Make Your Own Save the Date Cards

Save the date cards are a wonderful way to give your guests advance notice of your upcoming wedding. They are also a great chance to give your family and friends a hint about what your wedding will be like. Since they need not be very formal, many couples like the fun of designing and possibly even making their own save the dates. Use these ideas to get the creative juices flowing.

The save the date cards are the first glimpse that your guests will have of your wedding style, so why not take the opportunity to make a great first impression? Let’s say that you are planning to have very formal wedding, and will be using lots of sparkly elements, such as crystal wedding jewelry. A cute idea for your wedding notices would be to embellish a heavy card with a silver chandelier motif to give the hint of the elegance that is to come. Or make your save the dates sparkle just like your crystal wedding jewelry by dipping the edges in glitter. Use a pretty script for the lettering, in keeping with the fancy motif.

If you are planning a theme wedding, why not have your notices reflect that? The message in a bottle is a popular save the date idea for destination weddings to tropical locations (as long as you don’t mind paying for all that postage); a fun variation on that would be to have labels printed with your wedding date adhered to small bottles of wine for a vineyard wedding. For a garden wedding, send your notices on handmade paper which has dried petals embedded in it, or use heart shaped stationery for a Valentine’s Day wedding.

Calendar save the date cards can be really cute, and there are any number of design possibilities. A simple one is to have your cards printed with the month in which you will be married and then circle your wedding date in red. Underneath the calendar, all that is needed is the names of the bride and groom with the message “save the date”. A variation on this is to have the calendar printed on a magnet. With your wedding date staring them in the face every time they go to the fridge, you can be sure that no one will forget about your special day!

Add Height to Your Wedding Centerpieces

Dramatic centerpieces will add style and elegance to your wedding! A great way to achieve this is with tall elements that reach skyward. These are some great ways to add height to your wedding centerpieces to get that stunning look that every bride desires.

First of all, think beyond traditional flowers in a vase. A fantastic way to get height in your centerpieces is to create trees from branches. They can be decorated according to the season and style of your wedding. For instance, if you are having an elegant Winter Wonderland wedding and plan to have lots of sparkle in your wedding like crystal jewelry and chandeliers, hang shimmering crystals and beads from the branches. White or silver painted branches will be extremely elegant when draped with their own glistening crystal wedding jewelry.

Another really neat way to give your centerpieces a vertical line is with non-floral elements such as coral. Paint faux coral in red or for more drama, black, and set it standing up into a bed of sand or pebbles. It can be surrounded with starfish and seashells for a true beach theme, or flower blossoms for an elegant chic effect that will look great in any reception setting. The coral is a wonderful element that can be pulled into other aspects of your wedding design, such as on the invitations and as a graceful wrapping paper print for favor boxes.

Very tall candelabras add magic to an evening wedding. Choose an antique silver for an old school opulence, Art Deco style crystal for a modern/retro wedding, or an ornately designed black painted candelabra for a cool Gothic romantic effect. Not only will the candle holders add considerable height to your tablescapes, but when filled with tall taper candles, the vertical effect will be even greater. Candelabras can be adorned with flowers, or pay a nod to Truman Capote’s legendary Black and White Ball, and simply twine them with greenery.

Winter Wedding Cake Ideas

A great way to make your wedding extra special is with a gorgeous wedding cake. The cake is much more than a dessert, it is one of the key decorative elements at the reception. These are some fantastic ideas for winter wedding cakes.

Snowflakes are one of the loveliest motifs for winter weddings. They can be used in everything from your crystal wedding jewelry to the invitations to favors. Snowflakes also look great on a wedding cake. This motif works beautifully in an icy color like white, pale blue, or silver. A simple fondant cake with ice blue frosting can be decorated with piped snowflakes in white or silver, scattered around the tiers like falling snow. Mix up the sizes and designs of the snowflakes for the best effect.
Speaking of the Winter Wonderland idea, you can use it as a terrific point of inspiration for a wedding cake. An all white cake is always a classic; for a formal winter wedding, it can be personalized with a heavy dusting of a shimmer powder to give it glitz and glamor. A wide silver satin ribbon can be wrapped around the base of each tier, then top it all off with a crystal monogram cake topper. The effect is elegant and modern, yet festive and not at all plain. This style of cake is gorgeous with crystal wedding jewelry, especially when done with the crystal cake topper.

