The Wedding Ideas Place

Unique Wedding Photo Favors

Monday, July 26th, 2010, by Bridget Mora, wedding favors, Wedding Jewelry, Wedding Photo Favors, Wedding Jewelry, wedding planning, No Comments

Wedding favors are a wonderful way to thank your guests for coming to your wedding. There are many terrific options for favors, but some of the most fun are those which are personalized. Besides, your guests will be dressed to the nines in their swankiest clothing and best wedding jewelry – it is the perfect time to get their pictures taken. These are some great ideas for unique wedding favors made with your guests’ photos.

Once you have decided that photo wedding favors are the way to go, you will have to choose which type you would like to give. One idea is to have a professional photographer on hand who takes portraits and prints them to take home that day. These often will be printed with a border that says “Jennifer and Brian’s wedding, July 12, 2010” (insert your name there, of course!). On the one hand, it certainly makes it more of a souvenir of the wedding, but on the other hand, if the picture comes out really great, the chances are the people in it are going to cut off the border with the words before framing it. You can decide which way would be best for your own wedding.

Photo booths are a super popular idea for weddings lately. There are many places from which one can rent a cool vintage photo booth for the reception, or a more modern digital version of the booth. Guests will have tons of fun with this interactive type of favor, and the goofy strips of photos will certainly make for longer lasting memories than a box of truffles. You can also ask that guests take some additional pictures to paste into a nearby scrapbook as a fun alternative to the traditional guest book.

Edible favors are popular and photo favors are popular, so why not edible photo favors? Did you know that there are companies that will come to your wedding reception and take pictures of your guests that they print onto an edible surface and make into a big chocolate lollipop? It’s one part crazy, and two parts awesome! This is one edible favor which is almost too good to eat, so be sure that the vendor will make a couple of photo pops for each guest. That way they can have one to eat and one to keep as a memento.

Things to Remember While Shopping for a Wedding Gown

Sunday, July 25th, 2010, by Bridget Mora, bridal gowns, Bridal Jewelry, wedding dress, wedding gown shopping, Bridal Jewelry, wedding planning, No Comments

Shopping for a wedding gown is fun and exciting. It is also somewhat serious, as you are shopping for the most important dress you will ever wear…not to mention the most expensive. Do bridal gown shopping right with these key things to remember while shopping for a wedding gown.

One. Wear underwear. Seriously, ladies. The bridal salon cannot legally let you try on wedding gowns if you show up without your undies, so even if you never wear them, stash a pair of panties in your purse before heading out. Bonus points for wearing a good fitting strapless bra.

Two. Don’t bring the whole entourage. It is impossible to please everyone, so don’t even try. Bring your mom and one or two trusted friends, max. Your chances of finding a wedding gown proportionally decrease for every additional person who tags along, so if you are serious about finding your dream gown, limit yourself to a very small group of shoppers.

Three. Know your budget. There are two kinds of wedding gown budgets. The first number is what you would like to spend, and the second is what you actually would spend if it meant finding the wedding gown of your dreams. For many brides, those two numbers are quite far apart! Start by looking at wedding gowns that fit the first category, but be prepared to up the ante if need be.

Four. Bring any sentimental accessories to your gown appointments. If you plan to wear your mother’s Belgian lace veil or her bridal jewelry, it is very helpful to have it there when you select your gown. Or maybe you have a special brooch from your grandmother that you would like to pin to the waist of your wedding gown; be sure to have it on hand when trying on dresses and bridal jewelry to ensure that everything works beautifully together.

Five. Be prepared to buy. If you find a gown that really knocks your socks off, jump on it! Waiting can result in a price increase, or worse, a gown becoming discontinued. Have the confidence to trust your taste. And once you do find that perfect wedding gown, stop shopping. Your wedding gown is just like your fiance – once you find the right one, you stop looking!

