Budgeting for Wedding Attendants

Virtually every wedding needs attendants. Unless you are being married by an Elvis impersonator in a Las Vegas wedding chapel on the spur of the moment you will want (or even need) some attendants. But along with that need comes the question of who is expected to pay for what?

Here is a quick outline of who is traditionally expected to pay for what:

The attendants cover the cost of:

• Clothing (i.e. Tux, Bridesmaids dress)
• Accessories
• Travel to the wedding
  

The couple getting married cover the cost of:

• Accommodations for the wedding party (hotel, rooms in relatives homes, etc.)
• Transportation to and from the ceremony (don’t let your wedding become the source of the next bridesmaid stranded at the reception venue horror story)
• Bridesmaid Gifts / Groomsmen Gifts
• Bouquets / Boutonnieres
  
  

Ultimately, remember this: While your attendants are providing you with a service of love, it is not a blank check. Show them the same love they are showing you by being a part of your wedding - respect their checkbook.

Consider their financial situation before hand and speak openly with them about the financial aspects when you ask them to be part of your bridal party. Give them all the information they need up front to make an informed decision about their ability to be a part of your wedding. This will give them a gracious way out if they just can't afford the cost - and almost all of us have been there at one time or another.

Of course, if you really want them to be a part of your wedding and your can afford to do so, you could always budget some or all of the attendant’s expenses into your budget… even if that means spending less on your wedding gown or flowers for your wedding.

Bonus Centerpiece Ideas for Wedding Receptions

As you play with your centerpiece ideas for your upcoming wedding celebration, consider these less traditional, and as a result, potentially more stunning displays.

• Glass Rock Gardens: Take a glass bowl of any size or shape that will fit your table (I would choose triangular, but square or round works fine as well) fill it with decorative rocks, add a small amount of water, and then plant a rich array of succulents (get them from your local nursery) for a dramatic centerpiece that will not be just like every other wedding reception centerpiece you have ever seen.

• Breakaway Centerpieces: Place a small mirror on the table and then place your wedding favors for each table in an eye pleasing arrangement on the mirror. With a little planning this can be very tasteful and has the added benefit of stretching your budget by taking care of both your centerpiece and your favors with the same money!
  
• Floating Citrus Candles: For a colorful variation on the floating candle theme have someone halve a variety of citrus fruits just in time to insert candles and float them in your water bowls on your reception tables. The look is as refreshing as a burst of fresh citrus right off the tree. But practice a few times. It looks simple, and it is, but you don’t want the person doing it learning by trial and error while your guests are waiting to be admitted.
  
• Balloon Artwork: No I am not talking about the balloon animals the clowns make at kiddy parties. A true artist can work wonders with balloons that will look spectacular and elegant.
  
• Mini Lanterns: Reminiscent of the romantic days of the horse and buggy these fashionable lanterns add style and character to a wedding reception table without interfering with your guests’ sight lines. Arrive and / or leave your reception in a formal horse drawn carriage and give mini lantern favors to help them remember the romance of your wedding.
  

Keep playing with your wedding reception centerpiece ideas. There is no such thing as right or wrong, only what display best achieves the look you desire within the framework of your own resources. Good luck!

Edible Centerpiece Displays

Here are some options that allow you to make a practical use of the centerpiece on your wedding reception tables while still being decorative. One benefit of edible centerpiece displays is the warm and engaging nature of food - it is just natural. People tend to relax and talk more around food.

So dig in. See if any of the edible centerpiece display options listed below sparks an idea for your wedding reception:

• Food Centerpiece: Take a tip from your favorite restaurant. There is truly little more inviting than some comfort food to welcome you to your table. Have a basket of fresh baked bread placed on the table just before your guests enter, or place a cheese board with crackers and fresh fruit at the center of your table.
  
• Chilled Wine: For those who are serving wine at their wedding reception a tasteful wine bucket with a nice bottle of wine can make a centerpiece that is attractive and functional. If the cost of a wine bucket is too steep, use something along the lines of plastic ice cream buckets wrapped in waterproof decorative gift wrap to create your own. Complete your centerpiece by accenting it with wine themed wedding favors to help your loved ones remember your big day.
  
• Cookie Bouquets: Many bakeries can make large ‘cookies on a stick’ and decorate them in some pretty amazing ways. Some will even arrange them in a bouquet for your to place on your tables. This isn’t the most inexpensive way to go and it probably won’t fit an elegant reception, but it can be a lot of fun – and quite tasty!
  
• Tower of Truffles: For someone with a loved one who is a wizard in the kitchen this is a natural way to get them involved. A display of homemade truffles is a delightfully inviting centerpiece for a wedding reception – just don’t forget to supply decorative favor packaging for your guests to take a few home to enjoy afterwards!
  

There are so many more possibilities. Perhaps I’ll add more later. Play with it. Mix and match. There is no right or wrong when it comes to centerpiece ideas for your reception tables, only what works within the framework of the theme and style you are trying to achieve for your wedding.

Again, I say it... Play with it. Recreate your reception in your dining room months before the wedding. This will give you an opportunity to play with your centerpiece ideas in plenty of time to be sure it will give you the look you intend.

More Inexpensive Centerpiece Ideas for Your Wedding Reception Tables

Well, tomorrow became Monday but here we go, three more inexpensive centerpiece ideas for your wedding reception tables. Of course, don't hesitate to mix and match to fit your own needs and tastes. After all it is your wedding that you are celebrating so your decor should fit your tastes and style and budget, not your mother's and certainly, not mine. Of course, maybe your mother will be able to help you in the budget department, but depending on the circumstances it is sometimes better to stick with what you can afford... but that's a different blog. For today we stick to inexpensive centerpiece ideas.

• Monogrammed Candles: A wedding themed with monograms can choose a single monogrammed candle (3” x 4” or larger) surrounded by greenery, flowers, or placed on a mirror or accent fabric for a simple and economical centerpiece for your reception tables.
  
• Fresh Cut Flowers: You don’t have to be a florist to arrange a half dozen of your favorite flowers in a small vase. Have someone pick up flowers at a wholesaler, market, or from the farm itself and place them in a vase on each table with a dash of color or texture (fabric, sand, pine cones, babies breath, etc) on the table to tie into the rest of your wedding decor.
  
• Floating Candles: Grab a glass bowl, colored rocks or marbles to fill the bottom of the bowl, water to fill the bowl to the desired level, and add a trio of floating candles and you’ve got yourself a simple and potentially gorgeous centerpiece!

I will have more centerpiece ideas for your wedding reception tables soon, probably tomorrow. And the next batch I have for you are a little more non-traditional and therefore, more fun.

Centerpiece Ideas for Your Wedding Reception Table

The centerpiece for your wedding reception tables is a key ingredient in your overall wedding reception decor. After your focal point around which you will build the look that you are trying to achieve, the centerpieces on each individual table are perhaps the most significant decoration in a wedding reception because it is what your guests will see most often. Fortunately, with a little thought you can develop centerpieces for your wedding reception tables from the following ideas that will match your theme without necessarily costing an arm and a leg!

• Gel Candles: Table centerpieces do not have to be tall. No one wants to talk to someone across the table from them while trying to peer through an over sized centerpiece. For this reason a seasonally designed gel candle paired with a swath of fabric or a handful of sand to match the wedding colors and theme can create a simple, yet tasteful centerpiece while being quite inexpensive.
  
• Upside-Down Wine Glasses: Place three complimentary, yet different sized wine style glasses (feel free to use any variety including martini glasses, Champagne glasses, and / or wine flutes) upside down over flower blossoms which will be displayed under the bowl of the glass. Next place three appropriately sized candles on the upside down foot of each glass and light for an elegant display.
  
