Well the party is coming to a close. That big event, that you’ve been stressing about and worrying about every minor detail for over a year, is over already! Well, how about you make a final impression on your guests to make sure they walk away thinking, “could that have gotten any better?!?” Here are some ideas to seal the deal with your guests at the end of the night!
1. The chocolate chip cookie favor: Who wouldn’t like to see these on the way out? What a great idea for the ride home! Found these at It’s a Jaime Thing.
2. Cupcake Wedding Favors: On a similar note, check out these! You can have individually boxed cupcakes for your guests as a little going away surprise!
3. Of course if you want to be more extravagant, the wedding donut is always an option that will amaze your guests. Check out my recent post for details about the Donut Divas!
4. Now to wash it down. It seems like Milk Shake Shots are becoming the new rage! Here are some amazing milkshake shots I found over at Style Notes.
5. And finally the Coffee Bar: Yes, it’s going to be a long drive home for some folks. How about you help get them focused. We all know coffee is popular and who wouldn’t love a nice cappuccino to close out the night. Here’s a beautiful coffee bar I found over at my old friend Melissa’s blog (hi Melissa, I know it’s been a long time, sorry I haven’t been in touch for a long while!)
This one looks like a self serve coffee bar but there are full service coffee bar vendors out there too.
Looking for options for the second time around? Maybe just want to go away with your honey and not have to deal with all the planning, inviting all the guests, and just have something intimate?
Well, here’s an idea not to mention a great deal! We are affiliates of Sandals, so we get notified of all their deals. They are currently running a special through May 20th 2010 in which you receive 2 nights free if you book a minimum of 7 days. Plus, you get up to 65% off at all Sandals locations. Plus, you get a $250 Red Lane Spa Credit! I think you can also get some good deals on airfare through their site.
So, what about the wedding? The basic wedding package is included for free (except at Sandals Emerald Bay).
Not bad huh? If you want to find out more, click on our affiliate link below.
What has my friend Preston been up to these days? Hey Preston I thought we were close? We used to hang out? We use to talk about how much fun it was to be wedding bloggers way back when you first started blogging in 2007. Well it looks like my advice paid off! Looks like you finally made the big time! You moved your blog to your own domain from Blogger. Good move. BTW, I love your new blog! And, you started your own line of wedding invitations! Wow, and not even a mention to your old friend Rhonda! I had to find out by reading Instyle Weddings Magazine? I guess I know where I stand!
(Sidenote: Hey Preston, if you are reading my blog, just kidding, I’m not insane, just my attempt at getting my readers attention! Readers, yes I did meet Preston back in 2007 but no, I haven’t talked to him since! But read on!)
Preston Bailey did start his own line of invitations and they are definitely Preston Bailey. For those of you who have read his book, Preston Bailey Celebrations, you know he loves flowers and uses them to make a very vibrant backdrop to the weddings he designs. Well his invitations are no exception. Here are a few of his designs to show you what I mean. I like the nice touch of having coordinating envelope seals for each invitation (shown in the pictures).
No, you don’t have to be Oprah to afford these. From what I can tell, they are all less than $3 a piece if you by at least 100. Many are less than $2 a piece. The best part for me is, he chose one of our affiliates, Invitation Consultants to carry them. So if you want to see his full line of invitations just click here! Find your perfect wedding invitation. Free Shipping on orders over $150.
You don’t have to be an artist to make amazing DIY Wedding Invitations, not with LCI Paper that is! I found out about LCI Paper because, unbeknownst to me, we carry their products in our Wedding Shop. I saw we made a few sales of their products in a short period of time so I had to see what made them so popular. I found that we carry over 100 LCI Paper DIY Wedding Invitations in our Wedding Shop. The thing that sets LCI Paper apart from the other printable wedding invitations you see out there is the quality of the paper. They have some of the finest imported paper that you can find. I’ll post about some of special types of paper they sell in the days to come. But you can check it out for yourself at their website, here LCI Paper Co.
Another great thing about LCI Paper is the how to videos! If you are a little nervous about cutting, gluing and layering your papers they have some videos showing you how to do it. LCI Paper makes DIY Wedding Invitations easy with a large variety of Print at Home Wedding Invitation options. Here are a few examples.
I’ll start off with one of those videos I talked about. This video shows how to put together one of the Blue Blossom Pocket Fold Invitations. This beautiful invitation requires some hand cutting as you will see but the sense of accomplishment and pride that will come with all the compliments from your guests will be worth it!
If you’re not into all the cutting and gluing, here are a couple of other unique options. This one is a Blue Vellum Printable Invitation Kit. All you have to do is print them on your home computer and easily assemble them.
We have some big news here at Our Wedding Plus today! We just launched our Wedding Vendor Directory! We hope to make this the most comprehensive directory of wedding vendors on the web. It is broken down into numerous categories that will help you find the vendors you need and there’s an advanced search option that allows you to conduct Zip Code radius searches to find vendors near you!
If you are a wedding vendor of any kind, please be sure to check us out! We are offering very low prices for listings, including Free if you provide a reciprocal link to OurWeddingPlus.com. The links from our listings are search engine friendly too! You may have seen other sites that are similar that charge hundreds if not over a thousand dollars per year to be listed.
