Happy Anniversary, “Perfect Pair” Candle!

We picked a winner.

This August, it was 10 years since our Perfect Pair candle was featured on the Today Show and on reflection, we’re thrilled to say this pretty party and wedding favor is as popular as ever. So we wanted to wish one of our best sellers a happy anniversary! Still classy, still beautiful and still going strong.

But did you know the Perfect Pair candle actually made its media debut even earlier than that? Here’s our sweet success story:

In January 2001,  InStyle magazine approached us to ask if we would submit samples of some of our favors. I decided to add the new Perfect Pair Pear Candle I had just designed.

Apparently InStyle liked what they saw (and sniffed — mmm), because they featured us in their magazine — and a staggering 25,000 personalized pear candles flew off the shelves within months.

A celebrity wedding even featured the Perfect Pair, and the comments and kudos began rolling in. We received so many comments on the delightful, fresh pear scent — it’s enchanting.

Then the Today Show called. I wish I could share with you just how that felt. It was an absolutely wonderful feeling. Shortly after the Today Show featured the Perfect Pair, we acquired expanded warehouse facilities to accommodate our customers, and the rest is history.

Perfect Pair is still the perfect wedding favor. It’s a timeless “new classic” that goes with virtually every season and every wedding style. Now that we’re coming into autumn, the pear, an emblem of bountiful nature (and sweet yumminess!) is once again top on our brides’ and grooms’ lists. We still can’t keep them on the shelves, but that’s okay…we’re thrilled to share their beauty with you.

Happy Anniversary, Perfect Pair!

Favors for Your Outdoor or Garden Wedding

Ah, sweet springtime. Pick the best of the bunch for your outdoor wedding favors.

It’s spring…almost. And in honor of the season, everything’s coming up gorgeous at favorsbyserendipity.com.

We’re so pleased to be able to offer such a unique selection this spring, especially when it comes to outdoor and garden weddings. We feel this season’s selection of favors truly add that something special to your outdoor affair — and we know you will too.

Let’s take a sneak peek at what’s new for 2011. (Click on the pics for more info on each, or the image above of the bride and groom for a selection of our favorites.)

Lovebirds in the Window Ceramic Salt and Pepper Shakers: Give these to guests as favors or set them up on your wedding reception tables. Don’t you love them? The soft ivory white color will go with any decor, so your guests are sure to make use of this beautiful gift.

Butterfly Bookmark Favor: This is precious, and very elegant.  Stunning polished metal makes an impression. It’s all wrapped up in a pastel-colors box. Perfect for either wedding favors or gifts to the wedding party.

Meant to Bee Ceramic Honey Pot: These sweet ceramic creations can hold honey, jam or jelly and are perfect at your guests’ place settings as take-home favors.

Paisley Cupcake Wrappers: So many of our 2011 brides are loving the wedding cupcake trend that we just had to post these precious favorites. Yum! Pink paisley is ideal to accent an outdoor table, so this treat couples as decor.

Enjoy — and remember to send us pics of your wedding favors and how you used them to make your wedding extra-special.

Style Update: Spring Wedding Favors

Depending upon where you live (giving a shout out to the northeast — hello, my friends!), it may not seem like spring is coming…but it is.

Stylishly yours: daisy favor boxes.

And so is the annual influx of spring weddings.

And why not? Spring is gorgeous, and it’s about new beginnings. Can there really be a better time, both weather-wise and symbolically, to say “I do” with the person who will be walking life’s path with you?

Of course, you’ll want to stand out from the crowd. Make a big impact with these lovely spring favors that are truly you. Here are our favorite Spring 2011 wedding favor ideas.

Daisies. This adorable bloom is an emblem of springtime.

What a gorgeous idea. Guests can plant these at home.

Incorporate daisies into your wedding in a truly organic way with favors that contain seeds (see pic). We love this idea — not only will your guests be thrilled with the unique gift, but they’ll think of you and your spouse when the flowers bloom.

We adore these very special bouquet favor boxes, and so will your guests.

Also top favor boxes with spring daisies; there’s nothing like this sunny, sweet flower to accent any wedding gift.

Flowers native to your area. Naturally, daisies aren’t the only spring flower around. Find out what species grow in your area if you don’t already know, and find favors that match what you discover.

Spring colors — with flair. Bolder, “statement” colors are very on-trend for 2011. Look for vibrant versions of favorite spring colors, like hot pink, sunny yellow, mint green and sky blue with deep, rich navy to accent the hue.

Also incorporate spring colors into edible favors — especially buttery, delicious yellow or cream.

