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Archive for the ‘Weddings By Theme’ Category

Wondering what to do with a hexagon-shaped box?  Wonder no more….hexagonal boxes can be used to create elegant wedding favors for just about any wedding theme or color scheme.  In the photo below, simple diamond patterned quilt favor boxes in a hexagon shape are used to create some fabulous looking personalized favors.

The upper right photo in the collage shows an affordable way to personalize your hexagonal shaped favor boxes.  Simply purchase custom imprinted favor ribbon in a color that goes with your color scheme.  Normally the ribbon can be imprinted with the bride and groom’s name along with the wedding date.  Also purchase some simple favor hang tags that say something like “Thank You for Sharing in Our Special Day”.  You can usually get about 25 of these classic thank you tags for under $5.  Tie the tag onto the box using the ribbon and consider using a little dot of hot glue to keep the ribbon in place on the box.

If you are having an autumn wedding, bring the fall colors into your favors through the use of ribbon and organic elements.  For the look in the photo, twigs from a local craft store (you could use ones from your yard too) were used along with a brown satin ribbon and gold organza ribbon.  Leaf-shaped paper cards were cut-out of green cardstock and hand-written with the word “Thank You”.  You can also find personalized leaf-shaped cards at Wedding Favors Unlimited.  They come in 4 different colors including brown, green, and red making them a great choice for fall-themed wedding favors.   You can personalized them with your names and date or your monogram.

Finally if you are looking to add a little glitz and glamour to your wedding favors, you can use crystal dazzlers, mongrams and a flashy bow like the ones shown in the photo on the lower right corner.  Kevin and Amber used their initials on the box for a personal touch that wowed their guests.  These do-it-yourself favors are a more expensive, but highly elegant option.

Photo courtesy of the Weddingstar Catalog.

One of the easiest ways to keep your wedding look cohesive is through a wedding theme.  If you’re still contemplating your theme, simply look to what you are naturally drawn to. For instance… it could be your favorite colors, a love for a certain era, a meaningful location, your culture or simply… the season of your wedding.

And, to add another level of WOW and polish to your theme, consider using a signature motif or a special design element that resonates with your theme and provides a focal point within your overall wedding look. Sort of like~ icing on the cake.

If threading a motif or design element throughout your wedding look sounds appealing to you {whether it’s your logo, monogram or charming lovebirds for a spring wedding theme} incorporate it into your invitation design and from there, add it into your attire and decorations.  From address labels and seals, seating cards and favors, to cake toppers and ring-bearer bowls, sprinkle your motif in surprising ways to delight your guests and put smiles on their faces.

Are you using a special motif in your wedding? Do tell…

Happy Planning!

Images:  “Covenant Love” Square Invitation inside a Petal Fold Holder via MagnetStreet Weddings and  Ring Bearer dish via Etsy

You may have seen my earlier post (aqua blue box ideas) where I suggested using treasure chest boxes for a shell themed wedding favor OR a blue chest with white ribbon for a Tiffany blue color scheme or a Something Blue wedding theme.  Here are some more fun ideas for using a chest-shaped box to create one-of-a-kind favors for your wedding guests.  Start with a simple treasure chest-shaped aqua blue favor box and embellish it for your wedding theme or season. 

To create the vintage look in the upper right corner of this collage, look to flapper girls of the 1920’s or Victorian hats worn in the 1800’s for inspiration.  This box was created using simple white feathers, ribbon, and natural floral components that can all be purchased at a local craft store.

For the splish splash beach-themed wedding favor on the lower left corner, you can create a sand surface in any pattern you choose by artfully placing on white glue and then sprinkling it with artificial sand or brown glitter.  For the sand castle, use card stock to make a cut-out and glue it to the chest after you’ve sprinkled it with “sand” as well.  You can buy miniature seashell decorations at a local craft store as well.  Simply glue them on to the treasure chest with hot glue.

If you are dreaming of a white Christmas, these snowflake adorned treasure chests might be the answer.  Simply cover the lower half of the chest in white glue and sprinkle with artificial snow to create a glimmery effect.  Then add a die-cut snowflake or snowflake dazzler.  The perfect favor choice for a winter wonderland wedding!