If you are looking for something truly unique, ask your baker to design a winter scene on your wedding cake. Think about how incredible it would be to have a handpainted scene of horse drawn sleighs in snowy meadows or ice skaters circling each tier of your cake. You can personalize this one of a kind cake even more by representing scenes of your favorite winter activities, whether they are skating, snowshoeing, or even ice fishing. Your wedding cake will be such a work of art that it will be hard to cut into i

There are just as many wonderful ideas for winter wedding cakes as there are for the more common summer cakes. It is simply a matter of using your creativity and featuring a theme that highlights something unique to winter. The resulting winter wedding cake will be so special that it will be almost too good to eat.

Things to Know About Wedding Florists

How do you envision your dream wedding? If you picture lots of beautiful flowers, you will need the help of a great florist to help your dream become a reality. Not all florists are equal, however, and these are ten things that every bride should know about wedding florists.

1. Each florist has a unique style; look for one with a similar taste to your own. In other words, if every picture in a florist’s album shows very traditional rose and baby’s breath centerpieces, don’t assume that she will be able to recreate the spectacular custom wedding centerpieces made from cherry blossoms, orchids, and dangling crystal jewelry drops that you just saw on “Platinum Brides”. You are better off finding a florist who regularly designs the style of arrangements that you want.

2. Many florists can do a lot more than just provide flowers. Some also offer wedding planning services, or rentals for everything from tablelinens to custom lighting. This can be a real lifesaver for a time-pressed bride.

3. Trust their guidance. You hire a professional for a reason, and if she tells you that your favorite flower is out-of-season at the time of your wedding, accept her suggestions for substitutions. Even if budget is not a concern, you do not want to take the chance that an out-of-season flower you insisted on special ordering arrives the day before your wedding looking bedraggled and awful.

4. Prices fluctuate with demand. The classic example of this is that red roses cost an arm and a leg for weddings held right around Valentine’s Day. Either move your date or select a different variety of flowers if you do not want to pay a premium.

5. Florists can provide food-safe flowers for your wedding cake. There are two options here. You can request that your florist give your baker edible blossoms (so adorable on cupcakes) or that they find pesticide-free non-edible decorative flowers to decorate your wedding cake. This is a much less costly alternative to having a baker handcraft sugar flowers.

6. Finally, remember to ask your florist for suggestions on how to preserve your bouquet after the wedding. They will likely have all sorts of ideas, ranging from simply hanging them to dry to much more elaborate preservation services. After you have put so much thought into getting your wedding flowers to be perfect, you will surely want to keep some as a souvenir!

Floating Candle Centerpieces

There are an incredible variety of floating candle centerpieces that you can create. One of the best part about them is that they require no previous experience, unlike floral displays. These centerpieces are a great option for any bride who wants to save money by making her own centerpieces. The fact that floating candles are also beautiful and romantic makes it even better.

Shaped candles are one really neat option, and they are very easy to tie in with your wedding theme. For instance, if you are having a summer wedding in a meadow, floating candles that look like slices of citrus fruit are fresh and pretty. Candles that are shaped like flowers are perfect for a romantic or garden themed wedding, and they are incredibly life-like and come in a huge array of designs. Other popular shapes include hearts, butterflies, and seashells. Simple vessels with wide openings are best for displaying floating candles in special shapes.

For a very elegant or formal wedding, floating candles can be arranged in taller vessels that employ some interesting accessories. For instance, a bride who loves sparkle can add a layer of faux crystals to the bottom of each bowl. It is a beautiful complement to crystal wedding jewelry. If you want even more dramatic centerpieces, think about filling the water with shredded crystal fibers that are colored with submersible lights. This colorful lights create a wonderful glow, and the shimmer of the crystal fibers looks as beautiful as the most dazzling wedding jewelry.

Floating candles can also be used to design centerpieces for earthy weddings. Simply choose vessels like handthrown glazed ceramic pots to hold your candles. White or ivory candles will have a peaceful Zen effect when floating in clusters in shallow bowls with a layer of smooth river rocks under the water. A centerpiece of this style looks great on its own, or used in combination with floral displays.

The perfect centerpiece will help to create a wonderful ambiance for your wedding reception. Floating candles can make fantastic centerpieces that are interesting, romantic, and easy to create. For all of these reasons, you might just find that floating candles will make the ideal centerpieces for your wedding.