• Bridesmaids Bouquets: One common complaint during wedding receptions is that the bridesmaids bouquets get in the way. They no longer need them and certainly don't want to have to carry them around, but what do you do with them? An increasingly popular option is to use the bouquets as centerpieces in your reception. This might mean paying the florist to make more bridesmaids bouquets than you have bridesmaids, depending on the size of the wedding and the number of your attendants, but this will be somewhat offset by the fact that you are getting dual usage out of the money you spend on your bridesmaids bouquets.
  
• Potted Plants: Done well, this can be elegant. Again, for the most part you want to find small potted plants from your local nursery and re pot them into decorative ceramic pots. The exception to the height rule is this: If you can find elegant topiarys with a single stem or stalk holding the sculpted plant above sight lines at your table. This enables you to add a dramatic touch to your reception without interfering with your guest’s ability to talk to each other.
  
  After your reception, send your potted plant centerpieces home with your guests to save trying to figure out what to do with your centerpieces afterwards. There are always people who would love to take a potted plant home to add to their collection, making for a simple solution to your dilemma.
  
  On the other hand, you could choose small plants that you would like to have in your yard. In this case, make plans for family or some of your attendants to plant your live plant centerpieces on your property so you will have a living reminder of your big day and the vibrant life of true love.

Check back tommorrow for more Centerpiece ideas for your wedding reception table (of course, if you want you could always adapt them for your holiday centerpieces as well!)

Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Brides and Bridesmaids

The engagement period is every bit as exciting for a young bride as Christmas morning is to young children. Why not combine the two and treat the young bride in your life with a stocking stuffer that will bring back the wonder of Christmas morning by forever cementing the two together? Get her a special brides T-shirt or tank top that she can enjoy in the months to come as she prepares for her big day. It's fun and easy, and she will love it.

Looking for something a little more exotic? If the bride in your life is planning on a tropical honeymoon relaxing on the beach, consider dropping a pair of barefoot sandals into her stocking! They're beautiful and stylish, yet will take up nearly no space at all in her luggage.

Due to popular demand, this next suggestion will not even ship until December 19th - so I almost left it out. But a December 19th shipping date should get it to most places in time for Christmas, and since it is so useful I have decided to include it... so here goes.

The legal process of changing your name can be so confusing. Not because it is difficult, but because there are so many places to notify. It's not just a matter of going down to the courthouse anymore. So it's useful to have something to help you get and stay organized so that every detail gets covered. That's what a Name Change Kit for Brides is all about.

Grooms Stocking Stuffer Idea

If there is a man in your life that is expecting to be a groom in the relatively near future get him a stocking stuffer this Christmas that will help him approach his big day with the grace and class of a real gentleman.

Indeed, it has often been said that weddings are a woman's domain. Whether or not the saying is entirely true, it is true that men often feel overwhelmed and bewildered as they approach the wedding.

The answer, then, is obvious. Provide them with a guide that walks them through every aspect of the wedding and how a gentleman can best approach and respond to each detail - and the best one I've seen is called, "The Groom’s Guide: A Gentleman’s Indispensable Wedding Planner."

This leather bound book (don't let that scare you away, as of today the price is only $12) contains anecdotes and illustrations designed to help your future groom handle everything from gift giving to hiring professionals for the big day.

The Engagement Rush has Begun!

It happens every year. When the holiday season rolls around a fresh dance of engagements take place. But... Maybe it's just a matter of the ebb and flow of the tide but whatever the cause, I'm saw more couples announcing their engagement right after Thanksgiving (American) than normal.

Perhaps it is because the guys who popped the question knew that their ladies were expecting the proposal around Christmas or New Years so they decided to push it up to make it a surprise, but whatever the reason the engagement rush seems a bit earlier than normal this year.

That is great. It gives couples options they might not otherwise have:

• More time to plan that perfect wedding.
• An opportunity at a wedding date that falls before the normal busy season for the wedding industry - which could mean savings.
• An opportunity to land that wedding venue that would otherwise be booked for your date the day after New Years day.
• An opportunity to land those wedding professionals that would already be booked up.
• An opportunity to find a wedding cake that doesn't taste like sawdust covered in sweet lard.
• An opportunity to look at tools that can help you build, improve, or even protect your wedding day from disaster. Some of which really are essential tools for a smooth wedding.

One such tool I've found is a Wedding Day Dancing Instructional Video. It's an inexpensive tool that could help you and your future husband to feel comfortable out on the dance floor - all from the comfort and privacy of your own home (and on your own schedule too).

And don't forget, with Christmas coming up, tools like this wedding dancing instructional video make great stocking stuffers!

Use Crystal Wedding Cake Jewelry to Create Stunning Holiday Centerpieces

This might sound crazy at first, but if you've got a wedding coming up you can make both your holiday budget and your wedding budget stretch by combining them and ordering your wedding cake jewelry in time to incorporate its crystal beauty into a centerpiece for your Christmas party!

Imagine sprays of swarovski crystals emerging from a display of traditional Christmas greenery. Unless you use the same Christmas display for your wedding cake topper no one will ever recognize it.

Or imagine an elegant sphere of crystals and fine jewelry craftsmanship sitting on the mantle with candle light dancing off the crystals. It's an elegant way to highlight (or even announce) your upcoming nuptials.

Crystal wedding cake jewelry has the advantage of coming in a wide variety of styles - making it perfect for use in your holiday centerpieces. For example, rather than confining themselves to the top of the cake some styles of cake jewelry consist of crystal vines designed to climb the tiers of the cake. Another style that comes to mind consists of crystal flowers again designed to accent your cake, but would look gorgeous as accents in your holiday decorating.

Choose your style. Personalize it. Not only does it help to stretch your budget while adding elegance and beauty to your Christmas or Hanukkah celebration but unlike most wedding cake toppers, wedding cake jewelry will stay beautiful year after year - something you will be proud to feature in your decor as a reminder of the happiest day of your life.

Plan ahead. Using wedding cake jewelry is a gorgeous touch precisely because it is so exquisitly made - meaning that often wedding cake jewelry is made to order and may not be available immediately.

Wedding Planning and the Holiday Season: Tip Number Three

In wedding decorations, just like in anything else, first impressions are everything. But for the bride that finds herself trying to plan a wedding while the holiday season is upon us, this is a huge advantage. Why? Simply put, what other season of the year allows you the luxury of decorating your entryway without raising the eyebrows of everyone who passes?

Yet, a well designed wedding decor will take the entryway into consideration because the entryway sets the tone for the rest of your decor. If your guest's eyes settle on the standard industrial doorpost of most hotel ballrooms, then little you do inside will change your guests' first impression. On the other hand, if a tasteful arch or draping that matches your wedding theme is the first thing they see, then you have already made great strides toward achieving your goal.

So go ahead, dream. Play with your entryway decorations - once you have found something that will work for your wedding you can always add some greenery and / or some ornaments and lights to make it appropriate for the holiday season.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

PS Don’t forget the first two Holiday Wedding Planning Tips!
As a simple reminder, here they are in brief:
1. Use Wedding Favors as stocking stuffers and gifts for co-workers etc. - this gives you the opportunity to check them out before you invest the money you budgeted for your wedding favors!
2. Turn the fact that the holiday season makes regular use of table centerpieces for entertaining to your advantage - use the opportunity to play with your design ideas for your wedding centerpiece and it’s presentation (all the way down to the shape and size of the tables).

Wedding Planning and the Holiday Season: Tip Number Two

The holiday season – that decorative centerpiece of the year between Thanksgiving and New Years – is unique to every other time of the year in that there is no other time of the year when there is as much entertaining taking place. This presents a huge opportunity for the savvy bride. This is because the holiday season gives the bride-to-be an opportunity to play with her plans for her wedding reception tables.

Hosting a party this Christmas season? Use the opportunity to create as many different centerpieces as you like and see how you like them. Once you’ve had an opportunity to evaluate them, depending on your design, it is usually not difficult to add a couple of Christmas related touches and in doing so create some fun and interesting centerpieces for your Holiday party.

