Wedding Ideas That Make Planning Fun

Well, for those of you that read yesterday's article, did you have fun reminiscing about winter? Are you checking out the prices on ski vacations? We did. There's something awesome about walking around a beautiful ski resort town on a still night. No matter how cold it is, you never get tired of that. Okay, we'd better stop this train of thought because it's going to cost a lot of money to satisfy that urge. Have you seen the cost of lift tickets lately?

Anyway…Our mission is still to put your guests into a "winter loving" frame of mind, so here we go.

Yesterday, you created an idyllic winter scene in your mind in terms of the five senses (If you don't do it this way, you'll have a hard time putting your abstract "love" for winter in real terms so that everyone else will get the same feeling too). So let's break those ideas down into real, doable wedding ideas for winter favors, decorations, food to serve, and so on. Do you ever walk along a street, a mall, or somewhere and smell some nice aroma - and it reminds you of somewhere else?

For whatever reason, things like the smell of pumpkin pie like Grandma used to make or the smell of popcorn like the kind they used to have at the basketball game concession stand reminds you of great times with family and friends. If those don't remind you of anything good, think of something that does. After all, we're having fun here.

Now who cares why this works? It doesn't matter. It just does. And a simple way to set a mood anywhere for any event is to have a great scent in the air.

So for today, think about what great a scent might do to create the atmosphere you want at your reception or gathering. We'll help you to get started.

If you'll have a coffee bar or beverage station, have a couple or more different types of coffee for your guests that smell great. Caramel, hazelnut, and vanilla flavors make great winter scents. Two things you may not have thought of that are unique:

• Have some egg nog (without alcohol, just the dairy stuff) available instead of cream. Try it! It makes a great sweetened cup of coffee.

• Here's another fun idea. Get a one cup coffee maker (they're not expensive) with lots of sample size coffee packets (they're made especially for this type of coffeemaker) of different great flavors that your guests can pick and choose.

You can use real food for scent creation, but it's a lot easier to use candles - and they keep throwing their scent for hours, unlike the disappearing food.

Candles also pull double duty for you. Nothing is as romantic as flickering candlelight on a winter night.

Hint: For best results, don't go cheap on the candles. Cheap candles often do not hold or throw a scent very well. You're really not going to lose out in the end. You can buy a ton of cheap candles that don't hold a scent or a few great ones that hold for hours.

Okay, keep going. And tomorrow we'll take another step closer to creating your ideal winter reception ambiance.

December 3, 2005 - Winter Wedding Favors and Decorations That Create Warmth

No need for review today. We'll just jump right back into it. If you have no idea what we're talking about, just check the articles from the last couple of days and you'll be up to speed. We started with the idea of using scents to evoke wonderful winter memories that will put your guests in a great mood. Anyway, we kind of blended into the "taste" department in our discussion. Since taste and smell are cousins anyway, we'll mix the two a little bit today as well.

We talked about coffee in terms of scents and serving it to guests. We left out tea, but only for reasons of space. If you're looking for winter wedding favors or decorations, you can also use coffee and tea there.

• You can send 2 ounce specialty or flavored coffee blends home with your guests as a wedding favor or guest favor.

• You can have personalized "Perfect Blend" coffee packets for your guests.

• If you have a specialty coffee shop nearby, they often have specially shaped sugar cubes in unique designs for coffee or tea. You can serve them at the coffee bar or send them home with guests in cello bags tied with ribbon, and if you wish, personalized labels (this would even work as a do it yourself wedding favor).

• A cool take on this is to send spice tubes or jars filled with large sugar crystals or honey straws home with your guests. Or just serve them with the coffee and tea at your bar.

• Two drinks that everyone loves during winter are apple cider and hot cocoa. Don't forget some marshmallows for the cocoa!

• Miniature or full size, unique coffee mugs or teacups full of candy, coffee packs, sugar cubes, candles, or whatever else make for a great winter wedding favor. Just one caution - everyone has lots of coffee mugs they don't use, so if you can't find something unique, try a different idea.

