Garden Wedding Favors

By:Mae Andrea

Garden wedding themes make for delightful weddings with a romantic atmosphere. Garden wedding favors make for pretty and unique gifts for your guests. So if you are having a garden wedding then here are some wedding favor ideas to inspire you:

1. Candle tea cups: Gardens in summer often make us think of afternoon tea on the lawn although few of us rarely do so these days! However, you could give your guests pretty candles formed inside miniature tea cups complete with saucers!

2. Afternoon tea menu: Following on from above, give your guests a menu for afternoon tea which includes cakes, petit fours, sandwiches and instructions on how to make the perfect cup of tea!

3. Flower seeds: Well, it is a garden wedding so seeds would be obvious really! Put your own stamp on them though. Mix together seeds of flowers from your wedding flowers or those of flowers in the garden venue of your wedding. Make your own seed packets from decorative papers, you can find free templates scattered across the internet. Or place them inside small tins, cotton bags or card boxes.

4. Flower bulbs: Similar to the above really, although you maybe restricted as to what varieties you can buy. Two or three bulbs in a natural colored box is a stylish favor idea.

5. Potted plants: You don't need to be looking for enormous house plants, rather small miniature versions of perennial favorites such as roses or violets. If you are green fingered then you could grow cuttings from your own garden instead. You may need to start this reasonable early to ensure they are developed enough to give as favors by the time your wedding arrives, a tiny little seedling in a pot may look rather meager! A good idea would be to give them when they are ready to be planted out so you will need to do some research to find out how long your cuttings will take to reach this stage. It would also be a good idea to have a few more than you need in case any die in the early stages.

6. Gardening books: Look for mini books on gardening or plants and flowers in local bookstores or online.

7. Cup of tea: Present your guests with favors comprising a tea cup and saucer along with some good quality tea leaves and a tea infuser. You could raid charity stores or go online to sites like EBay and buy vintage cups and saucers, they don't need to be matching and can add a pretty decorative effect to your tables.

8. Garden cookies: Always a popular choice, cookies show no signs of falling from grace with brides any time soon. Choose shapes such as flowers, bees, watering cans and pot plants.

9. Chocolates and candies: Put together small goodie bags or boxes with flower shaped candies and chocolates in. You could choose to give just a box of two rose shaped luxury chocolates or a bag of candies shaped like flowers and butterflies.

10. Windmills: Mini windmills are lovely when placed in pots in the garden and are delightful when the breeze catches them and sends them spinning around. Have them made in your wedding colors in a durable plastic type material which can be printed with your names and wedding date.

Memorable Wedding Favors For Your Big Day

By:Lolita Sanchez, SITE

On your wedding day, create some long lasting memories for you and your guests. You can do this by investing some time and research into choosing your wedding favors. Forget about the ordinary little gift packs or table centerpieces and break out some new ideas! Let's consider some fresh ways to spice up those traditional favors.

Place some personalized wedding cameras on each table at the reception and let your guests have some fun and run wild. They will be sure to catch amusing moments that your photographer may miss out on. The guests will be part of the creative process while having a great time. A current hot item is the metallic laser engraved camera favor. You can put the bride and groom's wedding date and names on them so that they will have a lasting wedding collectible. These are simple cameras to use with point and shoot digital technology. They are fairly inexpensive and come in various colors so you can match the bridesmaids gowns if you so desire.

If your guests have a green economical interest, seeds are becoming more popular as wedding keepsakes. Packets of personalized flower seed favors or packages containing wildflower seeds are nice as well. Garden gift baskets in colorful pastels are also lovely ideas. To promote breast cancer awareness, there are gift packets that show the pink ribbon symbol of the breast cancer campaign. And don't forget that bamboo wedding favors are in. There are picture frames and bamboo coasters that are a growing trend. Another unique idea is gifting beeswax candles which are completely biodegradable.

