Pre-Wedding

Unique Wedding Party Favors as a Sign of Appreciation

While you are quite occupied planning for your big D-Day, one of the things to consider is wedding party favors. A wedding reception is a party and therefore to thank your guests for attending the party, wedding party favors or thank you gifts are distributed as a sign of appreciation.  While you are quite occupied planning for your big D-Day, one of the things to consider is wedding party favors. A wedding reception is a party and therefore to thank your guests for attending the party, wedding party favors or thank you gifts are distributed as a sign of appreciation.

One of the most stimulating parts of your wedding, party favors are not just keepsakes, but they can also be something that the invitees can use after your big day. Gone are the days where couples are only limited to gifting figurines and bonbonnieres. As much as the couples like to be unique, wedding favors are also now ranging from bizarre to fantastic and trendy selections to pick from. They can even be personalized with the monograms, couple’s names, wedding date along with the location.

Amazing trends of wedding favors these days are from decorative items to practical and themed ones. Many couples nowadays are into DIY’s as well. They opt to make their own invites and programs, centerpieces, flower arrangements and party favors not only to add personal touches but to save money as well.

Fabulous wedding party favors are categorized according to your guests as well. If meant exclusive for ladies, they range from bags of goodies, crystals ornaments, to floral designed ceramics. Practical wedding favors can also be something useful, such as mini note books, bookmarks, pens, and accessories like bracelets. Whatever is your choice, make sure that it reflects your style and compliments to the theme you have at your wedding.

Well… wedding favors come in innumerable choices to choose from, and they can be presented in numerous ways with loving memories of couple’s nuptial.

If you don’t have the time to actually go out and check on what is available in stores, go online for a large selection of wedding party favors right there at your fingertips.

Tips for Selecting Wedding Favors

Giving out unique wedding favors as a sign of appreciation at the end of the night is a timeless tradition at wedding receptions. But favors should be cautiously selected with lots of thought. If you are searching for some useful gifts to share with your guests during your wedding planning, here are 9 tips for selecting favors for your big day–

1. Wrap your wedding favors in colorful paper, top with stickers and other decorative elements, adorn with bows, to make your favors actually stand out.

2. You don’t need to break the bank to find good wedding favors. Sometimes the smallest surprises make biggest impression.

3. Use elements from your wedding ceremony to weave into your favors. You should never go wrong with a theme.

4. If you are expecting a large turnout for your wedding, it is always recommended to buy wedding favors in bulk because they are much cheaper.

5. DIY wedding favors are an the most economical option in case you have the time. Be original. Find wedding favors that reflect your personality.

6. For a special touch, you can personally hand the favors out to your guests at the end of the night. Another way to circulate favors is to place them on tables for guests to see as they.

7. arrive or let the waiter-staff pass them out.

8. Be sure to include a message with each favor that thanks guests for creating unforgettable memories in your wedding day.

9. When it comes to finalizing favors, remember it’s the thought that counts. Guests will appreciate any type of token of appreciation you decide to give them. So, no matter what you buy, it should be bought from the deep bottom of your heart to serve as a lasting memory of your special day.

Regardless of what becomes your inspiration, the best-received wedding favor gifts are those that create a personal connection, have a practical use in everyday life, are richly presented, or offer a taste of something luscious; even better if they handed out with love.

Now, if you are confused about what to give out as wedding favors to your guests, think about bracelets. This is because not only bracelet party favors are useful, but they make one of the most luxurious gifts that can be worn on a regular basis. For ladies, bracelets can be an entrusting piece of jewelry, especially if they well designed and feminine.

Bracelets – Unique Wedding Party Favors as a Sign of Appreciation

A bracelet makes a chic yet very simple accessory that can complement any outfit. It can be used in both ways – whether you like to drown in accessories or want to keep it sophisticated. Furthermore, it is a long-lasting piece of jewelry and people can look back to the party and relive the memories as and when they wear your bracelet. Bracelets or other such accessories complete a woman’s appearance, regardless of their fashion style.

For this reason, bracelets make perfect party favors. So, go ahead and browse through a large array of unique designs, styles and patterns. Give away your heartfelt thanks to the people who shared their time in completing your most memorable day.

How to Shop for Bridal Underwear

Shopping for bridal wear can be exciting, and quite nerve wracking too. You flip through magazines, websites, or any medium that gives you options on bridal wear. This does not end with the bridal gown. The veil, corsages, shoes, accessories, and most importantly lingerie, are all part of the bridal shopping list that you prepare. Picking the right bridal underwear is as important as picking the right gown, because what goes inside determines how you look and feel on your big day. So here are some tips that can help you pick the right women’s underwear sets, and make the shopping experience a lot less worrisome.