Your options for your centerpiece designs are nearly as endless as your imagination. Whether you want to place a gel candle on a Styrofoam block for height and disguise the block with greenery. Or you might want to use the water and fire theme floating candles in crystal bowls of water. Or a floral arrangement in square or triangular vases lined with sliced citrus. Or a topiary, or decorative bottles – really, anything that is visually interesting, allows for sight lines across the table, and complements your wedding theme.

Of course, don’t forget to consider the setting for your centerpiece. By this we mean the placement of your display. How is the rest of the table dressed? Does the shape and size of the table draw your eye to your centerpiece? Is the overall effect satisfying?

Of course, that is the benefit of using your holiday entertaining to figure out your wedding reception table centerpiece designs – you have an opportunity to try all these things out in a live setting without having to wait until your wedding when it is too late to do anything about it to see if your centerpiece design works.

Wedding Planning and the Holiday Season: Tip Number One

The holiday season is a crazy time of year when brides often feel the need to set aside their wedding planning efforts. Between the family get-togethers of Thanksgiving, the company holiday parties, Hanukah, Christmas, and every other holiday between Halloween and New Years life often seems too crazy to find an opportunity to plan a wedding.

The reality, however, is that the holiday season presents a great opportunity to work magic with your wedding preparations. What’s more, the opportunity that it presents is not one that is readily found in any other time of the year.

Wedding Favors Make Great Stocking Stuffers!

Thinking about using sun catchers for your wedding favors but not sure if you will like them when the whole lot arrives? Order one and then after you have had a chance to inspect it slip it into your sister’s stocking on Christmas Eve. Who wouldn’t love to find a set of etched glass coasters in their stocking on Christmas morning? Or bath powder sachets? Considering using Barefoot Sandals as a Bridesmaids gift? Order a pair to give to your sister for Christmas. After all, what woman wouldn’t love a pair of Barefoot Sandals to help them feel attractive on the beach?

Use the holiday season to check out a variety of items you are considering using as wedding favors at your reception. This approach allows a bride to make her budget stretch by accomplishing both a part of your Christmas shopping and checking out wedding favors at the same time.

What’s more, nearly everybody has a long list of people that they need to recognize with a gift of some sort. And everyone has a shopping list that includes bosses, coworkers, Aunts and Uncles and other extended family and associates that don’t require much more than a gesture. Consider these examples:

• Check out the collection of beach favors for a boss that loves to run off to Hawaii every winter.
• Search through the collection of candle favors for a candle that you might be able to use in your wedding reception to give to your Aunt that you see once or twice a year – but loves candles.
• Choose one of each kind of bookmark favors that fits your wedding theme for the readers on your list.
• Choose from the decorative bottle stoppers for a relative who spends lots of time in the kitchen.
• Choose cruise ship luggage tags for someone who loves to sail.

You get the idea. By shopping for your stocking stuffers and your individual tokens of affection for your holiday gift giving you can give yourself the opportunity to decide just which wedding favors are right for your wedding while taking care of your holiday needs at the same time.

By the way, don't miss this opportunity to help your husband to be by slipping, A Groom's Guide: Turning Grooms into Gentlemen into his stocking. He will thank you for it.

Geeky Weddings LMAO

Geeky Weddings (PICS) - Looking for some crazy ideas? Looking for a reason to keep your wedding reigned in? For many this will do it. Obviously, others will be excited.

read more | digg story

New England Honeymoon Opportunities

New England is not the first place to come to mind for most people when they consider their honeymoon destinations. That is too bad because a trip to New England can make a wonderful honeymoon destination that is unique enough to provide years of special memories of discoveries made with your new husband or wife.

For example, a new couple could start their New England honeymoon trip with a room or suite near the famed Boston Commons. As well as placing themselves near America’s first public park, this location will put them in close proximity the theater district, Beacon Hill, and at the head of the Freedom Trail which provides enough sites for at least several days of exploration. As a result, honeymooners can have breakfast in bed or a local coffee shop, then stroll the commons and explore Beacon Hill followed by a memorable lunch at the original Cheer’s (the one the TV show was based on). Follow lunch with an exploration of the city and the ...

Continue Reading, "New England Honeymoon Opportunities"

Annual Honeymoon

Vacation is over - time to get back to the business of wedding planning. It can be fun, but everybody needs a little change of pace once in a while. For us, we like to think of it as an annual honeymoon.

New England is great. What a great place for a honeymoon. I'll write more about specific honeymoon ideas for a New England trip soon but for anyone who is not from New England and either wants something different than a flight to the sun and sand or just can't afford to go that far - Wow, there is so much to see and do in New England. There is so much character, so much to experience, so many opportunities for romance, a honeymooning couple should have no problem finding something to fit right into.

Like I said, I'll write more tomorrow but in the meantime you can gets some good honeymoon ideas by checking this article out.

How to Store the Top of Your Wedding Cake

Quite often young couples ask how to save the top layer of their wedding cake. It is a tradition to save the top tier of the wedding cake to eat on their first year anniversary. It can be fun to revive the memories of the big day one year later. It is a romantic way for a young couple to celebrate their first year together.

So how do you save the top layer of the wedding cake so that it will last until your first anniversary? First, you are not really trying to save the top layer of the cake instead you are trying to save the top tier of the cake. A standard wedding cake with three cakes stacked one on top of the others is a three tiered cake. The layers are in each individual cake. With that clarification, there are two good answers to the question:

The first answer is, don't do it. Do not bother saving the top layer of your wedding cake. Instead order your wedding cake with enough servings to feed your guests and then plan on returning to the bakery to order a six or eight inch cake in the same flavor and filling as your wedding cake – you could even have them place some (or all) of the same decorations on your anniversary cake (you could even break out your cake topper and your special cake knife & serving set for a fun presentation of your anniversary cake) so it will look like the top tier of your wedding cake.

The advantages of this approach are multiple but we will deal with the three most significant:

• First, you will be eating fresh cake on your anniversary rather than frozen cake that has been thawed and fresh always tastes better than frozen.
• Second, this approach will save you money on your wedding cake. By not saving the top layer of your wedding cake for your first year anniversary you will not have to order as much cake and since most bakeries charge based on the number of servings that can save you a significant amount of money in a time when money is tight.
• Third, you save freezer space.

For those who would really like to save the top tier of their wedding cake this is how...

Continue reading, "How to Store the Top of Your Wedding Cake"

Wedding Reception Focus

Someone asked why such a focus on wedding receptions instead of talking about the ceremony as well. The reason is simple. Every tradition tends to have very specific requirements for the formal portion of a wedding. Unless you are one that has cast off most traditions (no one manages to shed them all) and are planning to get married dressed as Princess Leah or a pair of Elves for the most part the ceremony itself is pretty well prescribed either by traditions or religious significance.

It is not our place to be suggesting anyone cast off their traditions as that would indicate casting off the things that define their lives.

The reception, however, has many less prescriptions. Indeed, most traditions in North America allow great flexibility in the celebration. It's your opportunity on your wedding day to make your celebration personal.

The problem is, that the prescribed nature of the ceremony makes it easy to fall into the trap of trying to gather the items you need for your wedding reception without taking a moment to plan it - and that is the recipe for either a ho hum wedding reception or a lot of wasted money.

If, on the other hand, you take a few minutes to plan your beach wedding, winter wedding, or any wedding decor in between you can often plan your purchases so that your celebration will reflect your personality and stretch your budget.

That is why we focus primarily (not totally, see my article on adding Grand Entrances for one example of a focus on the ceremony) on wedding receptions when we talk about wedding planning.

After Your Wedding Reception

Some newly married couples choose to stick around after the wedding reception and revel in the opportunity to have all of their dearest friends and relatives at their side. And why not? For most of us, it is a rare day when our closest friends and family are at our side rather than scattered all over the universe. But, without paying for more hours for the entire reception facilities to extend your wedding dance what options do you have for an intimate celebration after the wedding reception?

