Day of the Wedding Tips!

     Many people, especially girls, dream of their wedding day for years, and have been planning it with their fiance' for a while.  Then, when that special day is finally there, they forget a couple important things that are very helpful to remember!  Here is a short list of some tips for the day of your wedding!!

 

1.  Don't sweat the small stuff!!  At almost every wedding I've seen, there is always one little thing that isn't exactly as perfect as the bride or groom hoped, but it is always something so little that no one else notices.  At the end of the day, the only thing that truly matters is that you come out smiling and married to your best friend!

2.  Don't forget the kleenex!  Maybe it's because I am a hopeless romantic, but I cry at every single wedding I've been to and I oftentimes will see the bride and bridesmaids (or sometimes even the groom and groomsmen!) tearing up.  Have the men carry some kleenex in their pockets for the ladies, or the ladies can hide a couple kleenex around their bouquets where they hold them.  Trust me, you'll need them!!

3.  Breathmints and gum are great to have before the wedding!  Just make sure that if you are eating gum, spit it out before you walk down the aisle!  You don't want to be chomping on it during the ceremony!  Fresh breath will be much appreciated from your future wife/husband!

4.  If it's cold and you are having an outdoor wedding, make sure you help to keep your bridesmaids warm!  Even if you don't have shawls or sweaters for them, you can give them handwarmers that they can hold along with their bouquet.  They won't show in pictures, but they will help to keep their hands warm!  I've seen this done before, and the bridesmaids really loved that the bride thought of them and their fingers!!

5.  Smile and relax!!  Remember how much time you put into planning this very special day?  Instead of stressing about it, your wedding day is the day that you actually get to enjoy all of your hard work!  Get to dancing and enjoying yourself!! :)

     Hopefully these couple of tips will help you all to have a wonderful wedding day!!  Do you have additional tips from your experiences?  Leave them below in the comments section to help other brides with things you have learned!!  Happy planning!! :)

Falling in Love with Fall!

     Happy first days of October!!  I will be honest, October is my favorite month of the entire year!  Maybe I'm a little biased since my birthday is this month, but I just love all the beautiful fall colors with the changing leaves, the switch from shorts and flip-flops into jeans and boots, and curling up with a warm blanket and nice cup of tea!  I also think that October can be a beautiful month for weddings, especially when you play off of the colors that are already a part of fall!

     For fall weddings, I love the idea of rich colors, whether more regal like deep purples and golds or more earthy like rustic oranges and reds.  Whatever your color combination, I think it's great when you can play off the colors of the season, especially if you are having an outdoor wedding!  Especially here in Colorado, we all know that snow can hit at the most unexpected times, but the colors of fall do stick around for quite awhile, especially in October.

 

     At the wedding venue I work for, we had some beautiful centerpieces that were quite creative and played off of some of those fall colors I've been talking about.  On a copper plate, they had a couple different bottles.  The first was a clear bottle with the bottom cut out of it.  These they filled with wine corks because they were big wine drinkers.  You have the potential to fill this with other things that mean a lot to you such as strips of sheet music (for a musical couple), ticket stubs (if you enjoy going to movies or concerts), or even mini basketballs/footballs/baseballs (for the sportsfans).  They also made beautiful candleholders out of wine bottles that they then cut down to various heights.  The rich greenish color of the bottles let a little bit of light through from the LED light candles they placed inside.  They filled each bottle with a littl bit of sand, too, to help hold the candle in place.  These candleholder bottles were wrapped in a copper-colored ribbon with a tiny piece of robin egg blue ribbon on top to add a pretty pop of color.  They also had a tiny vase of flowers to add some color and greenery to the tables.  They looked simply gorgeous on the tables!  Take a look!!  Are you having a Fall wedding?  What will your centerpieces look like or what are your colors?  Hopefully this helps in your continued planning of your fall wedding!  More ideas and tips will be posted next week!!  Happy planning!! :)

Pink and Black are Back!