Favor photo courtesy of the 2009 Weddingstar Catalog.

Having trouble deciding on a cake theme for your beach wedding?  Well there is no need to worry!  In my previous post, I gave you some ideas as well as a photo collage of my favorite beach inspired wedding cakes.  So in this post, I thought I’d share my thoughts and ideas regarding cupcakes for a beach wedding. 

One of the biggest trends in wedding cakes this year is the fact that more and more brides are utilizing cupcakes instead of traditional layered wedding cakes.  Generally cupcakes are less expensive and guests love getting their own individual dessert that they can either enjoy at the reception or take home with them in a little cupcake favor box.

Like the large beach cakes, small cupcakes tend to incorporate the same types of motifs to create a tropical or beach feel.  Consider incorporating seashells or starfish, brightly colored tropical flowers, or palm trees constructed from chocolate or marzipan.  The most popular color schemes for beach inspired cupcakes are a sandy neutral brown or an ocean blue. 

In the photo collage below, you can see some of my favorite beach inspired cupcake displays.  In all cases, I like the use of cupcake stands to create an impressive, tall display.  As you can see, the most popular beach theme is seashells that are likely molded out of chocolate.  You can use various shapes on each cupcake (you can even use the shapes to denote different cupcake flavors).  For instance, you could use a starfish shape to indicate chocolate cupcakes, a seashell to denote vanilla cupcakes, and a seahorse shape to denote red velvet cupcakes.  The possibilities are endless!

Photo Credit:
1. Beach Wedding CupCake Towers; Wilmington, NC Carolina Cakes & Confections, 2. Beach Themed Wedding Cupcakes, 3. Beach Themed Wedding Cupcakes., 4. Beach wedding cupcakes, 5. an alternative to wedding cake – cupcakes!, 6. Beach Cupcake Tower, 7. 4989_1073228919465_1488420009_30201004_5981428_n, 8. Beach theme wedding cupcake at the Sawmill creek golf resort and spa Camlachie 2, 9. Wedding cupcake tower

When it comes to creating a beach wedding cake that will wow your guests, consider the location of your wedding and use the local landscape and scenery as your inspiration.   Will you be getting married in a more tropical setting full of hibiscus flowers or a more nautical setting near a cliff-side lighthouse?  Take a cue from your surroundings and you are sure to have an impressive cake.

Seashells
Without a doubt, the most popular motif for a beach wedding cake is seashells.  Television shows like Cake Boss demonstrate just how creative and talented cake bakers across the U.S. are these days.  If you give your baker some shells that you love as inspiration, they should be able to create similar “shells” out of marzipan, chocolate, and other tools at their disposal.  I’ve found that it is best to try and get the shells to look as natural as possible using colors that you find on the actual real shells.

Besides shells, you can consider using other sea creatures on your cake as well.  Things such as sand dollars, starfish, and seahorses always tie in well with a shell and beach-inspired cake theme.

Sandcastles
If you’ve ever been to Virginia Beach during the sand castle building contest or to the malecon in Puerto Vallarta, you’ve seen some of the amazing sculptures that can be created using beach sand.   You can have your baker create an elaborate sand castle cake just for you.  They simply use brown sugar to create the “sand”.

Tropical Flowers
You can always choose to keep your cake classic and simple by utilizing some tropical flowers such as hibiscus, bromeliads, birds of paradise, etc. around the base of your cake.  You can also get your baker to create edible tropical flowers out of gum paste, marzipan, or icing for the top and sides of your cake.

If you are having difficulty choosing a cake design, I recommend looking around online for inspiration.  Below I’ve put together a collage of some of my favorite beach cake designs….maybe one of them will be just what you want for your big day!

