think it over carefully. Be mature, be reasonable, be gracious.
Some brides and grooms think that the bridesmaids must come from the brides family and friends, and the groomsmen come from the grooms family and friends. This is not so.
It is common to have immediate family members (brothers and sisters) take part in the wedding, and the bridal party is the most common place to include them. It is acceptable to have the bride’s brother as a groomsmen, or a grooms sister as a maid of honor. Sometimes the bride wants her friends in the bridal party, and not the groom’s sister, so you might find some other task for her—like doing the readings at the ceremony, or some other special task.
Another common problem that occurs is that the bride and groom have chosen someone to be in their wedding party who is not available to carry out their traditional duties. Maybe their work takes them out of town a lot, or they live in another city. I suggest, in this type of case, to include them as a bridesmaid or groomsmen, but NOT as the Maid of Honor or Best Man. The MOH and Best Man have a lot of responsibility and need to be available to the bride and groom.
One question I often get is: is it ok to have an uneven number of bridesmaids and bestmen? The answer is yes. Usually the bride has more friends she wants in the bridal party than the groom does. This is OK. It is also becoming more common to have a male bridesmaid or a female groomsmen. Although, not traditional, these are all acceptable modern choices.
Good luck, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.
Wedding Reception Centerpieces – Beach Wedding Planning
June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Welcome to our video series of the top 20 questions brides ask when planning their wedding. I get a lot of questions about reception table centerpieces. Everyone wants something different, unique, interesting, or unusual.
Follow along by reading:
Wedding reception table centerpieces usually consist of flowers, candles or light, water, and sand—-by themselves, or in combination with each other. In addition, the use of food as a centerpiece has become more common over the last ten years.
Flowers are the number one choice of brides when it comes to centerpieces. They can be small and dainty, or extravagant floral displays with ostrich feathers in trumpet vases.
Candles add atmosphere and ambiance to any dimly lit room. They are the classic, traditional centrepiece for a dining room, and they are easy on the pocket book. They can be simple, or dressed up with flowers or placed in elaborate clusters.
Water is an interesting medium for table centerpieces. I have seen goldfish swimming in glass bowls as a centerpiece. Very unique and colorful. Water can be dyed to any color, so imagine a cluster of tall thin vases filled with colored water as a centerpiece. How about a simple glass bowl with water, floating candles and a few flower heads? Inexpensive and elegant.
Sand has become more popular, especially as it comes in many colors. Whether you have sand in a vase, or in a flat tray with tea lights, you can do almost anything with sand. Consider vials of colored sand, and an empty glass container—you can have your guests create the centerpiece through an activity that gets everyone involved.
And then, there is food as a centerpiece. Consider a tower made out of pieces of fudge which then becomes the dessert. A beautiful choice for a centerpiece is a tall vase filled with lemons and limes. A more casual outdoor wedding might have a glass pitcher full of sliced lemons, limes and water, which later becomes lemonade for the guests to drink.
Wedding table centerpieces can be simple, dramatic, or practical—and it depends upon your personal style. I suggest you pay attention to centerpieces whenever you are at a restaurant, or fancy hotel. Look through home magazines to see what kind of centerpieces are on tables in the photos.
The purpose of a centerpiece is to be the focal point of the table. The use of flowers, candles or lights, water, sand and food are the most common ways to achieve this.
Good luck, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.
Beach Wedding Decor and the Importance of Color
June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Welcome to our video series of the top 20 questions brides ask when planning their wedding. A common question I get is: How do I put my wedding colors into my wedding decorations?
You can also read the transcript below:
At your wedding ceremony, your wedding colors will be reflected in the bridal party’s clothing, and you really want the main focus to be on the bride and groom. So, keep the decorations subtle—stick to touches of your colors in the candles or alter flowers, or through aisle runners or draping of colored mesh along the pews.
