For a dessert themed reception or just for additional treats at your bash, try a couple of these unique ideas to put some  pizazz  into the day.

PIE:

cakewalkdesserts.com

Instead of pouring melting chocolate into those cute molds, bake a mini pie with crust and a warm jelly in the center

ICE CREAM:

bakerella.com

Is it ice cream or cake? Ice cream & cake! These can be purchased at a local bakery or do it yourself! A recipe book with instructions and designs can be found at williams-sonoma.com

COOKIES:

aliciascookiekitchen.com

Instead of truffles, have a cookie. The have the elegance of truffles but without the extreme richness. You can eat dozens!

Twobirds Bridesmaids created the most wonderful dresses. One dress that can have 15 different variations on the top from halter to strapless to capped sleeve. These are great if your girls want to feel like individuals but you still want the symmetry of the same dress. Take a look!

Prices range from $270-$345

images: twobirdsbridesmaids.com

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something…BLUE!

Have fun when buying your garter. It’s going to have its picture taken!

www.etsy.com/shop/rosebudlips

Your guests are asked to leave you well-wishes, a congrats, or just a story to make you smile.

Melangerie of NYC markets an adorable idea to facilitate the imagination when at a wedding. Their Dirty Laundry Guest books are great for outdoor weddings. They are not too casual and add just a hint of personality.

You will have your guests laughing as they read well-wishes, comments, and stories.

www.etsy.com/shop/melangerienyc

There are five color schemes to choose from at $35. Here is what you get:
*40 note cards (10 t-shirts, 10 tank tops, 10 pants, 10 skirts) in a mix of poppy, papaya, curry and soft white.
*48 mini wooden clothespins (to clip up notes with)
*8 yards of clothesline
*1 coordinating prompt label that encourages guest’s to write notes (shaped to fit on a 50 fluid oz. Tide detergent bottle)

In today’s world, letting your friends know about your wedding isn’t necessarily “save-the-date” cards. Your future guests will most likely be informed first by an online resource–your own website or Facebook.

With that in mind, creating your own website is an absolute breeze with ewedding.com

They offer a free website with almost everything you need. There is a limit on file storage, but if you decide you want to upgrade, they offer packages from 4.95 per month to 14.95 per month. There is a discount if paid in full for a year.

Everything is offered step by step to make even something as complicated as building a website, easy as saying “yes”

Instead of just using numbers to tell your guests where to sit, why not be a little innovative?

Use colors!

Use a variety of colors in your name tags, and whatever color the guests name is on, that is their table. One of the downfalls to this, is you have to be open to multiple colors in your wedding color scheme. Many brides use one or two colors, but be different. Don’t limit yourself to just pink or blue, or red.

Use books!

Have people’s name by the title of the book and you can use books as your centerpiece. This really is a cute idea for those who love old books. You can get these cheap and they are quite adorable with their old hardback covers. The downside to this is that it may be difficult for guests to find their table if they are trying to read titles.

Use photos of yourself!

Give guests a place and a season (they must be very clear what location you are at) and tell them to find their table based on the information you give them. Guests will love to see these pictures and be included in your life, but it might be difficult to distinguish where you are and guests might end up at the wrong table. So make sure you have someone to help if need be.

When your day is fast approaching, your mind is going in twenty million different directions. You tend to make a large list of things you don’t want to forget but sometimes leave off the most “life-saving” items. Here is a list of little items that you need to bring with you to your venue in case of an emergency. You can also purchase a pre-made kit from a retailer like msandmrs.com.

msandmrs.com

Body

• Static Guard
• Febreze
• Tide Pen
• Double sided tape
• White chalk (to disguise any stains on the gown)
• Packing tape (it helps repair or can be used as a lint remover)
• Sewing kit
• Scissors
• Safety pins
• Corsage pins
• Earring backs
• Slippers
• Various foot cushions

Face

• Makeup for touchups
• Mirror
• Tissues
• Blotting papers
• Revlon Eraser Makeup Pen
• Q-tips
• Dental Floss
• Travel toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Gum
• Mints

Hair

• Brush
• Hairpins
• Hairspray
• Bobby pins

Hands

• Clear nail polish
• Super glue
• Nail file
• Nail polish remover
• Hand lotion

Toiletries

• Tampons
• Deodorant
• Advil/Tylenol/Motrin
• Alka-Seltzer
• Tums
• Band-aids
• Visine
• Drinking straw

Good morning and Happy Labor Day everyone!

Going off Thursday’s post, I thought it would best to not only tell you where to get ideas for music, but to give you a few myself from each category.

Traditional Wedding:

Processional: The Wedding March (Wagner)

Wedding Song: Ave Maria (Schubert)

Recessional: The Wedding March (Mendelssohn)

Traditional/Modern Wedding:

Processional: Cannon in D Major (Pachelbel)

Wedding Song: The Prayer

Recessional: Trumpet Voluntary (Purcell)

Modern:

Processional: At Last (Etta James)

Wedding Song: Bless the Broken Road (Rascal Flatts)

Recessional: This Will Be (Natalie Cole)

Don’t forget the prelude music. This is the music your guests will listen to as they wait for the wedding to begin. Here is a small list of traditional and modern choices. Listen to each choice (most can be found on youtube.com) and make sure you like them before putting them in your ceremony. It might help to get a copy of the lyrics as well!

Prelude:

1. Jesu,  Joy of Man’s Desiring (Bach)

2. Ashokan Farewell (Folk song)

3. What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)

4. Cannon in D (If you don’t use it for your processional)

5.  Think of Me (Phantom of the Opera)

6.  The Wedding Song (Kenny G)

7.  The Love I Found in You (Jim Brickman)

8. From This Moment On (Shania Twain)

9. The Way You Look Tonight (Frank Sinatra)

10. Unchained Melody (Righteous Brothers)

So I was on a search to find an estimate on what brides all over are spending on there wedding. I found a very useful site that gives great estimates
If you would like to see what the average bride is spending in your area go to this site:  www.costofwedding.com