Staying with the eco-friendly theme, there are biodegradable wedding poppers, confetti, and decorations that can match your favors. A recent hit have been soy candles. For the imbibing crowd, offer some shot glasses with a humorous phrase or some reminder of the wedding. These will be kept close at hand for the bunch that likes to party. Along the same lines, wedding vendors carry a variety of wine stoppers to preserve your opened bottles of wine until their next use. They can come in very chic designs, and will be used repeatedly since they are very practical and functional.

If feng shui is your thing, there are many Asian favors. Ornamental fans are very appealing, and so are sets of chopsticks or unique scented candles. Favors can be very specific in nature. Personalized yarmulkes are available in various styles and colors for Jewish weddings. For Christians, a plethora of favors with lovely crosses are easily found online.

Whether you are going with personalized cameras, eco-friendly gifts, crystal, candles, or fancy fans, you should be satisfied and choose something that will leave a lasting memory for yourself and your guests. Choosing the perfect wedding favor can be overwhelming as there are so many to choose from. But in the end I will definitely be worth the time and effort spent. So get shopping and browse online and through some magazine to get ideas and to start your imagination on a path of creativity.

Wedding Day Wedding Theme Ideas

By:Jesse Miller, SITE

If you are looking for a unique wedding favor this season, then there are a variety of items that you can chose from. There are differing themes from classic to modern and from love to elegance and there are so many variations that you can look for in a favor. But most people go for elegance when they are shopping for unique favors.

They want class and style in their favors and they want it to be unique and outstanding; so that the wedding guests will remember your wedding with joy and appreciation for many years to come. So if you are looking for that something special then you should definitely look for this great wedding favor.

This beautiful ones have the elegance and the grace that will enlighten your tables in your ceremony. The glass in this wedding favor will sparkle like the rain after a clear night. It will give your guests a feeling of freshness and beauty, which they will not be able to forget. The overall look will definitely win the heart of even the most skeptic guest. The place card holders are made from fine sparkling glass and the names of your guests written on them will just dazzle them and impress your guests with their elegance. You may write their names down in handwriting calligraphy or you can have the names of your guests engraved on the cards.

7 Top Wedding Themes

By: Shari Hearn, SITE

If you and your significant other are the type who find weddings boring and stuffy you may want to consider having a themed wedding. They can be very casual and light-hearted, and you will certainly be giving your guests something to remember.

A couple of things to keep in mind when considering a themed wedding: choose a theme which speaks to who you two are as a couple; make the theme easily accessible to others, don't choose something so obscure that others might have trouble dressing for the occasion.

What are 7 top themes you might consider for your wedding?

1) Hawaiian or Beach Theme.

The good thing about a Hawaiian or beach-theme wedding is the amount of decorations you can find. You can make your own paper leis or paper palm trees, or find Hawaiian-themed items anywhere. Be sure to check the local thrift stores for anything tropical – dishware, shirts, dresses, etc. Just make sure all the decorations, as well as the attire, scream "BEACH." And, you can cut down on the cost of champagne and serve Mai Tai's or other tropical drinks.

You might think a Hawaiian or beach-theme wedding is just perfect for a summer wedding. Well, you're right. But, a beach-theme wedding can also be fun during the wintertime as well, and give people a fun respite from cold, dreary weather. Just remember if you're having a beach-theme wedding during the winter to hold it indoors. Those slinky Hawaiian dresses and breezy Hawaiian shirts can get a little cold in the snow.

2) Country Western Wedding Theme

Plan a shotgun wedding with a country western wedding theme. Western outfits are fairly easy to create or assemble, and a western cookout will surely keep your wedding reception costs down. You can either hire a company to have a western-style barbecue, or just use your own grill.

Western decorations are very easy to make or buy. Again, thrift stores can be perfect places to find boot-shaped vases, cowboy hats and shirts, or other western items for decorations. For music you can play country-western CDs or hire a country trio or band.

3) Wine Wedding Theme

For those of you into wine, a wine-themed wedding can be a great idea. You can hire a sommelier to put together a flight of wine for a reception tasting, or choose wines that mean something to the both of you. Perhaps the first bottle you ordered at a restaurant. Or a champagne dated the year you met.

Decorations can include grapevines, wine bottles, or posters of wine regions. For wedding favors you can give your guests a bottle of wine with a personalized label of the bride and groom.