Photo Credit:
1. Seashell Wedding Cake, 2. “Coral and Shells” with ruffled cupcakes, 3. Seashells & Bows Wedding Cake, 4. Mindy’s Beach Cake, 5. Beach Theme Bridal Shower Cake 2, 6. Chocolate Sea Themed Wedding Cake, 7. Beach themed Seashell cake, 8. Sandcastle Wedding Cake, 9. beach wedding cake

If you are having a beach wedding or seaside event, then you’ve realized that there are endless possibilities when it comes to wedding favors.  In the photo collage below, I’ve pulled together some of my favorite choices that cover the gamut of beach styles from casual to elegant. 

Having a casual beach wedding?  Flip-flop themed favors are the perfect choice  for a casual wedding.  Choose from personalized lemonade packets, luggage tags, notebooks, and place card holders that all feature a flip-flop motif.  And don’t forget about the margarita or cosmopolitan drink mix favors.  Personally, I can’t think of anything better than digging my toes into the sand, kicking back on a chaise lounge and sipping a margarita on a sunny beach in Mexico.  Aaaah, wish I was there right now!

Want a more upscale feel at your beach wedding?  Favors featuring a seashell motif can have an elegant feel if you choose the correct item.    I suggest glass coasters, candles, or Adirondack chairs that can do double duty as the place card holder.  You can find hundreds of favors online that incorporate a seashell theme including several of the items in the photo below.

Personalize It!  I always think that adding your names and wedding date to a favor makes them extra special for your guests.  When it comes to personalized beach wedding favors, there are many great options including candy jars that you can fill with your favorite candy (like gummy fish for example) and then add a personalized sticker with a palm tree or flip flop design.  The margarita or lemonade packets that I mentioned previously can also be customized with your names and date.  But I have to say that my favorite personalized favor for beach weddings are the miniature bottles of sunscreen.  They come in tons of color and theme choices and best of all, their labels are printed with your names and wedding date.

Beach Wedding Favors from Wedding Favors Unlimited

If you are having a spring or summer wedding, chances are that you’ve already found the perfect venue for your ceremony and reception….a lakeside gazebo, a garden arbor covered in purple Wisteria or sweetly scented Jasmine, the city’s botanical garden, etc.  However, you may not have chosen all your accessories or decided how to set the stage for your guests to be wowed at the reception.  One of the great things about an outdoor garden reception is that you can use the natural surroundings to set the tone, backdrop and color scheme for your tablescape.  While perusing the Weddingstar accessory catalog, I found this great photo of a table set for a garden party.  I love the combination of natural green and outdoor elements.

Here’s how you can create this beautiful garden party tablescape:

A lovely wooden teak table covered with a natural tablecloth provide the base for the tablescape.  Use simple pots filled with local grass varieties such as purple fountain and pampas grasses along with wildflowers such as daisies, snapdragons, cosmos, or guillardia to create stunning natural centerpieces.  By using a love bird theme, you can pull in elements such as mini love nest birdhouses and love bird salt and pepper shakers.  Simple white ceramic plates provide the place setting base, but elegant crystal stem toasting flutes provide a bit of sparkle against the otherwise natural base.  A top each place setting is a organic green woven box that was filled with candies and then tied with a palm reed.   Natural polished stone place card holders are cleverly slotted so that they hold a place card perfectly at each place setting.  Finally, oil stainless steel torches can provide some light once evening begins to settle in. 

What a beautiful way to celebrate your garden nuptials with a small group of family and friends!

A romantic adventure! Whether you’re embarking on an adventure that takes you across the pond or one that takes you across the country, make sure you’re giving your guests plenty of time to plan for your destination wedding. Send Save the Dates ASAP and have your wedding website printed on them too. Your wedding website will be “command central” and a much needed resource in getting valuable planning info out to your guests.

Once the Save the Dates are sent begin brainstorming ideas for bringing the flavor of the destination into your wedding invitations. What is it that you love about your destination? Perhaps it’s the beauty of the area, the culture, the weather, the food…  Incorporate that special design or motif that resonates with your style and the locale. Sprinkle it throughout your wedding stationery. From the Invites to the RSVP and Enclosure Cards, to your Favors and Thank Yous, your wedding look will be consistent and you’ll generate incredible excitement with your guests about traveling for your big day!

