Wedding Advice – Here Comes the Blog

Archive for June, 2010

More and more brides are opting for edible favors for their wedding guests.  And why not? Guests can take home a sweet treat that will remind them of your big day.  One of the most popular edible favor choices are gourmet iced cookies in various shapes such as three tier wedding cakes, hearts, wedding gowns, tuxes and more.  You can even get iced cookies that are imprinted with a photo of the bride and groom.

Recently, the Classic Curls Heart Cookie Favors from Cookie Gift Baskets were featured in the April 2010 issue of Brides Magazine.  The perfect "something blue" for your wedding, these heart-shaped cookies truly taste as good as they look.   A delicious almond flavor-infused shortbread cookie is topped with an aqua blue royal icing and then confectionery artisans pipe on classic, elegant white lace curls.  The extra large (about 5" across) cookies are shrink-wrapped, but you can get them wrapped in individual cello bags that are hand-tied with a matching satin ribbon for just 50 cents extra per cookie.  Cookies are priced from $4.25 and up with a minimum order of 12 cookies.

Personally, I find that my favorite cookie favor shape is that of a wedding cake.  At Gourmet Cookie Bouquets, you can find personalized wedding cake-shaped cookie favors that are available in numerous patterns so that you can choose something that fits your style and color scheme perfectly.  Select from floral, polka-dot, striped, and classic curl designs and then add your names to one of the tiers for the ultimate personalized favor that your guests can eat.  If you prefer, you can skip the personalization altogether and go with a simple, elegant cookie cake design that features a white base and a white scroll work pattern like the gourmet cookies shown below.  Simply Stunning!

More on Cookie Favors:

• Types and Classifications of Cookies
• A Sweet Favor - Cookies!
• How to Make Homemade Cookie Party Favors
• Delectable Wedding Cookie Favors

A few weeks ago I attended an amazing wedding at the Kiln Creek Country Club in Virginia.  The bride and groom were both avid golfers so they incorporated their love of golf in the wedding reception by utilizing personalized golf wedding favors, a golf ball shaped planter filled with flowers for the centerpieces, and a whimsical cake featuring a golf couple wedding cake topper sitting on the "green".

It was the first wedding that I had attended where golfing was a prevalent component in the reception decor.  Of course, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to poke around online to find interesting wedding cake designs that feature a golf theme.  You can see some of my favorite designs in the photo collage below:

What I found was an interesting combination of both cupcakes and cakes that utilized a green and blue color scheme.  Clever bakers incorporate a grass like green along with sand traps fashioned from brown sugar and water hazards.  A bride and groom in golf outfits with club in hand (made from marzipan or modeling chocolate) always look great atop these creations.

For a more upscale looking golf cake, consider using a blue, green and white argyle pattern around the cake tiers with a simple golf themed cake topper.  I love the cake topper shown to the right....the exasperated bride with her arms crossed standing next to her golf obsessed groom who has golf clubs in hand and golf shoes on his feet.  What a cute addition to any golf themed wedding!

Photo Credits:
Golf Wedding Cake Collage from DessertLover2010 at Flickr
Exasperated Bride & Golfer Groom Cake Topper from Wedding Favors Unlimited

More Golf Wedding Ideas:

• Golf Gift Ideas
• Bachelor Golfing

One of the most elegant and traditional color schemes for a wedding is black and white so it is no wonder that this palette is one of the most popular choices for weddings today.  When it comes to choosing black and white favors, the sheer number of options can be staggering.  You can find personalized and non-personalized choices as well as traditional favors that are timeless classics and whimsical favors that feature zebra stripes or polka dots.  Just choose a favor that will convey your thank you sentiments along with your personal style.  I found this montage of my favorite black and white wedding favors that are available from Wedding Favors Unlimited. The damask wedding favors are definitely becoming popular, they're so pretty!!

For the traditional bride and groom, a damask or flourish-patterned favor is a great choice.  For example, the damask covered candle favors in the upper left hand corner of the collage or the black and ivory flourish-patterned boxes in the middle would be a classic choice.  The boxes arrive with the matching ribbon so you simply assemble and fill them with your favorite candy, mint or trinket for a stunning presentation to your guests.  My personal favorite in this color palette are the "Timeless Traditions" black and white photo coaster wedding favors in the lower right hand corner.   The 3.5" square glass coasters are packaged in sets of two and arrive with a white sheer ribbon and a center card that reads "For You".  The white floral pattern on the jet black glass background is beautiful.