Please *do* eat the daisies: these brownie pops are a spring sunshine-yellow for visual as well as taste-bud appeal.

Organic choices. Go green for real with eco-friendly wedding favors. (We love the bamboo, by the way…check it out.) Match this choice with environmentally friendly materials for your wedding stationery, too.

Sunny home decor. Try a sun catcher or small spray of ornamental spring flowers that can be hung on the wall for gifts your guests will use and love.

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Proposals are usually at their peak in December — and that’s right around the corner. Use Save the Date magnets as soon as you set a date.

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The last leaves are falling, a chill is settling into the evenings and in many places, homes are battening down for the coming winter and for the season’s first fluffy white, postcard-perfect snows.

And you all know what THAT means. That’s right: It’s wedding proposal time! (Gotcha!) Across the U.S., more wedding proposals happen in December than in any other month.

If your beloved has been dropping a hint or two, be ready to grab up our Save the Date magnets. Shown at left in gorgeous Damask style, center right in Daisy and lower right in Tropical Flower, Save the Date magnets won’t get lost by friends and loved ones in a paper shuffle because they stick cleanly to refrigerators or other metal surfaces.

They’re orderable in multiples of 10 (minimum 10 magnets per order) for your convenience…and many styles can be complemented with matching wedding favors or bridesmaids’ gifts (look here for a Damask example, and be sure to check out our other Save the Date magnet styles).

Our brides-to-be love our Save the Date Magnets – they’re an inexpensive, beautiful and very practical way to remind wedding guests to mark their calendars for that very special day. As always, we’ve provided plenty of style options to showcase our brides- and grooms-to-be perfectly. So grab yours now! (Or, well…you might want to wait until he’s officially popped the question…)

Hello Kitty Is All Grown Up

Hello Kitty is an icon that has now made it to the bottles of white wine and perfect for a party or wedding reception.  What a whimsical, wonderful idea.  How fun!!!!

Here are some tasting notes for the four types:

Hello Kitty Sparkling Brut Rosé – A deep reddish pink sparkling rose made from 100% Pinot Noir that has a frothy mousse as well as a pretty nose of rose petal and red currant scents.

Hello Kitty Sparkling “Sweet Pink” (Half Size) – This semi-sweet sparkler sports a pale pink hue and has very delicate bubbles.

2008 Hello Kitty Angel White – This is a fresh, very “blanc” white wine made entirely from Pinot Noir free run juice.

2006 Hello Kitty Devil Red – Garnet red with brickish highlights, this is a classically rendered Pinot Noir that presents a seductive bouquet of wild flowers and forest aromas.

Complete tasting and technical notes for each wine type at HelloKittyWine.com.

Thank you Simply Natural Events for doing an article about  this on your blog.  Love it!

Breakfast At Tiffany Fashionable Stationery

Something blue  that never goes out of style  is found at  the world famous store Tiffany.  Many brides use the inspiration they get from Audrey Hepburn in the classic movie Breakfast At Tiffany for their bridal shower theme, and it couldn’t be more fun to decorate, and to get your guests anxious for the festivities when they receive their invitation.

I always enjoy bringing new artists to your attention, and I’m sure you’ll agree, “getting your party started” with these gorgeous invitations will set the tone for your beautiful bridal shower.  Elaine Biss designed this invitation, and there are many more delightful designs to choose from.

Courtesy of Elaine Biss

Every girl needs their “Little Black Dress” and this would also be a perfect design for your Breakfast At Tiffany party.

Courtesy of Elaine Biss

If you’re known for having a pair of shoes and purse for every outfit,  this design would be perfect.  I think going to a thrift store, buying purses you love and using them as a “container” for your centerpieces would be fabulous.

Courtesy of Elaine Biss

Don’t forget to send your bridesmaid’s an invitation to be in your wedding party.  A perfect way of doing this would be a Tiffany blue box with a  diamond paperweight (how appropriate for a Tiffany theme).

Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

For other decorating ideas visit my bridal shower section and scroll down until you come to the article on Breakfast At Tiffany Bridal Showers.

Let Them Eat Cupcakes

While wedding cakes are still one of the most beautiful features of your reception, cupcakes are holding their own as a popular trend in 2010.  If you were concerned they wouldn’t be elegant enough, look at  what some decorators are doing with them to enhance their beauty and make them fit your reception decor, including a cake at the top of the display for tradition.

I love the fact that they included a crystal monogram on the top of the cake and for added elegance, they have the crystal trim surrounding each layer.

