Category wedding blog

The Sounds of Love
The soft sigh of wonder
The gasp of complete surprise
The sounds of your breathing at night, as you look into my eyes…
The tinkling laughter in the morning
The soft cry in the night
The beatings of your heart, as you realize that this feels just right…

The sounds of love are all around us; whether it’s the sigh of your significant other, or the sounds of your children playing. It’s the everyday sounds you hear, and the sounds that you yourself make. But there is one sound of love that will always stay with you. It’s the question on every couples mind. “What should our song be?”

Well that is a very good question. I’ve personally helped with a few weddings, and this is one
of the biggies that the brides I’ve worked with stress over. And you know what? It’s completely understandable. Have you ever searched for a love song online? You get well over 2 million choices!

So which one is right for us? Well it really depends. What are you going to use the song for? If you’re going to use if for your first dance (for those traditional brides), then I suggest something that has a good steady rhythm that’s easy to follow, and a romantic message to show how special that moment is for you two . A few good suggestions for this would be: I Swear by John Michael Montgomery, From This Moment On by Shania Twain and Brian White, I Knew I Loved You by Savage Garden, The Rose by Betty Midler, and I Only Have Eyes for You by The Flamingos.

If you were going to use it as an entrance song or something of that nature, then I would suggest a song that describes your relationship. Is your relationship silly and goofy? Or is it deep and romantic? Are you old fashioned and timeless? Or are you spontaneous and passionate? Choose a song that really describes you as a couple; if it’s a destination wedding, choose a song that relates to that. It’s a fun way to start the party. Personally I’ve heard everything from The Thong Song, to You Are My Sunshine. It really is up to you.

No matter what song you pick to be the one you and your significant other share for many years to come, the enchanting ambient sounds from wind chimes can always sprinkle an extra layer of magic on your day. Hand-crafted and fully customizable chimes to fit your day and song are a popular item available here at the Wedding Department no matter what type of theme. Let us help you share your special day with all your guests by allowing them to take a memory home with them. Remember, the sounds of chimes can be considered magical, so every time the chimes are caressed by the wind, and the sounds of twinkling is heard, the magic that shrouded your special day will be invoked again.

by Diana Mojica Valadez.

In recent years a number of politicians, celebrities, and other public figures, have embarked on numerous campaigns that have helped raise awareness about the environment. As a result, more and more people, including engaged couples, have sought out ways to incorporate eco-friendly techniques that calls for a healthier living that is beneficial to their wedding budget and the environment. From local organic catering to recycled or electronic invitations, now more than ever, the environmental movement has changed the way couples are thinking about weddings.

1. Stay Home
Although a destination wedding located in an exotic island in the depths of the warm South Pacific sounds intimate and endlessly romantic, planning a destination wedding can easily become complicated due to high gas prices that inevitably cause airline ticket prices to sky-rocket. Furthermore, international marital laws leave a lot of room for planning errors. Therefore, rather than traveling thousands of miles overseas many couples have decided that it’s far more convenient and cost-effective to get married in their hometowns.

A local wedding is beneficial for a number of reasons, primarily due to familiarity with the area that allows couples to save money on gas. Familiarity simplifies and saves couples time–precious time that is essential to wedding planning. A local wedding saves couples from driving long distances for food caterers and florists while enabling them to explore small businesses.

2. E-vite
With the Information Age in full swing, invites and RSVP’s are now a click away.
The Internet has completely and forever revolutionized the way people communicate and in an effort to save paper and money, according to a number of wedding magazines, websites and surveys, many couples are skipping out on mailing physical wedding invitations for electronic invitations that can be massed emailed to all their guests. Opting for electronic invitations, is not only beneficial to the environment because it saves ecological resources, but it saves couples hundreds of dollars- money that can easily can be used to pay off the ceremony and reception venue.

3. Set the Mood Green
Regardless of the location and theme of a wedding, lighting is an essential component to any wedding, especially for a couple that seeks to add an element of romanticism. Using soy candles allows couples to cut back on some electricity while using a clean product that burns longer than regular candles. Soy candles are found in nearly every size and scent that can easily accommodate any theme.