• Specialty tea sachets with exotic flavors can be used to serve at the reception/event or sent home as a wedding favor or party favor.

These wedding favor ideas are the tip of the iceberg. Most of them can be do-it-yourself favors or bought from specialty retailers as well. Okay, tomorrow we'll talk a little more about "taste" and "smell" in terms of candy, winter treats, potpourri, and scented bath items. Then we'll attempt to get on to the other senses.

By the way, your guests may not even realize exactly why they're having a good time, but if you create an environment where they feel comfortable, they'll credit you for it. So keep trying to bring the "warmth" of your friendship/relationship "out" while bringing the best things about winter "in" and your guests will have a great time.

December 3, 2005 - Winter Wedding Favors and Decorations That Create Warmth Continued

Here's a little bit of encouragement to get today started. One of the ways people get stuck when planning wedding receptions, wedding favors, and decorations during any season has to do with originality. No one wants to do the same old thing. But remember, your wedding reception is the sum of lots of parts that put together are not going to be the same as any other wedding. Not only that, but you can even have or use the same things as someone else but present them in a unique way.

So you just ordered your wedding favors, and you see that someone else with a wedding just before yours got the same thing. This is not an obstacle, just an opportunity to be that much more creative. Start thinking of unique ways to display those wedding favors, package them in a creative way, label them in a fun way, or even use them in a way that no one else thought of. Here's a few examples:

• Use cookie cutters as ornaments hung with ribbon.

• Present them filled with chocolate/fudge and decorative icing, wrapped nicely in a cello bag tied with ribbon.

• Fill your votive holders with candy candles.

On and on you can go. For an exercise, just sit down with a piece of paper and brainstorm - no one is there to critique you so write down whatever comes to mind. You'll be amazed at how creative you are. When you allow yourself to stop worrying about what others will think, you'll free up all that brainpower for your creative side's use.

The reason we bring this up is because of the season we're discussing. Christmas and all that goes with it has lots of elements that are always the same. So how do you make the same old things unique and new? Well first, consider what could happen if you didn't?

Let's say you have a unique view of Christmas that is totally nontraditional. You like eating octopus and olives instead of turkey and dressing. Hey, it's a free country. However…….If you're giving (emphasize the word giving here) a reception or party for others (emphasize the "for others" here), then your real goal as a genuine, good hearted person is to help others (your guests) have a good time. So going too unique here is going to backfire big time. Since the mark of a truly great host/hostess is that he/she provides a great setting for the guests, we are going to talk from this angle.

In summation, you can be original with the same old Christmas/winter elements by varying their display, packaging, or use. Going too far outside the box will leave your Christmas/winter party visitors confused about what kind of party you're giving. Anyway, people LOVE all those tried and true things.

They look forward to this one time of year when they can actually eat all of those things and see all of those things. It brings them COMFORT and HAPPY MEMORIES - which brings us back to what this whole article series is about. If they are comfortable and the setting evokes a happy feeling, they will have a great time.

So to wrap up our continuing discussion on using smell and taste to evoke happy memories for your guests, we're going to list some ideas for tried and true Christmas elements that will set the mood:

• Cheese and crackers (Try making cheese shapes with little cookie cutters!)

• Gingerbread - use decorative icing, unique shapes, make a house!

• Oatmeal cookies work well, too.

• Work cinnamon in there somewhere too, with candles, scented oils, in baked goods.

• Use real evergreen wreathes or other decorations - these pull double duty, creating beauty and fragrance.

• Peppermint

• Nutmeg

• What holiday party would be complete without a cheese log or cheese ball. There, we said it.

Now go out there and stop worrying about stuff. This is a perfect time of year to decide not to worry about anything so you can enjoy the season. Have a great time. And we'll be back tomorrow to work on the visual elements of your reception that will bring out the best of the season.