Early Morning Weddings

Saturday, July 24th, 2010, by Bridget Mora, Bridesmaid Jewelry, morning weddings, sunrise ceremony, wedding food, wedding planning, Bridesmaid Jewelry, wedding planning, No Comments

Most weddings take place in the afternoon, but a lovely alternative is an early morning wedding. What better way to start the day than by getting married? These are some tips on how to plan a beautiful early morning wedding.

First ask yourself just how early you would like your wedding ceremony to begin. If you are a true early bird, consider a sunrise service at an outdoor location. A site overlooking a body of water would be especially magnificent. Imagine exchanging your vows with the first rays of the morning sun dancing on the ocean. It would be truly spectacular and very moving. On the other hand, it would also be really early, particularly so in the summer months, so be sure to realistically practical having such an early start to your wedding would be for you and your family.

Not quite so daunting is a wedding ceremony starting at around 9am. Why get married so early in the day? There can be many good reasons. Certainly if you are an early-to-bed, early-to-rise sort of person, an early ceremony will make more sense for you than a late day service. Additionally, you might gain access to locations which are already booked for afternoon and evening events, which is very helpful if you are planning your wedding in six months or less.

The style for a morning wedding should be less formal and glitzy than for an evening affair. This is not the time to wear a very sexy or sequin-encrusted bridal gown. More simple styles in fabrics such as silk organza or silk mikado would be elegant and fresh for an early ceremony. Tea length or knee length dresses will look lovely for the bridal party, perhaps accented with classic pearl bridesmaid jewelry. If you do prefer a formal wedding, be aware that in the morning the gentlemen would wear gray morning suits, never tuxedos. Floor length dresses would be appropriate for the bridesmaids for a formal morning ceremony, still worn with fairly understated bridesmaid jewelry. Too much sparkle just does not suit a wedding before noon, no matter how elegant it may be.

The proper reception to follow a morning ceremony is a brunch. This type of reception will be considerably less expensive than a dinner reception, which is one very good reason to consider a morning wedding in the first place. Guests will eat less and if you serve alcohol, they will also drink considerably less than in the evening. The brunch can have a smaller menu with eggs, waffles, fresh fruit, and pastries, or you can set up a lavish spread with a carving station, a custom omelet station, crepes, and shrimp cocktails in addition to the standard breakfast fare. You do not need a full bar for a brunch reception; mimosas and Bloody Marys would be sufficient, along with fresh fruit juices, coffee, tea, and soda. Finish with a wedding cake for the perfect sweet ending to your morning wedding.

Lily Wedding Bouquets

Friday, July 23rd, 2010, by Bridget Mora, crystal wedding jewelry, lily wedding bouquets, lily wedding flowers, wedding bouquets, Wedding Jewelry, crystal bridal jewelry, wedding planning, No Comments

Lilies are one of the traditional favorite flowers for weddings. They come in a large range of varieties and colors, with one that would be perfect for almost any style of celebration. These are some ideas for beautiful lily wedding bouquets for the bride and bridesmaids.

White lilies are especially elegant for weddings, and they are also symbolic of the Virgin Mary, making them a wonderful choice for a Catholic bride. Lilies are large, so it does not take many to make a very impressive bouquet. Play up the purity of a white lily bouquet by tying it with a simple wide white satin ribbon with a bow and streamers that hang down just past the ends of the stems. This would be a stunning bouquet for any time of the year.

Lilies also come in some spectacular colors. Hot pink Stargazer lilies are breathtaking and work wonderfully for either a traditional wedding or a tropical theme event. Be warned that they have a very strong fragrance, so be sure that you find the distinctive aroma of Stargazer lilies pleasing before ordering them for your bridal bouquet. Play up the dramatic side of these showy lilies by adding crystals to the bouquets to complement your crystal wedding jewelry. For even more drama, consider a long cascade bouquet instead of a round nosegay form. Add sparkling crystal strings that hang like streamers for the ultimate in wedding jewelry for your bouquet. The results will be spectacular!

