Polaroid Escort Cards

Today escort cards can be found in all types of shapes and sizes. They can be placed on fruits and vegetables like limes and pumpkins, objects such as keys or horseshoes; the possibilities are endless. It’s very easy to make your escort cards fit to whatever your wedding theme is.

One fun trend that couples are using is hanging their escort cards by string and mini clothespins. After the guests have taken their cards, they’re asked to replace their cards with a Polaroid of themselves taken in a photo booth. This is a fun way for new guests to see who’s already arrived by their pictures.

Wedding Wish Lantern

Looking for something unique to have at your wedding? Floating lanterns are a stunning visual effect that adds enjoyment and wonder to your event. The lanterns are a paper structure that’s fully biodegradable, nonflammable and easy to use. They symbolize hopes, dreams and wishes for the life of the newlyweds. They can also represent friends and family members who have passed. The lanterns can either be released at the end of the ceremony to symbolize the new marriage, or the guests can release them during the reception. However you decide to use them, one thing is for sure; your guests will remember them for years to come!

Future-Signifying Gifts for the Bride

Many couples exchange personal wedding gifts to on another to make their wedding day special and memorable. Gifts can either be exchanged at the rehearsal dinner or can be delivered by the best man and maid of honor on the wedding day. A unique gift for the groom to give his bride would be something to symbolize their future together. Add-on jewelry is ideal for representing  a couple’s future. The groom purchases a bracelet or necklace with a starter bead/beads and every year for the couple’s anniversary the piece of jewelry is added on to.

There are many jewelry brands that that hold this concept and range in price depending on what materials they’re made out of. Here are some examples of jewelry brands.

Chamilia Charms

Pandora

Add A Pearl

Brighton Charms

DaVinci Beads

Wedding Gift Ideas For Your Groom

What is an appropriate gift for a bride to give her groom? Traditionally, the bride and groom exchange wedding gifts the day of their wedding. Whatever you decide to give your groom will depend on his interests and your budget. When you’re trying to select a gift for your groom ask yourself a few questions: Does he have a hobby or sport he enjoys? Is there something special he’s been wanting? Is there something that could be useful on your honeymoon? It’s important to remember it doesn’t matter the cost of the gift, the only important criteria is that the gift has meaning to your future husband. Here are a few examples of great groom gifts.

Men's watch

A day of golf

Tickets to his favorite sports team

A tablet

A cigar bar at your reception

Incorporating Your Dog Into Your Big Day

It's becoming more and more popular for dog lovers to include their dogs into their weddings; after all, they are a part of the family. People are finding that their pups make excellent ring bearers and flower girls. So if you decide to have your dog be a part of your big day here are some tips to insure everything runs smoothly.

• Check with your wedding ceremony venue beforehand. Many churches or other religious institutions might not allow animals.
• Make sure they’re accompanied by a human. It’s difficult to trust an off-leash ring bearer unless you’re 100% certain they can handle the responsibility.
• Have someone take your dog on a walk beforehand. It’s important there’s no accidents during the ceremony.
• Be sure the person chaperoning your pup has treats on hand, JUST IN CASE.
• Have a post-wedding plan for your pooch.  Schedule someone to pick him or her up from the ceremony venue and drop off at home or at a boarding facility if you will be leaving right away for your honeymoon.

Marriage Advice Guest Book

Have something out of the ordinary at your reception and display a decorative board saying “Share Your Key To Success.” This is a fun activity for guest to give their marriage advice to the newlyweds. Have  a jar on the table with antique keys with tags attached, and then have guests write down their words of wisdom on the blank tags. The guests can then place their filled-out keys onto the board. The board would be ideal to have near the guest book.

Charming Ideas for Wedding Favors

Favors have been associated with weddings for centuries and have greatly evolved over time.  Wedding favors also vary in different parts of the world. In Italian weddings, five almonds are given to each guest, symbolizing health, wealth, happiness, fertility and longevity for the bride and the groom. An essential element to remember when selecting a wedding favor is that they should either be edible, drinkable or useful.  It’s important to realize that outside your family, people won’t want a keepsake from your wedding. Here are some fun favors to consider.

Honey Jar

Wine Bottle Topper

Shea Butter Lip Balms

Custom Jack Daniel's Mini Bottle Labels

Soy Candle

Wedding Ceremony Toss Options

Ceremony tosses are a fun way to celebrate a couple’s marriage.  The original choice of rice was tossed as a symbol of prosperity and have been used in weddings for hundreds of years, but since it can be less than ideal to clean up after and is also known to be slippery, other alternatives have become very popular for the timeless tradition.

