Let's hear it for individuality! Brides on the leading edge are commissioning unique logos from graphic designers, and these logos will appear on everything including the invitations, the place cards, the ice sculpture, the personalized wedding favors, the theatrical lighting on the dance floor at the reception and the thank-you notes.

Logos can be designed for somewhere in the $300 range, but cost will depend on the graphic designer. Couples incorporate their initials, their hobbies or their interests. Sometimes they request symbols of their wedding destination, like a palm tree or a snow-covered mountain, as part of the design.

Logos lend themselves perfectly to personalized wedding favors. These photo mint tins are wonderful keepsakes that feature the happy couple and their lovely logo. And how cool would it be to have your logo on water bottles for your welcome bags when your guests arrive at their hotel? Logos are really a great way to give your wedding a unique, artistic touch!

Please share with: BackFlip, del.icio.us, Digg, EarthLink MyFavorites, Google, iTalkNews, Jookster, Kinja, Lycos, Netscape, Newsvine, reddit, Squidoo

Goodbye, mood lighting. Hello, Broadway! Today's big-budget brides not only want to be in the spotlight, they want their entire wedding--ceremony, reception, wedding party and guests--to bask in theatrical lighting. Ceilings are draped in mini-lights, trees twinkle from trunk to the tiniest twigs, spotlights focus on centerpieces, pillars are dramatically lit, floors dance with moving patterns, and pin spots shine on the bride and groom.

According to Jackie Leiby of lighting giant Magnum Companies' Special Projects, brides are spending $2000 to $20,000 for an unforgettable lighting look. Leiby says money can buy whatever they can imagine to illuminate their event. And by choosing the right wedding favors, brides can add even more elegance and warmth. All it takes is a spectacular wedding favor candle or tea light holders that can be lit by each guest's table setting and then taken home to hold romantic tea lights for a long time to come.

Here are two I particularly like. They make a stunning presentation and a lovely take-away for your guests. The Luminous Love Votive on the left sparkles inside and out. The silver-metal container has "Love" in openwork on the sides, so the gentle light spills through and lights up your love. On the right is the Clear Glass Heart Cube votive with red hearts on the side, bringing an intimate and meaningful lighting design to your tables. Even if you don't go for theatrical lighting, these small wedding favors will still make a bright and lasting impression!

Share this with others:BackFlip, del.icio.us, Digg, EarthLink MyFavorites, Google, iTalkNews, Jookster, Kinja, Lycos, Netscape, Newsvine, reddit, Squidoo

Calling all summer brides! Get your bridesmaids together, pull out your Manolo Blahnik's, pour everyone a luscious cosmopoitan and then head out to the movies for the May 30 premiere of "Sex and the City"--the film we've all been anxiously awaiting! If you're like me, you didn't want the series to end, so this is a must-see bonus! It will be like getting together with old friends. And since you'll be getting together with your friends, why not make it a girls' night out for the girls who will surround you with support on your wedding day!

And if you really want to jazz things up, there are some great bridal shower favors that would be perfect "Girls' Night Out" gifts for all your buds. You'll probably head for a bar or restaurant before or after the movie, and the "Purse Valet" is practically an essential! Instead of putting your purse on the nasty floor or the back of your chair where you can't keep an eye on it, this handy little gadget fits right on the edge of the table and keeps your valuables safe and close.

If you want to give them something that says "Manolo Blahnik," "Jimmy Choo," or just spectacular shoes in general, favor them with this very cool "It's a Shoe Thing!" Chrome Shoe-Shaped Bottle Opener. The clever packaging is just as appealing as the gift itself!

So now you're ready to step out and see what's been going on in the lives of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda! Cheers!

One open bar? Out! Several drink stations? In! Steer yourself toward the station depending on the drink you desire.

And be prepared to sip on liquor-laden libations invented just for the big day. You may be enjoying a "Mark & Mary Martini"--gin, vermouth and just a touch of creme d' menthe to make it just the shade of green required to match the decor--another new trend in bride-and-groom booze. The beauty of an upscale alcohol presence makes finding wedding favors a breeze!

Perhaps you'll head to the beer and wine station for a glass of Lily & Lyle's Merlot. You won't want to miss Mike and Gracie's Margarita, a spectacular peach-colored concoction. Signature frozen drinks are hot, hot, hot! And there are extremely cool wedding favors to match!

Cheers!

