Pre-Wedding Photos to Remember

When you book your wedding photographer, you undoubtedly discussed with him or her all of the important shots that you want captured during your wedding ceremony and reception. Often overlooked, however, is all of the special moments that take place on the morning of the wedding, right before the main event begins. These are some pre-wedding photographs that you will want to be sure to remember to get for your album.

Some of the loveliest pre-wedding pictures are those taken of the bride as she prepares for her marriage ceremony. A picture of the gown, pristine on its hanger, awaiting the bride is a gorgeous image, especially if taken in a room with good natural light. In addition to a good long shot showing the whole bridal gown, the photographer should be sure to take some close-up images which highlight the special details of the wedding dress. To complete the suite of wedding attire pictures, have a few snapped showing the bridal veil, jewelry like Swarovski crystal earrings, and the fabulous bridal shoes.

The best pre-wedding pictures capture some of the excitement and behind the scenes action leading up to the main event. It is less about the formal posed pictures and more about getting the feeling of the morning in pictures. The bridesmaids lolling around sipping Champagne with their hair all coiffed still in their jeans and t-shirts is the type of image that shows the progression of time and how the morning unfolded. Of course there will also be special moments, such as the bride opening a wedding gift sent by her groom or an emotional exchange between mother and daughter just before setting out for the church.

Don’t forget about the guys in all the pre-wedding pictures. Definitely send a photographer around to catch the groom and his attendants doing their ties or raising one last toast to the groom. These will be fun pictures for the newlyweds to look through together after the wedding, as it will give each one a glimpse into what the wedding morning was like for the other. The formal and candid photos showing the ceremony and reception are the core of any wedding album, but the pre-wedding shots will really help to tell the whole story.

How to Make Your Wedding a Fun Party

Your wedding reception is supposed to be a wonderful celebration following the marriage ceremony. Some receptions are a blast, while others end up falling flat. This is how to make your wedding reception a fun party that your guests will wish would never end.

Keep the food relaxed. There is a strong trend right now towards comfort food served in an elegant fashion. We’re talking mashed potato bars, mac and cheese shooters, tiny grilled cheese sandwiches, mini Angus beef sliders, cones of fresh crisp fries, and all the good stuff. Family style service is also increasingly popular, as compared to the more traditional stuffy seated dinner. And if you really want to keep the party going, bring out late night refreshments like fresh hot donuts or even a hot dog truck.

Plan the music carefully. Have you ever been to a wedding where the d.j. played nothing but lame outdated songs that inspired no one to dance? What about the wedding where just as the party was really getting going, the band took a break and killed the mood? When hiring the musicians for your reception, be very clear about what type of music you do and do not want played. In addition, be sure to have a plan in place for breaks. A band could rotate out members and keep a small crew playing continuously during breaks, or in the case of a band or d.j., an ipod with your favorite tunes can be set up to keep the music flowing while the musicians “take five”.

Provide a lounge area where guests can chill during the reception. This is a fantastic way to transform your reception space into a true party-like atmosphere. The bride can increase the effect by changing into party clothes after the ceremony. Exchange your formal wedding gown and traditional crystal jewelry for a slinky sparkly party dress with more exuberant crystal wedding jewelry. You will be a lot more comfortable for dancing, and the change of clothes will really signal that the party has started.

Finally, when you want to have a fun and lively wedding reception, be sure to add a few elements of surprise. The surprise could be almost anything, as long as it has a “wow” factor, like a Chinese dragon or a fireworks spectacular. Whatever you choose, the big surprise will be just what you need to make your wedding an incredible party that no one will ever forget.

Pretty Purple Bouquets for Summer Brides

Summer is a wonderful time to be a bride, especially if you love flowers. Purple is an especially lovely color for your bridal bouquet, and there are so many gorgeous possibilities, from informal to elegant to romantic. These are some ideas for pretty purple bouquets for summer brides.

For a casual outdoor wedding in a meadow, a simple cluster of blossoms with a wildflower feeling would be just right. Perhaps better known as fall blossoms because they are very hardy into the autumn, purple asters and mums are great choices for summer brides. Mums and asters come in a lovely array of shades of purple, ranging from cool lavender to bright purple-pink, as well as deeper shades. Mixing and matching a few different tones and sizes of mums and asters will achieve the best effect in a wildflower bouquet. Some types of mums have yellow centers; a cheery yellow plaid ribbon would make an adorable bouquet wrap with the purple flowers for a charming country style.