December 5, 2005 - Winter Wedding Favors and Decorations That Create Warmth Continued

So we just took a little trip to the happiest place on earth with our very young children to really get into the Christmas spirit. If you don't know the theme park we're talking about, here's a hint - there's a very famous mouse that lives there.

Few, if any places even come close to putting you in that frame of mind where you forget everything just for a little while to drink in all that is Christmas. Even when Christmas is nowhere near, this wonderful place has an uncanny ability to turn anyone into a kid again - carefree, laughing, smiling, loving every minute. But what does this have to do with your wedding decorations, or favors, or holiday party, or whatever?

Well, you're trying to do a similar thing at your wedding reception or holiday event - put your guests in a frame of mind where all they do is have a good time. We've covered how to put your idea together and how to use smell and taste to put your guests in the right frame of mind. Now that we're moving on to using sight, sound, and "feel" to create a great winter party or reception, let's take a lesson from the place that is the best in the business at creating fun.

Forget about your event for a moment and think about what it's like to go to this incredible theme park. We'll tie what we learn to your event later.

As you drive in, there's a sense of anticipation. You know there will be some new and neat things to see. Before you even enter the park, the stage is being set with music in the background, great lighting, a buzz of activity, and little treats for you or the kids nearby. Then you finally go in.

Wham! Sensory Overload! There's upbeat Christmas music everywhere you turn, smiling workers that are friendly and helpful, Christmas displays in windows, a beautiful tree, lit garland garnished with bows, lights, lights, and more lights, smells of popcorn, caramel, coffee, and hot cocoa. People are wearing cheery scarves and whimsical hats. And you know it's only going to get better, because that music will be playing everywhere, and those beautiful displays and lights are going to be everywhere, and those great smells will be everywhere, and those cheery people wearing cheery clothes - that's right, everywhere.

And along the way, every now and then, you're going to see great decoration ideas that you hadn't thought of and you'll see people that are having fun just being there which makes you have fun just being there. They even make sure you have a free picture or you and your family having a great time together.

And once or twice, a cheery and helpful worker will come up and say something that just makes your night and brings you back for more year after year after year.

That, my friend, is how you create a fun, memorable, happy atmosphere for your guests. And you don't need billions of dollars, fireworks, or employees to do any of it. All that was used here is your five senses, all getting the same message - that it's the most wonderful time of the year….You can do this.

You can create anticipation by hinting of a little surprise whether that surprise is a gift, a game, a treat, or just a chance to have a great time.

You can find upbeat or just happy music to set and keep the mood.

You can use lighting to keep spirits bright.

You can have great scents and treats in the house.

You can keep the mood light with smiles, fun games, stories, songs, or other ways your guests can participate and feel that they really mattered.

You can have cheery decorations with cheery scarves or happy ties and hats.

You can say something nice or kind to everyone that walks through or out the door at some point in the evening.

You can easily make a way for your guests to have a fun picture of their great night together.

And you can do most of these things without spending much, and in some cases nothing at all.

Tomorrrow, let's break these things that you can do into more specific steps. We just wanted to encourage you today. And if this got your mind twirling and you've got it figured out, great! We want you to succeed and have a great time. Let us know what great ideas you came up with and we'll pass it along and help somebody else as well. Until then…

December 5, 2005 - Winter Wedding Favors and Decorations That Create Warmth Continued

As your guests enter your reception, their eyes can't decide where to look first...or next. There's so much to take in that they've forgotten for a moment that their kids just spilled milk in the car or that they got lost on the way over and got into the standard argument that couples get into when the wife was right and the husband doesn't want to hear about it.

Congratulations - you did exactly what you set out to do. You suspended normal life for a little bit and your guests are instantly at ease, not to mention excited to be at a fun party thanks to your creativity.

Strange way to open our discussion? Not at all. As we segue into the visual aspect of this discussion about winter wedding favors and wedding decorations that create warmth, let's keep the guests' point of view.