No matter what favor you choose, your guests are bound to be thankful that you cared enough to give them a little something to take home with them!

Image Source: Black and White Wedding Ideas from Hubpages.com

More black and white wedding ideas:

• Black & White Wedding Cake Ideas
• Black and White Wedding Cakes
• Decorating for your Black and White Wedding
• Black and White Wedding Stationery
• Black and White Wedding Theme

Have a passion for purple? If the answer is yes, then you and I are on the same page.  Using a gray or black base for your wedding palette allows you to incorporate a splash of purple throughout the wedding reception and ceremony.  Using purple irises and lilacs in the spring or purple hydrangeas in the summer can add just the pop of color you need in your reception centerpieces.  A beautiful plum purple color would look great for the bridesmaid dresses when the groomsmen wear simple graphite gray tuxes.   And of course, incorporating a simple purple floral design on the wedding invitations is a must.  If you are planning a purple and grey wedding, you've come to the right place for inspiration!

One of my favorite places to find inspiration is at dessy.com.  They enable brides to easily create their own inspiration boards and share them with the world.  I'm always impressed with the creativity of the brides who take a simple color palette and create a truly inspiring mood board.  The above Winter Modern Glam purple and gray board was created by Winter Heather who shows that purple isn't just for spring and summer anymore.    You can see hints of purple in many things such as the lilacs in the floral bouquets, the martini glasses (which would be the perfect way to serve a signature cocktail), the purple duchess satin ties on the groomsmen, and of course the purple bridesmaid dresses.  A truly glamourous look!

I found another gorgeous purple and grey inspiration board created by yellow and gray at dessy.com.  You can see that the following collage shows a vision for a purple inspired garden wedding.  A few lime green accents have creeped into the design as well.  Eggplant colored bridesmaid dresses are paired with simple graphite gray tuxes with duchess satin gray ties.  A flowing floral pattern wedding gown features a grey sash.  And purple flowers abound.  Simply stunning!!

More Purple Inspiration:

Wedding Inspiration for a Purple Passion Color Scheme

Wine Wedding Favors

If you've decided to have a sweet pink wedding with chocolate brown accents, then you'll need favors in the same color palette.   The great news is that there are a wide range of wedding favors on the market that incorporate this color scheme so you can choose something that fits your style and personality perfectly.  Give your guests a memorable gift to say thank you for sharing in your special day.  While I was poking around on the web for some of my favorite pink and brown wedding favors, I stumbled across this great lens at Squidoo which covers every aspect of a Pink and Chocolate Brown Wedding from the bridesmaid dresses to the reception centerpieces to the wedding favors, of course.    Below you'll find the amazing collage of favors from that lens.

Personally, I am a fan of either personalized wedding favors because they just have that extra special touch or favors that incorporate edibles such as jordan almonds or personalized M&M's inside beautiful favor boxes.  I love the latter because they are usually very affordable since you assemble the boxes yourself.

So if I had to choose 3 from the above photo, these items would be my picks:

1) The adorable neopolitan striped boxes in the upper left corner that feature a chocolate stripe, a pink stripe, and a floral stripe in the middle.  They are perfectly sized to hold a good amount of candy or mints and they come with the ribbon.  You just need to fill and assemble the DIY favor boxes to present to your guests.

2) The heart-shaped measuring spoons in a pink box with a personalized hang tag in the bottom row center. Each of the spoons feature a clever little saying like A Dash of Kindness or A Spoonful of Laughter.  They are the perfect personalized pink wedding favors!

3) The chocolate and pink polka dot wedding cake candles in the center of the collage.  I love these whimsical three tier cake candles and they fit the color scheme perfectly!

More Pink and Chocolate Wedding Ideas:

• Chocolate Brown & Pink Wedding Ideas
• Pink & Brown Wedding Inspiration Board
• Pink and Chocolate Color Scheme
• Chocolate & Pink Wedding Dresses

Well it is that time of year again.  Wedding Channel is holding their 2nd annual bridal blog awards and they are on the hunt for the best wedding blogs on the web.  So if you love Here Comes The Blog, please nominate us by visiting WeddingChanel.com today!   And while you are there, be sure to nominate all of your favorite wedding blogs for the various categories.