At your wedding reception, your colors will mostly come through table linens in your wedding colors. Table linens include table skirting, tablecloths, and napkins. Sometimes, table runners or table squares are available, as well as chair covers. Check with your reception site for what they have available, and what you are able to bring in.
The head table usually has a tablecloth and table skirting, but often tulle or mesh in your wedding colors is draped along the front of the table to give it a more prominent look. Usually draping is provided by the bride and groom, not the reception site, but check on it’s availability before you buy.
The next most prominent way to bring your wedding colors into the reception site is through flowers and centrepieces. Depending upon your wedding theme, or décor, you might also choose to add color through balloons, streamers, and similar products, or through props like arches, and canopies.
These are the most common ways to bring your wedding colors into your decorations. Have fun with it and enjoy! And if you really don’t think you can create your vision, consider hiring a wedding planner or an interior designer for the day to take care of it for you.
Good luck, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.
Beach Wedding Decorations – Wow Factors
June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Welcome to our video series of the top 20 questions brides ask when planning their wedding. Our topic today will be Creating the WOW Factor. I get asked this question a lot. “How do I create a WOW factor for my wedding?”
Follow along the video with the transcript below:
I guess the best place to start is to figure out what a WOW factor is! When was the last time you experienced something and said WOW. That’s a WOW factor, and chances are it was something UNEXPECTED or something OUTSTANDING.
Every WOW factor is either UNEXPECTED or OUTSTANDING in some way. But when you put UNEXPECTED and OUTSTANDING together, that really creates an extreme WOW factor.
So how do you create a WOW factor for your wedding? Simple. Do something UNEXPECTED or do something OUTSTANDING. Wow factors can be extreme, funny, or subtle, depending on your personality—and it SHOULD reflect your personality as a couple.
Want a WOW factor? Do something UNEXPECTED at your wedding: maybe a butterfly release at the end of the ceremony or a special dance at your reception is unexpected. Maybe the UNEXPECTED is a grand location, or a funny wedding theme.
Or, maybe you want to create your WOW factor by doing something in an OUTSTANDING way. At a wedding, the OUTSTANDING usually comes in the form of decoration or flowers. Sometimes OUTSTANDING comes in the form of true hospitality by the hosts of the party, so the guests leave feeling WOW’ed.
Whatever you choose to do to create your WOW factor, just remember: do something UNEXPECTED or do something OUTSTANDING. It can be extreme, funny, or subtle—but it should reflect who you are as a couple to your guests.
Your wedding celebration is about sharing who you are with your guests. Be creative, and have fun with it. Good luck, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.
Wedding Flowers – Planning your Beach Wedding
June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Welcome to our video series of the top 20 questions brides ask when planning their wedding. Today’s question from our brides is ‘what flowers should I order? What kinds? What colors? What seasons? HELP!”
Follow the text for the above video:
The first thing you need to do is define your flower needs. Make a list.
How many boutonnieres and corsages do you need? The corsages and boutonnieres will be worn by the immediate family—grandparents, parents, and siblings. These identify the immediate family of the bride and groom for all the guests. In addition, the groom and groomsmen will need corsages or boutonnieres. Add them to your flower list.
How many flower bouquets do you need? The MOH and bridesmaids will carry bouquets, and, of course, so will the bride. Add them to your list.
What kinds of flower arrangements do you need for your ceremony site? Usually, brides choose greenery and candles, or flowers for the altar. The guest book table usually has a flower arrangement. Add it to your list.
Will your reception site need flowers? And where? Flowers are usually used to decorate the head table, and they are used as centerpieces for the guest tables. They are also used to decorate the buffet table, cake table, and the guest book table. Add these to your flower list.
Once you know your flower needs, that is the time to ask the question: what flowers should I use? and what colors do they come in? Your florist is your flower specialist. Use their expertise.
Go with your list of flower needs to your local florist and tell them you would like a written quote. Be sure to discuss who will transport and arrange the flowers—not only at the site, but between the ceremony and reception sites. Make use of the florist’s expertise to help you make your flower decisions. They know what flowers are in season for your wedding date, what your color choices are, and what will fit into your budget.