Depending on where you have your event, you can plan their entrance based on the layout of your location. The goal as they enter is to lead them along with little surprises or to wow them with a sudden change in environment.

If there's a walkway or path you can decorate, anything from luminaries to paper lanterns for night events to poinsettias or evergreen trees flanking the walkway during the day will do nicely. Hang some candy canes or other treats along the way or at the door for the kids and you will have won the parents over already.

If there is no path to decorate, just spend a little more time at the entrance to the room. Let them know they're in a great setting right away by decorating the spot that everybody goes through a little more than some other parts of the room. You can use poinsettias, Christmas trees, lights, candles, pictures, or whatever other winter wedding decorations you like.

The idea is to send the message loud and clear that normal life is suspended for a little while so your guests will somewhat unconsciously decide to have fun.

We'll get to more of this later, but have some music and a cheery person at the door, greeting and giving guests some little treat or fun thing to wear. Have you ever been to a luau? There's something about walking through the tiki torches, up to the entrance, and being greeted with a lei that totally puts you in the mood to have fun.

Simple things right? But nobody does this stuff. That's too bad. But it's good for you because you'll look like the ultimate host or hostess for very little extra effort.

December 7, 2005 - Winter Wedding Favors and Decorations That Create Warmth Continued

Your guests made it through the door, where you surprised them with decorations, music, smiles, happy greetings, and more. Now as they move into the room, your work gets a little easier. You see, making a good first impression takes the pressure off. Not that we want you to feel pressure. Far from it. We're just saying that you don't have to convert the place into the North Pole to decorate it nicely.

You've set the mood. Now you can cruise a little bit and just make sure you've got the main things covered. Since we're still working with the eyes here, let's just get real practical and talk about some places to decorate and continue on with our winter wedding decoration possibilities.

To make this easy, just think again from the guests' point of view. Just where are they going? And of the places that they're going, where do you want to decorate?

In the restrooms, it's a great idea to put little baskets with things your guests might need. If it's cold out, lotion of some sort would be great. Women might want to have some band-aids for blister causing shoes. Men might like a little shoe polish. And an emergency repair sewing kit for lost buttons is helpful for either.

Put whatever else you think you'd like to have if it were you in there as well. This is inexpensive to do, can be personalized with a little card in the basket so they know it's from you, and makes you look like a million bucks because you're so detailed.

If it's a large reception, you'll want to dress up the tables a little bit. Just stay in the holiday spirit and it will be easy. You already know what goes with the season so…

Use little Christmas trees as centerpieces if your room is lit well. Good floral supply shops sell battery powered lights for centerpieces but you'll have to decide if this will work for you based on what you're using for a centerpiece.

If not, you can hang little ornament wedding favors, personalized or not, on the trees for guests to take home. You can also use a bigger tree elsewhere in the room and hang ornaments or other wedding favors on the tree for them to take home.

How about gingerbread houses for centerpieces?

Whether they're filled with wedding favors or not, nicely wrapped boxes stacked or arranged on the table are a perfect holiday centerpiece.

You can't go wrong with poinsettias either.

For the dessert or cake table, we're thinking something more along the lines of candles if it will be dark inside. A little flickering candle light shining on your wedding cake will help it get the attention it deserves.

This is a great place to put a signature frame guest book or instant photo guest book. Just about everybody comes by this area sooner or later - and you'll get more participation that way. If you have a long buffet table, everything from garland, to string lights, to poinsettias or other flowers will make it look great.

If you've got a place to do it, spell something (names, initials, whatever) in tealights. Obviously, this should be out of reach of curious kids.

If you have large tree-like plants in pots in the room, you can get lights that stick in the dirt and shine upward at the major home improvement stores. This is just an idea for those of you that are going all out. It's not necessary at all.

Again, paper lanterns, especially in festive colors and fun designs work well if you are able to use them.

Most importantly, just keep thinking in terms of where your guests are going. Then, with your own great creativity, you can decorate however you like, and that will be more than enough to keep the great mood going. Tomorrow, we'll tackle things you can do with sound and activities that help keep everyone feeling happy before we move on to other things.