They will be giving away a $100 gift card to the top blog in each of the following categories: Regional Blog, Destination Wedding Blog, Wedding Style Blog, Wedding Planning Blog, Wedding Photography Blog, Eco-Friendly Wedding Blog, Budget Wedding Blog, DIY Blog, Real Bride Blog, and Wedding Vendor Blog.

And of course, the overall Best Wedding Blog will receive a larger cash prize.  Thanks for being a Here Comes The Blog reader....we hope you enjoy reading our blog as much as we enjoy writing it!

Love a certain Save the Date or Invite design but the tone isn’t quite right for your wedding style? It’s easy to change the look and feel simply by making font changes! Just like color, fonts interact with the tone of the design making a design more or less formal. So, by all means, play with the tone by playing with the fonts…  

There are 3 Main Font Types

• Script fonts- either formal or informal. These fonts look handwritten and are often used in the names of the couples. Scripts fonts have personality and are perfect for calling out your names. 
• Serif fonts- more formal. You can tell a serif font by the tail on the end of the first letter.    
• Sans Serif fonts- less formal {without the tail}. These look more like block letters.

Play with the fonts giving lots of importance to how your names appear. Choose the font style that best reflects your personality. For instance… for a fun, casual look to your Save the Dates, look to the Sans Serif fonts. If a formal tone is what you’re after, then pair a script style with a Serif.

A few more suggestions:

• For readability, limit the number of fonts to two and avoid using all CAPS {tough to read.}
• Contrast your two fonts: i.e. a script font with a Sans Serif font.
• Be consistent with your fonts… if you change a script font in your name and that same script font was found in your wedding date~ change it there too.
• Do not use 2 different script fonts.

Which fonts are you considering for your wedding stationery?

Happy Planning!

Choosing a wedding ring is one of the most important decisions a bride and groom will make together as a couple. Considering the options of yellow gold, white gold, and platinum is the first step in making this endearing choice. For decades, white gold has been the leading choice with brides followed closely by yellow gold as a popular and affordable second choice. The price of platinum is cost prohibitive with many couples’ budgets, and white gold rings are a comparable substitute for the look and feel of platinum. Titanium bands offer men a rugged look and are gaining popularity in the jewelry market. They are inexpensive and offer a perfect solution for keeping in line with budget restrictions.

Traditional bands for brides and grooms have always been very popular in white gold. Silver tones in jewelry, wedding and ring bands, and all types of jewelry pieces have become very trendy with many who prefer the subtleness of silver rather than the showiness of yellow gold. It is well know that yellow gold is softer and needs some extra care, while white gold is more durable and will keep its shape through years of continuous wearing in all kinds of conditions.

Take the time to visit several jewelry shops and try on the different finishes offered. White gold is many times a choice because of skin tone and hair color. There will be countless styles in white gold and yellow gold with a lesser number in platinum, sterling silver, and titanium. If quality is your goal, white gold is the appropriate choice for wedding and engagement rings, class rings, and dinner rings. The combination of a diamond or gem stone set in white gold is stunning and holds its value for a life time.

Decide on a price point and keep in mind that at a later date, a larger stone can be set in the original white gold setting, if so desired. Many times rings will be upgraded for special occasions and wedding anniversaries and remounted in the same band for sentimental reasons. Investing money in a white gold band is a wise choice for savvy jewelry shoppers.

Browse online jewelers to get an idea of price and style. Read information concerning the differences between white, yellow, and platinum for bands. Lifestyle and price point may dictate the buyer’s choice. Nickel is an alloy commonly used in white gold. Some people, roughly one in eight, experience a mild allergic reaction to nickel. Speak with jewelers about the alloys contained in any white gold ring or band being considered. There are other alloys and gold combinations that make up white gold that do not cause any skin irritations. Ask questions with the jewelry experts concerning the choice of a white gold band or ring.