Ribbon Wands

Rose Petals

Fall Leaves

Paper Airplanes

Twinkle Poms

Using Pinterest To Plan Your Wedding

The internet is full of wedding ideas - it can be overwhelming! How do you keep track of everything you like - endless bookmarks, stacks of printed pages, a super-long string of emails between you and  your Maid of Honor?  Enter: Pinterest. Pinterest is an online pinboard that lets you organize and share things you find on the web. You can create multiple boards - one for dresses, one for hairstyles, one for flowers, the list goes on and on - so that everything stays neatly organized. And even better, you can share your boards with anyone, and they can comment on your pins. What a great way to collaborate!

Just remember, anyone can see your board - so if you want to keep your wedding details a secret, you might want to look at other options.

Right now, Pinterest is by invitation only - but if you need an invite, feel free to leave a comment below and I'll send you one.

Cold-Weather Wedding Ideas

The past two days have been extremely cold for Florida...  Are you prepared for a cold-weather wedding? Check out these tips: Fur Wrap: Stay warm and toasty in your wedding gown with a faux fur wrap. Add a touch of winter glamour with a sparkly, vintage broach. (Shown here: a beautiful diamond white wrap from Amazon.com.)

Hot Beverages: Consider having a hot beverage station to greet your guests when they arrive. Hot chocolate, coffee, and cider are all great ways to warm up from the cold.

Coat Check: Being in Florida, we don't always think about a coat check.  Ask your venue if they have a coat rack where your guests can hang their outerwear when they arrive.

Fire Pit: If you ceremony or reception venue has doors leading to an outdoor area, consider bringing in a fire pit. Not only does it add a fun touch, but it's a great way for your guests to stay warm if they need to step outside.  Just remember to supply plenty of wood and designate someone to replenish it throughout the night.

Wedding Details: Buttons

Looking for an inexpensive decoration item for you wedding? Think about using buttons! With a variety of colors and sizes, buttons are a cute item to incorporate in your wedding décor and fashion.

Don’t want to use flowers for your wedding bouquet? Make a bouquet from felt flowers and buttons!

source

Use buttons in your wedding colors to dress up your wedding favors or place cards!

source

With a little time and creativity, boutonnières can be made using buttons!

source

source

Cakes look great decorated with buttons!

source

Who knew that something as simple as a button could add so much character to wedding decor and fashion. While planning your wedding keep in mind that sometimes the most seemingly ordinary objects can be used in creative and fun ways!

Escort Cards vs Place Cards: What's the difference?

Often mistakenly interchanged, escort cards and place cards actually serve two distinctive purposes.  Simply, escort cards let guests know where they are sitting. In effect they escort guests to their seats.  These cards are often seen creatively displayed on a separate table just outside the dining area.

Alternatively, place cards sit on each table and indicate the specific seat where a guest will sit. In addition they are often used to indicate to the catering staff which meal you guests have chosen, if they have been given a choice between two or three items.

And what if you have open seating? Well then cards aren't necessary at all! For the couples who to choose to use escort and pace cards, use it as an opportunity to enhance your decor! For example escort cards can be hanging from a tree or enclosed in an envelope. Place cards can be placed inside a frame or attached to a single flower. Don't be afraid to get creative!

Alternatives to the Traditional Ring Bearer Pillow

Who says ring pillows are the only way to go?? There are many other unexpected options for couples who are seeking something different. Just check out some of these creative ideas:

source

source

source

source

source

source

Wedding Send Off Ideas

The send off is a traditionally part of the wedding reception that occurs at the end of the night. The send off gives family and friends of the newly married couple to gather and wish the bride and groom goodbye and good luck. There are many different ways to send off the happy couple. For example:

source

Ribbon wands are a popular choice for many couples. They come in variety of colors and make an easy DIY project for the bride who is looking to save some money.

source

Falling leaves in various colors is a festive and eco-friendly option for couples who choose to get married in the Autumn months. This option also requires no cost and is a great way to stay in budget!

source

Using Sparklers as a send off is a dramatic and memorable way to end a fabulous evening.  Before purchasing your sparklers make sure to check with your venue because some venues don't allow them and they are illegal in some states.

source

Bubbles are great option for a wedding send off. They are fun and require little to no clean up compared with the classic wedding send off of confetti.

There are many options for fabulous ways to send off the bride and groom at the end of their wedding. The send off is no different from other parts of your wedding that can be personalized, so use this as an opportunity to express your style as a couple!

Guest Post: Bridal Party Jewels

This post was written by one of our fabulous former clients, Ashley McCormick Travers.  Now Ashley works for Stella and Dot, and she was excited to share some of the latest looks with our readers. Brides are longing for that fun, creative statement to differentiate their wedding… Stella and Dot makes that happen.  As a First Coast Weddings client I was married to the cookie-cutter look and making sure my girls matched everything head to toe.   Fast forward three years and today I am in love with the mis-matched accessory look – changing up the jewelry and shoes amongst the bridal party.