Add to: BackFlip, del.icio.us, Digg, EarthLink MyFavorites, Google, iTalkNews, Jookster, Kinja, Lycos, Netscape, Newsvine, reddit, Squidoo

Say buh-bye to plain, white linen table cloths. Brides with bucks are decorating their tables with fabrics that look like wedding gowns--beaded or embroidered cloth, satins, organzas and chiffons. As you can see, this ups the elegance factor a bunch! These spectacular spreads up the budget, too. Angie Stephens of Chair Covers & Linens says your basic linen tablecloths rent from about $6.50 to $18. Exotic fabrics and prints rent for up to $75.

Here's some good news! If you decide to splurge on your wedding tablecloths, you can save money on elegant wedding favors that will complement the setting beautifully. Put your favorite photograph in this lovely, gold, beaded frame or use it as a place card holder. Another exquisite option is the Calla Lily Bottle Stopper, with a touch of gold in the center.

Whether you're a bride-to-be with a bottomless budget or not, you'll find these hot, new wedding trends interesting. I found them in today's Atlanta Journal/Constitution, and I must say they're all pretty pricey--and pretty WOW! I'm going to give them to you one at a time over the next few blogs, so you can mull them over and see if you want to add them to your wedding plans.

Trend #1--Grazing stations. Yes. The up-and-coming thing in wedding food is "tiny and scattered." Like a Sunday brunch at an upscale hotel restaurant, you set up a number of food stations, each serving a different gourmet dish. Instead of having a seated dinner, brides are opting for six to eight smaller courses. The expectation is that guests will mingle as they sashay from station to station, munching on exotic recipes like Lemon Chicken Kabobs with Gremolata (an Italian seasoning blend) or Key Lime Roasted Shrimp on Snowpea Shoots with Pickled Red-Onion Confit.

I attended a wedding recently that did both. They had spectacular hors d'oeurves on trays and at serving stations, and then they had a seated dinner. The wedding favors should have been trendy doggie bags. We all ate ourselves into oblivion with the fabulous "pre-dinner," so we could hardly finish the dinner. Was it delicious? Yes. Was it a waste of food? A little bit. But as long as food is the hot ticket, why not let your favors follow suit?

Elegant weddings call for elegant wedding favors, and they're easy to find on MyWeddingFavors.com! With these lovely mini-wedding cakes, you can take your choice of nine ounces of delicious and moist, double chocolate pudding or vanilla pound cake completely covered in milk, white or dark chocolate icing. And if you love the Jordan almond tradition, the calla lily favor boxes on the right are handcrafted and contain white Jordan almonds. One thing's certain. This new trend in food will guarantee your guests are fabulously fed! Trend #2 coming soon!

Add to: BackFlip, del.icio.us, Digg, EarthLink MyFavorites, Google, iTalkNews, Jookster, Kinja, Lycos, Netscape, Newsvine, reddit, Squidoo

Here we go, all you celeb-watching brides-to-be! There are five hot, new trends coming out of Tinseltown, so print this out and make the necessary changes in your wedding plans!

Trend #1: Fertilizable centerpieces! Instead of small, monochromatic centerpieces (so yesterday!) or lots of little centerpieces on one table, lets build a landscape in the middle of those tables. Think "bead-strewn crystal candelabras, potted herbs and even natural motifs like mushrooms." We're talking Hollywood here, so we can only imagine what kind of "potted herbs" they're putting out there.

Trend #2: Over-the-top veils. Everything old is new again. Veils, once thought too old-fashioned, are making a comeback with celebrities in a big way. The mag suggests you can choose to wear the veil "even during the reception!" If you do, they recommend you pick a shorter style. Either way, I suspect you'll be ripping it off by the time your plate of food arrives.

Trend #3: Groom's Cake on steroids. The movie "Steel Magnolias" made this southern tradition a huge trend, and now it's grooms-gone-wild! The groom's cake should have some connection to the groom, so we're looking at cakes shaped like golf bags, college mascots, beer mugs and TV sets. Very nice...

Trend #4: Global-Inspired Wedding Favors. The stars are celebrating their hometowns or their heritage with wedding favors like candy apples (New York City,) hot sauce (Mexico) or olive oil (Italy.) Not only do the favors have special meaning--they're more likely to be used when the guests take them home.

Trend #5: Formal First Dance: The TV show "Dancing with the Stars" is having an effect on weddings from New York to California. Stars are turning to choreographers to stage their first dance to make it spectacular entertainment. InStyle recommends that you start planning your dance six months prior to your wedding date so you can "choose your special song, the type of dance you want and take lessons!" The mag also reminds you to practice your dance in your wedding gown instead of jeans. Makes sense.