Once you decide what flowers you want, make sure to get at least three quotes from different florists to compare both services and price. You might be surprised at the result! Good luck, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.
Beach Wedding Supplies
June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
To that end, you should have at least some favors that commemorate the Bride and Groom, the Date and if possible, the location to give your guests a “keepable keepsake” to remember the event and the momentous commitment both people took.
Because so many people like to hold onto a memory of the day, your options in shapes, sizes and forms are many as are the colors you have to your avail.
Beach Pillow Favor / Place Card Holders are elegant as are Starfish Favor / Place Cards and Boat Wheel Favor / Place Cards and each says something about one or the other of the marrying party. A ‘Stop! Please Take One’ Favor / Place Card will not only prompt people to stop, it will also prompt them to take a favor / place card and tuck it away for safekeeping. Other options include stickers that commemorate the day that come in a variety of shapes and sizes including shells, beach towels, boat flags and starfish.
In terms of color, aqua blue is always popular, but you can elect to use virtually any color of your choosing. White reverse decorations on the background “jazz-up” the favor / place card and allow you to set a theme if your form is just a rectangle. Remember to use type that fits with the colors you choose and are not hard to read.
By using paper favors / place cards, your guests can keep your day in a safe place without worrying about them breaking. Over the years, they will be reminded of the event and how special it all was. There is nothing so much fun as flipping through an old scrapbook and remembering such a happy day and event.
Beach Theme Party Favors for Your Guests’ Wedding Keepsakes
June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Every wedding has some favors that highlight the interests, personalities or hobbies of the Bride and Groom. While they are great for setting a mood and often provide children with something to play with or hold, they are usually fragile, often functionless and when they break or are destroyed are forgotten. Many people like to hold onto keepsakes that remind them of you and your day, but find it hard to find a safe place for those Metal Boats that held the mints or that Miniature Folding Deck Chair and in these cases; paper favors that fit nicely into scrapbooks or even trinket drawers are perfect.
Announcements, stickers and other paper favors are easy to store and can fit into virtually any keepsake container, book or drawer precisely because they are paper. They can be folded if necessary and usually are flat so storage is simple and easy. Keeping them over the years is also a given because they are so unobtrusive.
Honeymoon Apparel – Don’t think Only Lingerie
June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
While lingerie may be the thought that pops up first, honeymoon apparel means more appealing lacy tidbits. Matching honeymoon apparel for both of you brings you together for a fun-loving good time during your special getaway.
During your bridal shower, often guests give you lingerie for your first married night together on the honeymoon. This well-known tradition is just the beginning of your honeymoon apparel. When you and the groom wear garments to celebrate your married status during your honeymoon, you announce your love to the world.
Start with matching basic apparel such as khaki shorts or pants, jean jackets, boat shoes and strapped sandals. Complete your gender-neutral outfits with crew socks and aviator sunglasses for complete comfort.
Your honeymoon apparel will compliment the destination. Some couples prefer a beach honeymoon where they can kick back in the Caribbean or Hawaii. Other couples want a winter wedding so they can snuggle up at a ski lodge afterwards. Country couples may enjoy a ranch honeymoon so they can go horseback riding and listen to their favorite music.
For beach honeymoons, wear matching flip-flops so you leave footprints reading “Just Married” in the sand. Cover your skin and eyes from the sun with brushed cotton twill crusher hats that show off you are a “Bride” and “Groom”. You can indulge yourself and show off your fine sense of style to the groom with a matching sarong, beach hat and bag for the beach. During a winter honeymoon, keep your head warm on the slopes with an angora hat that states you’re a bride. Bring thick bathrobes monogrammed “Mr.” and “Mrs.” to wear after your bath or a dip in the heated indoor pool. A ranch honeymoon isn’t the same without matching “Bride” and “Groom” cowboy hats to wear horseback riding and square dancing.