Calla lilies are also extremely popular for wedding flowers. The larger sized ones look magnificent when gathered into arm bouquets with the stems left long. The sleek flowers and long stems create a very stylish bouquet, which is especially attractive for tall brides. The arm bouquet has a bit of a beauty queen flair, but is a chic alternative to a round nosegay. Calla lilies in arm bouquet form work wonderfully with sleek vintage inspired gowns that have the air of Old Hollywood glamor. You will look like you just stepped out of a 1930s film!

Mini calla lilies are a very versatile bouquet option. They can be used on their own or in combination with other flowers to create rounded bouquets. One of the most appealing things about mini calla lilies is their color range. In addition to classic wedding colors like pink and yellow, the mini callas come in unique and dramatic shades like rust, apricot, burgundy, hot chocolate, and even a dark purplish-black color. They make spectacular bouquets for any season, and of course the very dark colors are ideal for an evening wedding.

Invitations to Wedding Ceremony or Reception Only

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010, by Bridget Mora, ceremony only invitation, reception only invitation, Swarovski crystal bracelets, wedding etiquette, wedding invitations, crystal bridal jewelry, wedding planning, No Comments

In general, it is not acceptable to invite people to the wedding ceremony but not the party to follow. Some brides might think that it could be a way to trim reception costs, but it is actually quite insulting to those who do not make the cut for the reception. Think about how you would feel if you were told that you were welcome to send a wedding present, get all dressed up in your prettiest dress and festive Swarovski crystal bracelets, come to the ceremony, and then go home while some of the other guests got to attend a fabulous party. Like junior high all over again, right? This is why it is improper to invite some guests to attend the reception but not others.

There is one exception to the rule that some guests can be welcomed to the wedding ceremony but not the reception. In some church communities, it is customary to announce weddings in the church bulletin, with the understanding that any member of the congregation is free to attend. Some people just want to put on their best dress, and their Swarovski crystal earrings and necklaces and see a beautiful wedding, especially if the bride has grown up in that church. For this type of public invitation, there is no expectation of attending the private reception to follow, nor is the attendee obliged to give a wedding gift. The bride and groom would issue invitations to their immediate family and friends for the entire wedding, both ceremony and reception.

While it is not usually polite to invite a set of guests to your wedding ceremony but not the reception, the same is not true in reverse. It is considered proper to have a small wedding ceremony attended only by immediate family and friends, followed by a much larger reception, either the same day or at a later date. There can be many reasons to do it this way. Perhaps the bride and groom are members of a religion which only allows people of the same faith to attend a marriage ceremony or maybe they simply prefer to say their vows in front of a very small group of their nearest and dearest.

The thing to do in this case is to issue a formal invitation to the wedding reception, and for those select few whom you wish to have attend the ceremony as well, you also send a ceremony card. The ceremony card is about half the size of the main invitation, and is placed on top of the invitation as an enclosure before being stuffed in the envelopes. It is more common to see wedding invitations issued in the reverse form (a large invitation to the ceremony with a separate small card detailing the reception location), but this the reception invitation with ceremony card is absolutely the correct and proper form for a small ceremony with a large reception.

Tattooed Bridesmaids

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010, by Bridget Mora, bridesmaids, custom bridesmaid jewelry, tattooed bridesmaids, Bridesmaid Jewelry, Uncategorized, wedding planning, No Comments

Presumably if you know someone well enough to ask her to be in your wedding party, you know her well enough to be aware that she has a tattoo (of course, if the woman gets her ink after agreeing to be a bridesmaid, that is another story). Maybe you don’t mind it normally, but are not so sure it would look good in the pictures. Or perhaps you have always thought tattoos were ugly, but did not worry about your friend’s tattoo until you had a vested interest in her appearance. Let it be said that bridesmaids should always be chosen based on friendship not looks…yet no bride wants one person in her wedding party to be a distraction because of her appearance.