December 8, 2005 - Winter Wedding Favors and Decorations That Create Warmth Continued

There are three possible sounds you want to hear at your winter wedding reception or holiday party.

HOLIDAY MUSIC

Everyone loves to hear the classics. Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett...on and on we could go. You know your guests better than we do. So pick whatever you like. If you don't have a DJ or band, just make some CD's with an online music service. Most of them are charging about $.99 per song these days.

Those suggestions are simply tried and true. Now if you're having a wedding reception, Christmas classics are just warmup entry music, maybe background music during dinner - sooner or later you'll be doing the YMCA like every other wedding on the planet. And go ahead. Who can resist? We played it with no shame at all at our wedding. Anyway, if you're having a different event, you can play Christmas music all night long if you want.

PARTICIPATION

This is so subjective that we'll leave this totally up to you. Give your guests chances to participate in some activity throughout the evening. Especially early on, you want to make sure you keep the ice broken. Just be sure to back off and let them have their space to mingle for a little bit between activities. Keep a nice even pace, mixing activity with mingling spread throughout the event.

LAUGHTER

If you've done all of the things we've talked about for the last few days well, laughter will be the return on your investment. Hearing your guests laughing and talking together is proof positive that they're having a great time. Well done. Tomorrow, let's close this series out with a nice overview of ways to keep your guests feeling great all night. See you then.

December 9, 2005 - Winter Wedding Favors and Decorations That Create Warmth Conclusion

As we wrap up this series of articles about wedding favors and decorations that create warmth, it occurs to us that we haven't spent much time on winter wedding favors at all.

After reading this article series, you've got a good sense of direction now for winter wedding decorations, how to decide what to include and what not to include, and also how to go a little bit above and beyond in just the right way to create a happy setting that evokes wonderful winter memories and makes for happy guests.

You could spend days going over hundreds, even thousands of wedding decoration ideas and never come to the end of it. Because the imagination is limitless, so are the possibilities. What we've done goes with that saying about giving someone a fish - that will provide food for a day, and teaching them to fish - that will feed them for a lifetime.

Hopefully, by showing some ways to approach your decorations and by showing how to view things from the guests' perspective, we did more of the "teaching how to fish" part. The real genius and creativity for the specifics lies within you. So have fun with it.

Anyway, we'll leave you with a few thoughts on winter wedding favor ideas and their possible uses. By the way, don't be afraid to use baked goodies, candies, or other treats for your wedding favors. Everybody loves them, they go with any theme or season, and packaging them is a chance for you to really let your creativity shine.

• Along that line of thought, cookie cutter wedding favors allow you to offer holiday shapes and a little creativity as well. You can make cookie favors with the cutters as a treat at the table or wrapped in cello bags tied with ribbon as well. Decorate with a little icing for the perfect touch.

• We talked about warmth a lot here. Nothing is better on a cold night than a warm hot bath. Your guests can think about winter while staying warm in the tub with soap flakes that look like snowflakes.

• Snowflake designs are perfect for winter events and there are plenty of wedding favors or party favors that use the motif. Invitation cards with snowflake motifs, glass coasters with snowflake designs, snowflake cookie cutters, snowflake wedding cake toppers, and even snowflake candles are favors that always work well this time of year.

• We didn't say anything about wine, but warm fires and glasses of wine have been in the romance business for a long time. They help create a cozy, quiet atmosphere and are perfect for an atmosphere conducive to pleasant conversation.

• Wine glasses with scented candles inside look great in this setting as well.

• Finally, coffee and tea favors offer a whole host of possibilities for wedding favors as well as serving items. From tea sachets, to spice tubes filled with honey straws, to mini tea cups with candles or candy in them, you can't go wrong with these favors that satisfy the tummy and the eyes too.