     Wow!  It's been a long time since I've had time to post to all of you, but life is finally starting to settle into a normal routine, so I hope to be more regular about my posts on here!  Hopefully, you are enjoying the wedding process that might be happening in your life! :)

     Recently, I had the opportunity to set up for a beautiful late summer/early fall wedding!  I haven't seen pink used in weddings in a while, but this couple knew the perfect way to pull of a bright pink without it overwhelming the room!  They wanted alternating white and black tableclothes on each of the guest tables, but tied them all together by using bright pink napkins on every table!

     When they arrived, they had a bucket full of flowers, some river rocks, and tall vases.  Handing it all to me, they announced that I was free to do what I wanted with them all!  I knew that they wanted the rocks in the bottom of the vases and a vase on each guest table (obviously!), but they told me I could arrange the flowers however I wanted!  Luckily, I have done a bit with flowers before, but I got right to work and came up with these beautiful lilly centerpieces!  The lillies were the perfect color of pink to match their napkins and bridesmaid dresses!  These centerpieces were easy to make, but made a big impact when someone walked into the room and saw the room full of them!  If you need help or directions on how to do it, let me know!  Let me know what you think of the setup, especially if you intend to use pink in your wedding! :)  Good luck and happy planning!!

Something Old, Something New...

Hello again and happy wedding planning! :)  Today's post concerns something that many brides feel is necessary in their weddings, the sentimental tradition of having something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue incorporated into their wedding!  Here are some ideas of how to incorporate all of these into your wedding, even if your wedding colors aren't blue!

This tradition stems from an Old English rhyme and traditionally, these objects that the bride carries with her on her big day are good luck charms.  Something old represents a continuation of life, something new represents optimism for the future, something borrowed represents happiness that is borrowed from another, and something blue represents purity, fidelity, and love.  Here are some examples!

Something Old

     Usually, these tokens originate from the brides's mother, grandmother, or mother of the groom, but they can come from anyone!  Some examples would be:

-A piece of antique jewelry to be worn

-A vintage dress passed down from someone married before

-A piece of lace wrapped around the bouquet

Something New

     Finding something new to use is usually the easiest part because so many of the items a bride has are newly bought!  Some examples are:

-The wedding dress

-New shoes

-The veil

-Lingerie

-A hairpin or hairpiece

Something Borrowed

     Usually, these borrowed items come from a very dear friend or close family member, but like the tokens in something old, they can come from anyone!  Some examples would be:

-Expensive jewelry that could not be purchased on your own

-A purse

-Some sort of hairpiece

-Or just about any object that still belongs to someone else

Something Blue

     This is a tiny piece of blue that is incorporated into another item of the wedding.  If your wedding colors involve blue, it makes it easy, but there are many subtle ways to tie it in.  Here are some examples:

-A blue ribbon on the garter

-A handkerchief with blue

-A blue ribbon tied around the bouquet

-Earrings with a hint of blue

-Blue shoes (could be hidden by dress length)

Hopefully these help aid you in the discovery of your tokens that are sentimental to you for your wedding!  Best of luck! :)

Symbolic Flower Meanings for your Bouquet!

     Have you ever wondered what the flowers in your bouquet symbolize?  Or maybe you want to choose specific flowers to fit the mood or symbolizm you want conveyed in your wedding.  Here are some common flowers used in weddings as well as their symbolic meanings!

1.  Baby's Breath = Innocence.
     Oftentimes, this can be used as a filler in bouquets, corsages, or bouttoniers

2.  Carnations = Boldness (pink carnations), Love (red carnations), or Talent (white carnations)
     These can be used in bouquets, boutonniers, or arrangements

3.  Hydrangea = Understanding
     Use these in bouquets or arrangments.  Because they are bigger, they take up more room (and can be cost effective) when you use them!

4.  Lily = Majesty, Truth, and Honor
     These are often used in bouquets or in arrangements.

5.  Orchids = Love and Beauty
     These can be used in bouquets, although they are more oftentimes used in boutonniers, corsages, or table arrangements.

6.  Peony = Bashfulness, the American spirit of Ambition, and Determination
     Most often, these are used in table arrangements and, like the hydrangeas, they can be cost effective because you need less of them to fill a vase.

7.  Rose = Love, Joy, and Beauty  (each color can also symbolize something different)
     Use these in bouquets, corsages, boutonniers, or arrangements.