Get the Most for Your Wedding Jewelry Budget

It seems like everyone is more budget conscious these days, even brides. When you are planning a wedding, it is important to find ways to get the most for your money. As you shop for your bridal jewelry and bridesmaid jewelry gifts, keep these simple tips in mind to get the most for your money.

The first tip may seem obvious, but not all brides do it: shop around. You may see something absolutely beautiful at that big city bridal boutique where you purchased your gown, but it may also be much more expensive than it needs to be. Because the wedding gowns have suggested retail prices that keep the cost equal from one shop to the next, some bridal stores will try to make a little extra on the accessories. This is especially true in big metropolitan areas where the overhead is incredibly high. Your best bets are to shop for bridal jewelry in smaller cities or online.

When price is an issue, you can also substitute one type of gem for another to save money. If you love the classic look of pearls, shop for wedding jewelry sets created from freshwater pearls instead of akoya or South Sea pearls. Freshwater pearls have a beautiful luster and radiance, and these days can be just as round as traditional salt water pearls, but they cost considerably less. For your bridesmaid jewelry gifts, consider having pieces handcrafted with lovely Swarovski pearls, which are an exceptional value.

Swarovski crystals are another great option for a bride on a budget. You can get all the sparkle you could ever want without paying for diamonds. These dazzling crystals are also very popular for sets of bridesmaid jewelry, because they come in an astonishing array of colors. Many brides like to have necklaces and earrings created in their wedding colors to give as bridesmaid gifts. It is a great way to show your gratitude while also helping your bridesmaids to look even more lovely for your wedding.

Sparkly Wedding Gowns

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If you are anything like most brides, you want lots of sparkle for your wedding day! There are lots of ways that you can use sparkle throughout your wedding, but the best place to start is with you. You wedding gown is the perfect way to set the tone, so make it as sparkly as you want.

Sparkle can come in different forms. One of the most popular is beading done with Swarovksi crystals. When used on a wedding gown, they are typically clear or ab finish, but you can also add some crystals in your wedding colors for that extra punch.

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If you choose a gown with crystals, you will want to accessorize it with crystal wedding jewelry to coordinate. Because crystal beading on a gown shows as sparkle, but not as much as a bold design, you have the freedom to choose crystal wedding jewelry that is as ornate as you like. Of course, a simple strand of Swarovski crystals glittering at the throat is also fabulous, if your style is more streamlined.

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When creating a super sparkly bridal ensemble, don’t forget about your veil. You can add a row of crystals to the bottom edge of a straight cut veil, or all around a shaped veil. Larger crystal briolettes look absolutely stunning when they are dropped onto a long veil. However, even if you like the silvery look of rhinestones for your gown, you should stay away from them on your veil; in photographs, the rhinestones will look like dark spots. Best to stick to the crystals.

Your wedding day is your time to shine! Make this come true by choosing a wedding gown with lots of sparkle, or by adding crystals to a plain gown. When you walk down the aisle all a-glitter, the effect will be spectacular.

What Type of Bride are You?

If you identify your basic style, it will make the wedding planning process much easier. It’s all a matter of matching up the right bride to the right wedding concepts. The question is: what type of bride are you?

Traditional Bride:

Traditional Brides are happiest with wedding trappings that remind them of the black and white photos of their grandmother’s wedding. They love lace, and long trains, and pearl drop wedding jewelry. A traditional bride will be happiest with a wedding in a house of worship, followed by a reception in an historic hotel ballroom.

Classic Bride:

Classic Brides love clean lines, timeless style, and understated elegance. Your ideal wedding reception will be held in a yacht club or your family’s country club. The décor can be all-white for the most formal weddings, or can feature color combinations like pink and green or baby blue and chocolate brown.

Earthy Bride:

The Earthy Bride will be happiest with an outdoor wedding in a beautiful natural location. Seasonal, organic food served family style will be just right for your reception. An Earthy Bride will be radiant in a pretty linen bridal gown with unique handcrafted wedding jewelry.

Diva Bride:

The Diva Bride lives to be the center of attention, and everything about her wedding must be the biggest, the best, and the most extravagant. The diva will have all eyes on her in a heavily beaded bridal gown with opulent crystal wedding jewelry. Her motto is: “More sparkle, please!”. The wedding venue has to be absolutely fabulous for a diva bride – think St. Patrick’s Cathedral or a castle.

The truth is that all brides have a little bit of everything in them (especially the diva!) Finding the style that feels most natural to you will help you to personalize your wedding and make it really feel like your own custom event.