Keep those imaginations rolling. We'd love to hear about any innovative ideas you have, so always feel free to email them. We'll say goodbye to this article series and move on to some other great wedding ideas that make planning your wedding as fun as the big day itself. Until then…

December 11, 2005 - Do-It-Yourself Bridal Shower Invitations

If you are a bridesmaid, relative, or friend of a soon-to-be bride, you may find yourself in the role of Wedding Shower Hostess. While planning a wedding can become an activity that consumes most (if not all) of one's available time, thoughts, and money, planning a shower can be pretty time consuming itself. Coming up with a theme, compiling the list of guests and addresses, writing out invitations, buying or making decorations, food, favors…the list of details to consider goes on and on.

Although we can't create your guest list and address database for you, we can help out when it comes to writing out invitations. One simple way to minimize this tedious task is to have your invitations printed via machine instead of by hand. There are two basic ways to do this - do-it-yourself printable invitations or professionally printed bridal shower invitations (more on this tomorrow).

To make do-it-yourself wedding shower invitations, you either need to buy some printable invitations or purchase paper stock and envelopes. For more on printable invitations, read the article we've written on printable wedding invitations here. The same principles apply for shower invitations. To make do-it-yourself invitations follow these simple steps:

• Purchase some card stock or paper from an office supply store or specialty paper store. Think about the dimensions you'd like your invitations to be ahead of time, because the number of sheets you'll need can be cut in half if you choose to make the invitations 5.5" by 8" or smaller (by turning the paper horizontally and cutting it in half).

• The next step is to format your text in a word processor program on the computer.

• To make the 5.5 x 8 inch invitations we mention above, it's probably easiest to create a table containing 1 row and 3 columns. Set the margins at 1 inch on all sides and use the landscape mode. (Both of these setting options are usually found under "Page Setup.") Then make your table columns 3.5, 2, and 3.5 inches across; set table row height to 6.5 inches. This will give you 2 invitations per 8.5x11 sheet , each containing 1 inch margins all around and text areas that are 3.5 x 6.5 inches.

• Next, find a font that you like and type the information you want your invitations to contain. Don't forget who the party is honoring, the time, location, who's hosting the shower, and if guests should RSVP. Quick tip: When working with your text, just type it into one of the two columns of the table. Get it to look just like you want it, then copy and paste it into the other column on the page.

• Now run a test print with regular paper and make any changes before printing on your specialty paper or card stock. When you feel it looks good, print out your invitations.

• Once your invitations are printed, cut them in half down the center. Using a paper cutter (like the kind teachers often use with the big arm and blade) will ensure an even cut. If you don't have such a thing on hand (who does?), then a local kinko's or other copy shop usually has one for customers to use.

• Stuff your envelopes and the invitations are ready to be mailed.

One twist to a basic card stock invitation is to print your text on vellum paper (translucent fibery-looking paper), cut it slightly smaller than your card stock, and then attach the vellum on top of the card stock with ribbon. You can do this by punching two holes at the top of the invitation and threading ribbon through the holes and tying it.

In our next blog entry, we'll talk about a less time-intensive version of bridal shower invitations that can look equally nice - professionally printed invitations.

December 15, 2005 - Customized Wedding Shower Invitations - Text, Fonts, Colors, and Motifs That You Get to Choose

We are in the same boat as some of you because we're helping to plan a wedding shower for a family member that will take place over the holidays. This is pretty common since a lot of people are in town at this time of year that otherwise wouldn't be.

And even though we are very familiar with do it yourself wedding shower invitations, we didn't do that this time. We got them custom printed. Why?

Well, like most of you, we are barely coming up for air this month. Between work, kids, work related travel, extra travel to see distant relatives, more work, shopping for gifts, making sure no one is forgotten, and a little bit of entertaining, we are stretched about as thin as we can be.

That's not a bad thing. Most of what we're doing is for other people and that's what the season is all about - giving time, gifts, or just kindness to others.