4) Butterfly Wedding Theme

Butterfly releases after the wedding ceremony are becoming quite popular with couples. If a butterfly release will be part of your wedding, you can make butterflies part of your theme with butterfly decorations.

5) Sports Wedding Theme

No matter what type of sports the bride and groom are into, you can turn it into a wedding theme. You could have a theme of a certain sport, such as golf or baseball, and decorate with items from those sports, with wedding favors reflecting the sport given to guests. Or, you could celebrate a certain team.

If you wanted to go totally casual the bride and groom can dress in attire from the sport, such as basketball jerseys, with all the guests dressing in costume as well. As for the bouquet that the bride throws? Maybe instead of a bouquet she'll throw a football or toss a baseball.

6) Las Vegas Wedding Theme

Hire a few poker, roulette and craps tables and a few Vegas-style dealers and you have yourself a Las Vegas-themed wedding. Throw in an Elvis impersonator and you have yourself a wild Vegas-themed wedding. In most large cities there are companies which rent out tables and dealers, as well as any number of Elvis impersonators to choose from.

For wedding favors consider a pack of cards with the bride and groom's picture.

7) Pirate Wedding Theme

Decorate your reception hall to look like an old saloon or the deck of a ship. Peg legs, hooks for hands and eye patches make nice touches to your pirate wedding costumes. You might consider using a treasure chest to store your wedding gifts.

As you can see, when it comes to wedding themes, the possibilities are only limited by your own imagination.

Best Spring 2009 Wedding Trends

By: Sabah Karimi, SITE

If you're throwing a Spring 2009 wedding event - or are planning on attending one - learning about the season's top wedding trends can make the event even more unforgettable. Wedding trends for Spring 2009 capture some of the season's fresh designer trends from the runways, and the year calls for a mix of classic styles and modern designs.

From Grecian-inspired gowns for the bride to flapper dresses for the bridesmaids, here are some of the best Spring 2009 wedding trends to plan for:

Wedding Trend for Spring 2009: Black Flowers and Accessories

Black wedding dresses were a top trend in 2007, and black reigns on with black accessories for 2009. Pick up black roses or rosettes, black table linens and black and white color combinations for a sophisticated and modern look.

Wedding Trend for Spring 2009: Pink Flapper Dresses

Pink is a top choice for color this Spring 2009, so deck out the bridesmaids in classic, pastel or shocking pink for a modern twist to basic cream and white. Flapper-inspired dresses with their fitted, mid-calf length style get a fresh look in innocent pink.

Wedding Trend for Spring 2009: Red-Trimmed Wedding Gowns

Red is a bold and vibrant addition to the usual pastels and classic white ensembles for Spring weddings, and you'll find it trimming wedding gowns and bridesemaid dresses this season. The red and white combination adds a twist of modern romance to any Spring wedding.

Wedding Trend for Spring 2009: The Mini Wedding Dress

Super-short wedding dresses are a fresh trend for Spring 2009, giving you every excuse to show off those legs this season. Pair this look with ankle-tied sandals for a chic, dramatic look this wedding season.

Island Wedding Dresses and Wedding Gowns

By: Rafi Michael, SITE

A wedding on a tropical island invokes images of sand, surf, and rolling waves. A gentle breeze and shimmering sunshine the bride who awaits her island wedding, in her beautiful island wedding dress.

Island wedding dress fabrics
Island wedding dresses are more an idea or a feeling than style per se. several aspects must be respected for the bride to feel comfortable at the beach during an island wedding. One of these is the trade winds, which are breezy and light. To be capable of using these trade winds in a bride's favor, fabrics that are light weight are best, such as georgette, linen, charmeuse, gauze, satin, cotton, silk, and chiffon. The advantage to these fabrics is their easy mobility; to limit the amount of sticking or clinging a fabric may have against a bride's skin, in the hot weather.

This means the bride's wedding dress will have to be packed, therefore a dress that irons well or less likely to crease is a safe bet. In keeping with an island wedding theme, sarongs, tea length dresses, or short wedding dresses lend themselves really well. A train that is extended is not advisable when the wedding location is outdoors, but a shorter version is acceptable.

