Liza

Goin’ to the Chapel Event Week 3: Ceremony & Reception

 Reviews  1 Response »
Jun 222011
 

Weddings are all about memories. And as fathers prepare to walk their daughters down the aisle (or as brothers prepare to walk sisters, grandfathers prepare to walk granddaughters, etc.) you can be sure they are thinking back through the years and reliving some of the memories that they have created together. Wearing your heart on your sleeve may be just a saying but now it’s possible to literally wear your memories on your sleeve, too.

I recently received an Easy Change Photo Cufflinks Kit in the mail from Photo Jewelry Making. These would make a great Father’s Day gift for next year but I think they would also be the perfect gift from the bride to the person walking her down the aisle. From the men I spoke to over the weekend, they all agreed that having a special photo of the two of them slipped into these cufflinks for them to wear on the big day would be a perfect little touch.

Photo Software to Make Personalized Photo Cufflinks

This kit honestly could not be easier to use.  To start, load the included software CD so that you can edit your photo and then shrink it down to size.  To do so: Continue reading »

Goin’ to the Chapel Event Week 2: Purchasing Gifts

 bridal shower, gifts, Giveaways, goin to the chapel event, shopping, wedding, wedding planning  No Responses »
Jun 182011
 
From the day the engagement is announced to the day of the wedding itself, there are a number of occasions where someone may want to purchase a gift.  Some people may choose to give an engagement present (especially because some couples now throw engagement parties), and then there may be a gift for the shower, a gift for the wedding – possibly even a bachelorette or bachelor party gift.  And the couple may want to purchase gifts for their bridal party, too.

Whatever occasion you’re looking for the prize sponsors for Week 2 of the Goin’ to the Chapel event have items that anyone would love.

Simply Said Wedding Wall Design
Appropriate for an engagement party, bridal shower or wedding gift the wall sayings from Candace at Simply Said Designs would make a nice touch for the couple’s new home.  I also think they could be very unique shower, ceremony or reception decorations.  They have four whole pages (14-17) of wedding design packages.

Simply Said Last Name Design
And for the home they have personalized designs of the couple’s name and year of marriage as well as sayings like “Together We Make a Family”, “Be True to the Family Name You Bear”, “A Smile Last a Moment, the Memory Lasts a Lifetime”, “I Gave You My Heart and You Filled it With Love”, and “Together is a Wonderful Place to Be”.  All the designs come in a variety of different sizes and price ranges so you’ll be able to find something perfect for every spot in the home at the price point you’re comfortable spending.

Scentsy DIY Silver Wedding Pack
Another great option are the products from Brandy at Scentsy Candles.  Almost everyone loves candles and that warm feeling you get when you catch the soft scent in the air.  Scentsy gives you that great candle scent minus the fire (which, as an aside, makes them a nice gift for college students who can’t have a flame in their dorm room).  One item they have that I think would make a great shower gift would be their DIY Warmer with DIY Wedding Theme Packs.  Not only is it a nice home decor item, the bride could set it on the head table at their reception.

Scentsy Bar in Love Story
If you’re giving as a shower or wedding gift you could also pick something that might match the couples decor, their favorite sport, or their favorite team to cheer for together (go UK!).  Then you can choose one of the scented bars to add to the warmer.  The Romance Collection or Corner Cafe Collection might be good places to start to select a scent.

Outdoor Cool & Serve Square Tray
And of course you can’t go wrong with selecting a gift if you’re choosing something for the kitchen.  Everyone loves to eat (they do say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach) and preparing food together is an activity that can truly bring a couple closer together.  Pampered Chef in Louisville (delivery US-wide) can help you choose a gift that’s perfect for the couple.  Do they like to grill or entertain outside?  Then maybe one of the grilling tools or outdoor serving & dining pieces would be a great choice.  Maybe they’re bakers?

Dip Set with Bamboo Spoons
And for a great wedding present you may consider purchasing a knife block and choosing a couple of knives like the chef’s knife, Santoku, paring or utility knife.  They have a lifetime warranty and I guarantee they would be used on a daily basis in the couple’s new home – even if they’re not big cooks.  (And if they’re not big chefs, you might want to think about tossing in a cookbook or two and maybe some mixes or spices.)

Our giveaway sponsors have put some great prizes up for this week and I will be posting the entry forms shortly.  In the meantime please take a moment to visit them and show them a little support if you enjoy their products!

Goin’ to the Chapel Event Week 2: Bridal Shower Ideas!

 Events  No Responses »
Jun 182011
 

Bridal Shower Ideas

The bridal shower is often one of the few “wedding season” events that the bride is sort of off the hook for.  Showers are routinely thrown by the maid of honor, the mother of the bride, mother of the groom, or other friends or family members.  Occasionally a bride will help plan it herself but for the most part it’s the one main event that she can just be the happy guest at.