Enclosure Cards are your Friends! Use them to include pertinent info: currency, airport and shuttle, average temps, reception times, local attractions… What else?

Welcome Baskets help guests feel special and right at home! Have them waiting in the hotel rooms when your guests arrive. Here are a few ideas of what to include:

• welcome note
• a wedding itinerary
• tickets to a local attraction
• toiletries: lotion, cotton swabs, sunscreen, travel sewing kit, mini-mani set, clear nail polish
• for the guys: shavers, shaving lotion, shoe polish
• Mini champagne bottles
• water bottles

What else?

Happy Planning

Destination Wedding Invitation

Image: wedding invitation design by MagnetStreet Weddings

Spring is just around the corner which means that it will soon be time for the cherry blossoms around the Washington D.C. tidal basin to be in full bloom. It just so happens that Spring is the season when brides choose cherry blossoms as the central theme for their wedding. These days brides incorporate cherry blossoms into the reception centerpieces, bridal bouquets, wedding favors and of course, the wedding cake. Traditionally, cherry blossom cakes feature brown stems with light pink to almost white blooms on the branches that meander gracefully up and down the cake tiers. Recently though, many brides are still using the cherry blossom motif, but they are incorporating other colors such as purple, teal green, light blue, and mauve into the color scheme for the cake.  Below are just a few of my favorite cherry blossom cake designs (be sure to scroll to the bottom to find the resource link for each photo in the collage).  If you are utilizing this theme at your wedding, be sure to check out this Cherry Blossom wedding idea lens at Squidoo for tons of great ideas for dresses, decorations, cherry blossom wedding favors, and more!

Image Resources:
1. Asian Inspired Cherry Blossom Wedding Cake, 2. Red Cherry Blossoms Wedding Cake, 3. Purple Cherry Blossom wedding Cake, 4. Stacey’s Cherry Blossom Wedding Cake, 5. Cherry Blossom Wedding cake, 6. white cherry blossom wedding cake, 7. Cherry Blossom Cake, 8. Wedding – 4-tier cherry blossom, 9. Cherry Blossoms and Pears Wedding Cake, 10. Cherry blossom wedding cake, 11. cherry blossom wedding cake, 12. Blue Cherry Blossom Wedding Cake, 13. Cherry Blossom Wedding Cake 2

If you’ve selected Valentine’s Day for your nuptials, then you are likely a true romantic at heart. Injecting that romance into the ceremony and reception can be accomplished in many ways. For example, choose a romantic location for your wedding such as a local bed and breakfast, castle or even a winery. When it comes to a color scheme, red is synonymous with Valentine’s Day and using it in all aspects of the wedding is a great way to infuse a bit of romance. As you can see in my inspiration board below, I like wedding dresses with red accents or red bridesmaid dresses at a minimum. A classic black tux with a modern red tie pairs perfectly with the color scheme. Red roses are the obvious choice for Valentine’s Day flowers, but there are plenty of other red flower choices if you are on a tight budget (we all know how outrageously expensive roses can be around Valentine’s Day).  Be sure to use candles throughout the reception area to add some romantic ambiance.  You can also see on my inspiration board that I love the idea of a classic white and red wedding cake covered in red scrollwork….why not choose red-velvet as the cake flavor?  Creating a red or pink custom cocktail for your reception guests is a fun idea.  I love pomegranate martinis!  Finally if you want to give your guests a little thank you gift, consider small heart-shaped boxes of chocolate or white gift boxes filled with conversation hearts.  Just add a red ribbon and a personalized custom hang tag and voila!, you’ve got the perfect wedding favor.

Valentine’s Day Wedding Inspiration Board by WeddingBlogger on Polyvore.com

Items in this set:
Timeless red and white wedding dresses
Real Weddings: A Romantic Red Wedding: Glowing Candlelight, $5.99
Wedding, Red, Bridesmaids – Photo by Bella Bridesmaid – Project…
Manassas Cakery – red scroll wedding cake – Wallpapers – Mobicious
Wedding Obsession – Your daily dose of all things wedding