Know what kind of bridal underwear you need

Before you go shopping, it is a good idea to list down the kind of bridal underwear that you need. Wedding lingerie includes many products – bras, panties, corsets, waist clinchers, garters and garter belts, stockings, hold ups, and so on. Make a note of what among these needs to accompany your gown on your wedding day. This would primarily be determined by the kind of gown you wear. Classic ones like ballroom and A-line gowns are extremely accommodating, and you can sport nearly any kind of bra underneath them. If the gown reveals a good amount of cleavage, opt for a bra with push-up benefits. Choose stick on or invisible strap bras for backless gowns, and strapless designs for the off-shoulder gowns. Wired bras are a good choice when you want fine shaping, but they may also be uncomfortable to wear for long. Gowns that are fitted around the abdomen or thighs need shapewear underneath. Invest in waist cinchers, tummy tuckers, or thigh and buttock shaping underwear for a smooth, flat, and well-toned look under such gowns. Also, if you are not confident baring your legs, pick up stockings, and holdups or garters and garter belts to go with them.

Pick lingerie not just for your wedding, but for the honeymoon too

The love and excitement of the wedding also spills to the honeymoon. So, when you shop for bridal underwear, do not stop with lingerie to wear under your gown. Pick sexy and seductive lingerie such as babydolls, teddies, bodysuits, or chemises for your wedding night. Invest in erotic styles for the honeymoon as well. Opt for lacy styles for a classic and sensuously feminine feel. Choose satin or vinyl underwear with strappy or cage-like designs when you want things to get really steamy. Retailers of bridal underwear also tend to stock up on sexy honeymoon styles, so it would be wise to pick up both of them together.

Try on, whenever possible

Comfort and good fit are extremely important with the bridal underwear that you pick up. An ill-fitted lingerie not only kills the look of your gown, but also makes you feel uneasy and conscious, which are actually the last things that you want on your big day. To avoid this last minute trouble, try on your bridal lingerie before you buy them. Some products may not be up for trial owing to hygiene reasons, but whatever is, can be tried and tested to ensure that it fits you well, and that it remains hidden under what you wear. Peeping straps, pinching underwires, visible seams, and many more can be caught at the right moment when you try on lingerie before your wedding day. This lets you decide what’s right for your gown, and make adjustments wherever necessary.

Don’t buy them too early (or too late)

Not just the kind of lingerie that you buy, but the timing matters. Shopping for bridal underwear too early or too late can be troublesome. In the days leading up to your wedding, you may lose or gain weight. Buying the underwear too early may result in it being ill-fitted during the wedding day. Shopping too late can cause you to rush and buy inappropriate lingerie hurriedly. Both these situations can be bothersome, especially when there are no return or exchange policies in place. So always buy your bridal underwear just a couple of weeks, or a month prior to the wedding.

Now that you are armed with the right tips to pick the perfect wedding underwear, go ahead and shop for them with confidence.

Flowers for Summer Weddings: Four Ways to Keep Them Fresh

Summer season is witness to a large number of weddings. The warm season also has the advantage of being the perfect time for an outdoor wedding; giving couples a wider range of options in terms of venues, wedding themes, and décor ideas and so on. Like spring, summer is also the time when a large number of blooms are available. These flowers add beauty and serenity to the auspicious day, and create stunning visuals when captured through the lens. However, preserving wedding flowers in Chicago, Houston or Los Angeles isn’t really an easy task, neither is it too difficult. We give you 4 easy and effective tips on how to keep them fresh and looking lovely all throughout your wedding day.

# 1 – Pick seasonal blooms and hearty flowers

Flowers that bloom in summer have better ability to withstand high temperatures than rare flowers. Buying fresh and just picked flowers from a local vendor also helps keep them intact for a longer time. Opt for blooms with a waxy texture as they stay fresh longer. Hawaiian blooms, such as orchids (especially cymbidium and dendrobium orchids), are a good option. Tiger lilies, roses, ginger halcyons, and birds-of-paradise, too stay put and do not wither easily in the summer heat. It is always a good practice to check with your florist on which flowers work best for your wedding venue.

Flowers for Summer Weddings Four Ways to Keep Them Fresh

# 2 – Maintain wedding flowers

Wedding flowers need maintenance in summer, more than in any other season. The higher the temperature, the more the upkeep required. Have your wedding flowers delivered early on the day of your wedding rather than on the previous night. Arrange for a refrigerator at the wedding venue so that the blooms can be stored in a cool place till the ceremony begins. When you aren’t being photographed, keep the bouquets away in shade or hand them over to your bridesmaid to be kept in a vase of cool water. Keep a bottle of water spray handy and moist your flowers every hour to keep them looking fresh and crisp.

# 3 – Choose bright colors

Nude and light hues flowers tend to brown faster than bright and bold ones. Using the latter ones not only makes them look better in pictures, but also fills those photographs with a riot of colors. Hues such as violet, fuchsia, deep yellow, magenta, and green work well in outdoor and semi-formal weddings. Wine and deeper shades of red like dark red roses, and deep purple lilies are more appropriate for formal weddings. Shades of yellow and orange are a great option in casual weddings. Blooms such as sunflowers work well in this regard as a few stems is all that is needed to create a pop of colors.

# 4 – Use herbs and succulents

Greens are a big trend in weddings these days, and they are just as apt for summer weddings as they are for any other season. Succulents and herbs pair well with flowers in bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres, and even centerpieces. They also fill the air with a pleasant fragrance. Greens stay fresh for a longer time than flowers, and hence work extremely well in the high temperatures during summer. They also add a dash of freshness to the warm wedding venue, and create interesting contrast in photographs. Herbs and succulents are also the perfect choice for rustic and vintage themed wedding. They work well in casual weddings and those themed around the countryside.