Without a reciprocal link, a basic listing is currently only $10/year and a premium listing is only $20/year. The Premium Listing allows the upload of a logo and images. It also includes more space for a description of your company and inclusion in the Featured Listings Box which appears on all pages of the directory.
We put together a pretty advanced site that is visually appealing and very easy to use. We’d love to get your feedback and include you in our directory!
Oh yeah, we have a category dedicated to Wedding Bloggers! So bloggers if you’d like to be listed in our Wedding Blogs category come sign up! Once you do, I’ll let you know how you can get a free upgrade to a Premium Listing!
As usual, I am always on the lookout for new wedding ideas and I found one that I’m bursting to share with all you busy planners out there! These amazing ladies call themselves the Donut Divas and I love what they do! The divas travel to your event with everything needed to make fresh, hot, mini donuts on the spot. And if you have been searching for unique ways to make your wedding memorable, I think this post will provide inspiration.
Picture this, your guests have been dancing all evening working up their appetites and all of sudden they begin to sense this amazing aroma of fresh sizzling buttermilk dough wafting through the air. They follow their noses over to a beautifully decorated table to find a mini donut machine creating freshly cooked donuts (1200 an hour to be exact) right before their eyes. The donut divas will then drizzle the topping of their choice on the donuts and package them up in some adorable pink box or bag and off they go thinking, “WOW! That was unexpected surprise, I’m impressed.”
Here’s their appearance on the South Florida Today Show to give you a good idea of how they operate.
Oh, I must mention Donut Divas don’t just do donuts, below is the “Fudge Puppy,” a Belgian Waffle on a stick covered in chocolate and whipped cream!
If you are lucky enough to live in south Florida check these ladies out.
And to the Divas, BRAVO for coming up with a “fresh” new spin on the donut
Well, it is official the birdcage veil which was all the rage in the 1950’s is definitely one of the hottest wedding trends in 2010. I wasn’t a fan at first but, after attending a bridal fashion show this weekend I’ve changed my mind. One of the models wore a birdcage veil and she looked chic and elegant in every gown she walked down the runway in. Her veil came to the edge of her chin and was attached with rhinestone hair clips on each side, and let me just say, it delicately framed her face beautifully.
As with many fashion trends Hollywood happens to be our inspiration and this certainly holds true with the birdcage veil too! The top photos are of Katherine Heigl and Jamie Presley at their recent weddings and the bottom photos are movie weddings with Jessica Alba in the Fantastic Four and Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama.
Now there are many versions of the birdcage veil, for instance it can be adorned with silk flowers or feathers or it can come to the chin or just cover the eyes. But just keep in mind with any style I suggest you sample them all. You never know what will look best on YOU until you give it a try.
If you do decide on a birdcage veil I personally recommend you keep the gown on the simple and elegant side and definitely wear the veil with confidence.
Here’s a couple I like in our very own Wedding Shop! To find out more just click on them.
Looking for some unique wedding favors? Something that is definitely personal and can’t be found anywhere else? How about some M&M’s with pictures of the bride and groom on them? You can even add your own message and pick the colors!
I’ve told you about these personalized M&M’s before in other posts, but since we are affiliates with My M&M’s, they just sent me word that from January 15th 2010 through February 15th 2010, they are running a Valentine’s Day Sale where you get 14% off your order.
So, if you want to take advantage of this sale just click on this banner!
If you are just starting your wedding planning process, you probably have lots of questions and concerns about what’s ahead for you. There is lots to think about. So, here’s a resource you might want to look into.
Wedding University is being hosted by some of the San Francisco areas top wedding professionals. The focus of the day is to help you understand the wedding planning process. You will be taught what to look out for by wedding professional in the area of general planning, catering, photography, entertainment, beauty, attire and etiquette, and videography.
This is will be held 11AM to 5PM on January 31st, 2010 at the Four Seasons in Silicon Valley. Registration ends on January 29th or when they reach their 150 person limit.
LOVE the idea of a Save-the-Date MAGNET! The whole concept is to create something which will serve as a constant reminder to your guest to keep that very important date available. And no civilized person will shove that adorable magnet in a draw or let it get lost in a sea of mail, right? Every guest who receives one will most likely place it on the refrigerator door, which we all know serves as the most logical platform for all important information that we DO NOT want to forget!
Now if you are currently in the market for save-the-dates I beg you to check out our affiliate MagnetStreet Weddings I guarantee you will not be disappointed. They have the most INCREDIBLE selection I have ever seen, they say 2,071 original designs. There is literally something for everyone. I think they offer every theme and design imaginable, from purely elegant to romantic to lighthearted. They even have an equestrian theme shown top left above, I LOVE IT!
The feature I think you will find most appealing is the freedom to personalize the colors, fonts, and text on most of the designs. If you are looking for inspiration just take a peek at what these incredibly creative couples have done with their save the dates over at Magnet Street’s blog, Truly Engaging.
I love how Nalie and Nate utilized the backside of the Carrier Card by printing their wedding website and other important information for their guests.
Preston Bailey did start his own line of invitations and they are definitely Preston Bailey. For those of you who have read his book, Preston Bailey Celebrations, you know he loves flowers and uses them to make a very vibrant backdrop to the weddings he designs. Well his invitations are no exception. Here are a few of his designs to show you what I mean. I like the nice touch of having coordinating envelope seals for each invitation (shown in the pictures).