An environmentally contentious wedding doesn’t mean hosting a wedding in the deep redwoods of Northern California and having alfalfa sprouts as the main course–it’s all about reducing, reusing and recycling a stylish wedding that is in accordance with the style of the bride and groom.

We offer Volume discounts on wedding favors when you order in bulk.
For example a single sand dollar wedding favor would cost $4.95 but when you order 51 or more the price drops to $2.75 and that is more than 40% off the base price.

All the prices are listed in the cart.

This is the first price adjustment we have made in more than 10 years and while the price for favors in quantities of less than has gone up a small amount, we have held the price on orders of more.

Most customers order well over 51 favors so the prices will are not going up for most.

If your order is larger than 300 favors, and we do get orders like this, we may be able to adjust the price further.

Please feel free to contact us for larger orders.

For all the hand work and added value like gift boxes and packing we feel this small change is fair.
Thanks,
Tom and Phyllis

While it’s cold outside, (In this part of the world it’s about 22 F and there’s a foot of snow on the ground) spring is definitely in the air and its time for Some spring wedding choices. While summer and fall still reign tops as the most popular times of the year to get married, spring should be given serious consideration. Here’s why.

Keeping prices down and making weddings affordable is becoming the trend and spring can be a good time to find values. Resorts that cater more to summer or winter visitors may be very happy to have business during what is considered off season.

Think about ski resorts and lakeside retreats. Reception and banquet halls tend to be less booked and therefore easier to negotiate with. You may have a better choice of limo services and photographers and tux rentals (just be sure to check when local proms are).

Fuchsia, mango and yellows are a few of the colors for 2010 and these can easily be incorporated into a spring wedding. Think bright yellow daffodils with pussy willows which match well with the yellows. Tulips come in a myriad of color choices from yellows, orange to rich red and golden yellows. Deep rose pink and white tulips in a pewter vase would be striking.

f lighter colors are more your style, you could incorporate crocuses, lilacs, cherry blossoms, crab apple blossoms, magnolias, lily of the valley or forget me not’s.

Because these are spring flowers and don’t have to be imported you will probably find them at very good prices from your florist. A bonus would be to get them from a friend or family member who already grows them and arrange them yourself.

When considering favors butterflies and dragonflies come to mind. Choose colors that will help your guests think of new beginnings, and remember the day with a thoughtful keepsake.

Spring is also a time for freshness and seasonal fruits and vegetables can be easily incorporated into your menu. Asparagus, spinach, greens (lettuce, endive, and escarole) radishes, peas and green onions are all in abundance at this time of year. Grilled asparagus with a balsamic dressing makes a wonderful side dish. Fruits in season include strawberries, rhubarb, kiwis, and lemons. Why not serve strawberry and kiwi salad with a lemon dressing.

Cupcakes are still popular but the new trend for wedding cakes seems to be a two tiered cake for each table. Why not do double duty and decorate the cakes with edible spring flowers such as Johnny jump ups or pansies. Then the cake could serve as a centerpiece.

Just as spring is the beginning to a new year, your spring wedding will serve as the beginning of a new life together.

It seems like everyone is obsessed with cutting back these days and for good reason, but you may want to think before cutting back on favors. Many folks are unsure of their financial stability and some of us have dug ourselves into serious debt. If the truth be told we all probably should have been more thrifty all along. After all how big does a television set need to be?

The cost of weddings had spiraled out of control to the point where brides were burning through credit cards faster than the tapers at the head table.

But it might be wise to think about cutting back on wedding favors.

One of the primary reasons to give favors is showing your appreciation for their presents and to give the guests a keepsake of the day. Why give something that will be left in the back of a drawer or worse yet, on the table at the party.

In such times it bodes us well to stop and take a good hard look at the wedding plans and obligations before things get too out of hand. There are always places brides can cut back a little bit by trimming costs here and there rather than eliminating components altogether.

