Creative Wedding Placecards

A beach wedding offers many fun possibilities for creative name cards at the table. If you love the style of casual handcrafted bridal jewelry with a beachy vibe, why not carry that feeling into your placecards? A very easy diy project is to take sand dollars or starfish and use a small piece of blue ribbon to tie name tags to them. Set each one in the middle of the guest’s plate at the dinner table over a napkin in a coordinating color. You will have a great addition to your table décor, and as a bonus, the weight of the sand dollar or starfish will keep the napkins anchored in case there is an ocean breeze.

For an autumn wedding, there are some great ideas for unique placecards. One of the loveliest is to paint pears a soft gold and tie a name tag to the stem. So simple, yet they will add a gracious look to the place settings. If your wedding is more casual, you could use a metallic calligraphy pen to write the name of each guest on a colorful autumn leaf. Use the preserved leaves so they will not crack or crumble. Mix up the colors of the leaves at each table for a great autumnal look.

One of the sweetest ways to display name cards is to place them on the edge of a wine glass at each seat. For a whimsical spring wedding, die cut bluebirds would be darling perched on the edge of each glass. Or use a pretty spring green leaf shape for a fresh look (almost like a garnish on the glass). Other nice motifs would be butterflies or slices of “fruit”. You can source the cut out cards in the scrapbooking section of a craft shop.

Another creative placecard idea is to set small cupcakes at each place and insert a banner on a stick with the name of the guest written on it. Not only will it look festive and fun, but your guests will be delighted to eat the sweet treat when they find their seats. This is a name card idea that will definitely add to your guests’ enjoyment of your wedding reception!

Wedding Limousine Alternatives

The traditional white limousine is standard for most weddings, but it is far from the only option. There are many other stylish ways for the bride and groom to travel. Check out this list of wedding limousine alternatives.

The best form of transportation for your wedding is one which matches the general style of your event. If you are having a Winter Wonderland theme wedding, complete with a white fur wrap and snowflake crystal bridal jewelry, you need a conveyance to match. The perfect form of travel for this wedding theme would be a horse drawn sleigh.

For some brides and grooms, their wedding is a chance to really indulge in luxury. Sure a stretch limo is luxurious, but it is no where near as elegant as hiring a Bentley or a vintage Rolls Royce for the wedding day. You may never have the chance to own such a fine car, so why not treat yourself to a ride in one on the most special day of your life? Luxury automobiles with chauffeurs can be easily rented in most cities.

Maybe you and your groom love living life in the fast lane. If your idea of the perfect wedding attire is a sexy silk sheath with dramatic crystal bridal jewelry, bring this sense of style to your transportation. A Porsche or other sleek sports car could be the perfect way to make an impressive entrance to your wedding, not to mention a fast getaway at the end of the reception. Just don’t try this with a full skirted wedding gown, as it will not fit in a sleek sportscar.

If your wedding is on the water, a boat might be a great form of transportation for the bride and groom. Imagine yourself floating away on a beautiful sailboat under a starlit sky at the end of your reception. Or for a casual afternoon wedding, the bride and groom could hop into a canoe and paddle away down a lazy river. I even knew of one couple who rented a giant inflatable dragon boat for their riverside reception getaway. Talk about leaving a lasting impression!

Bridal 911 Kits

Just like a Boy Scout, every bride needs to be prepared in case of emergency. This is what to include in your bridal 911 kit…

Don’t let anything ruin your special day! Be sure that your bridal emergency kit is well stocked with painkillers, chewable tablets for upset stomach, and Immodium for more serious cases. Having a spring wedding? Add some non-drowsy allergy medication to your kit in case you or one of your bridesmaids comes down with a sudden case of the sneezes.

It is always wise to buy a bottle of the nail polish used for your manicure in case you need to touch up a last minute chip before heading down the aisle. Speaking of nail polish, a bottle of clear is useful to keep on hand to put a halt to runs in stockings. Facial blotting cloths are great to have on hand to deal with a shiny nose without adding an extra layer of makeup.

Sometimes the wedding crisis involves the bridal gown, and there are some very handy things to help deal with that type of problem. An instant stain removing wipe can be a lifesaver if you get a lipstick smudge on your gown.  Sometimes smudges of dirt can be literally erased with a standard pencil eraser. Choose one that is white, since the pink kind can leave pink dust behind on the dress. A little piece of eraser can also serve as a spare earring back, should you lose the backing from one of your pearl earrings right before walking down the aisle.

There are an infinite number of uses for safety pins, and every wedding emergency kit should contain them in several sizes. The tiny brass ones are great for pinning shut a blouse which has lost a button. Standard sized safety pins can be used as a quick fix on a fallen hem. The bigger safety pins come in very handy if the ties pull out of the bustle. The other sewing supply that every bride should have on hand is a few needles and thread to match her gown and the color of the bridesmaid dresses.