Bond Fire on the Beach

If you are having a beach wedding and live in an area where you are allowed to have a bond fire on the beach, this can be a wonderful way for close friends to wind down and enjoy each other's company. Just invite your guests to bring a change of more casual clothes to change into after the formal aspect of your wedding reception is done so they can feel comfortable as your (potentially more intimate) group moves on to the next phase of your wedding celebration - your beach bond fire.

Intimate Coffee House After Reception

If you have the resources and the contacts there is nothing like a late night with your dearest friends hanging out in a coffee house. There are several ways to do this. The obvious option is to find a coffee shop that you can rent out for a couple hours after they would normally close for the night. Unfortunately, that might not be a realistic option depending on your budget.

However, what if I told you that you could achieve a similar after wedding reception get together all while ending up with ... continue reading, "After Your Wedding Reception"

Setting Your Wedding Date

The process of setting the wedding date is not a difficult one, but it is filled with hazards. Much like a golf game, your task is to find a way to drive down the center of the fairway, avoiding as many of the sand traps, roughs, and water hazards as possible. But, also like the game of golf, finding yourself in the long grass of setting your wedding date is not the end of the world. It will just slow you down.

Choosing the date of your wedding can be accomplished in primarily three possible ways:
The first, though not recommended, is to just choose a date that sounds good to you. This is somewhat akin to walking up to the tee on a golf course, putting on a blindfold and swinging in the general direction of the hole. In theory, the duffer might even get a hole in one, but most likely they will end up in trouble.

The second approach to setting your wedding date is to plan based on...

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How Your Venue Affects Your Wedding Color Choices

In a perfect world the task of choosing wedding colors would be as simple as choosing your favorite combination and leaving it at that. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world. Neither do we live in a vacuum. And the practice of choosing our favorite combination forgets that our wedding colors have to work in our wedding venue… as many brides have discovered after it was too late to do anything to remedy the situation.

Let me illustrate with the story of some friends of ours who were looking to redecorate the interior of their house (stick with me; this is incredibly relevant to your choice of wedding colors). They started off where everyone says you should start, by dreaming about what they wanted. After much discussion the settled on a color scheme, but there was just something that still did not feel quite right so they found a local company that provided free access to a design consultant.

The meeting with the design consultant was a real eye opener. The colors they had chosen went beautifully together – but not in their house! If they were building a new house or renewing absolutely everything in the house the combination could be stunning – but those colors would not work with the red oak flooring of their house, or the tile work, or....

Likewise, you can choose an incredible combination for your wedding colors but if you haven’t taken into consideration the colors already present in your wedding venue then you run the risk of creating a look that you would not wish on your worst enemy’s wedding, much less your wedding day.

Remedy for This Wedding Color Dilemma

As illustrated above, the process of choosing your wedding colors begins with... continue reading, "How Your Venue Affects Your Wedding Color Choices"

Trends in Wedding Planning

Two thousand six and two thousand seven's big wedding trends were built around monograms. During these last two years monograms were found just about everywhere - incorporated into the design of the wedding cake or as cake tops. Monograms were found stuffed in floral bouquets and on walls. Frankly, it is a beautiful look. I am certainly not tired of it.

Interestingly, I have read some big names in the wedding industry saying that the monogram trend in wedding design is only beginning. Maybe they are right. Like I said, it can be a beautiful touch especially when it is done with crystal wedding cake jewelry - a form of cake toppers that make a great keepsake for after the wedding when placed in a shadow box.

Perhaps, building on the monogram wedding theme trend in wedding planning, is the move towards using silhouettes in decorating. To envision what I mean, imagine a white wedding cake at a spring wedding cake accented with small pastel flowers and the silhouettes of butterflies landing and taking off. Or imagine a tropical colored cake with the silhouettes of orchids.

Of course, using silhouettes in your wedding decor is not limited to your wedding cake. Imagine a centerpiece of a candle in a holder which features the silhouette of a boy and a girl kissing. Imagine commissioning a focal point from a local wood worker or metal artisan for your wedding reception celebration that features a silhouette of whatever you have built your theme around such as doves, hearts, the Chinese double happiness symbol, bicycles, or even castles.

Buying a Wedding Gown: One Common But Disastrous Error

We have all heard about brides who order their wedding dress one or two sizes too small in the expectation that they will manage to drop a couple of dress sizes before the big day. They want their big day to be perfect. They want to look drop dead gorgeous in their wedding gown. They want to be sexy in that special lingerie they picked up for their honeymoon. So they buy a wedding gown that they will only fit into if they loose weight.

Here is the problem with buying a wedding gown like that:

It rarely works.

Period.

And while a wedding gown can be taken in, they can rarely be let out which might mean that the bride is left without a dress on her wedding day.

Yikes!

There are many reasons why... continue reading, "Buying a Wedding Gown: One Common But Disastrous Error"

Free Weight Loss Tips for Brides

The best free weight loss tip that any bride should heed is to consider your diet and decide if the food that you consume on a normal basis is nutritionally healthy.

If a bride’s diet is made up largely of junk food then there is every likelihood that she will put on weight over time rather than losing weight in time for her wedding because most junk food is nutritionally lacking.

A second free weight loss tip is to drink enough water throughout the day to remain hydrated. This will allow the bride’s body to remain in a healthy zone with her digestive system and elimination system working optimally.

Third, brides should refrain from the temptation of fad diets where you refrain from eating food or quantities of food for a period of time. Trying to diet in this way makes weight loss difficult and will lead anyone to putting the weight they worked so hard to lose back on again – regardless of all the free weight loss tips you receive.

Furthermore, allowing yourself to fall prey to this kind of weight loss temptation is to put yourself in serious danger of not achieving your weight loss goal in time for your wedding, not to mention that constantly losing and adding weight is very bad for your system and will, over time, causes you to gain increase weight.

Instead, most brides need – not another free weight loss tip – instead, they need to find a comprehensive weight loss plan that will teach them how their metabolism works and how to make it work in their favor. They need a plan that considers the unique challenges of bridal weight loss. Check it out. All a bride has to loose is the weight – and is that not the point?

Planning Your Wedding Reception Decor: The Details

Once you have addressed the big issues involved in planning your wedding reception decor - issues that build the foundation for your decor such as how your venue will help your decor, first impressions, and your focal point - it is time to turn your attention to the details. Do not make the mistake of thinking the details are not important, in most cases you have to address both the big issues and the details to make a reception decor come alive.

Tables: Your choice of tables is not limited to round tables with eight occupants. Long tables can be elegant - especially if they fit the layout of the room. Likewise, smaller round tables might fit a coffee shop or French sidewalk cafe wedding reception decor much better than the standard ‘family sized’ round tables do.

Choose your Centerpieces: The focal point of your individual table decorations for your wedding is your centerpieces. Make it appropriate and do not hesitate to think beyond flowers and candles. For example, a wonderful winter wedding center piece can be made by...

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Building Your Wedding Reception Decor: The Big Items

Your wedding is about your public commitment to each other, but it is truly the wedding reception that is the true celebration of those vows. That is where most of your time on your wedding day will be spent. As a result, that is where you want to spend most of your money when it comes to wedding reception decor. This party after the ceremony is where, for most people, your wedding theme will come alive. So here are four tips to help you plan the overall decor of your wedding reception.

Concept: The old adage applies. If you don’t know where you are going, you will never know it when you get there. But it gets worse when you are planning a wedding reception: If you do not know where you are going, it is usually obvious to everyone who cares to look that you did put enough thought into your choice of decorations.

It is simple really; all you have to do is narrow your focus. Instead of garden wedding, plan a butterfly themed garden wedding. Instead of a traditional white wedding choose a baroque style wedding. This will make every other decision;

1. immensely easier and
   
2. save you from wasting money on decorative items that detract from the theme you are trying to achieve.

