Wedding Plan Secrets » Wedding Flowers

Finishing Touches for Your Wedding Reception

Jane Martin — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:44:55 +0000

When planning your wedding day it not only has to be perfect, but a day that you will remember forever. You want your guests to leave your wedding remembering every little detail, and talking about your wedding for days after. The finishing touches to your wedding day will ensure that you achieve this; the small things will make all the difference. From the beginning of your day, until the last moment you can have touches that are guaranteed to give the WOW factor to you and your guests.

Your table decorations can be as spectacular as you want. These are one of the most important things to get right at your reception, as the guests will notice the tables and decor, before anything else. There are many different types and styles of table decorations to choose from, including candles, flowers, balloons and chocolates. Disposable cameras are very popular to have on the centre of the tables, meaning the guests can capture every moment of the reception. They will be guaranteed to take some interesting pictures.

Candles can create a very romantic mood, with a display within a bowl of water and some delicate rose petals scattered around the edge it will add a pretty finish. Long tall candles are an elegant addition to the table and can be decorated with ribbons or flowers and are a timeless decoration to have. Flowers play a huge part in your day, and can be added to any element of the day to make it look fantastic, flowers in the church will make it look brighter and smell wonderful. For that extra special touch, rose petals scattered down the aisle is always a classic touch. Flowers in large vases are becoming more popular for the tables, but any design or style of flower display will always look good at your wedding, and can even be used alongside other ideas.

Ensuring the linen, tableware and chairs look as amazing as the rest of the decor is important, choose colors that compliment your theme or look. Chair covers are a simple and inexpensive way of making your reception look stunning. You can have them in various colors, but it is often advisable to have them in a neutral color like white or ivory. Then be bold with a chair bow in your chosen prominent color, this also works for table skirts, and swags for the top table. Having one color that works well is better than having a mixture of colors.

You may choose to theme your wedding, with one of the many themes available. Having personalized favors, mats and even chocolate bars to match your theme are always an amazing touch. Many brides choose a fairytale theme for their wedding day. This theme can include a horse and carriage, red carpet, fairytale favors and a princess wedding cake, the list can go on and on. If you are going for a theme then ensure the theme runs throughout the day, and is noticeable with its quality. There are many personalized items you can now purchase for your wedding day, and some brides choose to have every item personalized right down to the confetti. Remember whatever you choose for your finishing touches, the day should be all about you.

How To Preserve Special Memories Of Your Wedding Day

Jane Martin — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:18:08 +0000

You have just spent a huge amount of time and money planning every detail of your wedding celebration. You will want to recall every memory of this occasion. Knowing how to preserve special memories of your wedding day will keep this day fresh forever, allowing you to revisit it with family and friends.

If you have chosen a popular time to have the wedding like Valentine’s Day or in June, you will need to hire a photographer months in advance. Start interviewing early, because this person will follow you around all day, recording your preparations, wedding, and reception, and it won’t be a good experience for you if you don’t like and trust him.

Inform him of everything you want done; who is in what group shot, whether you want a video of the ceremony, if you want candid shots throughout, and what kind of packages you expect to purchase. Ask questions! You need to know detailed costs of what is included.

You might want a DVD, a slide presentation, a collage of candid shots, your formal sitting album and a separate album of the unposed shots. How many hours is he willing to spend? Will he be working alone or have more than one camera covering the event? Can he do a photo montage that follows the history of your relationship? Learn the price of every single extra.

To cut costs you might want to follow the trendy method of placing disposable cameras on every table and collect your candid shots compliments of the guests! If you hate the idea of those cameras marring the beauty of your table setting, set your bridesmaids to making little paper covers to slip them into!

If you are saving the wedding gown, it should be dry cleaned professionally as soon as possible after the wedding, so that any stains can be safely removed. Vacuum sealing the dress in plastic has been found to harm delicate fabrics. It is better to fold it loosely, wrap it in acid free tissue paper, and then pack it away in an archival box. The veil can be stored in the same box, but wrap it separately.

Several methods can be used on the bridal bouquet, depending on how long you wish to preserve it, how you want to store it, and how much effort and money you want to invest in the process. Easiest for you is to have a service coat the flower arrangement in its original form and then store it in an air-tight shadowbox. This must be done within a day of the wedding before it wilts.

You can dry the bouquet by hanging it upside down in a dark place. This will not last forever. Sometimes it is enough to simply press a few flowers from your bouquet between wax paper and a couple of large books. Then they can be arranged in a scrapbook…another good thing to keep to preserve special memories of your wedding day. Keep all those important reminders of your day in a scrap book – order of service, the invitation, perhaps a copy of the speeches or a piece of material from the bridesmaids dress.

By taking a little time to preserve these moments, you’ll ensure that memories of your special day will last a lifetime.

Suggestions For A Chocolate Wedding Party Favor

Jane Martin — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:01:09 +0000

Weddings nowadays almost always have wedding favors to give away to guests. There are many different types of wedding favors to choose from as giveaways. A chocolate wedding party favor is now a popular choice for giveaways. A chocolate wedding party favor comes in different styles and will depend on what the bride and groom prefer for their party favor.

The Bar And Other Shapes

A chocolate wedding party favor can come in the shape of a bar of chocolate, a rounded piece of chocolate, in the shape of kisses and many others. People who make chocolate wedding party favors have different wrapping that can be suitable for some of the more popular brands of chocolate in the market today. The reason for this is because there are many couples who have preferences when it comes to the brand of chocolate is used for their chocolate wedding party favor.