Some brides who do not mind tattoos at all might be concerned about what type of impression a tattooed bridesmaid will make on their relatives, particularly the older ones. Let’s face it: a genteel grandmother might well be aghast at the sight of a tattoo on one of her granddaughter’s bridesmaids. If the bride’s family is generally conservative and the wedding is formal, this is a legitimate concern. Yet it would be crazy to base your decision about whether to invite a dear friend to be in your wedding on a butterfly tattoo on her shoulder (now if she has a tattoo on her face, that is something else altogether!).

Asking a bridesmaid to cover her tattoo can be dicey, but there are some options. Some of it depends on the personality of her friend and why she got the ink in the first place. Did a whole group of friends go on spring break and decide to get the same cute little tattoo on their shoulders? Chances are, your friend does not have a strong personal attachment to her tat, and would not be horribly offended if you asked her to cover it for your wedding. You could preface your request by saying something like, “I think your tattoo is cute, but my grandmother would just die and she is paying for the wedding.”

There are a couple of possible options when dealing with tattooed bridesmaids. If your friend does not might covering it, you should at least pay for the special makeup needed. When asking seems too potentially insulting, another option is to select bridesmaid attire which is artfully designed to cover the tattooed body part – but it has to be on all the bridesmaids, so that the tattooed one does not feel singled out. Maybe that means choosing a dress with a higher back to cover a shoulder tattoo or ordering custom bridesmaid jewelry, such as a wide multiple strand bracelet to cover a wrist tattoo. Of course, the final option is just to let it go. No one will think less of the bride just because one of her friends has some body art, and hey, you can always have the tattoo Photoshopped out of your wedding photos later.

Advice for the Mother of the Bride

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010, by Bridget Mora, mother of the bride, wedding advice, Wedding Jewelry, Wedding Jewelry, wedding planning, No Comments

For most mothers, the time when their daughter becomes engaged is a very exciting time. It may also be a bit bittersweet to see your little girl all grown up, although it is important to make sure that those feelings do not overshadow your joy. Planning a wedding with your daughter can be a marvelous bonding experience or a dangerous minefield, depending how it is approached. This is some advice that every mother of the bride should hear…

Keep an open mind about the type of wedding your daughter wants to have. Perhaps your idea of a proper wedding is one with a church ceremony followed by a reception at your country club, but that might not be what your daughter has in mind. A key point is that she is not going to change who she is for the sake of the wedding. So if she always said that your club was stuffy, don’t be shocked or offended when she announces that the wedding will take place in a state park. Be supportive and try to go with the flow. You might even find out that her ideas are pretty good!

Be diplomatic when shopping for a bridal gown. The chances are that you know your daughter’s taste, and if it does not match your own, that is unlikely to change when it comes to the wedding gown. It is absolutely crushing to a bride to fall in love with a gown and have her mother shoot it down because it is not what she would have selected. Of course, you are free to give your opinions, but be sure to be diplomatic.

Follow the bride’s lead for your attire. If possible, take her shopping with you when you select your dress and jewelry for her wedding. You should obviously choose an outfit that you like, but the chances are that it matters more to the bride than you, so listen to her opinions. For a black tie wedding, go all out and dress to the nines with a very elegant dress and sparkling wedding jewelry, even if your everyday uniform is jeans and a t-shirt. Conversely, if the wedding is informal, don’t insist on wearing a traditional mother of the bride outfit which will be out of sync with the style of the event. Compromise is the key to getting through the wedding planning process with your relationship with your daughter better than ever.

Decorating to Match Your Wedding Venue

Monday, July 19th, 2010, by Bridget Mora, custom bridal jewelry, wedding decorations, wedding venue, Bridal Jewelry, wedding planning, No Comments

So you have found the wedding venue of your dreams, and are now trying to figure out your decorating scheme – great! Some venues are very neutral in style, which can make things easy, but others will already have fairly intense color schemes or decor in place, which can be more difficult to work around. These are some tips on decorating to match your wedding venue.