Location: Ideally you... continue reading, "Building Your Wedding Reception Decor: The Big Items"

What Factors Should You Consider Before You choose your Wedding Date?

This sounds obvious. But unless you actually do a little digging it's easy to find yourself in a jam as a direct result of your wedding date choice. So what is this mystery? What could possibly get in the way of my wedding other than the obvious holiday's etc?

The answer is really quite simple. Community events can and often do create difficulties for weddings scheduled at the same time.

Fortunately the solution is equally simple. Check with your community's tourism board before you choose your wedding date. See if there are going to be any large conventions in town that might limit hotel space or drive up the price of your wedding rehearsal dinner or make it difficult for your out of town guests to get hotel rooms. Likewise, check to see if any civic events are planned (like a community picnic or a parade) that might make it difficult for your guests to attend your wedding ceremony.

Second, think twice before choosing a wedding date that falls other than a Saturday. Sure, you might get a large discount on your venue, but in some cases that discount will be off set by higher prices or lack of availability from other vendors. One wedding I am familiar with opted for a wedding date that was not on Saturday and the staff on duty at the venue hosting the occasion were quite obviously less than completely trained in hosting a wedding.

More importantly, the advantage of a Saturday afternoon or evening wedding is that people traveling from out of town have time to do so on either side of the wedding without taking an excessive amount of time of work (that they may, or may not have to take).

Customizing Wedding Cake Toppers

Wedding cake toppers come in virtually every style, or theme you can imagine. You can find tops that feature the bride and groom on a motorbike or near a wishing well. You can have your cake crowned with a crown made of burnished metals, porcelain, or glass. Many people still enjoy the humorous figurines that depict the bride dragging her groom to the church. Other’s choose porcelain or glass figurines of doves, dolphins, or some other animal. Some go for glamorous and elegant cake jewelry while others prefer themed wedding cake toppers that depict their wedding theme or even their ethnic or religious identities.

Whatever their style preference, most women dream of their wedding day… and they usually have a pretty vivid image of what their wedding cake will be, and one of the most important aspects of a coming up with a wedding cake design is integrating the wedding cake topper to make a single, coherent centerpiece for your wedding.

Create Perfection

While shopping for your wedding cake topper you will probably come across several that would have been perfect. Perfect, that is, if it were not for one little thing.

But why should you give up that perfect cake top because it is not exactly what you are looking for? The next best thing to do if you can not find perfect is to create perfect.

Simple Fix

Once you have found that nearly perfect top, why not...

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Off Season Beach Themed Weddings

October is here. That means beach themed weddings are out until next summer. Right? The sentiment is understandable. Unless you are fortunate enough to be able to marry in Hawaii, the on the Mediterranean coast, Mexico or one of the Caribbean isles the weather seams to preclude a beach themed wedding.

So it would seem.

Actually, with little consideration of the wealth of possible theme variations, accessories, and all the beach themed wedding favors available there is no basis to believe you can not construct a beach wedding that fits your passion and style - even in Boston in February! Of course in most cases it might have to be indoors, but that might even be an advantage as you work through the process.

Just like anything else, a beach wedding can take many different forms. Far too often, brides never think beyond the word beach and then afterwards wonder why their beach wedding theme never really had the zing they were hoping for.

Consider Your Beach Wedding Theme

Your beach wedding theme is obvious isn’t it? It’s the beach! Okay, but what do you think of when you think of the beach. If you know that you can cut out everything you might otherwise do or buy that does not bring you closer to your dream of building a beach wedding in the off season.

Let me show you what I mean...

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Craft Your Own Chocolate Wedding Favors

The creation of your own chocolate wedding favors has grown to be, for many, nearly a rite of passage. Indeed, they do make great bridal shower favors. However, chocolate wedding favors can be similarly suitable for the wedding itself. An evening of making your own chocolate wedding favors is, in fact, an occasion that the bride and her bridesmaids can look back on as a fun evening of laughter and crafting where the music was playing, the chocolate was plentiful, and the laughter was nearly endless.

No doubt, for many, make-your-own-wedding-favors are nearly an indispensable part of the whole wedding experience. This said what options do you have if you want to make your own chocolate wedding favors without giving in to the worn-out standby of Jordan Almonds bound in a sheer portion of colored organza tied with a ribbon?

One alternative that is relatively easy for those who do not see themselves as particularly crafty but want to do something that looks impressive is the molding of chocolates. With a high quality chocolate, some candy colors, a double boiler, molds from your local craft store, and a little bit of creativity you can create fun bite size candies that fit your wedding theme. For example, if you are having a Hawaiian themed wedding you could make orchid shaped chocolates in the colors of your wedding. Or perhaps, if you could find a mold, you could create chocolates in the shape of a hula dancer... or sea turtles... or palm trees. The possibilities in molding you own chocolate wedding favors are nearly endless.

For an extra motivated bride and bridesmaids, homemade truffles are bound to thrill your guests. Nearly one and all love the sinfully rich luxury of truffles, but few realize how available recipes are, meaning that your guests will be delighted to end the wedding dinner with a handmade chocolate truffle presented as a wedding favor in any number of favor packaging options to match the decor of your wedding.

Fortunately there are plenty of options within the chocolate wedding favor realm that lend themselves marvelously to such an endeavor. For an adult crowd…

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Still More Practical Wedding Favor Ideas

Granted, what is practical to one person is not necessarily practical to the next. The classic example is a place card holder in the shape of a pink woman's shoe with a stiletto heel. Sure, there are a few women that might be able to make use of such a gift, but most will not. Certainly very few, if any, of your male guests will be interested in such an impractical wedding favor. But here are a few more suggestions for wedding favors that have a practical function for your guests after your wedding is over.

• Coasters: Virtually everyone uses drink coasters to protect their furniture making coaster sets a great wedding favor choice. Even better, coaster sets come in a wide variety of styles meaning that there is a good chance that you can find something to not only fit, but build the decor of your wedding reception - whether you are planning a snowflake themed wedding, or a beach wedding, or something else. The photo coaster sets, however, are perhaps the most practical of all, because your guests can add whatever picture they choose into each coaster so that they will fit the decor your guest is trying to achieve at their home or place of business.
• Ornaments: Ornaments can be an extremely practical wedding favor and not only for winter weddings either. Depending on the ornament you choose, your guests can use the ornament year after year, thinking of you every time they erect their Christmas tree.
• Sun Catchers: Some would argue that sun catchers belong in the ornament category. It is certain that a sun catcher would make a beautiful ornament. The gold and the crystals in the sun catchers would also capture the lights on the tree, but sun catchers really belong in a class by themselves. There is little more warming and than the beauty of the sun shining through the window – little more, that is, besides the multifaceted rays of light scattered into the recesses of the room by a well made sun catcher to add beauty to your guests home and remind them of the exquisite nature of your new relationship.
• Ice Cream Scoop: Using an Ice Cream Scoop as a wedding favor has an extremely practical feel – while at the same time being a bit whimsical. Who do you know that does not eat ice cream? Chances are you know very few people who do not eat ice cream, meaning that this is one party favor that will be used. And it makes a great tie in to such themed wedding receptions as an old fashioned soda fountain or ice cream social event.

Of course, the most practical wedding favors are ones that people in your social circle will use - and though I can make suggestions, only you can ultimately make that determination

Still More Practical Wedding Favors

A lot of people choose not to drink for a lot of different reasons. But even for most of them a bottle stopper wedding favor is a very practical gift for someone that has taken the time to spend the day celebrating your wedding with you. Nearly everyone uses some special drink to add a finishing touch to a celebratory meal. If not wine, then it’s a kind of sparkling cider usually. Or they keep a bottle of cooking wine on the counter, upon which a decorative bottle stopper would do much to brighten up the kitchen and give the recipients something to remember your wedding day.