No wedding is complete without flowers, and summer, though a great time to exchange vows, worries most wedding hosts about how to keep floral arrangements fresh and intact. However, with a little extra care, you can keep your blooms pristine and beautiful all throughout your special day, even in this season of high temperatures.

How to Get Cheap but Awesome Wedding Favors

What’s a wedding if there are no guests to bless and congratulate the bride and groom. In fact, it is the guests that bring in fun and joy to a wedding with their antics and unique personalities. Acknowledging their presence and thanking them for their arrival is a very nice way to keep the wedding day memorable, both for you and the guests. While a few guests wouldn’t expect any wedding favors from you, a few would certainly expect, at least as a part of tradition. However, wedding budget is also of huge concern and buying a wedding favor for each and every guest at the wedding is not cheap at all.

If you have a tight budget and want to cut down costs on wedding favors, this article is for you. Rather than deciding not to give out any wedding favors, you can go for inexpensive but amazing wedding favors. In this article we will list down ways one can get these inexpensive wedding favors and give them to their guests.

1. DIY Gifts

Do it yourself (DIY) gifts are the most popular option on this list. If you are feeling a little short on the wedding favor budget, you can always improvise and prepare your own wedding favors. There are countless wedding websites which will give you thousands of DIY wedding favor ideas that can be realized with little or money. All it takes is a little of your time and creativity.

2. Wholesalers

If you find preparing your own wedding favors too tiring and time consuming, you can resort to wholesale dealers who will give you a lot of discount when compared to retail stores. All you have to do is find a wholesaler network which distributes wedding favors and small gifts as such, contact them and give them your bulk order.

How to Get Cheap but Awesome Wedding Favors3. Shop after Christmas

If your wedding is somewhere in the month of January or February as you can buy your wedding favors from a after Christmas sale where everything will be highly cheap or discounted. The store owners just want to sell their unsold goods and offer lower rates on gifts and products though they are of the highest quality.

4. Online Shopping

Online shopping is the new virtue of shopping and there are always some kind of deals offered by these online stores. Especially on websites like eBay and Etsy you can exchange gifts from someone else for a cheaper amount. If not customer to customer exchange markets like eBay, you can find these wedding favors on regular online stores too, stores that offer a lot of discounts on special days.

5. Iced Christmas Cakes

If your wedding is sometime after Christmas, you can get cheap iced fruit cakes that were left unused during the Christmas. Do note that these fruit cakes will be extremely good and time has nothing to do with them. These cakes will also come in handy when you run out of the wedding cake pieces.

Four Tips to Choose Your Bridesmaid Gifts

Wedding can be a very stressful and emotional moment for brides. A bride will be making the biggest decision of her life and no matter how strong the woman is, at some point of time she will feel weak down her knees. Emotional and moral support during this time becomes more important than ever. Moreover, there are so many things to worry about the wedding planning that the bride will hardly find time to dress up, look beautiful and have a moment of peace. Help is very much needed during weddings and that’s why there are angels like bridesmaids next to the bride in each wedding. From emotional to moral to physical support, bridesmaids stand by the bride throughout the wedding supporting her and helping. They certainly deserve a token of appreciation and here’s how to choose a bridesmaid gift.

1. Something that suits her personality

The first and the most important mistake probably you could do is buy a common gift for all your bridesmaids and not think about the fact that they might not like it. Every woman is different in her own way and has her own preferences. Your bridesmaids will appreciate your effort when you put some time and money to get gifts that suit their individual personality and make them feel special. Personalized gifts will not only strengthen your friendship but also carry it forward for years to come.

2. Re-usable and Re-wearable

A lot of brides commit the mistake of choosing a bridesmaid gift that has a limited shelf life. Gifts like bags and necklaces that say ‘bridesmaid’ will only suit on the wedding day and will never get out of their closets after that. Gift something that is re-usable or some dress/jewelry that is re-wearable. This way they will remember your wedding as and when they use it or wear it over time. Also, if you know the bridesmaid a bit too well, you can gift her something that she doesn’t possess.

Four Tips to Choose Your Bridesmaid Gifts3. Gift Experiences

We have to blame the stereotype for assuming that every gift is something that is physical and something that can be carried to home and stored in a cupboard. You can think a bit out of the box and gift experiences rather than things to your bridesmaids. You can get her tickets to a Broadway show, book a table in a fancy restaurant or book a spa treatment for her to relax soon after the stressful wedding. You can also get her a subscription service of flowers, women’s magazines, cooking classes etc.

4. Grab Bag

If you are one of those people who can’t decide what gifts to give or get confused with too many gifts, gifting a multi-part gift would be a great idea. You can gift your bridesmaids a grab bag which consists of many things like a complete makeup kit or a bridesmaid survival kit, or a set of luxury soaps and bath candles, or a box full of edible goodies. Give her something that is stuffed and something that is thoughtful.

No matter what the gift, don’t forget to include a thank you note.