Colored Island wedding dress or colored detailing
Tropical island statements are made by colored wedding dresses, as opposed to the more conventional white or ivory, which are still very good color choices for island wedding dresses. Color adds character and island charm is infused into the ceremony, and as such any color can work well with an island setting wedding. For those brides who prefer otherwise, a few details of the wedding details can be in color, such as appliqués, embroidery, some piping, or sash, can be in color. This finer detailing will hint at color, without overwhelming the senses.

As a tribute to the stunningly beautiful nature of island weddings, quite a number of the well respected designers in the wedding dress industry have entire lines of island wedding dresses. The style of dress can range from spaghetti straps, strapless, and halter necks, to A-line, empire waist, cut out low back, and full skirts.

Island wedding dress accessories
Island wedding dresses have to be paired with the appropriate footwear, as traditional pumps are not practical in sand. As a consequence, sandals, which are elegant and simple, will work well with wedding gowns. One strap sandals are particularly recommended. Flip-flops, adorned with flowers that are hand painted, jewels, or shells are a popular choice of island wedding dress footwear, as are barefoot sandals. These are jewelry that embellishes the top of a bride's feet, at the same time leave the soles of her feet bare. Adornments may include flowers, rhinestones, and pearls.

Jewelry should be kept simple, as a simple rule. A lone gold chain, pearl earrings, is normally adequate. Fans, be they of straw or white elegant paper, can also adorn an island wedding bride, as well as parasols can. Brides retain a feminine look with parasols draped off the shoulders. A hair ornament will add romance to any island wedding, with a tiara, jeweled comb, or flowers completing the ensemble.

Top Wedding Dress Trends For 2009 and 2010

By: Cori Russell, SITE

Want to ensure a fashion-forward look for your upcoming 2009 or 2010 wedding? From sleek silhouettes to mini-dresses and tiered gowns, these latest looks for wedding gowns will help you put your best fashion foot forward to get you down the aisle in style.

Sleek Silhouettes
Slim is the silhouette of choice for the modern wedding dress - as sheaths, trumpets, and column wedding dresses ruled the runways. Don´t fret if you´ve always dreamed of donning a billowy ball gown, however, as this traditional style never goes out of style.

Colorful Details
Modern brides are experimenting with color to tie their ensembles into the color scheme. Adding a splash of color to the basic white gown remains popular through colorful sashes and appliqué details, or more dramatically through two-toned wedding gowns with a colored bodice against a white or off-white skirt.

High Hemlines
Not afraid to show a little leg, today´s brides are embracing the tea-length and mini shift dresses that have become de rigueur in nearly every wedding dress designer´s latest collections. The trend makes sense for destination weddings calling for laid back attire and brides opting to don a second dress for dancing the night away at the reception.

Tiered Skirts
Whether chiffon, tulle, organza, or even feathers - layers of fabric are the newest major detail designers are playing with to create soft, yet dramatic gowns. This flowing style is perfect for the bride who is a romantic at heart.

Floaty Fabrics
Dresses weighted down by heavy crepes, matte satins and silks are lightening up to fabrics like taffeta and organza. These airy fabrics are easy to layer and more comfortable for a gown worn for up to 10 hours. And for brides having a summer wedding, donning a lighter fabric will ensure they´re glowing - not sweaty and red-faced - on their wedding day.

One Shoulder
This asymmetrical look is a hot fashion trend that has crossed over into the bridal world to update the basic strapless gown. Carrying a simple, no fuss vibe, the one shoulder gown is a great option for a destination wedding. Bonus points for those blessed with toned limbs, as this neckline shows off the upper arms and shoulders.

Tips To Find That Perfect Designer Wedding Dress

By:Mike Selvon

One of the most highly anticipated parts of planning for a wedding is the opportunity that the bride has to go shopping for the perfect wedding dress. But, often this can become a very stressful endeavor as well. Stress often creeps in as time constraints and money issues press in and sometimes these things make it challenging for a bride to choose the designer wedding gown that she wants.