There are many summer flowers which are very romantic. If you are the sort of bride who loves lace, pearl earrings, and vintage-inspired details, you will adore the purple blossoms of summer for your bouquet. A large cascading bouquet of fragrant purple freesia, lavender roses, and mini-irises would have just the right feeling of old-fashioned charm. For a very special bouquet wrap, try finding a spool of vintage moire ribbon, and create trailing streamers.

Roses are one of the most traditional wedding flowers for any time of the year, and they are an excellent choice for summer, as they take the heat well. Purple roses can be found in a beautiful array of shades, such as silvery-lilac Sterling roses, deep purple, and pinkish-purple. A spectacular design for roses is a “composite” bouquet, in which many, many petals are used to create the look of one giant flower. Surround with a ruff of deep green hosta leaves for contrast, and you will have a truly remarkable bouquet for your wedding.

There are other purple flowers which would make lovely additions to a summer wedding. Exotic orchids come in virtually every color under the sun, including shades of purple. The relaxing scent of lavender would be a great touch of aromatherapy to include in any purple-based bridal bouquet. Fragrant herbs are traditional among Scandinavian brides. You may also wish to consider lisianthus (which look similar to roses but are more affordable) and calla lilies, which are grown in pretty purple hues. One thing is for certain, whatever the style of your summer wedding, there are sure to be purple flowers which suit your taste perfectly.

Simple Ways to Make Your Wedding Unique

Every bride wants her wedding to be beautiful and memorable. Most brides also want their wedding to stand apart from the crowd, even if their taste is fairly traditional. This is a look at some simple ways to make your wedding unique.

An Oval Wedding Cake. The round tiered cake is definitely expected. Square cakes are interesting, but may be a bit too contemporary for some weddings. A wonderful way to make your wedding cake distinctive is to use oval tiers rather than round. It is very elegant, appropriate for a traditional or formal reception, and yet is just unexpected enough to have a great wow factor. Be sure to play up the non-traditional oval shape by having a decorative border emphasizing the outline of each tier.

Mis-matched Bridesmaid Dresses. The perfectly matched set of bridesmaids no longer feels so fresh. A very easy way to make your wedding a little different is to let each attendant choose her own attire. Some brides will make it wide open and say, “Pick any pink dress with pearl bridesmaid jewelry”, while others might narrow it down to a specific color and fabric and request that each woman pick her favorite dress within one designer’s collection. When your bridesmaids feel their best, they will look their most beautiful.

High and Low Centerpieces. Who says that the centerpieces for each table at the reception must be uniform? A great trend is to create several different centerpiece designs in heights which range from high to low. As long as they are in similar colors and use at least some of the same flowers and elements, the varied centerpieces will maintain a cohesive style across the reception space. You can’t beat the visual interest created by mixing and matching your table arrangements. Like the oval wedding cake, this is an idea which works as well for formal weddings as it does for less traditional receptions.

Creative Escort Cards. Rather than using the standard white tent cards to let guests know their table number, try something a bit different. For a garden wedding, use die-cut bird cards and hang them from a tree with pretty ribbons. For a beach wedding, use lay out starfish in a tray of sand, and tie a tag with the name and table number of each guest to a starfish. Having a formal wedding? Paint pears gold and attach name tags to their stems. Arrange the gold pears in elegant lacquered boxes on tables for an eye-catching and stylish alternative to the basic white escort cards.

Let your creativity be your guide, and you are sure to find even more ways to add unique character to your wedding, whether it is traditional or informal.

Romantic Gifts for Brides

It is customary for the groom to give his bride a special gift before the wedding. This is a very important present, as it should be one that helps to show his soon-to-be wife exactly how much he cares about her. These are some wonderful ideas for romantic gifts for brides.

No gift is more romantic and cherished than jewelry, which is why wedding jewelry is one of the top gifts for a groom to give his bride-to-be. Perhaps one of the best things about wedding jewelry gifts is that they will last for a lifetime. On your 50^th wedding anniversary, the jewelry which you gave your wife on the eve of your wedding will look just as beautiful as it did the day she opened the present. Of course, this means that one should choose wedding jewelry gifts which are fine quality and made from timeless materials like pearls, crystals, gold, and silver. Choose pieces which suit her taste, but also keep classic design in mind.

Perfume is a lovely romantic gift from a man to a woman. A good place to start when shopping for a new perfume for a wedding gift is to take a look through you fiancee’s current collection of scents. Write down the names and bring them with you to the department store. Most women will consistently be drawn to similar types of fragrances, whether they are fresh and sporty, rich and exotic, or light and floral. A good salesperson will be able to get a sense of your bride-to-be’s taste in scents from her current collection and should be able to guide you to a new perfume that she will absolutely adore.