When it comes to decorating a church for your wedding ceremony, the color scheme should not be a huge factor in your choices. The reception is different, however. That is where your guests will spend most of their time, and it is important to create a unified design. There is no need to match the venue’s colors exactly (and in fact that could be overkill), but it is a good idea to harmonize with what is there. So if the walls of the reception are painted in a cool gray color, plan a wedding color palette which either complements it (say silver, lavender, and ice blue) or one that intentionally contrasts with it (like bright red). Avoid choosing colors which will really clash with the decor already in place.

Style matters too. Let’s say that you have booked a grand ballroom for your reception. Everything that you choose should be equally grand. Choose a formal silk gown with beading and ornate custom bridal jewelry, and decorate in elegant colors such as silver or burgundy. Tall formal centerpieces would be the perfect design for the tall ceilings of a grand ballroom, whereas short vases of gerbera daisies would be utterly underwhelming and out of place. By the same token, avoid very formal bridal attire or grand custom jewelry for a reception in a rustic setting, and be careful about how you mix modern design with traditional settings, as well as the reverse.

Of course, if you love everything about your reception site except the color scheme, there are some ways to work around it. Just be aware that your decorating expenses will be much higher when your plan is to dramatically change a space, rather than just trying to enhance the existing features. There are many ways to make changes, especially with lighting and fabric draping. It is not always easy, but it will be well worth the time spent to plan wedding decorations that work well with the style of your reception venue.

Finding a Beautiful Plus Sized Wedding Gown

Sunday, July 18th, 2010, by Bridget Mora, bridal gowns, crystal bridal jewelry, plus sized wedding gown, wedding gown shopping, wedding gowns, Bridal Jewelry, crystal bridal jewelry, wedding planning, No Comments

Shopping for a wedding gown should be a joyous occasion. For plus sized brides, however, the experience is often more frustrating and depressing than it is uplifting, which is a terrible shame. It does not have to be that way! Finding a beautiful plus sized wedding gown is definitely very doable, and it can be the happy experience that every bride deserves. These are some great tips on shopping for plus sized wedding gowns.

Tip No. 1: First Shop for a Bridal Salon. More than anything else, the staff at the salon will determine how good or bad your dress shopping experience is. An easy way to get a feel for a bridal salon is to call ahead for an appointment and mention that you are looking for a plus sized gown. Does the shop say, “Great, we would be happy to help you” or do they say, “Well, we only carry size 8s”?

Tip No. 2: Don’t Worry About Sample Size. Some stores will have plus sized samples on hand, which is certainly helpful. They will typically be found in stores which carry a lot of off-the-rack wedding gowns, though, as those are the salons which keep size ranges in stock. While is is a great feeling to be able to try on a wedding gown which actually fits, ready-made dresses have the distinct disadvantage of being hard to change. Brides who like the quality of materials and design found only in designer gowns will rarely find a store which carries a plus sized sample to try, but that is okay! A well-trained bridal consultant can help you understand how a gown will look on you when it is the proper size, regardless of how the sample fits, so try to keep an open mind.

Tip No. 3: Fit is First. Never choose a wedding gown based on style or details over how flattering the silhouette is. You will look far more beautiful in a gown which cuts a tiny waistline, gives you a gorgeous hourglass silhouette, and trims your tummy than one which is made in your favorite lace but does not give you a great shape. Always remember that a plain gown in a fantastic cut can be embellished, but if the cut is unflattering, the dress will do you no justice, no matter how exquisite the beading. Another option is to add fabulous accessories to a flattering gown that needs a little more wow. Add a dazzling set of crystal bridal jewelry, a veil with a beaded edge, and a sparkling bridal headpiece which complements your crystal jewelry – your entire look will instantly go from nice to incredible.