So here's the deal. We knew we could get wedding shower invitations where we could pick the exact motif, color, and font while using exactly the text we wanted with a few clicks of a mouse. We didn't have to look through tons of designs. We just put together what we wanted very quickly, got an emailed proof, and had them in a few days. Done. On to the next ten things on the list.

All this for very little money. We could have used customized fill-in shower invitations where we would have picked all those same things except for the text. But the custom printed invitations looked great and we were running short on time. So what's our recommendation? Nothing. Do what works best for you:

• Do-it-yourself bridal shower invitations are cheaper but more time consuming.

• Customized fill-in wedding shower invitations are a great combination of personal touch and low cost. They cost more than doing it yourself but take less time.

• Custom printed shower invitations cost the most of the three but take the least time and look the best. And they don't cost that much, especially since bridal showers usually don't have that many guests.

December 16, 2005 - A Little Christmas Encouragement For a Busy Time of Year

For those of you who have no time this month due to your commitments to others, here's some Christmas season encouragement - because we know how tiring it can be.

They say that one of the greatest things you can give someone is your time. You can never get time back. So giving your time is an act of love.

And that's because love is a verb, not just a mushy feeling. The often portrayed idea that love is only a feeling cheapens love and degrades those of us that know that true love is unconditional...because it never quits...because it's a verb first and a feeling second. The feeling is a result of that decision to love.

All those things you're doing for others this month show that you "get it" - that Christmas is all about giving, not so much gifts, but giving yourself, your time, your labor, undeserving kindness...your love.

You are the kind of person that makes the world a better place. Keep it up. Keep giving freely, with no expectation of return. Then you'll truly enjoy this great time of year, no matter how busy you are.

Try to carve out a little time for yourself to enjoy the season, even if only for a day. And know that your hard work is making the season special for someone else. And someday, they'll follow your selfless example and pass some true love on to someone else. And your gift will keep on giving. Merry Christmas.

December 29, 2005 - New Wedding Ideas and Wedding Favors for 2006

We hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas season so far. It's not over yet. But we've missed writing here and wanted to get back into the groove so to speak with some exciting things to look forward to for the new year ahead. We have two upcoming weddings for close family members in 2006 and one for 2007 so we're going to be keeping the wedding ideas coming for them and for you as well.

Along those lines, for a couple of days we'll give a sneak preview of what's coming in 2006 to our site in terms of wedding idea sections on our website, pictures of great ideas you can use, and products like wedding favors and decorations.

Upcoming Wedding Idea Sections on our Website

Bridal Showers - We have much of this section "ready for production". Some pages already exist and will be available for use on the website shortly. We'll have dedicated pages for specific bridal shower themes with detailed ideas for each theme so you can coordinate everything from bridal shower invitations to decorations, food, games, and gifts. We'll add to our collection of bridal shower invitations, bridal shower favors, and offer downloadable and printable bridal shower games.

Monogram Wedding Cake Toppers - This section has been a big hit on our website and we'll grow it a little more because this idea's popularity is growing. Look for sections on jeweled monogram cake toppers and new pictures of custom cake toppers used by our customers in their recent weddings.

Cupcake Wedding Cakes - This idea is also growing fast and is getting more original by the day. Try not to think of them as cupcakes but as mini wedding cakes. We'll add pictures of some of the unique cupcake wedding cakes that are out there and talk more about how you can make cupcakes that are so good and so great looking that people will have no idea you that you made them as a do it yourself wedding cake.

Florida Weddings - We live here and know Florida well. We want to tell you about some of the places where you can have beautiful Florida weddings in each of the settings that Florida portrays so well. From quiet beach weddings to glamorous beach weddings to weddings in the Keys to beautiful southern weddings under canopies of trees along lazy rivers - we'll show you places that you can afford with any budget and still have the destination wedding of your dreams.

Bridal Shows - We'll ultimately have a section where you can keep up with the best bridal shows in your area. Not all of them, just the best ones.