At the bridal shower, you can create your own personalized honeymoon apparel with a t-shirt and permanent, felt-tip marker. Create a t-shirt with a fun iron-on that reads “Bride” or “It’s All About Me” and have the bridal shower guests sign them. After the shower, you can read all the comments and wear the shirt during your honeymoon.
Regardless of where you honeymoon, you can wear t-shirts or denim hats to announce you are the bride and groom. Plush towels reading “Mr.” and “Mrs.” show off your newlywed status at the pool, beach, Jacuzzi and sauna.
Choose comfortable honeymoon apparel that shows off you’re married to everyone so you feel even more romantic during this once-in-a-lifetime getaway.
Personalized Wedding Cake Toppers – How to Top off with a Touch of Humor
June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Traditional wedding cake toppers are still a lovely way to top off the day. Modern couples can choose from a bride and groom standing, sitting or driving away to their honeymoon in a convertible. Contemporary couples choose white figurines with roses while whimsical couples prefer a child bride and groom with cherubic expressions. Completely personalized keepsakes for the top of the cake may include a jeweled monogram cake topper or brushed silver monogram cake toppers.
To celebrate heritage and family, cake toppers feature ethnic couples from every background including Asian and Celtic Asian, African, Jewish and Indian couples have wedding cake toppers in authentic attire that resemble them.
Fantasy weddings are always popular with luxury limos, flowing gowns and a tall wedding cake. Cinderella brides may prefer to top their cake off with a fairy tale dream castle cake topper to celebrate their union with Prince Charming. A glazed porcelain snowflake cake topper or butterfly with wings in pure white or jewels perfectly top off a cake for a seasonal wedding.
Add a touch of humor with a funny wedding cake topper. Maybe the bride had to reel the groom in and wants to show it off by holding a fishing rod and hooking the groom. Athletic couples can have a sports theme, such as golf or soccer. Maybe the groom was a geeky guy and wants to pair himself off with a lovely bride. Mix and match wedding toppers make any couple a possibility, no matter how amusing.
Theme weddings are a popular choice for wedding planners because they are simple to coordinate. Western wedding goers will love the bride lassoing the groom on top of the wedding cake. For destination weddings, a barefoot bride and groom at the beach are perfect. Another eye-catching alternative for beach wedding is a starfish on top of the cake.
With so many wedding cake toppers to choose from, the happy couples can choose their favorite statement to top off their big day.
Wedding Lists, Checklist and Actionlist
June 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Juliet may have said: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.”. Well, I say: “What’s in a list? That which we call a list, by any other name would be as useful.”
Ah, you can tell we are getting to the end of our video series. I’m getting whimsical and quoting Shakespeare! Well, you may have figured out that today’s video is about LISTS.
Lists need to become your best friend during the wedding planning process. Start with getting a bunch of wedding planning checklists. Take what YOU need from them, and make YOUR list. You don’t need to do everything on every list. For example, if you are having an informal wedding in your backyard, you don’t need to book a church—but you might need to book a tent in case it rains. So takes those lists, and make it YOURS.
Types of Wedding Flowers explained by the Expert
June 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The first thing you need to do is define your flower needs. Make a list.
How many boutonnieres and corsages do you need? The corsages and boutonnieres will be worn by the immediate family—grandparents, parents, and siblings. These identify the immediate family of the bride and groom for all the guests. In addition, the groom and groomsmen will need corsages or boutonnieres. Add them to your flower list.
How many flower bouquets do you need? The MOH and bridesmaids will carry bouquets, and, of course, so will the bride. Add them to your list.
What kinds of flower arrangements do you need for your ceremony site? Usually, brides choose greenery and candles, or flowers for the altar. The guest book table usually has a flower arrangement. Add it to your list.
Will your reception site need flowers? And where? Flowers are usually used to decorate the head table, and they are used as centrepieces for the guest tables. They are also used to decorate the buffet table, cake table, and the guest book table. Add these to your flower list.
For more information, view our short how-to video below!