Fortunately, bottle stopper wedding favors can be found to enhance the decor of a wide variety of wedding themes. For example, if you are planning a beach wedding theme you could choose a chic bottle stopper with a sea shell atop. For a Cinderella themed wedding, choose bottle stoppers depicting scenes from the classic fairytale. Having a winter wedding, choose one of several bottle stopper wedding favors fashioned with a snowflake gracing the top.

Whatever theme you choose, a bottle stopper wedding favor is one that your guests can use to add functionality and beauty to their homes long after the wedding.

More Practical Wedding Favors: Luggage Tags

After your wedding reception you will embark on your honeymoon. That is no secret. So why not celebrate the fact that the best is yet to come with fun and durable luggage tag wedding favors?

I really like luggage tag favors because they are always practical. Who doesn't travel from time to time? Yet the luggage tags that most people have on their luggage are the plain Jane tags that come from the manufacturer on the suitcase. But if they switch their tags out with a unique tag - well, not only is that more fun, but it makes it easier for them to spot their bags when they come down the conveyor belt!

Concerned about finding a wedding favor that your male guests will enjoy as much as your female guests? Flying off to some tropical paradise for your honeymoon? Choose an airplane luggage tag wedding favor. What guy doesn't love airplanes? Who doesn't love the idea of sitting on a beach in a tropical paradise with the one you love?

Are you taking a honeymoon cruise? Celebrate by giving your guests cruise ship luggage tags.

Whatever option you choose, these practical tokens of your love and appreciation are fun too. Nearly everyone loves to travel and combined with the idea of the romance of a honeymoon luggage tag wedding favors are sure to put a smile on your guest's faces.

Useful Wedding Favors: Bookmarks

If you are looking for a wedding favor that is as practical as it is decorative then you have to give serious thought to using bookmarks as wedding favors. It's a favor that a large percentage of your guests are likely to not only use, but use in such a way that they carry it with them - whether in their Bible, technical book, or favorite novel. Any reader will attest that a high quality bookmark makes a perfect gift because most people just do not have any bookmarks apart from a piece of scrap paper. That makes a bookmark wedding favor a practical choice as a way to express your gratitude for all the love and support your guests have granted you over the years.

Fortunately, not only are bookmark wedding favors a functional favor, they are also useful to your wedding decor. Imagine you are planning a winter wedding. You go looking for snowflake wedding favors to extend your theme. Why not choose a bookmark with a shimmering snowflake that would extend above the top of the book? That way you have a favor that develops your winter themed wedding but also have chosen something your guests will use too.

The same could be said for fall wedding favors. Choose a metal bookmark made to look like a pressed autumn leaf. Of course, there are calla lily themed bookmark wedding favors and heart themed bookmarks to name just a couple of the other options available.

One of the great advantages of choosing specialty bookmarks as wedding favors is the cost. Where many wedding favors cost three or more dollars a piece, it is easy to find tasteful bookmarks at less than half that price - helping your favor and decor budget stretch, and leaving more for your honeymoon.

Designing a Winter Wonderland Wedding Theme Reception

There is little more stunning than a well designed winter wonderland wedding theme reception. In part this is because of the season. When it is dark, cold, and even gloomy outside, a warm inviting space is all that much more memorable. In part, the winter wonder land wedding theme is so memorable because it is so different from the gazebo weddings we see over and over in the movies.

Fortunately, you don’t have to have a college degree in interior design to build an unforgettable winter wonderland wedding theme reception. Anyone can do it. All you need to do is find a venue for your wedding reception and follow three easy steps to make it happen.

The good news is that if you consider the choices you have to make as you plan your winter wonderland wedding you might be able to make your wedding budget stretch so that many of the items you buy will serve more than one purpose.

Dream Specific Wedding Dreams

Of course, the starting point to designing a winter wonder land theme reception is to decide what aspect of the theme you have in mind. Maybe you envision a wedding reception that embraces your love of snowboarding. Maybe you want a more elegant look featuring fire and ice (crystal, silver, and candles or a roaring fire in the fireplace). Perhaps, your idea of a winter wonderland is a 1950’s ice skating romance fantasy. Perhaps it is the snow capped mountains that you think of as your ideal winter wedding. Perhaps it’s...

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Monogram Wedding Favors & Accessories Help Create an Intimate Setting

As monogram weddings continue to grow in popularity, the need for monogrammed wedding favors and accessories to reinforce this theme continues to rise. The reason for this is simple: One item does not create a theme. For example, a banner bearing the new couple's monogram hanging behind might, for some, be a nice touch but it does nothing to create a theme.

However, if the unity candle and the guest book are monogrammed (along, possibly, with the guest's programs) in the ceremony, and if the wedding cake is accented with monogrammed cake jewelry along with a monogrammed favor, whether a monogrammed candle favor or a monogrammed mint tin or something else - that is how a theme is born.

Besides for using monograms in wedding favors and accessories as a decorative approach, is there any significance to monograms? Actually, there is. And it is a significance nearly all of us use on a regular basis. Think about it. When we...

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Themed Wedding Ceremonies with a Roman Flair

Often, as you begin to plan your wedding ceremony and reception and before you start buying your flower girl accessories or candle favors it is beneficial to stop and take a look at how other people in other times built their wedding ceremonies. In doing so we can often find little twists on what has become merely rote in our society and in incorporating the twist we can make our ceremony fresh and therefore, memorable. As a result I thought today we would take a look at the Ancient Roman wedding ceremony.

Ancient Roman wedding ceremonies began with the bride renouncing her childhood so that she could properly prepare for her life as wife and mother. To do this, she began by surrendering her childhood toys. The bride's hairstyle was unique only to brides. Her hair was divided into six locks, and was fastened with fillets on the top of her head.

Like today, the Roman bride's wedding attire was worn only once; the most significant piece of clothing being the flame colored, yet transparent, veil which was worn on the crown of her head beneath wreaths of myrtle branches and orange blossoms. The dress consisted of a simple tunic tied with a woolen girdle over which she wore a yellow cloak and matching sandals.

The first part of the wedding ceremony would begin at the house of the bride's parents. When all was in order, her parents would then hand her over to her groom. This led to the pledge; a simple ceremony in which the young couple would grasp hands and recite their commitment to one another. From there they would go to a place of sacrifice where the bride and groom would sacrifice a pig. The matron of honor would then join the bride and groom's hands together.

In Roman wedding ceremonies the best man also acted as the...

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The Essentials of Buying Wedding Rings

There is perhaps no more poignant or significant part of the wedding ceremony than the exchanging of the wedding rings. It is a symbolic representation of the beauty of your love, not to mention the never ending and unconditional love the couple is vowing to each other. Furthermore, the wedding bands are the one item from your wedding that you will keep with you for the rest of your life - even longer than those crystal keepsake mementos from your wedding which will last you for years!

As a result, buying the wedding rings is an essential part of your wedding preparation. Fortunately, for most it can be the fun part too – as long as they are equipped with the basic understanding of the elements that go into modern wedding jewelry.

Metals

Fourteen karat gold in either yellow or white gold is the most common material used to make wedding rings in North America because 14 karat gold offers what most North American’s consider the best combination of purity and strength. It is possible to get a more pure gold alloy (24 karat is pure gold) than the 14 karat gold, but the more pure the gold, the softer the metal and the less durable it will be.

Other popular metal choices include platinum, titanium, and silver. Silver is a very soft metal that can be damaged by everyday life and will tarnish over time - presenting a symbolism that none of us wish for our marriage.

Platinum is an extremely hard metal that provides an almost white sheen that can set off the sparkle of the diamond in a wedding band beautifully.

Titanium, on the other hand has the advantage of weighing approximately one third of what gold weighs while also being extremely strong and as such is quickly becoming popular for use in wedding rings.

Diamonds

Diamonds are measured in terms of clarity, size, cut, and color. A young couple's choice for these factors are, for the most part, a matter that is primarily concerned with their preference and what their budget will allow for them to spend on their wedding rings but without a little definition of each item it can be difficult to know what you are buying.