When it comes to the wedding favors there are plenty of good choices for less than $5.00. Aromatherapy ornament wedding favors at about $3.00 each including favor, ribbon, fragrance, personalization, personalized card and box are a great value. Your guest will appreciate hand crafted favors that are produced here in the United States.

Why not grace your guests with a tasteful and fun favor to celebrate the date and serves as a reminder for years to come?

Just remember to take the time and do a good thorough search using a variety of search engines, text and images.

If the cost of buying favors is out of the question then maybe you could make some of your own. It’s easy to make plantable seed wedding favors and a small investment in paper and seed go a long way. Your guests will appreciate the gift and the effort and love that went into creating them.

A writer asks “Why give wedding favors” at our wedding.

After some thought it seems that the biggest reason is that it’s come to be expected. This is not to say guests demand favors, but that giving favors has come to be a tradition.
In the past favors were more symbolic than useful or practical as in the case of giving almonds or showering the couple in rice.

Upon research one finds many explanations for the traditional giving of favors but many of these stories are simply myths or misconceptions reprinted. Which brings us back to what seems to be the main reason for giving wedding favors and that’s tradition.

An other reason for giving favors is to show appreciation for the guests attendance. It’s become fashionable to give a small token gift as a thank you for many occasions.

A relatively new phenomenon is the “save the date” gift. Today our lives are so full that some of us need an extra jolt to pay attention and so someone came up with the idea of the save the date gift. The save the date favor is sent out with the invitations and is offered as a little bribe to help the guest think about pre planing by sending the RSVP in a timely fashion.

Others wish to provide a keepsake of the wedding, which could explain why many couples opt for personalized wedding favors.

This also accounts for the explosion of the wedding favors industry and the proliferation of chintzy imported trinkets as well as well designed original and unique wedding favors.

What ever the reason for giving favors the question, is it mandatory to give them out, is often heard. One answer is “nothing is mandatory”. Its your party and you can plan however you please.

Sometimes money is an issue and brides are constrained to inexpensive, and more traditional offerings, such as almonds in tulle. There is nothing wrong with this approach nor should the bride be embarrassed.
The bottom line is its up to you.

The Wedding Department Wedding Planning Guide.
The Wedding Planner.
Try as we like we were unable to locate a wedding planning site we wanted to recommend.
That is not to say that there aren’t some good ones out there. So instead of recommending one we decided to put a guide together and let it go at that.

We planned and produced our wedding party ourselves and it worked out fine. We are still married after more than 25 years.

Hiring a wedding planner
Planning a wedding is not for everyone.
If yours is going to be an extravagant affair or your time is valuable, or you just don’t feel you are up to the task then you probably want to enlist the help of a qualified wedding planner/coordinator in your area.

By hiring a local planner you will be able to interview them in person. This can be very important when you want to be sure they can deliver what they promise. You will also want to know you can work together before, during and after the event.

There are a few questions you will want to ask at the initial interviews.
1. How long have they been in business.
2. What happens if they fail or one of the contractors fails to preform as agreed.
3. Ask for references and check them out.
4. How do they charge and who pays for what.
6. What exactly will they provide for example will they be there to make sure everything goes according to plan, etc..
5. Make sure everything is in writing down to the last detail. Very Important!

Obviously you will want them to be computer literate.
Talk to a few and take notes.
So you want to plan your own wedding.
For those who want to plan the wedding your self’s there are some must do’s that should not be overlooked.

The very first thing you must do is get a 3 ring binder at the stationary store or some type of folio that you can use to store notes and papers. While you are there pick up some pocket folders to fit the binder and some lined writing paper. A 3 ring binder works well because you will probably be adding and subtracting to the plan as you go. Its much easier to add and subtract pages from a binder than from a spiral note book. The paper is for notes and the pockets are for storing papers like entertainment contracts or any other important documents.

It is very important to keep every single scrap of paper, every note, every contract, everything in the binder. This will be the game plan for the event and you need to be sure this is in order. This way when and if a problem arises you will have plan a and plan b in black and white. What would happen if the venue for the meal has a fire in the kitchen. Its happened. What happens if your entertainment is a no show. Again this has happened.

