Wedding Favors

Nothing makes me more confused than going to a wedding and seeing those little candied almonds at everyone’s place setting. Have you ever asked who actually likes those? I went to a wedding about two months ago and everyone at my table told me they hated them. Why give them out if no one likes them?
The wedding favors are a symbol of thank-you before you send out the real thank you cards. They allow your guests to take home something to remember the celebration of your marriage by. I personally would not want to be remembered as the bride who gave everyone “disgusting” almonds.
Some ideas for wedding favors that guests may like more than those traditional candies include:

• Personalized M&Ms (Visit http://www.mymms.com/)


• Godiva Miniature Wedding Cakes (Visit http://www.godiva.com)


• Personalized Coasters


• Personalized Shot glasses

Many wedding favors are tailored to the theme or color of the wedding, but those are a few examples of how a bride does not need to settle for the candied almonds.

My personal favorite wedding favors are ones that are creative and personalized. I like to remember the celebration, but also have something that I will use or find creative enough to tell people about or display. The best wedding favors are the ones that you have never seen or thought of before.

Image From : http://www.discountmugs.com/Images/party-favor-color-shot.jpg
Story From: Kristina

Planning The Reception

The reception is basically the biggest part of the wedding day. Today, many brides are finding that themed wedding receptions are not the way to go. This is because they take away from the intimacy of the day and the real reason everyone has come together to celebrate. The common colors that are used in receptions nowadays are white and pastel colors. This creates softness in the atmosphere and allows for more intimacy of the event. Although white is popular, many elements of the reception and the wedding depends on the season and geographical area in which you have the wedding. For example, if you have a summer wedding on the beach, then you might incorporate blue into your wedding reception.
Another aspect of the reception that needs to be on the top of your mind is the number of guests you plan on having. This number will determine the money spent on the reception hall, wedding favors, table placements, food, drinks, and much more. This is one of the first aspects of the reception that you need to know before you plan the rest of the party. Remember, you need to stay within your budget because we are not all able to say, “I don’t care how much it costs!”
Entertainment is also a vital part of the reception. You need to know whether to hire a DJ or a live band. DJs are becoming more popular because they offer a variety of music at a cheaper expense than a live band. It is very important that you tailor the music to your guests. You are paying for the music and the dance floor, so you want your guests to enjoy the music and use the dance floor. Play music from all age groups depending on your guest list. Don’t play only what you want to play.
Remember: It is your reception, but you’re having it for your guests!

The best wedding receptions I have been to had the best entertainment with a mix of all types of music. They had amusing games that were played at the assigned tables and they got the guests involved in celebrating the day. I also love weddings where they show a slide show of the couple's moments together on the wall behind where the bride and groom sit. I think it brings the guests a little bit closer to the couple in celebrating their marriage.

Story From: http://www.weddingsusa.com/stories/reception_02.shtml

Image From: http://www.flowershopnetwork.com/images/newsletter/2006/wedding_reception_lg.jpg

6 P's to Planning a Great Wedding

Let’s face it, we all cannot have the extravagant weddings of the rich and famous. What we can have is an amazingly beautiful wedding that impresses everyone on our guest list. Whether you choose a wedding planner or you plan your own wedding, there are 6 steps that everyone needs to consider. We all need to learn the 6 P’s.

1. Price- You always need to know and be aware of the budget of your wedding. You should set the budget before you begin to plan the wedding. This means that you have to research to find out what certain things are going to cost and what certain things you can create yourself in order to cut costs. This is very vital to less stress for your wedding day.


2. Practical- You need to know what items you want to splurge on and what items are not as essential to spend a lot of money on.


3. Prioritize- You need to make a list of everything you need to do and find out which is most important. This will allow you to filter out the items that you think you do not need to spend a lot of time or money on. You want to eliminate as much last-minute panic as you can by creating this checklist.


4. Pleasant- You need to be positive no matter what happens. This will give your wedding party and guests a comfortable feeling and everyone, including yourself, will have a better time.


5. Parents- Do not ignore or make enemies out of your parents or siblings. They are a vital source for help and information as you are planning your wedding. A lot of us do not realize how something really looks until someone else tells us. Accept opinions and allow for change.


6. Protocol- You need to know what “rules” or guidelines need to be followed by you, your wedding party, and your wedding guests. For example, you need to know who pays what, how do you word invitations, who do you tip, and so on.

In my opinion, the best way to get through a wedding is to try to go about everything with a positive attitude. Brides have an image of being "not so nice" when they are planning a wedding. I think if the bride is more positive, then that will be projected to all other members of the family and the wedding party. In turn, the wedding plans will be a lot smoother.

Story From: http://www.weddingsusa.com/stories/sixps.shtml

Image From:http://www.mammothmountain.com/plan/weddings/images/WeddingsHome.jpg

Katie and Tom's Expensive Wedding

On November 18, 2006, actress Katie Holmes married actor, Tom Cruise, in a Scientology (religion both Holmes and Cruise partake in) ceremony in Italy. The couple looked stunning in the Italian castle where they exchanged vows. Although the ceremony was only 15 minutes long, the setting was beautiful as Holmes wore an Armani gown with crystal embroidery and Cruise wore a navy blue Armani tuxedo with his name engraved in it. If that is not expensive enough, the couple exchanged Cartier wedding rings full of diamonds. The reception was even more rich and glamorous as the couple was serenaded by Italian singer, Andrea Bocelli. The central piece of the reception was the extravagant cake, which was a five-tier masterpiece in white chocolate, covered in roses, and accented with white chocolate chips. The couple plans on topping off all of this glamour with a romantic honeymoon to Maldives.

We all wish that we can have a wedding like TomKat, but in my opinion, it is not about how much money you spend. It is all about how creative you are in finding ways to budget your money and saving some money for you and your husband's new life together. The best weddings I went to were the ones that were not expensive or glamorous. They were the weddings that took your breath away, but did not call for the couple to get a line of credit on their house to have it.

Image From: http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/paramount_pictures/war_of_the_worlds/_group_photos/tom_cruise53.jpg

Story From: http://www.gossip.about.com/od/engagementsweddings/p/TomKatieWedding.htm

Pink Marries Hart Her Way

On January 6, 2006, singer, Pink, married her long time boyfriend, Carey Hart, in a romantic beach ceremony in Costa Rica. The couple was quoted saying that they wanted to keep the ceremony fun and traditional. This couple is the farthest from traditional. Yes, Pink traditionally wore an ivory wedding dress, but she added her own funkiness into the mix by highlighting her hair pink. Pink and Hart walked barefoot down a candle-lit aisle, while Billy Joel’s “She’s Always a Woman,” played in the background. The couple exchanged rings and was later found in Hart’s tattoo shop getting matching “Tru Luv” tattoos. To top off all the nontraditional aspects of this wedding, Pink was the one who made the whole event possible. She proposed to Hart at one of his motocross events and obviously, he said yes. The couple has decided to honeymoon at a snowboarding resort with their dogs.

Pink always puts a twist on any situation she is a part of and she did so on her own wedding. She did not go for the glitz and glamour. She went with her own style and her own way of saying "I Do." For this, I applaud her.

Image From: http://img.timeinc.net/people/i/2006/features/insider/060724/pink.jpg

Story From: http://www.gossip.about.com/od/engagementsweddings/a/Pink_Carey_Hart.htm

Engaged

My name is Kristina and I created this blog to help people who are getting married, got married, want to be wedding planners, and/or those of us who just love weddings. I recently got engaged on 12/20/06 and I am finding a hard time finding what other people think about certain aspects of the wedding. This blog is to share ideas and comment on weddings that happen almost everyday.