With a little imagination and creativity, you can put together unique, fun and affordable favors that utilize galvanized or painted tin pails.  Many online vendors sell these miniature pails that usually stand about 2" tall.  You can find them in either the silver galvanized color or in a painted white or pastel color.  They are a perfect container choice for casual events such as a spring, garden, or beach theme wedding.  Here are a couple of my favorite ideas for the pails:

Perfect for a garden wedding, the first look shown in the photograph utilizes a miniature metal watering can that is embellished with personalized ribbon (available in 27 colors) and decorative tin flowers (available in pink, orange and lavender).  Simply purchase the cans and then choose a ribbon and flower color that coordinates perfectly with your wedding.  Use a hot glue gun to create a look similar to the one shown in the photograph.  Fill the pails with a short stem cutting of your favorite flower such as a colorful Gerber daisy, rose, or carnation.

To create the second look in the photo, silver miniature metal pails were filled with 3 colorful lollipops chosen to coordinate with the event colors, along with a ring of satin ribbon and felt flowers (available in pink, blue, green, or lavender).  You simply use hot glue to hold the ribbon and flower in place.  The little handles on the pails make it easy for guests to tote their adorable little favors home with them.

The final idea that I love is for beach wedding favors.  In this case, white metal pails with handles have been filled with blue gummy whales.  The pails were decorated with blue satin ribbon and a miniature starfish that was glued in place.

No matter how you decide to decorate your pails, you can either place one at each individual place setting at the reception or display them on a table near the entrance/exit with a sign that clearly encourages your guests to take one home with them.   Pails are versatile so let your creative juices flow and you are sure to come up with a wedding favor that your guests will love!

Photos courtesy of the 2009 WeddingStar Catalog.

More beach wedding ideas:

• Planning A Beach Wedding
• Simple Beach Wedding Decorations
• Planning a Destination Wedding
• The Best Beach Wedding Locations
• Choosing Your Beach Wedding Bridal Party & Guests
• Beach Wedding Bridal Accessory Tips

Planning the perfect wedding is like trying to make dreams come true – very difficult to pull off or just plain impossible. For many couples, the ideal wedding is in an exotic location – perhaps it’s somewhere you've been hankering to visit for ages and at last you have the excuse, or maybe it’s somewhere that played a key role in your relationship.  The pressure on this once-in-a-lifetime occasion coupled with the distant location can make the process of planning it very stressful.

Here are some handy hints to take the stress out of planning a long-distance wedding:

1. Research is the key: you think you finished hitting the books in school? Far from it! The key to a successful long-distance wedding is in the preparation. Start your search by asking around for referrals. These can be from local family or family members, the Chamber of Commerce, the phonebook or online references. You won't have easy access to potential wedding vendors, so it's essential to make the most of your time and use an appointment system.
2. Take care of the logistical details as early as possible. This includes choosing the location and date, local caterers, the reception venue, salons and a hotel for your out-of-town guests. An inexpensive (or free) hotel shuttle service is also a big advantage. It's essential to check with the city about local marriage requirements – there’s no greater dampener on wedding plans than delayed residency requirements and waiting periods.
3. Accept any offers of a helping hand. If it is at all possible, hire a wedding planner in your chosen destination. Their knowledge of the city will be invaluable, and they will be an indispensable resource for sourcing venues and vendors. When meeting local wedding planners for the first time, it's important to ascertain if they share your vision for the wedding. It's also helpful if you're able to get in contact with any of their previous long-distance clients.
4. Try and make at least two visits to your wedding destination in the lead up to the big day. Compile a schedule of wedding vendors, venues and planners to visit - as you won't have a minute to spare! Visiting the destination in advance will help keep the stress levels under control, and will also help make sure you're getting exactly what you want for your wedding.
5. Choose a place that is special for you and your partner. Don't plan a long-distance wedding to make friends or family happy! It's your big day, and yourchoice of dream location, whether it's the other side of the world or in your home town. With more and more couples meeting over the internet through online dating, picking a location for the wedding day can be even trickier, but ultimately it's a decision you will have to make together. There is always the option of having a second, informal reception on your return, which allows a compromise between cities or even countries.

So, whether you've been dating in your home town and wish to sample more exotic climates for your special occasion, or you've maintained a long-distance relationship where you've been separated by borders and just want to simplify the whole thing by finally getting hitched to start your life together, or if you're an international couple that have met and been dating in Bristol, Boston, Berlin and want to take it that one step further - a long-distance wedding could be on the cards. Just get planning soon!