However, the good news is that there are several very useful tips that can be very helpful to you as you search for the designer wedding dress that will set the stage for your nuptials. If you keep these tips in mind as you embark on your tour of marriage dress shops and as you peruse the marriage magazines, then things will go more smoothly and hopefully fall into place easily for you.

There are numerous magazines devoted to wedding plans and preparations and these are an excellent place to start gathering ideas for the nuptials. In addition, there are many wonderful online sources that can also help you uncover the choices available in designer wedding dresses and accessories that might be needed.

After you have done some basic research on designer gowns, via the various bridal magazines and on the internet, you should have a foundation of information that you can use when you head out to visit the wedding dress shops. One of the best things about going into a local retail store that specializes in bridal gowns is that you will find a staff that is helpful and experienced in assisting brides.

Most marriage dress shops, especially the ones that will carry an inventory of designer gowns, will have a bridal consultant on hand. These professionals are specially trained and have years of knowledge that you can lean on as you endeavor to find the perfect marriage dress for you.

It is a good idea to call ahead and book an appointment with the bridal consultant so that you will have an opportunity to try on several designer dresses and have her undivided time to help you and answer your questions. This is a part of the overall process that you don't want to rush through or feel pressured into making a hasty decision due to time constraints.

In addition to helping you select your designer wedding gown, you will also be able to look at an assortment of bridesmaid dress choices at your local bridal shop. As well as having a bridal consultant to help you, you can also take along one of your bridesmaids to help you decide on the right dress and also to get their input about the dresses for the bridesmaids.

Tips For Buying a Wedding Dress in 2009

By:Bob D jones

Fortune for brides-to-be in 2009, this year we see some revolutionarily beautiful styles of wedding dresses that set the trends. Vera Wang, the genius bridal dress stylist, has launched her newest collection of wedding dresses for 2009. For girls who are interested in couture style bridal gowns, look into Vera Wang's new creation and you will easily get familiar with the prevalent trends of bridal gowns this year. As a matter of fact, Vera Wang has become a significant source of the inspiration for the globe's wedding dress wholesale market every year since she rooted her fame deep into the world. Here come a few of the most noticeable trends for 2009:

Goddess Column Styles

Column styles set one of the trends of women's dresses in 2008, now this style becomes a hot trend in the bridal gown collections this year. A goddess column wedding dress, in some sense, brings us back to Greece's old age when the goddess was so sacred and lovely, being worshipped with utter sincerity by ordinary people. A great number of ladies go on to love this style, and make it as their favorite option in choosing a bridal dress. Styled in a goddess bridal gown, a bride can look extremely fabulous as the structured cut of this style features a lovely personality that you can find nowhere among other styles. Likewise, it will be equally wonderful if maids of honor style in goddess gowns to fit the bride's goddess column wedding dress, and interesting!

One-Shoulder Styles

Similarly, one-shoulder styles of gowns were widely sought-after last year. Now in the hottest trends of wedding dresses in 2009, this style apparently stands out. One-shoulder dresses are often dubbed as 'the No. 1 sexy style' for girls. Indeed, besides the feminine single strap over one shoulder and the bareness of the other shoulder, the asymmetrical design gets rid of the traditional double straps or strapless looks, giving a spell of beauty that is unique and appealing. From fashion magazines, to red carpets, we often see celebrities resort to this style of gowns to gain attention. Similarly, each ordinary bride desires to pull attention and look best on her special day, and one-shoulder bridal gown is definitely a great choice to achieve this wish!

Casual Styles

Today brides no longer have to wear long-length, long-train and doll-like wedding dresses on their special days. 'Return to simplicity' seems to be more and more popular, not only in wedding dresses, but also in other clothing. Decorations like ruffles, layers and flowers seem redundant for a casual wedding dress, though these adornments are often adopted in general bridal dress designs. Featured by high hemlines, tea-length bridal dresses are an important look for this year's popular trends of wedding gowns. On the surface, these shorter bridal dresses look conventional, but in nature they are much more chic and stylish than common bridal dresses. Though not clearly distinctive from other dresses, tea-length bridal gowns can be transformed into many other alternations after the wedding is over. For instance, you can wear the gown as a dancing dress or a reception dress for an important.