Note to those planning the shower: In addition to the more traditional bridal shower that just includes the bride-to-be there’s also a fairly recent trend of doing a “couples” shower.  I think it’s great to be able to include the hubby-to-be if he’d like to be, but most men I’ve spoken with have said they would take a pass on that kind of request.  So if you’re thinking about throwing a shower and wanted to go this route, you may want to ask if he’s willing first.

If the bride lives a long distance away from family & friends or where the wedding will take place then you could do a mail-away shower (this is what my family did for my shower for Baby C).  Everyone attends the shower as usual but takes their present without wrapping it.  Let everyone see what the gifts are, play some games, have some food, and then the host provides wrapping supplies so that everyone can wrap their gifts and the couple still gets to enjoy the excitement of opening them.  If possible make a call to the bride-to-be and pass the phone around so everyone can say hi.  It’s also good to try and take as many pictures as possible and then include a copy of them all in with the gifts (the host packs up the presents and ships them to the person of honor).

Bridal Shower Themes

Themes are fun and make planning – and sometimes purchasing – easier.  There are all manner of different themes to consider.  One idea that I think is neat is a “calendar shower”.  This is where you assign each guest a different month (this shower would be best with guests in multiples of 12) and they purchase gifts that can be used in that month.  This might be especially nice for a young couple that’s never really lived on their own much before; they could potentially end up with decorations for each season and holiday, maybe some outdoor-dining items for the summer, etc.  If you want to go with this theme, here are some gift suggestions: Continue reading »

Goin’ to the Chapel event – Week 1: Getting Yourself "Wedding Day Ready"

 Giveaways, goin to the chapel event, Reviews, wedding, wedding planning  No Responses »
Jun 122011
 
One of the first words you hear used to describe brides is glowing.  And to get glowing skin, you need to start with a good base.  You want skin that’s hydrated and healthy.  Once you’ve got a great base then you can use makeup to enhance and create the perfect look.  Some of you may have naturally flawless skin but the rest of us are going to need a few products to help us get there.

Before we get into skin care products, though, did you know that one of the best ways to have healthy skin is for the rest of you to be healthy, too?  Getting plenty of sleep and exercise, eating right, not getting too much sun, limiting stress – all of these directly impact your skin as part of your overall well-being.
SparkPeople.com
With the rest of the wedding details that are constantly running through your head it can be hard to remember all the details of a new health regimen if you choose to start one.  To keep it all straight you may want to consider a journal or online tracking tool.  For those of you who prefer an online approach I’m a fan of SparkPeople.com.  I like that you can keep track of everything from what you ate and your exercise minutes right down to the amount of water you drank each day.  You earn points for daily tracking which is good for those of us who like incentives.  The points really aren’t good for much but some of us just like to see them add up.

If you like something a little more concrete then I would suggest a journal – like the Light Fit & Healthy journals that Yoplait is providing to three lucky winners!  Journals are great because you can throw it in your bag if you’re heading to the gym or out of town and want to keep track on the run.  It’s also nice because sometimes you just want that satisfaction of writing something down in black and white.

Either way you choose to go I strongly suggest using some tracking method.  Not only for the organizational aspect but also because research has proven that when you keep a food and exercise journal you get better results than if you don’t.  I guess seeing all those M&Ms written down on a page guilts you into not eating them again.

If you want to jump start your health plan consider checking out Yoplait’s Two Week Tune-Up plan.  It’s always nice to see some quick results and this plan is super-easy.  Then just keep following the healthy habits until the big day (and beyond!).

Now that you have the glow from the inside we can work on the glow from the outside.  First skin needs to be hydrated so you’ll want something like Skin MD Natural’s Shielding Lotion.  Prior to hearing about Skin MD Natural I didn’t know what a shielding lotion was and how it’s different from a moisturizer or other type of lotion.  Most moisturizers do not seal in the body’s own moisture, they just artificially lubricate the outer layers of skin.  Once it wears off you’re back where you started.  This shielding lotion, however, uses natural ingredients to restore the outer layer of skin to help replace the barrier that’s stripped away by the daily use of most soaps and cleansers.

Arbonne’s RE9 Advanced systems
Next you can look to make additional repairs like with Arbonne’s RE9 Advanced system.  It has not just one but 9 major age-defying elements and botanicals that are clinically proven to start working within 24 hours.  83% of testers said they had increased skin firmness in just 24 hours and 92% said they saw a reduction in fine lines within 1 week.  While almost any product works best and produces the best results when used over time this is a system that if you get down to the last couple of weeks before the ceremony and notice that all that summer sun has you looking a little older than you are you could still see a change.  After all the late nights with Baby C I was looking a little older, myself; I tried the Instant Lift Gel and definitely thought I looked a little more refreshed after.