Okay. That's a wrap. Head for MyWeddingFavors.com to find lots of meaningful, global-inspired wedding favors, and then you can take off for your dance class...

Add to: BackFlip, del.icio.us, Digg, EarthLink MyFavorites, Google, iTalkNews, Jookster, Kinja, Lycos, Netscape, Newsvine, reddit, Squidoo

If you're planning a wedding, you either have a bulging scrapbook with thousands of photos torn from hundreds of bridal magazines, or you've got those same magazines stacked up in a corner of your room with sticky notes sticking out all over, holding the page where you saw your dream wedding gown or the perfect wedding favors. C'mon, girl! Make your life less cluttered with an Inspiration Board. Put your top picks all over it, stand back, you'll get a pretty good preview of your wedding.

The boards are easy to make. You can pick up a big cork board or even a large piece of sturdy cardboard. Go through all your photos and, as you make your choices, put them on the board. Here are most of the items you'll want to post:

--Your ideal color scheme
--Your dream setting or theme
--Wedding gown
--Bouquet
--Flowers for the ceremony and reception
--Bridesmaids' Dresses
--Groom's and groomsmen's attire
--The Cake
--Centerpieces for your reception tables
--Wedding favors
--Honeymoon spot

It's your Inspiration Board, so you can put anything you want on it. You might want to start your board early in the planning process. Live with it awhile--the colors, the flowers, the dress, the centerpieces. If you change your mind about anything, you simply change the photos.

The beauty of the Inspiration Board is that it's uniquely yours. If you decide to use a wedding planner, imagine how much easier her (or his!) job will be with your Inspiration Board to steer her in the right directions for everything--from the fabulous white limo to the practical, pink wedding favors. Your Inspiration Board may turn out to be a work of art you'll want to frame and keep forever!

Add to: BackFlip, del.icio.us, Digg, EarthLink MyFavorites, Google, iTalkNews, Jookster, Kinja, Lycos, Netscape, Newsvine, reddit, Squidoo

Sue here again, with my TWIST (The Way I See Things!) Let's talk about those dove releases and butterfly releases that have become so popular at weddings. Yes, they are beautiful, dramatic and symbolic, but something that only lasts mere moments at your wedding can have a detrimental, even deadly, affect on the beautiful creatures you hired. There are a number of businesses that will provide you with doves or butterflies, because some people will do anything for money. Maybe if you learn what can happen to your "soaring symbols," you'll find another way to celebrate your marriage.

Pigeons in Peril

Many pigeons used by release companies are not suited to live in the wild. After you release them, they fly away as everyone oohs and ahhhs, only to starve, get hit by a car or get eaten by another bird. Can you live with that? Some companies use homing pigeons, which requires a trained relase coordinator who lets the birds go, and they fly immediately back to the place where they're kept. If you absolutely must have flying doves, please find a reputable release company. By the way, a typical company might charge $250 or more to release 12 white pigeons.

Bye, Bye Butterfly

Their beauty. The magnificent colors. Their deep, symbolic meaning. It's no wonder couples want to include a butterfly release during their ceremony. Please don't. Butterflies have unique and wonderful migration instincts which are unable to function when you move them blindly from one place to another, as companies do when they mail you a box of butterflies. Imagine tens of thousands of mixed-up Monarchs unable to find the way to their overwintering grounds. What's more, their offspring may not be able to orient properly. Because the butterflies are raised inside under unnatural conditions, their delicate migratory physiology may not have been turned on. In fact, many wedding planners now avoid butterflies at weddings because they not infrequently arrive dead, or half-dead. Even if they arrive alive, they often will soon die because they are released at the wrong time of year, or at the wrong locality to survive. A dozen boxed butterflies will cost around $75-$100. SO NOT WORTH IT.

If you have your heart set on having doves or butterflies at your wedding, please let me suggest that you bring them to your guests as wedding favors. Here are two incredibly beautiful options, and I can promise you that no birds or butterflies were harmed in the creating of these charming wedding party favors. "The Love Dove" Bottle Opener is as elegant a wedding favor as you'll ever find, with its sleek design including a bottle opener at the tail. And if butterflies suit your fancy, why not fill the room with shiny, silver "Butterfly" Bookmarks--another pretty, practical wedding favor that will make more lasting memories than you could ever dream of.

Add to: BackFlip, del.icio.us, Digg, EarthLink MyFavorites, Google, iTalkNews, Jookster, Kinja, Lycos, Netscape, Newsvine, reddit, Squidoo