Wedding Guest Book Alternatives
Wedding guest books are one of the essential bridal accessories that you will need in your wedding reception. Typically, it is a bound book with lines for your guests’ names, their physical address and sometimes, a space for a short note for you and your new hubby. So stale and unoriginal, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be refreshing to find some unique wedding guest book alternatives to “wow” your guest? Look no further, gathered below are great alternative ideas for your wedding guest book.
Small note cards with matching envelopes – Choose card colors and/or design that match your wedding theme. Stack these cards and envelopes on a table outside your reception hall and ask your guests to share their thoughts, “marriage wisdom” or simply congratulatory note on these cards. The cards will be placed inside the matching envelopes and simply dropped into a decorated wish glass jar, like the one shown from www.kindnotes.com . These private messages can then be opened later to be enjoyed by you and your new husband.
Red Wedding Theme
Bold, Untraditional, Beautiful!
Red is considered the color of love and in some cultures, it also means prosperity and happiness. Why limit your choice of bridal gown color to “pure white”? Wedding gowns are pricey, we all know that. In addition, you will probably wear it only once. With this red wedding gown, you can wear it again in any formal occassion.
Picture your maids of honor in pretty salmon gowns walking down the aisle with beautiful red flower bouquets. Trade the bouquet with matching purses and use the flowers as table decoration at the reception. Yes, red reign supreme from the invitation to the wedding cake. May love, prosperity and happiness reign in your wedding day and in your years together…
Wedding Day Emergency Kit
Murphy’s Law states “if anything can go wrong, it will.” No matter how much planning you do, unexpected “little things” can happen that could cause delays and some anxiety before, during or after your wedding day. Don’t get caught unprepared when these emergencies come. If you want to save money, you can make your own “Wedding Day Emergency Kit” (see instructions below). However, if you prefer saving time and want to avoid the hassle of collecting what you need for the kit, purchase a pre-made wedding emergency kit. We looked at several vendors that offer this product and our choice is the Essentials “In the Bag”
This “bridal survival” kit is perfect for a small wedding party of 1-4 women. The bag itself is made of quality materials that you can reuse when all the products inside are consummed. The kits contains over seventy brand-named items for fashion, cosmetic or minor medicinal emergencies. Read more
Fake Wedding Cake, an Economical Elegance
Wedding cakes can cost from $300 to over $3,000. For a bride on a budget, the thought of getting a cake that is more expensive than her bridal gown is upsetting, to say the least. Our “Economical Elegance” ( ideas for cutting your wedding costs) tip for this month could save you, the bride-to-be hundreds of dollars, not to mention helping you lessen the stress of preparing for your dream wedding without breaking the bank.
Instead of ordering an expensive wedding cake, why not opt for a “fake wedding cake”? These cakes are made of styrofoam and are beautifully decorated. They can stay on display all day long, even outdoors with no worries about bugs or humidity. They look so real, your guests won’t even have a clue it is fake. But, how about the “cutting of the cake” tradition? Depending on which cake rental company you choose, the fake cake can have a “secret compartment” where you can store a real piece for the bride and groom to cut and feed each other. Some fake cake rental companies will have a piece of the sheet cake already cut and placed behind the fake cake. Either way, when the photographs of the cake cutting tradition is over, the fake cake is wheeled over into the dining area and a sheet cake sliced in serving sizes is wheeled out for the guests to partake.
Creating Personal Wedding Website
Creating personal wedding websites are becoming more and more popular these days. Should you follow the trend and create one? You decide.
A personal wedding website is not just for posting your pictures and wedding date, it can be used to enable your guests instant access, 24/7, to your gift registry information, maps and directions, video clips and a message board for live interactive discussions and planning, to name a few. Your wedding website can also become a centralized source of information for your checklists, guest database, address book, budget manager and payment tracking. Read more
Selecting your Wedding Invitation
Once your ceremony site and reception hall are reserved, it is time to order your wedding invitations. Whether your invitation is engraved, handmade or letterpressed, your choice reflects the type of formality of your wedding and the reception to follow. There are numerous things to consider when choosing your invitation. Here’s some tips to give you a heads-up.
Wedding Invitation Printing Process
Engraved invitations are made by leaving an indentation or imprint on the paper and then filling the indentation with ink in the color of your choice. In the past, slow-drying inks are used and tissues are added to prevent the ink from smudging the rest of the paper. Read more
A Destination Wedding Alternative
Formerly the exclusive domain of the “rich and famous”, destination weddings have become popular with today’s couples who want an unforgettable, unique wedding. With proper planning, destination weddings could cost less than a traditional hometown wedding. As an added benefit, you and your guests can turn this special event into a “mini-vacation”. With the current trend of destination weddings, there are so many locations for you to consider. Just pick up a bridal magazine or search for “destination weddings” and you will be bombarded with various choices. From the tropical locations that are closer to or even within the United States to far away places in the other side of the world. Your choice location will largely depend on how much you want to spend on your destination wedding - the Caribbean islands, Mexico, Hawaii or Fiji, Italy and Indonesia. Before making your decision, consider the following tips: Read more
Planning your Wedding Reception
Your wedding reception, quite possibly, can be the most costly item in your wedding budget. By shopping around, you can get some really great deals for reception locations and caterers. But before the search begins, you should have settled on the following:
- your guest list, so you know how many will be attending the reception
- the wedding date, which is also the ceremony date
- the type of ambiance you want for the reception, i.e., formal, semi-formal or informal
- the wedding reception theme
Setting Your Budget for Your Wedding
Prior to setting your budget, you and your fiancée should have decided on the size of your guest list and the type of wedding (either formal, informal or semi-formal). As you research your reception site, figure on about 80% of your wedding guests will come to the reception. In addition, the more formal the wedding, the more expensive it would be. Also agree on who pays for what. In previous days, the bride’s parents pay for the wedding while the groom’s parents pay for the reception. This is no longer the norm in this century. Most engaged couples are now paying for the wedding expenses themselves. With the cost of weddings these days, it is not uncommon to ask your parents to pitch in with the expenses, if they so please. Read more
The “Maid of Honor”
I just saw the movie “Maid of Honor” with my hubby. Without getting into a movie review, since this is not the goal of this post, let me give you a short description of the movie’s plot. This romantic comedy revolves around two friends who have been platonic friends for 10 years. Tom is a not the marrying type, while Hannah wants to find Mr. Right. She finally found him during her Scotland trip. The wedding date was set and Hannah decided to ask Tom, her best friend, to become her “Maid of Honor”. The story goes on with a happily-ever-after ending.
At the end of the movie, my hubby, who lovingly calls me his “wedding fanatic”, asked me if having a guy as the maid of honor is acceptable in “real” weddings. Interesting question. Some brides-to-be might be interested to know, as well. So I am sharing my answer with you. There is no rule in any wedding etiquette book that says only women can be maid of honors. Read more