Archive for the 'Weddings' Category

The beach wedding is one of the most romantic settings to hold a wedding. There is the tang of the ocean, the dramatic vistas, and the sparkling ray of sun for a day time wedding or the mystery and magic of a full moon over the waves during a night time wedding. One way to thank Guests for attending your ceremony and help them to take a piece of the moment with them is through beach wedding favors. These gifts are souvenirs of a special instant in time that your guest can look at or use and be immediately taken back to the beach. Here are great and memorable ideas to help give your guests great shore and sea theme guest gifts.

Look to inspiration from your local beach. No two places are exactly the same. Each place has its own particular ambience. This can pose a challenge but look for popular landmarks that can be used as images on gifts such as stationary or used to personalize gifts like picture frames and pens these will surely be a great hit and be great souvenirs for your guests.

Try for something in glass or silver to commemorate the event. A ceremony on the sandy shores is a once in a lifetime event. Silver and crystal are two materials normally used for special occasion gifts. The best part is that they come in any shape you want. You can give figurines or other sea themed gifts made of these materials. You can also add to their value having them engraved with special messages for the recipients. They will not only make your gifts look classy, they will be easy on your budget.

Another thing to think about is to use local plants and marine creatures in your area as imagery for your gifts. These will not help to give your gifts a unique feel but will also serve as memory triggers as your guests think about where the flower or animal is from. If you do your nuptials away from home, like at an exotic local this will only make the task easier to do. This will remind them of your nuptials in a unique and fun way while also serving as great conversation pieces.

Try giving gifts that also are personalized favors with your favorite tropical vistas. This is especially great if your ceremony is done at an exotic location. Give gifts like photo albums with pictures of the location to give your guest something to help them reminisce over the great memories being made.

Finally, go for something they use on a daily basis. A great souvenir is something that you use regularly. Try giving your guest shore and sea themed personalized grooming or bath sets. They will meet a need and remind and remind them of you each time they use it. Also try for bath kits like soaps and bath oils. Memory can not only be visual but also smell related. Choose scents most closely associated with the location where your ceremony was held.

In the end the point of these ideas is to give presents that convey your thanks and show how much you appreciate people for sharing this one moment with you. So use your imagination and the sources of inspiration around you to find great gifts

When people hear of a garden wedding, the first image that appears in their heads is a backyard or a park, with a plethora of plants as decorations. Of course, there's absolutely nothing wrong with having an outdoor wedding, or even using plants as decorations. The idea, however, is to make the wedding look like a natural paradise and not the garden section of the local big box store. Here's how to use plants at your wedding without overdoing it.

The first consideration should be your guests. Anyone with allergies will be extremely uncomfortable if you have a lot of flowers or other pollen producing plants in their vicinity. How can you combat this? Ideally, you can make sure that the person in question is as far away from the offending plants as they can get. Or simply plan to use other versions of that plant. For instance, if you wanted roses as decorations, you could use the petals instead. For beautiful (but strong smelling) gardenias or jasmine, use climbing vines or bushes that don't blossom, such as ivy or pine. Remember that your guests are there to celebrate your day with you, and if they are uncomfortable, your wedding will not be the success that you meant it to be.

No allergy problems that you can think of, as far as your guests and wedding party are concerned? Great! Move on to the type of plant you want for your decoration. Roses, again, are a traditional plant, and there are many ways to use them. Miniature versions make very pretty favors for a table, either by putting a pot on each one or by strewing tiny blossoms. Want to be really unique? Get a shot glass for each seat, fill it with water, and place the tiny blooms in there. Now you have a unique and pretty garden favor that won't be forgotten anytime soon!

Perhaps you want garden favors and a garden based location. This is easily done; all you have to do is scout out your local park. You can call the parks and recreation services department in your area to reserve it; be careful, however, because city events take first priority. Besides, you would hate to plan your wedding on the same day as the founding fathers' birthday, if for no other reason than it would make things a lot more complicated for your guests!

If you're lucky, you may live near a Victorian house that doubles as a historical site and has a garden that you can rent for your wedding. Many times, these sites have very beautiful, well maintained areas. They may also be expensive, but guaranteed, they are worth every penny.

Last but not least, what happens if you're stuck indoors and you still want a garden theme? You can simply decorate the room with a few well chosen plants. Again, to avoid allergy issues, you could do a lovely Asian theme with bamboo shoots in water, or bonsai trees. Cherry blossom sprigs are beautiful in tall glass vases as well. These centerpieces can easily be turned into favors for the table. Just be sure there's no fighting over them as the guests leave your wedding!

Garden themed weddings can be impressive and fun without subjecting anyone to the miseries of allergies or breaking your budget. A little clever legwork and some consideration of thought can result in beautiful decorations that will enhance your wedding tenfold and make your reception the talk of the town.