The chances are that you will not need very many of the supplies which you pack in your wedding 911 kit, which is a good thing. But for those one or two items which are needed at the last minute, having them close by will be invaluable.

Purple Wedding Flowers for Bouquets and Centerpieces

If you are having a traditional wedding, purple roses are gorgeous. One of the most beautiful ways to use them for bouquets is in a range of shades from lilac to medium purple. Silvery accents like Lamb’s ear add interest to rose bouquets with a cool lavender tone for a looser arrangement or opt for the classic tight nosegay in multiple shades of purple. You can carry this into your bridesmaid attire by choosing light purple dresses and giving them bridesmaid jewelry gifts in deep amethyst colored crystals.

There are some gorgeous options for romantic purple wedding flowers. Tall footed urns overflowing with lilacs, sweetpeas, and French tulips would be breathtaking for a garden wedding. For coordinating bouquets, omit the lilacs which will wilt out of water. Use a mix of white and lilac sweetpeas with deeper purple French tulips for the bride’s bouquet, and the same floral varieties done entirely in shades of purples for the bridesmaids. These bouquets would make a wonderful complement to flowing soft chiffon dresses – white for the bride and lilac for the bridesmaid dresses.

Purple flowers are wonderful for creating a sophisticated or exotic style as well. A deep eggplant arm bouquet of calla lilies would be perfect with a slender elegant silk sheath gown. Another favorite wedding flower which comes in shades of purple is the orchid. Always dramatic, orchids can be found in every conceivable purple hue, from pale lilac to plum with spots to bright fuchsia. When you are looking for a sophisticated yet vibrant flower for bridal bouquets, the orchid is ideal. Purple orchids also look fantastic for submerged flower centerpieces for the reception.

The simplicity of lavender asters with purple mums and bachelor’s buttons makes a great casual bouquet. These flowers work very well as a fall wedding decoration for couples who prefer to avoid the standard autumnal oranges and reds. A terrific way to display these informal purple flowers is to create small arrangements using eggplants as the vessels instead of regular vases. Very simple and yet memorable. With so many ways to use them, it is no wonder that brides love purple wedding flowers.

Get the Aloha Vibe for Your Wedding

How does a destination wedding to Hawaii sound? Pretty great after the long winter, if you ask me! Of course, when we think of Hawaii, pictures come to mind of leis, lush tropical flowers, and hula dancers. Those are all fantastic, but don’t overlook the appeal of an ultra-laid-back beachy vibe: embroidery, ruffly bikinis for the honeymoon, and washed out peachy colors. This fun post on 100 Layer Cake is just the inspiration you need to grab that Aloha vibe.

Sweet Vintage Inspired Bridal Gowns

How cute are these vintage style wedding gowns? Simple lines, tea length, and just darling, they would be fantastic for a city chic wedding, a country club reception, or a wedding at home. They call to mind the heyday of ladies like Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly, and look just as good today as they did back in the 1950s.

Statement Necklaces are a Hit This Spring

Necklaces have really been making a comeback lately. First there was the layered pearl necklace trend (still going strong, by the way), as well as layered long chains. Bib necklaces and bold chokers are showing up on fashion forward celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker this spring, as seen in In Style magazine. This is a fantastic way for a bride to add a contemporary accent to her wedding gown – try a choker made from large Swarovski crystals to get a trendy and hip look.

Preppy 2010 Bridesmaid Dresses

A big trend for 2010 is to dress the bridesmaids in a very light neutral color, or even white. If this appeals to you, a fantastic bridesmaid dress would be one of the white eyelet lace dresses from Lilly Pulitzer. Available in strapless styles and styles with straps, the look is one of classic romance, with a crisp preppy twist. A pearl tin cup necklace would be the ideal bridesmaid jewelry for white eyelet bridesmaid dresses.  Pink and white peony bouquets will be the perfect finishing detail for your beautiful bridesmaids.

Seersucker is another favorite fabric of preppy brides, and there are some marvelous options available. The dress company thread does fantastic bridesmaid dresses in several colors of seersucker, which would be great for a wedding on a hot summer afternoon. There are both knee length and full length dresses, so you can decide on how formal you want to go with your attendants’ attire. Your bridesmaids will love that these dresses do not scream “bridesmaid”, which will make them easy to wear again summer after summer.

For a beach wedding with a preppy flavor, check out the great dresses at Vineyard Vines. They do an adorable pink shift dress with a subtle shell pattern that would be perfect for an informal wedding on the sand. White lace trim adds elegance to the simple shape of the knee length shift dresses.  A cute detail would be to have your bridesmaids carry bouquets with seashells wired in amongst the flowers to tie in with the shell print on their dresses.