Bars are usually chosen for those who wish that the chocolate wedding party favor label is where the thank you is written as well as the place and date of the wedding. In most cases, the label is the one printed on and the original chocolate label is taken off. The customized label is then attached with the pertinent details.

In the case of smaller chocolate shapes, such as kisses or balls, they are usually placed in containers and tags are added to the containers. Tags for these kinds of party favors are similarly worded as the chocolate bars except that these tags are smaller. Some tags are tied to the containers with golden or silver cord.

The chocolate wedding party favors in the shape of kisses, balls or small bars are sometimes repacked in foil with complementing colors to the wedding. Containers for the smaller chocolates are usually cardboard boxes. These boxes can be shaped as hearts or squares depending on the preferences of the bride and groom. Other containers for the chocolate wedding party favor can be a wedding party favor bag, pouches, plastic wrap, small glass canisters or paper origami.

Care should be exercised when going with a chocolate wedding party favor since chocolate can melt when stored in the wrong way or place. Ants and other insects might also find their way to the chocolate which is why it is best to store these in an airtight container. Handling the chocolate wedding party favor frequently can also instigate melting. Putting these in containers can help to minimize the impact of melting.

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Suggestions For A Unique Wedding Party Favor

Jane Martin — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 15:01:13 +0000

Giving wedding party favors are now considered traditional. Many couples like to have a unique wedding party favor to be remembered with. The problem with wanting a unique wedding party favor is that there are also a lot of couple’s who wish to have one, making the search for a unique wedding party favor more and more difficult as more and more people try things which have not been done before.

Food Items

Cakes, cookies and other bakery items have already been used as wedding party favors so these might not be the unique wedding party favor that the couple might like. Chocolates are one of the more common wedding party favors around, also. Although, these are ideal for party favors, there are also other food items which can pass for party favors. Nuts can be used for as party favors and these can be considered as a cheap wedding favor. You will need a container for the nuts and those with shells are ideal as giveaways but one can also use those without.

Other food items that can be used as unique wedding party favors are small bottles of the couple’s favorite wine or packets of tea or coffee. These can be placed in a small gift basket and given out to the wedding guests. Small packets of these unique wedding party favors are ideal since the larger ones can be cumbersome for guests to bring around.

Live Plants And Animals

These unique wedding party favors are a bit tricky since the recipients need to be able to care for the living thing that the couple will be giving out. Plants are basically less costly compared to live animals and easier for the recipients to take care of. Herbs in small, pretty pots are great as a unique wedding party favor. The pots can be in complementing colors to the wedding party theme and ribbons can be added to these.

Live animals may be more difficult but definitely more in keeping with the search for a unique wedding party favor. Large animals are out of the question as unique wedding party favors since not all guests might have the capacity to care for them, which leaves animals such as fish, turtles, birds, butterflies and other smaller ones to consider. These can be placed in boxes, bowls, small cages and other small containers. Tags for such containers will need to be attached with ribbons and bigger in coordination with the size of the wedding party favor container.

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Wedding Bouquet: Think Different

Jane Martin — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 23:17:51 +0000

By Jen Carter

A simple and elegant wedding bouquet is the perfect accessory to compliment your gorgeous gown and smiling face. We say ‘simple’ because you want your wedding bouquet to highlight your dress, not detract from it. If your bouquet is too ‘flashy,’ your dress may not receive the attention it deserves.

Nevertheless, this is not to say that your bridal bouquet should be plain, white, and boring. That’s not the case at all. Just keep the flashiness in check! As a matter of fact, it’s become very popular for the modern bride to use pastel colors in their bridal bouquets. Soft pink’s and blue’s can add a magnificent touch to any wedding dress. The hue’s are very uplifting and pleasant.

Believe it or not, not everyone prefers a bouquet of fresh flowers. Many women have allergies, which prevent them from enjoying the subtle scent a fresh flower can bring. To accommodate these brides, many florists make bouquets of silk flowers. Instead of frowning at this idea, consider the advantage of silk flowers: like your love, silk flowers will never wither. They’re a keepsake that will last for years! In addition, silk flowers require less maintenance during the course of the evening, and they’re usually less costly.

However, if you have your heart set on a bouquet of real wedding flowers, have you considered wild flowers? This is a wonderful idea if you’re having a garden-style or country wedding in the outdoors. The colors and scents are spectacular and very pleasing to the senses. They will look magnificent with any dress in the spring or summer. Unfortunately, wildflowers do not really go with the ‘theme’ of a winter wedding.

If you haven’t decided what type of flowers to use for your wedding bouquet, mull these options over. Use your resources (such as the internet) to look at different varieties of silk flowers and real wild flowers. Several wildflowers that are suggested are: Queen Anne’s lace, poppies, Canada Lily, European Columbine, New England Aster, true forget-me-not, Indian blanket, and Carolina Spring Beauty.

Don’t be afraid to ask your local florist for quotes on bouquets of such flowers in comparison to other fresh flowers. You might discover that you’ll save a bundle going the route of wildflowers as opposed to a bouquet of roses and another variety. While you’re at the florist, ask to see pictures of different wildflower bouquets and silk bouquets (which they may have arranged). They say a picture says a thousand words! You might be blown away by a bouquet arrangement that you may not have considered before.

About the author:
Jen Carter is owner of My Wedding Blog, a free wedding planning guide about weddings. The following article is available in our wedding flowers category.

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