Clarity

Needless to say, we would all prefer the clearest diamond we can afford in our wedding band, but how do you know what is what apart from depending on the salesman's assurance? There is, fortunately...

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Do You Need a Seating Chart at Your Wedding Reception?

Planning a wedding and the following reception following is hard work. Do you really need a seating chart for your reception? Would it not be easier to simply throw the doors open and let your guests worry about who is going to sit where? Of course it would be easier, but you will find that in many cases the overall success of the evening will be greater with at least some seating plan.

Brides who have decided that they did not need a seating chart have found too late that Aunt Jane, who refuses to get hearing aids because she says they make her look old, ended up sitting at a table in the back and missed the entire evening because she could not hear.

Brides who have decided they did not need a seating chart have found that while her grandparents did manage to get seated close to the front, her new husband's grandmother did not and she is not happy about it. Do I need to remind you that could ruin your wedding party?
Other examples of the consequences of deciding there was no need for a seating chart at the wedding reception are guests leaving early because their family ended up sitting at four different tables, or tables where no one knows anyone and as a result does not talk and therefore no one is truly enjoying the celebration that you worked so hard to plan.

Truly, you do need to assign seating in some form if you are having any more formal of a reception than wedding cake, nuts, and punch. The real question is how elaborate you need to get in your designing your seating plan. The bigger the reception and the more unfamiliar...

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Planning a Wedding Reception Seating Chart

Planning a seating chart for your wedding reception is hard work, especially if you do not have a plan or a simple understanding of tradition and how the rules of decorum impact your choices. It is difficult, but it is also worthwhile. Remember, a wedding dinner often lasts for two or more hours. Your wedding will have the greatest chance of enjoyment if you carefully consider your seating arrangement.

Of course, your first and quite probably your easiest decision is the seating arrangement of the head table. Do you want to pair or alternate groomsmen with the bridesmaids on either side of you, or do you want to have all the bridesmaids flanking the bride and the groomsmen flanking the groom just as they were in the ceremony? Or perhaps you would prefer adding parents?

Or would you prefer to simply plan a romantic table for two like in a Parisian cafe. Or...? Have fun planning the seating chart on the head table. A little creativity and some well chosen themed wedding decorations could go a long way toward making your wedding celebration memorable.

Planning the seating chart for...


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Wedding Favor Ornaments

If you are getting married during the time leading up to the Christmas holidays then you might want to consider choosing a wedding favor that will double as an ornament that your guests can hang from their Christmas tree. That is one practical way that you can present your wedding guests with a keepsake of your wedding that most will see as something they can envision using in their own home. As such, each year as they pull out their Christmas decorations they will see the ornament that you gave them and remember you and the good time they had celebrating your wedding.

One of the most popular winter wedding favors that double as a Christmas ornaments is a hand painted wedding cake ornament. The one available through our site is a handcrafted replica of a three tiered wedding cake sitting on a cake stand that can be personalized with the couple's name and wedding date.

Another option that will blend well with any winter wedding is the Snowflake Flower Seed Ornament. Yes, it's a seed packet pressed into the shape of an adorable snowflake! Find it and other snow themed wedding favors on the snowflake favors page of our website.

Live in Florida, Hawaii, or Southern California where snow doesn't seem particularly relevant to the holiday season? Then consider choosing a seashell sun catcher ornament. These have the added benefit of being useful to your guests any time of the year if they choose to hang it in the window - or they can simply keep it with their Christmas decorations and enjoy the gold and crystals in this fun option when they put their Christmas tree up.

Planning a Cinderella wedding this holiday season? Cinderella's Carriage Sun Catcher Favor is another option that your guests can use as a holiday ornament as well as as a sun catcher.

Wedding Footwear Essentials

The process of choosing a wedding gown goes a long way toward dictating which bridal shoe you choose for your wedding day. We all know that. You want the color of your wedding shoes to match or complement your dress. That is one reason to consider getting shoes that you can have dyed to the exact color you want.

But did you know that the length of your dress also plays a roll in determining your choice for bridal shoes? For example, what kind of shoe does a short bridal gown generally dictates? Unless there is a compelling reason why you cannot wear them a short dress makes high heels a must.

Of course, high heels have the added benefit of giving the wearer the appearance of not only added height, but longer and slimmer legs as well!

Fortunately, in some situations generally depending on the formality of the wedding reception a bride wearing a short wedding dress can often switch to something that is simple, elegant, and COMFORTABLE... something like barefoot sandals during the reception. Or, for the right wedding theme she might be able to use barefoot sandals for the entire ceremony. For example, a beach themed wedding - especially one on the beach - might allow for the bride to wear a short dress and get away without wearing high heels by wearing elegant and sexy barefoot sandals instead!

Save the Date: Preventing Conflicts with Your Wedding Day

Scheduling conflicts are a regular part of life. We all have experienced it. We schedule a party only to discover that half of those we had intended as guests already have commitments to be somewhere else so you find yourself in the position of either having the celebration without those individuals or you have to reschedule.

But when it comes to your wedding day, rescheduling is rarely an option.

The question then is how do you limit the possibility of conflicts? Of course, the obvious answer is that the earlier you schedule your wedding, the better chance you have of getting on your guests calendar. Easy, right?

Maybe not.

You see, after a certain point - and I can't tell you where that point is because that changes from region to region and social circle to social circle - scheduling earlier is not going to help. For example, most people in my region don't schedule their life activities more than about eight months out, with the exception of vacations, so scheduling your wedding eighteen months in advance is not going to help in terms of your guests being able to attend your wedding.

So what is the key? Simply put, it is communication. The sooner you communicate your wedding date to your planned wedding guests, the more likely they will be able to set the date aside to celebrate with you.

The question is how? The people who specialize in wedding invitations say to send out the invitation six to eight weeks before the wedding. Trust them, sending your actual invitations out too soon can be disasterous. In the summer or for a holiday wedding, send them out closer to eight weeks in advance.

But that only highlights the problem. How do you communicate your wedding date to the friends and family that you would like at your wedding without sending you wedding invitations out way too soon?

• Drive to each individual's house and talk to them and hope that they write it down.
• Call all of your future guests and tell them your wedding date and that they will be invited and hope they don't forget.
• Write a personal letter to each of your friends and family members telling them about your wedding date and hope they don't loose your letter.
• Send out 'Save the Date' cards.

I like the 'Save the Date' cards more and more as our world gets crazier. I especially like the magnetic 'Save the Date' cards because, not only can you find them in virtually any style to match your developing wedding theme such as beach, lily, fairytale or... but being magnetic your guests can keep your reminder card on a convenient place such as a refrigerator door.

How soon should you send out the 'Save the Date' announcements? Again, that depends on your situation. In some situations you might be able to send them out as late as four months before the wedding. If your circle is really busy or if you have friends and relatives coming in from across the country, then I would recommend you send out your chosen 'Save the Date' cards at least six months. If you have people coming from other countries more time might be needed for your guests to be able to 'Save the Date' for your wedding.

Read this Before You Buy Your Wedding Invitations

Have you stopped to think about the hidden danger in your wedding invitations?

Your wedding invitations are a key part of your wedding plan. They will serve you well in announcing not only the time and place of your wedding celebration but also help to announce (if subtly) whether your wedding is a formal or informal event.

But... there is a hidden danger in wedding invitations that are often not considered until it's too late to do anything about except grin and bear it.

What is that danger? Simply this. Most invitations have to go through the postal system which means that not only do you have the paper and printing costs associated with invitations, but you also have postage costs.

And that's the problem. You see when we buy wedding invitations we expect postage, but we often don't think of the extra postage that comes with unusual shaped and sized invitations. And even if we do we often discount the thought as only being a few cents, but over your entire mailing list those few cents can turn into a lot of money you could have spent on your cake - or honeymoon!