As a Stella and Dot stylist I have TONS of fun styling brides, bridesmaids, flower girls, mothers of the bride and guests! And not only on the wedding day but showers, rehearsals and honeymoons too!  Our new vintage chic, on-trend looks for spring can quickly style the bridal party in affordable couture pieces they will surely work  with jeans, at the office or with a simple LBD.  Although so many brides’ wedding rings are white gold or platinum, everyone is wardrobing with gold baubles.  It’s the hottest look for 2011!

The Charlotte Charm necklace is under $50.  What I love most is the charms are removable, so I’ve seen each bridesmaid pick her favorite charm and each has a different look.  This also looks great layered with pearls and gold chains.

The Sofia Pearl Bib is my all time fave and biggest selling statement necklace hands down!  Stunning on the big day and perfect with jeans and a tank.

Great gift ideas are the initial charms and birthstone briolette charms.  A friend of mine just did the Glint flower necklace (stud set above) and stud earrings for all her bridesmaids.  A pulled together look in sterling silver for under $80 per girl.

The mini-soiree necklace with matching bracelet is ideal for the Flower girl.

Contact Ashley, your personal stylist, and let her work with you to create the look you want for any occasion.  Want to style your life? Become a stylist. Shop at her eboutique:  www.stelladot.com/ashleytravers

Charity Donations as Wedding Favors

We're busy getting ready for another wonderful wedding at TPC Sawgrass this weekend, and bride Lauren had a question that I thought might good to share.

Lauren and her fiance Jeff are making a donation to a charity, rather than giving their guests favors at the wedding.  So how is it best to let the guests know that they just didn't overlook the favors?

We considered a few options:

• 2 small cards placed on each table around the centerpiece
• a note tucked into each napkin (they were not having a sit-down dinner so we didn't have menu cards to compete with)
• a small sign near the guest book
• a note in the ceremony programs

We finally made the decision to go with the small sign near the guest book, with a few small cards (business-card sized) scattered around the sign for the guests to pick up in case they wanted to visit the charity's website for more information about this special cause.

Do you have other ideas you'd like to share?

Something Borrowed, Something Hot Pink

Have you always been the kind of girl that has dreamed about a traditional wedding? Maybe you've never pictured anything but a modern theme on your wedding day. At either end of the spectrum, it's yours, and you make it what you want. You should never, at any moment, worry about what your guests think. Your wedding should be about you and your future spouse and who the two of you join together to be. Let's take a look at one of the most common wedding phrases...

"Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue."

Primarily, "something old" represents tradition. This is often a signification of your mom, grandmother, aunt, sister, etc. "Something old" stands for tradition and memories of the past, and traditions that you are continuing to carry on that will possibly be included in your granddaughter's wedding.

"Something new" is typically the style of the bride. It is what she wants to include in her wedding day that defines more of who she is and her sense of fashion.

A bride can sometimes receive a gift or item from a happily married friend or family member, alas "something borrowed." This may signify good fortune from one bride to another.

As far as "something blue" goes, the color and weddings have gone hand in hand for centuries. Brides in ancient Rome wore blue to symbolize many noble traits, while purity has been associated with the color because of Christianity's dressing the Virgin Mary in the color.

Whatever the theme, whatever the colors, whatever the traditions or lack thereof, your wedding is yours. Maybe your something blue should be something hot pink!

(pink flower photo courtesy of Tibby Dozier Steedly)

Kedai Photo Kiosk

I just got an interesting email from fellow ABC member Lauren Saul about her product, the Kedai Photo Kiosk.  This a new take on the photo booth, incorporating your guests photos into one slideshow and online gallery.

Your guests simply take their memory cards out of their cameras, insert them into the special kiosk, and then choose the photos to add.  Each guest gets their own gallery on the website, and all the photos are compiled into an instant slideswhow.

Check out the website for great step-by-step videos!

Not Your Mother's Pearls

I saw these gorgeous creations on the Something Old, Something New blog yesterday and just had to share them!  As a true Southern girl I love pearls, but these are really something special.  They have a classic and vintage feel while adding the little more glitz.

Be sure to check out the complete collection from PenelliBelle on Etsy!

Super Cute Sparklers

Fabulous wedding blog Style Me Pretty has been featuring great DIY projects, and I saw one that I just had to share.

I simply love this idea.  We are always looking for new and fun ways to handle sparklers, since so many brides and grooms love to have this departure shot in their wedding albums.  And this is so simple:  basically, it is a design printed onto card stock, with two little holes cut out for the sparklers to slide through.  Genius!

Be sure to check out the post over at Style Me Pretty for the supply list and instructions. There are two posts, actually, one for the sparklers and one for the match books.

• http://www.stylemepretty.com/2008/10/28/diy-project-custom-sparklers/
• http://www.stylemepretty.com/2008/10/28/diy-project-custom-matchbooks/