You can save your self a lot of stress if you have back up plans in place. That’s not to say go out and rent 2 banquet halls, but look around for a place you could get in a hurry. Have the numbers of several disk jockeys or bands which may be available at the drop of a hat. You may not prefer it but having a so so disk jockey come in at the last minute is better than no entertainment at all. As before don’t hire extra entertainment, just have a few numbers in your book, just in case.

The point is if your contingencies are put down in print you will not have to think about what to do in an emergency. Just get out the book and if you have planned well the answer to your problem will be there. One more thing, get a small pocket sized notebook and have it with you at all times during the planning. When you have a brilliant idea, put it down in the notebook so you will not forget it later. You would be surprised at how easy it can be to forget things, especially when you have so much on your mind.

Where to begin
To begin with you might want to employ the assistance of some one else, not your partner, whom you can trust to help as the “coach” on “game day” If you were to hire a full service planner chances are they would be there the day of the event as a choreographer of sorts making sure every thing is in the right place at the right time.

Even thought you have planned in advance some one needs to be aware of what’s going on in both the broad sense and as to details. You may not want to be burdened with being distracted from you day with worrying about if the cars are ready. By the same token if you enjoy putting on a party you might find this great fun. Either way it is not a bad idea to have as much help as you can.

Start out by thinking in a broad sense how you see the chain of events coming together. Break it down into separate parts or “flaming hoops’. And always remember, “one flaming hoop at a time”.
Focus only on what you need to be doing.

There is bound to be a shower, but this probably will be planned by some one other than the bride.
There may be a rehearsal dinner and this may also be planned by some one else like the grooms family.
Start by thinking about the wedding day first. Sketch out a basic outline of how you see the day progressing from waking in the morning to the end of the day. This might include getting getting dressed, getting to the church or the venue for the ceremony, the ceremony its self, photos, maybe a party afterwards and then perhaps a honeymoon or trip.

Make a separate piece of paper for each action. This way when you think of more things to do you can insert them where they belong and this keeps the plan in chronological order. If it seems like too much detail don’t worry. Later on you can distill the plan to fit in a smaller “game” book, keeping the master book on hand for reference. The game book will be used the day of the wedding and should be entrusted to whom ever you have chosen for the coach. By looking at the day you will be able to discover a important pieces of information.

You need to know where the events will happen and how many people you need to be prepared for and the reason you need to do this well in advance is to get the invitations out ASAP. People now a days plan time tight and they will appreciate as much notice as they can get especially if they are coming from out of town. If you are inviting out of town guests some thought as to lodging may be in order.
Since all wedding would be different it is not possible to conceive of every possibility here you will need to think the day through and then maybe work backwards to be sure everything is considered.

Invitations
How many people do I invite?
How many do you want? How many can you afford? How many toasters do you need?
There is no formal rule. In our case we had immediate family for the wedding, which was a civil ceremony, and then we invited extended family and friends to the reception.

If money is an issue you will probably need to have an idea of how much you want to spend and what do you want to spend it on.
The question is often asked “how soon do I send out my invitations” 6 to 8 months is not a bad idea.
The simple answer is; The wedding invitations will need to be sent out with as much advance time as possible.

Just remember the sooner you have the RSVPs back the sooner you will be able to plan things such as menu and food portions, seating and so forth.
By the way many people seem to have forgotten what stands for. R.S.V.P. comes from the French expression “ripondez s’il vous plant”, which translates into “please respond”.

More and more people do not understand that it means respond if you are coming or not. I suppose in this day and age you could put a little post it note on the RSVP saying please respond even if you are not going to attend. If you decide to make your invitations your self whether the reason is to save money or you are creative and want to add a personal touch remember that invitation are usually a collection of envelopes and cards. Look a few online or in a stationary store to see how they are put together. First there is the invitation proper which is the piece of paper that has the invitation information printed on it.