Tomorrow, we'll talk about what new products are on the horizon. Some of them are still in the works and will be unique to our site so we won't give all the details until they're out, but we'll give a few hints. See you then...

December 30, 2005 - New Wedding Ideas and Wedding Favors for 2006 Continued

Yesterday we talked about the fun new sections that we're adding to our website for and in 2006. Today is even more fun because we're hinting about the new products that are coming - some in the next few days, some in the next few weeks, and some in the next few months.

Wedding favors are at the top of the list because we think they're the most fun. From now until next month we'll add a whole bunch of new wedding favors. They're brand new designs that are whimsical and functional, classy enough for the most elegant affair, but fun enough to express yourself and get a smile out of your grumpiest guests.

New wedding guest books are on the way, too. Some are traditional but accented with different touches to match different themes. Some will be a nice blend of traditional and unique with room for pictures and options for display.

We'll have new save the date cards and save the date magnets in customizable motifs that you can use across other items we already offer such as wedding favors, invitations, and decorations.

Classy but fun additions to our do it yourself invitations and do it yourself programs will more than double our product offering there.

Brand new designs found nowhere else are coming in the form of table centerpieces for themed weddings, bridal shower card holders, bathroom baskets for your guests, hotel baskets for out of town visitors, and packs of fun stuff to entertain kids at the reception.

As always, you can check here for announcements of new items or you can subscribe to our RSS feed (click on the logo under the navbar for easy instructions). The RSS feed will update automatically anytime we make a change. We'll be back tomorrow. If you're off for the holiday, enjoy it and Happy New Year!

December 30, 2005 - Unique Wedding Ideas - How to Have a Unique and Traditional Wedding at the Same Time

First of all, as promised, the first of the new wedding favors for 2006 are up! Check the link at the bottom of the blog for a sneak peek or just keep checking the "New Items" section on the Wedding Ideas Store page for updates as they happen. There are more to come so check back soon.

Since we're talking about new wedding favors that help to show how unique you are, we thought we'd put up some guidance for a question that a lot of people have when it comes to unique wedding ideas. Here's the issue that a lot of people wonder about:

One of the most fun parts about wedding planning is incorporating those things that are uniquely you into all the parts that are common to most weddings. But there's a strange paradox at work here.

Most wedding traditions, by definition, are the same in every wedding with minor variations. Ignore some of them and you run the risk of disappointing your guests that look forward to some of the traditions. Ignore all of them and you run the risk of appearing irreverent or even arrogant if your guests feel you aren't treating them with respect or if they feel you're trying to educate them.

So how do you show your uniqueness without going overboard? Good question. And the answer is actually pretty simple.

First, keep the traditions that make weddings the occasions where so many different people can bond together in agreement and fun. The anticipation of certain events and traditions is part of the fun of looking forward to a wedding. Everybody wants to see you go through the social rituals that cement the idea in their heads that you are different than you were just hours before. You're married now. And the whole process helps them adjust to your new status in life.

Furthermore, weddings are a time when people from all walks of life can set aside their differences and share a common experience in agreement. Don't let that opportunity slip by. Your wedding day is truly a great day for that to happen - if you hang on to some of the traditions that people have in common.

People that otherwise have differences with each other can enjoy their time together because they are all sharing in something to which they can all relate - love, the celebration of relationships, family, friends, and so on. Traditions are a sort of glue that bonds people together (no pun intended).

The rest is easy. Just color those traditions with unique elements that relate to you and your spouse. In other words, keep the big things (traditions), but paint them with your colors. There is no right or wrong color, song, flavor, or food that you should use. If you keep your guests in mind, that is, if you treat them the same way you would treat guests in your home, you'll be fine.

Come to think of it, that brings up a good point.

If the idea you have would be uncomfortable to use with a very small gathering of a few friends for dinner at your own house, then you should probably leave it out of your wedding reception planning. But if it would be fun in that setting, the sky's the limit.

We're taking a break with family for New Year's Eve and Day so Happy New Year and we'll see you in 2006!