For the reader, a book of poetry could make a romantic wedding gift. Select a book of love sonnets or poems about marriage to make the present fit the occasion. Choose a beautifully bound hard-cover edition which your wife can keep and enjoy for the rest of her life. You can make this gift even more special by taking the time to go through the book and bookmark a few of the most romantic poems with ribbons. And of course, don’t forget to write a special inscription on the inside cover.

Adults Only Wedding Receptions

Is your vision of the perfect wedding an elegant soiree with everyone dressed to the nines in tuxedos and cocktail dresses and dazzling wedding jewelry while sipping sophisticated drinks? If so, a bunch of children running around might not fit in with your idea of the perfect reception. Pulling off an adults-only wedding reception without angering a lot of your guests can be tricky; this is how to do it with grace.

When you decide to have a child-free wedding, it is important to be absolutely equitable about it. Set a cut off age, like 16 or 18, and stick to it across the board. While some people may not like it, at least if you are fair, they have no legitimate complaint. The real drama arises when the bride and groom start making exceptions for individual children. Then the parents of the kids who were excluded will have real reason to feel offended.

The easiest way to have an adults-only wedding is to plan an evening event. When the ceremony does not start until 6pm and the main meal won’t be served until 8 or 9 o’clock at night, it is pretty plain to see that this is not an event where kids belong. Bill it as chance for the parents to get all dressed up in their best clothing and wedding jewelry and enjoy a date night without their children. Then make it a party they won’t soon forget, with great food and drinks, sophisticated music, and elegant decor.

Many brides wonder if it is acceptable to write “Adults only reception” on their wedding invitations. The answer is that it is not polite to do so. The proper thing to do is to very clearly address the invitation to the guests whom you want to attend by name. Anyone not named on the invitation is not invited. To make it even more clear that extra people are not to be brought along, consider making response cards which are customized with the names of the individuals with a space to check “will attend” or “unable to attend”.

In the end, there will always be some guests who decide not to attend an adults-only wedding, either because they are irritated or because they could not find appropriate child care. However, if you handle the whole thing gracefully, those no-shows will be few and far between, and you will be able to have exactly the sophisticated wedding reception which you envisioned.

Grow Your Own Wedding Flowers

Are you a bride with a green thumb, or maybe just one who loves to take on do it yourself projects? Well, if you are getting married next year, you still have enough time to grow some of your own wedding flowers. These are some suggestions on how to grow the blossoms you will want for your wedding, as well as some potential pitfalls of which you should be aware.

The first step in planting a wedding cutting garden is to find out what is in bloom at the time of your wedding. Opt for flowers whose peak bloom time spans your wedding date a little bit on either side, if at all possible. If you select flowers which are only sometimes in bloom by the date of your wedding, you might end up with nothing to show for your efforts, other than a few buds which will flower while you are gone on your honeymoon! Another idea is to plant a backup flower which blooms slightly ahead of your favorite, in case your first choice is not ready in time.

When doing your own wedding flowers, it is generally advisable to stick to a very limited color palette. All white or all pink flowers are lovely and classic, and work wonderfully with almost any styles of wedding gowns and bridal jewelry sets, from romantic to more clean and contemporary. The advantage to this is that you can plant several varieties within your color palette and know that whichever end up looking good enough to use will all look well together. On the other hand, if you planned a complicated color palette and your purple flowers don’t bloom, your whole plan will be thrown off. Limiting the palette avoids this problem.

A key tip when selecting the varieties to plant is to look for ones with long stems. Avoid flowers labeled dwarf or for bedding, as they will have very short stems which are too hard to arrange into centerpieces and bouquets.  A wonderful advantage to growing your own wedding flowers is that you can create unique displays which will add to the special character of your wedding day.

Bridal Shower Tea Parties

Looking for an elegant theme for a bridal shower? Try a tea party theme. It is a timeless idea which is perfect for a multi-generational party. Learn more about how to host a tea party theme bridal shower for that special bride in your life.

Everything should be timeless and romantic for a tea party bridal shower. Fine white lace tablecloths and crisply starched napkins in a feminine shade like pink or mauve would be the perfect table dressings. Add a Victorian inspired centerpiece to the table or on a sideboard. Take a footed urn and fill with a loose arrangement of flowers overflowing the sides in shades of pinks, creams, and dusty purples. Everyone should dress in their prettiest and most feminine clothes: floral dresses, cultured pearl earrings, possibly even fancy hats.

Certainly, tea will be an important part of the tea party shower. Serve several varieties in an elegant fashion. Forget about tea bags, and instead brew several pots of tea to be served from handpainted china tea pots or on a silver tea service. If you happen to have a large collection of tea cups with saucers, they would be great, or scour the flea markets and antique shops to amass a pretty collection of assorted tea cups. Offer guests fresh milk, lemon, and sugar for their tea in elegant containers.