For example the couple or the brides or grooms parents or both are inviting so and so to the wedding. It used to be the bride parents but that no longer is a rule.
You might want to be very specific as to who is invited. The whole family? Kids?

Also included would be some kind of clue as to if there will be a party and where the party is. You may want to include the address of the church and if there is to be a party the address for that.
Normally you would include the RSVP card that the guest fills out and sends back to you. This card is usually smaller and might have a place for the guest to write in the number attending.

If there is an RSVP card then there should also be an envelope to send the card back to you.
This envelope should be addressed to you and sufficient postage should be affixed.

We hope this guide will help and if you have any questions please feel free to contact us.
If you want to decorate and accessorize your wedding or party in an original natural way you may want to think about growing flowers and other plants just for that occasion.
We use the term wedding for this article because we are primarily a wedding site but you could just as well substitute anniversary party or birthday party.

Introduction
This is the introduction to a series which we will be compiling and posting to the site starting July 12.
Subsequent installments will be posted each week for 4 weeks.

If a segment is posted early it does not mean the next one will be, it just means we had some extra time or became inspired to complete a part early.

There are 4 parts to the series.
Part One: Introduction ( *your are here )
Part Two: Wedding theme considerations.
Part Three: Pre planning. before wedding.
Part Four: The ceremony and reception. Putting it all together
*And any other parts we may add as we go along.
By the way we are open to any feed back or literary contributions.

Growing your own wedding can be a fun way to decorate for your theme wedding, while adding a personal touch.
You and your guests will enjoy and appreciate the occasion all the more knowing that your time and love has been invested.

Anyone with even a 4 by 4 foot space can grow a wide variety of plants for decoration and other uses.
There are a few “ground rules” that will make the experience more successful and enjoyable.
Rule 1. Plan well in advance and keep a notebook of goals and progress and always have a plan A and a plan B When growing out doors plants will respond differently to warm and cold, dry and wet, which will affect the length of the growing period.

Use the recommendations on the seed packets or the advice from where you bought the seeds or plants.
Don’t forget, everything takes longer than it takes. Timing is important and we will address that in the next writing.

Make sure to set aside enough assembly time for things like invitations, table decorations and so forth. Plan for and have contingencies for example if you are using flower petals to embellish invitations then scout out a florist or other source where you can get some similar ones if there is a problem.
If others are helping try to have a stand by in case a helper is forced to bow out.
Rule 2. If one or 2 little things do not go as planned nobody other than you will know. The only way your guests will know is if you let on.

Take a deep breath and relax.
Of course this is an important event and you want to be sure everything is perfect but its not worth ruining the whole day over trifle matters. It’s not the end of the world so try to take missteps in stride.

If you follow rule 1 then rule 2 will take care of its self.

Flowers are an important part of many events and the fact that we use them everywhere from weddings to funerals proves the point.

What wedding would be complete with out at least a small bridal bouquet. If the ceremony is to be small and intimate, say in front of the JP, then a hand held corsage will be fine.
For more elaborate affairs with many guests a larger, but not necessarily showier version is appropriate.
If you are in a pinch you could make your own bouquet very easily and he is how to do it.
Stop by the flower section of the grocery store.

Look for a nice flower or group of flowers to use as a focal point to build on. Check to see if there is a corsage that you could start with.
If they do not have anything that moves you then select a small number of flowers in a color you like.
Ask the attendant or a store employee if you could have or buy a yard or 2 of floral wire and some florist tape.

Pick some smaller fill in flowers to surround the focal point. Keep all the stems trimmed to about 6 to 8 inches because they will serve as a handle. The additional flowers will make the arrangement bigger and fill it out.
Tie the flowers together with the floral wire by wrapping it snugly around the stems. When you have the flowers arranged to your liking wrap the florist tape around the stems to cover the wire and make a more comfortable handle.

At this point you could also fashion a loop handle by attaching a loop of 1/2 inch lace material into a circle, then incorporating it into the final wrap. The loop handle will allow the bride to hole the bouquet without using a firm grip.
The hand is slipped into the loop and any amount of pressure on the stems will keep the flowers safe in hand.