If your style is more formal, there are some wonderful classic bridesmaid dresses that have a preppy flair to them. The cotton cady dresses at J Crew have a terrific crisp polished look, and are available in preppy favorites like azalea pink and clover green. They are mostly offered in knee length styles, and the nice thing is that bridesmaids can choose from several different necklines within the same fabric and color. That allows each woman to choose the dress which is most flattering to her figure, while still maintaining a unified appearance for the bridal party as a whole (because we all know that preppy gals like things to match!).

Wedding Related Sibling Rivalry

It sounds like something out of “Dear Abby”: the minute you get engaged, you start to have all sorts of jealousy issues with your sister. From jealousy, to talking behind your back, to trying to upstage your wedding, it all boils down to one thing: sibling rivalry. Here are some tips to get relations with your brother or sister back on track before sibling rivalry permanently derails your wedding plans.

The Problem: The sister who expresses her jealousy by criticizing your wedding plans. This is the sister who seems to find fault with everything, from the bridal gown and wedding jewelry you like in magazines to the venues and decorations you are considering. You will hear a lot of this: “Well, I guess if you like it…”, said with a nose in the air.

The Solution: Sometimes jealousy can be diffused by expressing an interest in your sibling’s opinion on your wedding plans, especially if the two of you had previously been close. It may be that her negative attitude is based on her fear of losing you to your new husband. If you sense that is the case, make her feel as involved as possible to allay her fears. Take her shopping for flowers, wedding jewelry, and decorations. You may just find that once your sister sees that she still has a place in your life her behavior will improve.

The Problem: Your sibling has started to make snarky comments about your choice of bridesmaids and maybe even your groom. Everything is subject to commentary, from the weight of your attendants to your future husband’s career.

The Solution:  Politely but clearly inform the brother or sister making the remarks that when they insult people that you care about enough to have in your wedding or to marry, that they are insulting you and hurting your feelings. If the behavior persists, feel free to bluntly cut off any further unkind remarks or to walk away, leaving the unpleasant sibling mid-sentence.

The Problem: You announced your engagement and set a wedding date for September 1^st. A month later, your sister says that she just got engaged, and guess what – her wedding will be August, just two weeks before your wedding.

The Solution: Rather than point out how upstaging your wedding is hurtful to you (which may well be the point, after all), it should be put in terms of the burden on guests who have to travel and parents who have to pay for things. Unless there is a really good reason why the second sibling engaged needs to be married first (such as a pregnancy or a military deployment), they should really be considerate enough to wait. Of course, if they simply won’t, you must take the high road so that you don’t end up looking like the bitter and petty sister.

Bridesmaid Dresses to Pair With Red Wedding Gowns

A red wedding gown can actually take on a lot of different styles, from elegant to retro to dramatic, and that is a great place to begin when shopping for bridesmaid dresses to match your gown. Let’s say that you are having a formal evening wedding, and really want your attendants to look sophisticated and elegant. Black satin column dresses would be very striking for the bridesmaids. You can bring in the red wedding theme with custom red crystal bridesmaid jewelry sets and bouquets of deep red roses. If you want to bring a touch of the bridesmaids’ black to your bridal attire, add some black feathers to your bouquet, and maybe even wear them in your hair.

Black and red are a fairly dark color combination, so it will not suit every wedding. Metallic neutrals are a fantastic option for a chic bridesmaid dress color to pair with a red wedding gown. Silver or pewter chiffon dresses would be elegant for a summer evening wedding. In the autumn, a rich tone like bronze silk dupioni would be magnificent with a bride in red. Match the metallic to the undertone of the red of your wedding gown. If you are wearing a cool cherry red, silver would be a good complement. Brides in rich burgundy would look best surrounded by bridesmaids in warm metallic colors like gold. Glittering Swarovski crystals in a coordinating metallic shade would be great for the bridesmaid jewelry sets.

For brides who like the royal associations of a red wedding gown, the perfect bridesmaid dress color is another one with regal undertones: purple. Rich aubergine bridesmaid dresses will look like the epitome of elegance and style next to a bride in a deep red wedding gown. Tie the colors together with bouquets which combine the red and purple. The bride’s bouquet could be mostly purple flowers with a few red blossoms, and the bridesmaids could carry bouquets that are the reverse. That will help the flowers to stand out against the color of the dresses.

Although red is not the traditional wedding gown color, it is actually a fairly versatile one. Once you have an idea of how to mix and match your red gown with the rest of your wedding details, the whole design picture will quickly come together. These great ideas for bridesmaid dresses should help you get off to a terrific start.