8.  Sunflowers = Adoration (short stem) or Haughtiness (long stem)
     These can be used in bouquets, but are more oftentimes used as a single stem down the aisle, potted, or in table arrangements.

Hopefully you can incorporate some of these symbolic  flowers into your wedding!  Happy planning! :)

Centerpiece Ideas!

     Wow!  It's been such a long time since my last wedding post!  As the season of weddings seems to slow down in the wintertime, the frequency of my posts has slowed down as well, but as we move into the busy seasons of Spring and Summer, expect more updates!
     Today, I want to point out a couple of really cool centerpiece ideas!  Although there are many styles to choose from depending on the vibe of your wedding and how personal you want to make your centerpieces, here are a few ideas for starters!

1.  ELEGANT

This centerpiece uses tall vases filled with water and some sort of vine-y flower (orchids look pretty) with a beautiful pomander on top.  These can be altered to fit your color scheme (I've seen blue orchids in the water with purple pomanders on top to fit the colors of a certain wedding).  This seems to create a very elegant look.

2.  ROMANTIC

This centerpiece uses smaller vases than the first one filled with water and whatever type of florwer you want (roses, orchids, etc.) depending on your color scheme or if you are trying to match certain blooms from your own bouquet.  These ones feature candles on top as well as surrounding it to create a more romantic glow.
3.  QUIRKY

These centerpieces would be perfect for a garden wedding!  They are filled with lime slices in mason jars wrapped with burlap and tied with a ribbon and then filled with daffodils.  Again, you could substitute the daffodils for a different flower and could even use orange, lemon, or grapefruit slices to add a different color to the bottom of the jars as well!

4.  CANDLE GLOW

If you aren't as into flowers, these centerpieces would be perfect!  They use a lantern as the centerpiece with a candle in the center, surrounded by votive candles.  The candlelight can really cast a beautiful glow at an evening wedding!  To add a little color, you could tie a ribbon around the top or sit the lantern on some greenery.

5.  GARDEN ROMANCE

This centerpiece employs the use of not only mason jars wrapped in lace (for a romantic feel to a garden wedding) and flowers that look freshly picked from the garden, but also sits upon books for a feel that reflects the couple's love of reading.  This adds a personal touch to a centerpiece that guests will find quite fun!  It also helps to add height to the centerpieces which could otherwise feel lost on a large table.

     Hopefully those centerpieces will give you a jump start when thinking about your own beautiful wedding centerpieces!  Most importantly, pick something that you love and your guests will love it as well!  Happy planning!



Love Poems for Vows!

     To write your own vows or to go the traditional route, that is the question!  Many couples have been opting to mix the two together, but one of the hardest part for a bride or groom may be coming up with the words for the vows they must write!  Sometimes, a love poem or your favorite song lyrics may say exactly what you want to say to your soon-to-be-spouse and you can borrow the words of that writer for your vows!  Here are some of my favorite love poems!  Good luck with your vows!!

A Dream Come True--Dawn Ballard

Feelings that once were hidden,
Are now expressed to you,
Days that once were stormy,
Are now the brightest blue.
Times that once were lonely,
Are now filled with pleasure.
All that once was mine alone
Are now things we both treasure.
Dreams that once were longed for,
Are now all coming true.
The love I once thought was gone,
I have now and forever in you!

I Love You--J.E. Deegan

I love you with a permanence
That endures the passing years.
I love you with a joyfulness
That subdues all doubts and fears.
I love you with the calm belief
That we will never part.
I love you with a fervor
That time cannot reverse.
I love you with the truest love
That poets put to verse.

Reflections of a Beautiful Morning--Michael Brieck

The sun rises above the hillcrest,

As does the joy of my heart;

Rays of warmth and love

From her I will never depart.

My heart and soul flow with love

And I smile as I quietly reflect;

I've been handed a sweet Princess

A sweet Princess to love and protect.

A vow to myself I make

As she quietly sleeps away

To love and always cherish her
Until my last breath...until my last day.

Sunshine--Nikki Daniels

When I wake up in the morning
Sunshine's falling on my skin
And I call you to tell you

What a happy mood I'm in.

Feel the rhythm in my body

And sing is all I wanna do.

I feel the day will bring me sunshine,

For it's another day with you!