So how do you protect yourself? Simply this: You can protect yourself by making up a sample of your intended invitation design and taking it down to the post office to find out exactly what each invitation will cost to mail before you commit yourself to that design.

Do it. It's worth the effort, even if you are pretty sure your wedding invitations are a standard size it is better to take the time to bring your sample along next time you have to run to the post office than to find out a week after you finally got them out that the post office is returning them for insufficient postage! That could really throw your schedule out of wack, not to mention what it might do to your wedding budget!

How Weddings and Funerals Really are Alike

Well, I'm back. Sort of... Grief is like a wedding, the event is only the beginning. In the case of a wedding it's all about growing the relationship and creating something that is as beautiful (or more beautiful) as the wedding itself. Grief is about cleaning and healing the wound afterwards - but even that is something like a wedding, because in the end we all want to see stronger, healthier relationships as a result of our efforts and experiences.

This One Wedding Tip Can Save You a Lot of Grief!

Speaking of grief ... due to a family tragedy I will be silent for a few days. I will be back soon so check back next week. In the mean time, if you are looking for wedding planning tips and / or ideas for your wedding or reception be sure to check out my Fun Wedding Ideas! page. There's everything from info about managing the stress of your wedding day to how to actually make a themed wedding work, to creating real drama in your wedding ceremony. Of course there you can check the earlier postings on this blog as well.

Of course, I can't take off without leaving you with a quick tip about planning your wedding:

I thought I'd tell you about one thing today that just might keep a lot of hair in your head as your big day approaches. In this case it's a book. Yes, a book.

You see, as we've discussed before, weddings are generally considered to be a woman's world. The problem is that weddings demand a groom - and in most cases that means a man.

So you can help yourself by getting your groom a book that prepares him to graciously meet the demands of the wedding day. This book is essentially a leather bound 'cheat sheet' to help him be the courteous groom you've always dreamed of throughout the wedding planning process and especially on the big day.

It's called, "The Grooms Guide," by Marguerita Smolen and it's available now through the wedding essentials page of our website.

50th Wedding Anniversary Cake Topper Ideas

The 50th wedding anniversary cake topper is an important part of any golden wedding anniversary celebration. You will want it to not only reflect the celebration but the couple who is celebrating it. Reaching the 50th wedding anniversary is a big deal, so you want a special celebration and a special 50th wedding anniversary cake topper is a great place to start.

Some ideas for the 50th anniversary cake topper include having a replica cake and topper of their original wedding. Inquire to see what type of cake they had on for their original wedding and inquire as to whether there are any photographs of their wedding cake available. If this is not possible ask the couple if they can provide a description of their wedding cake and top in as much detail as possible. With right description it should be no problem to find a bakery to recreate that special day with a copy of the couple's original wedding cake.

There is of course the option of the traditional 50th wedding anniversary cake topper of a golden number 50. Many couples go with this for their anniversary celebration but if that just isn't for you, use some imagination to make it unique.

There are many options to choose from for the 50th wedding anniversary cake topper. You can choose anything from the number 50 made with a floral arrangement to crystal jewelry cake toppers. Wishing wells and a wide variety of porcelain cake tops are often a good choice for a fiftieth anniversary cake, but do not overlook all the beautiful options available with acrylic! Truly, any number of options can represent the 50th wedding anniversary; the choice is really up to you. The important thing, however, is that the cake topper should represent the couple and their life together.

With today's modern technology it is simple enough to...

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Laxatives, Weight Loss, and The Bride

Laxatives and weight loss often appear to be a solution to a young bride’s weight loss difficulties but it is certainly not a good solution. As with many other weight-loss techniques those promoting such a course of action are certainly not giving the best possible advice because using laxatives and weight loss can actually cause you to become nutritionally deficient as the laxatives will not allow your body to get sufficient nutrients out of the food that you're eating.

True, there are people who do have trouble with digestion and constipation. And it is true that the buildup of waste in your system can result in weight gain but turning to laxatives for weight loss are not the way to solve this problem.

Instead, look at your diet and see what types of food you are eating and whether you are having too much junk food and not enough fiber. The easiest way of doing this is to keep a food journal for a week and record everything you put in your mouth.

Increasing your fiber will help you to eliminate waste more easily and having a better digestive system will reduce the amount of toxins that will build up in your body and this can help your body to remain at a more optimum weight level.

If you have a good diet that has a reasonable amount of fiber then in most cases you will not have any need to be concerned with laxatives and weight loss.

Fortunately, there is a better way than turning to laxatives for weight loss. It is a controlled, well planned system that is based on how the human body works. If you are a bride that is truly interested in weight loss before your wedding, you owe it to yourself to check it out. That way you can save the laxatives for constipation.

How to use "Tea Lights" when Open Flame are Not Allowed

Want to use tea light candles to mark your path or adorn the tables in your reception? Tea light candles in a darkened reception hall or just after sunset at the beach can create an almost magical effect that will create an amazing amount of ambiance without costing you a lot of money. But what do you do if the facility (or the state) you are using says no to open flames?

It is not an uncommon problem.

As buildings get older and people become more aware of the risks posed by open flames it is getting harder and harder to fine a facility that will allow open flames. As a matter of fact in the Western half of the United States where the summers have low humidity it is getting harder and harder to find a park that will allow open flames from anything, including from a tea light candle.

The reason is simple: An open flame from a tea light (or any other kind of candle) always runs the risk of fire - something that could ruin an otherwise wonderful evening and cause much unnecessary damage.

Want to use tea lights at your beach wedding or your evening wedding at your favorite mountainside park, but nothing you try protects them from being blown out by the breeze coming off of the water or mountains? You could try having all of your friends and family lining the aisle while they cup the candles with their hands, but that would not be very fun for them and it just might be dangerous for someone who is not paying close enough attention.

So what is the solution? If tea lights are too dangerous or impractical do you have to just leave them out of your wedding plans?

Not anymore. Simply use...

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A Fun Tool to Save You a Ton of Wedding Planning Time

It really is an incredibly useful tool. By using this one single tool you will find your self more prepared to plan each step of your wedding as the time comes.

What is this tool?

Scrap booking!

You read that right. Create a scrapbook of wedding ideas from pictures that you find... wherever you find them.

• If you attend a wedding and see something you like, take a snapshot of it, then print the picture out when you get home and put it in your wedding planning scrapbook.
• When you see that perfect piece of crystal jewelry for your wedding cake, print out a picture and put it in your scrapbook to show your pastry chef so they can incorporate it into the design of the cake.
• If you see a picture of a wedding dress in a magazine, get a copy and put it in your scrapbook.
• If you find a picture of a bouquet on the Internet print it out and put it in your scrapbook.
• The same can be said for your wedding footwear or unity candles.

That way when you get to time to plan any particular aspect of your wedding you aren't wasting time looking for that picture of... and your wedding professional will actually be able to see exactly what you have in mind. It saves a lot of time and difficulty. And it's fun too!

Now you have an excuse to play! Have fun.

Go to the Head of the Class with a Crystal Apple Paperweight

A perfect gift for any occasion.

This lead free crystal apple paperweight is a great gift for the teacher in your life. Is one of your bridesmaids a teacher or studying to be a teacher? Then this is a perfect bridesmaids gift.

Is one of the groomsmen in you party a teacher? This crystal apple paperweight makes a great groomsman's gift as well!

It would make a great corporate gift too - especially for your corporate training staff! It's a gift that shows that you honor the value they bring to your company.

Looking for a gift for a William Tell themed celebration? Consider these crystal apple paperweights.

Planning a wedding in an apple orchard? These would make perfect keepsake gifts for all of your bridal party regardless of their occupation.

Like most of our crystal wedding favors and gifts, this elegant paperweight can be personalized with names, dates, or simply a short message to make it the perfect keepsake for whoever you choose to give it to. Of course, if an apple a day keeps the doctor away, you might want to pick a crystal apple paperweight up for yourself too!

More information about the Crystal Apple Paperweight