Flowers for other occasions include centerpieces and table decorations.
If you are convinced you want to make your own flower arrangements then take a look at the flower arranging choices at About.

They have taken the time to arrange a number of articles and sources for flower arrangements.
If you want to go the mail order or on line route then a trip to 1 800 Flowers may be in order.
This site has a huge selection of flowers for any occasion. They also include tips and selection guides. Even if you are not going to buy flowers it would serve you well to take a look at how they arrange the wedding flowers.

Artificial flowers can be a viable alternative to fresh flowers.
Also known as silk flowers they available in single stems and finished pieces. There are even artificial plants, trees and the list goes on.
If you want to go the “do it yourself” route then check out some of the local craft shops for an idea of what is available.

Some of the “marts” also have a wide selection of artificial flowers and deserve a look as well.
Because they do not need water they ship well and can be purchased well in advance of any event. Just keep them in a cool, dry and dust free place.

And make sure they have plenty of room, in other words do not pack them tight or crush them. You do not want to open the package a week before your event to find your arrangement flattened like a pancake.

A shower is a party to celebrate a special event, typically a wedding or birth of a baby.
It is customary to “shower” the guest of honor with gifts and other offerings such as cards and money.

The shower party serves at least 2 functions.
The first is a celebration in anticipation of the blessed event and the other is to supply the bride / mother to be with useful items.

A wedding shower is usually organized by the maid of honor, the mother or sister of the bride or some other friend or relative.

Usually there are several people involved in the planning and hosting but there are no firm rules.
Likewise there is no set rule for when to hold the party but it would stand to reason that anytime from a few months to a few weeks before would be wise.

The expenses are the responsibility of those who plan the party and so the size and scope may be determined by the cost.
The venue is the choice of the planners and it could be as simple as a home hosted get together to a grand affair with catered food and entertainment. Usually there is at least some type of food or snacks and beverages served.

Invitations are sent out in advance with a date and time as well as directions to the shower.
The invitation may also contain other information such as special theme gifts, such as a recipe exchange, or even price range of gifts.

This may see haughty but those who are planning the party will probably have an idea of kind of gifts the guests will afford and they will be doing the guest a favor.
No one wants to be invited to a party where they are expected to bring a gift they can not afford, nor do they wish to be embarrassed by bringing a gift that is too expensive compared to the others.
A dollar amount need not be listed, simply the the type of gift.

Theme party’s are another idea.
We are still using Tupper Ware from a theme party more than 27 years ago.
It’s best to have some type of itinerary planned to help the party flow from introductions to good by.
Some planners opt for wedding shower favors as mementos for the guests.

Games can help break the ice and serve a a segway for main events such as opening gifts.
Here is a child’s birthday party game we modified for a bridal shower.
Arrange a number of wedding theme items on a serving tray or on a card table covered with a cloth, the more the better.

Do this in another room or with your back turned so no one can see the items or what you are doing.
The items could be anything that might be used before the wedding, during the wedding or on the honeymoon or wedding night.

Use things like a credit card, Champaign cork, rice, piece of negligee or use your imagination.
We will not go into detail, use your discretion as you know your guests best!
Bring the tray into the room and allow all the guests to view the contents for 15 seconds, then take the tray away.
No taking notes!
The person who can remember the most items wins the prize.
Get some nice jar candles or other tasteful items for prizes.
For more games check your library or the internet and beware, some of them are racy so you be the judge.
You do not want to embarrassed your guests.

After the party it is good manners for the bride to send a thank you to each guest, thanking them personally.
Baby showers are handled much in the same way except they tend to be less racy and more geared toward helping the mom to be get ready for the birth.

One of the problems faced it the past was trying to guess the gender of the child so as to bring a suitable gift.
In recent years the advanced in pre natal care has given doctors the ability to reliability determine the gender in advance.

Not every couple wants to be told in advance whether its a boy or girl, this can drastically reduce the number of yellow blankets and booties.