Tips For Choosing the Right Wedding Dress

Mostly, the brides tend to select white wedding dresses. Yet that may come to realize that there are too many shades of white-creamy, pure white, natural white, champagne, etc. How to make sure which tone of white color look best on you?

Here is a rule for your reference: make sure the color you choose can make you stand out. In other words, avoid colors close to your skin tones. For example, if the tone of your skin is yellow, it is wise to avoid ivory wedding dresses. Ivory wedding dresses will make you fade away. In like wise, those with very fair skin should better not purchase a pure white wedding dress. It will drain the person's look and will not flatter their skin tones. People with darker skins find it easier to purchase a suitable wedding dress, since most of the white tones can flatter their skins.

Pure white is good color for people with dark and yellow skin. It is very bright and pure and can make you stand out.

Silk, diamond and natural white are very close to stark white. They are softer than stark white and will not fade a very fairy skin away. They are safe and can be worn by most people.

Those who have dark and pink colored skin are advised to choose some ivory colored wedding apparel. Ivory is similar to an off-white shade that's pearly, creamy, and candlelight. It smartens up your skin color and helps you glamorous.

Obviously it is not proper for pink skin brides to wear champagne wedding dresses. However for dark and yellow skinned brides, champagne and rum, with a slight hue of pink but is still white, is a smart choice.

Surely, the principle is not only suitable for wedding dresses. It can be generally applied when it comes to choosing other dresses and clothes

Tips For Choosing Pink Wedding Dresses

By: Sarah Beaumont

Increasingly, brides are turning to colored wedding dresses on their special day. After all, it is not just Queen Victoria's prerogative to go against the wedding tradition of her day when she walked down the aisle in a white gown, at a time when brides wore color on their special day!

Fortunately for pink-loving brides-to-be, the various shades of pink are the new white in the wedding industry. It helps to have these practical tips when choosing from among many pink wedding dresses just so you can be stylish on your wedding day.

Expand your Pink Horizons

Often, we think of pink as Barbie's color. And when images of Barbie and Teresa in fuchsia pink wedding dresses being married to their equally plastic boyfriends come to mind, you might just cringe at the thought. After all, pink is more commonly associated with cute flower girls and clueless bridesmaids, not the brides themselves!

However, you must realize that pink, like all other combination colors, have many shades and hues to it. You can choose from among them depending on your personal preferences, of course.

Attractive shades of pink include shocking, pink, dark pink and bright pink, all of which can make your dress stand out most becomingly. You can also choose middle shades like carnation pink and cherry blossom pink when you want to tone it down a little. For the lightest shade of pink, go for baby pink and pale pink.

Keep in mind, however, that these are just some of the pink shades to choose from. Other exotic hues include rose pink, shell pink, pearl pink, champagne pink, iridescent pink, blush pink, fuchsia pink and even mauve and magenta.

Always remember to ask for samples of the cloth as you want to be sure that's exactly the pink you are looking for in your final list of pink wedding dresses. And don't let the opinions of others saying that the palest of pinks are the most bride-like of them all. Just so long as you don't appear snotty or trashy, you should be fine.

Complement Your Pink

When you have chosen the right pink wedding dresses (yes, this is assuming you will fall in love with pink that you will have two dresses in the ultra-feminine color), it's time to move on to color complementation. You want your pink dress to be echoed in the wedding entourage's attire and in the wedding motif.

Fortunately, you can match pink quite easily with other colors. After all, it is a combination of white with other colors (think red, rose, magenta and orange) that should make color coordinating an easy task. With that being said, you can complement pink with colors like ivory, champagne, silver, white and black, lavender, chocolate, turquoise, sage green, and even some yellow shades.

Truly, when you walk down the aisle towards your loved one and waltz with him in your pink wedding dresses, you are fulfilling the dreams of countless little girls playing with their Barbie dolls. Come to think of it, you were once a little girl, too, and you are just fulfilling your dreams!