The traditional high tea menu is a mixture of sweet and savory foods. For the savory, offer cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off and miniature chicken salad sandwiches cut into triangles. Next comes the bread course, which is generally scones with strawberry preserves and clotted cream. You may also add small muffins and a bread, if you want to make it a bit heartier. Finally, the sweets are served. Plan on one fabulous torte or pie on a fancy pedestal and a tiered tray of delicious sweet morsels like petit fours, tea cookies, lemon squares, and perhaps some chocolate dipped strawberries. Nothing should be larger than two or three bites in size (except the scones), but make sure that there are plenty of pieces for each guest to try a few of everything.

Thank everyone for coming with a tea themed bridal shower favor. There is a wide variety available, including customized tea bags and infusers, mini teacups with candles, and tins of gourmet tea. It will be the perfect ending to your classic tea party theme bridal shower.

How to Get Your Fiance Interested in the Wedding

If we are honest about, wedding planning has always been the purview of the bride and her mother. These days, many of the old notions of traditional roles for men and women have broken down, and so brides naturally expect that their guys will be as into the wedding as they are. This can be a mistaken assumption, however. Before you get too worked up over your fiance’s lack of interest in the details of planning your wedding, ask yourself if he is generally interested in the types of things which are part of a wedding like flowers, decorations, and fashions. If the answer is not so much, then it should really be no surprise that he is not super helpful when it comes to designing the dream wedding.

Now that we have reasonable expectations, it is time to get that groom interested and motivated! Playing to his areas of interest and expertise will help to get him more involved. As most women have noticed, even the most disinterested groom will find time to show up for the menu sampling and cake tasting appointments! Instead of trying to get his opinion in areas where he may truly have no preference (like the flowers or invitations), get him to help with the parts of the wedding which do appeal to him, like the food and the music.

Giving the groom genuine responsibilities can also help to get him off the couch and helping with plans. Of course, this means relinquishing some of the control over the final product, so before you work too hard to get your fiance to help, be sure that it is worth it to you! After all, why should he put in a lot of effort if you are going to step in and overrule him at the last minute? Let him pick the limo company and the groomsmen gifts, so that he can take ownership of some of the wedding.

A final tip is to break up wedding stuff with regular couple’s activities. One of the top complaints that many grooms have is how all-consuming wedding planning can become for the bride. Try to give him a break from the planning, and maybe you will get a more enthusiastic participant. And if all else fails, fall back on the old standby and plan the wedding with your mother!

Including a Dress Code on Your Wedding Invitations

Who needs a wedding dress code? More people than may realize it. For instance, your wedding venue might require that gentlemen wear jackets to dinner. How embarrassing it would be for a male guest who showed up wearing a nice shirt and tie without a jacket, only to be turned away or forced to wear an ill-fitting loaner from the venue’s coat closet! It would be much better to add a simple notation like “jackets required” or “formal attire” in the lower right hand of the invitation than to risk having one of your guests be humiliated.

Very casual weddings can actually need stated dress codes as well, to ensure the comfort of the guests. If you are having a beach wedding, your guests might appreciate being forewarned that the ceremony will be on the sand so they know to leave their high heels at home. Having a very relaxed reception around a bonfire? Print the words “casual attire” on your invitation so that people show up dressed comfortably. The last thing you want is for guests to be dressed in such fancy clothing that they cannot relax and enjoy the festivities which you have planned.

Then there is a black tie wedding. Traditionally reserved for weddings which start at 6pm or later, black tie is the most formal wedding other than white tie (which should only be held on winter evenings and are exceedingly rare). There is a lot of angst among brides about whether is it acceptable to put the notation “Black tie” on their wedding invitations. Many brides or their mothers fear that to request black tie will mean that people won’t want to come or that their guests will be put out by the hassle and expense of renting or purchasing a tuxedo. You know your family and friends; if it would not be completely outrageous for them to dress formally, go ahead and request black tie attire if that is what you really want.

The dress code “Black tie optional” has become widely accepted on wedding invitations, but personally I think it is a bad idea. Why? Because then nobody knows how to dress. Your female guests will be left to agonize over whether to wear a floor length dress with opulent crystal wedding jewelry or something shorter and less fancy. The men will be wondering if they will be the only guy to show up in a tuxedo…or the only guy to show up without a tux. Spare your guests the guesswork, and simply request black tie if that is your desire. Otherwise, put no notation regarding attire, and trust your guests to dress appropriately based on the time and location of your wedding.