No matter what you choose just make sure you choose something that works for you.  These are lifestyle changes and good skin care habits you want to form and you’ll only make changes and stick to them if they easily fit into your day.

Skin MD Natural, Yoplait and Sarah from Arbonne have all generously donated prizes for this week’s giveaway.  I received samples from Skin MD Natural and Sarah from Arbonne in order to facilitate my review.  No compensation was received and all opinions are 100% mine.

Goin’ to the Chapel event – Week 1: Selecting a Florist

 flowers, Giveaways, goin to the chapel event, wedding, wedding planning  No Responses »
Jun 102011
 
You’ve signed the photographer’s contract and you’ve picked out all your stationary.  One of the next pieces of wedding planning that you’re probably considering is selecting your florist.  Choosing a florist can be a challenge; the floral knowledge of the average person probably ends somewhere around roses and baby’s breath.  You want to choose someone that’s not only an expert at quality design you want someone that’s going to be able to guide you through the process of choosing flora that’s right for your particular needs.

Wise Originals Bridal Bouquet
As with photographers you’ll want to get recommendations as to a good florist or floral designer.  Ask family and friends who they worked with and if they were happy with all aspects of the service the received.  If you don’t have any friends or family that have recently used a florist talk to the venue manager where you are having your ceremony.  They’ve seen hundreds of weddings and chances are they’ll have suggestions of who to use – and who to avoid.

Wise Originals Corsage
Next you’ll want to start collecting photos.  You may not know the difference between an orange day lily and a tiger lily but you do probably have some idea of what you like aesthetically.  It will be much easier to express that to your florist if you have visuals that you can share – especially since most standard lists of wedding flowers is in the hundreds of varieties.  Tear pictures from magazines, print out a list of URLs or photos from online pages, any place that you find a design, flower or color that strikes you.

You’ll also need to set your budget.  Let’s be honest, budgeting is probably the least fun part of the wedding.  It would be nice if you could simply go around selecting anything and everything you want without flipping a price tag, but that’s just not realistic.  You’ll save yourself and your floral designer a lot of heartache if you set the budget up front.  This way the florist can be honest with what they hope to create for you with the dollars you’ve set aside for flowers.  On average the floral budget of most weddings is 8-10% of the overall budget.  Since the average cost of a wedding in 2010 was just under $24,000 that means you may want to set aside $2400 for this portion of your planning.
Wise Originals Reception Piece

Lastly you’ll need to decide exactly what you need for floral services.  The bride’s bouquet is probably a given but what else?  Bouquets for the bridesmaids, boutonnieres for the groomsmen, flower petals for the flower girl to spread, corsages for your parents and other special guests, centerpieces for the reception.  If you want to keep your bouquet you might want to consider a separate tossing bouquet for the reception.  Maybe a few floral arrangements for the wedding ceremony?  Jot down what you think you may want and then take it with you to your consultation.
Wise Originals Ringbearer Pillow
About 6 months before your wedding (you can start earlier if you already have all your venues selected and booked and your colors and dresses selected) you’ll want to start having consultations with different florists until you find the one that’s right for you.  Be sure to take the photos you’ve collected, the list of services you think you need, as well as swatches of the bride’s and bridesmaids’ dresses (and anything else with a color you want to match or compliment), and quotes from other florists you’ve met with.  Some questions you may want to ask:
  • Is the same person who arranged the flowers in these photos the one that will arrange mine?
  • Is there a delivery charge?
  • Is there a setup fee?
  • If I want to change something about the order later, can I and what’s the latest date changes can be made if so?
  • Will you transport the flowers from the ceremony to the reception or do I?  Is there an extra charge for that?
  • What flowers are in season near my date?
Once you’ve chosen a florist you’ll want to book them and sign the contract.  A month or two before the wedding call to confirm they were able to procure your flowers in the colors you wanted.  Keep in mind that if your wedding falls around major “floral holidays” – like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, etc. – you can expect to pay 2-3x the amount for your flowers that you would at other times.

That’s a lot to digest!  It makes those consultations so important – not only so you can get your questions answered but also to get professional suggestions to help you create your dream look.  Joan and Alycia at Wise Originals Florist & Gifts would love to meet with you and help with all your needs.  They have been serving Ashton, PA and the surrounding areas for over 25 years.  If you are in the Ashton area you can request a face-to-face consultation with them.  You can view samples of their work here.  If you’re not local to them they also deliver world-wide with no service fees.

Wise Originals is providing an awesome prize for this week’s giveaways, which will be posted this weekend.  Be sure to check back to win some flowers!

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