Courtesy of cupcakecollection.com

Black and White is still a very popular color scheme for weddings, and this display of cupcakes looks gorgeous.  There are also black and white cupcake wrappers if you’re doing it yourself,  that will enhance even store bought cupcakes.

Courtesy of vanillabakeshop.com

Courtesy of The Cakery

The Cakery’s display, above, uses Filagree Cupcake wrappers on some of the tiers.  Notice they also have a cake at the top, which is a touch I really like.  Since the Filigree wrappers come in black and white, I can see alternating them on each tier for a black and white color scheme wedding.

These cupcakes by Blue Cupcake  represent a wonderful Summer or Springtime wedding.  A lovey cake at the top, and the cupcakes bring a smile to my face as they are still very elegant, yet suitable for an outside garden wedding.

Courtesy of bluecupcake.com

Courtesy of bluecupcake.com

If vivid colors (a big trend for 2010) is your fav, look at the above cupcakes by Blue Cupcake, for inspiration.

I enjoy the fact that you have so many options available to you to suit any budget.  You can have one of these wonderful bakeries do them for you.  You can bake your own and have fun decorating them yourself.  You can pick up cupcakes from your local bakery or even supermarket and use the gorgeous new cupcake wrappers that come in a wide variety of designs and colors to enhance them.  It’s great when there are so many choices.

DIY Wedding Invitations & Clipart Help

These days so many brides love to have a hand in creating their own custom designed invitations and programs as well as all kinds of fun things to make their wedding stand out from the rest.  Today I found a wonderful site, WeddingDNA,  which I had to share with you because it has all the tools to help you accomplish creating an elegant professional look, made with your own hands.

If you’re artistic like I am, you love finding beautiful clip art to enhance whatever project you’re working on.  This site will become your source over and over again.  They even have some gorgeous free clip art you can play with…what’s better than that?

Sample Inviation: Wedding DNA

Dessert Buffet – A Yummy Wedding Trend

The new trend in reception treats,  that keep your guests coming back for more,  is the Dessert Buffet. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to give up on having a gorgeous wedding cake if you really want one, but it can save you money to have your cake made smaller for your pictures and cake cutting tradition.

There is no end to what you can serve on a  Dessert Bar.  Cupcakes, pie, bite size brownies, rice krispy treats, cheesecake, etc.  Big taste can come in small packages.

1- Keep the servings small and presented beautifully.

2- Give a nice variety of tastes to satisfy your guests preferences.  Even some sugar free selections would be nice if possible.

3- Chocolate covered strawberries or a chocolate fountain with fruit, marshmallows, cut up pound cake is another wonderful presentation.

4- How about cookies with milk in cute glasses?

5- Make sure you have boxes to send home with your guests for their goodies from the dessert bar.

For the DIY bride, or a reception on a tight budget,  this is a wonderful idea.  You can have a dessert reception mid afternoon or after the dinner hour so guests will know they will not be fed a meal.  Make sure you note that in the wording of  your invitation “Dessert Buffet Reception” following.

I love this idea for your bridal shower or engagement party too if you still want to do a traditional wedding cake for your reception.

Now for the inspiration:

This is a brilliant idea (I can’t take credit for this one, but I love it).  Use your favorite pie recipe to make these miniature “pies” on a lollipop stick.  Wrap the top with cello tied with a bow and put them standing up in an attractive container or make an “arrangement” with them by inserting the stick into a piece of styrofoam which can be disguised with crumbled oreo cookies (that is my idea).  Use a round cookie cutter to cut the pie dough out, use your favorite pie filling, crimp the edges, and make these little pies as would any pie, except make sure you insert the lolli stick before baking.

"Lolli Pie"

Rice Krispy Treats in a Vase

Chocolate Fountain Buffet

Rice Krispy Cake

Dessert Bar

Brownies, Mini Eclairs, Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Cupcake Boxes

Boxes for all your guests to take home their desserts are available in 10 of your  favorite colors and a variety of sizes.

Gourmet Rice Krispie Treats come in different choices including Rice Krispie Pops and Decadent Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Pops.

Individual Cupcake boxes are also available.

Clear Boxes & Cupcake wrappers

For an elegant way to present your cupcakes, there are many styles and colors of cupcake wrappers to make them look elegant.

Now, this is fun!!

We have a winner!$250.00 shopping spree!!

Favors By Serendipity is offering a $250.00 Shopping Spree towards anything on their site – including Cake Jewelry, Bridesmaids Gifts, Bridal Shower Favors, Wedding and Party Favors, Candy Buffet Packaging and more…..

Imagine getting a free gift just for giving your opinion.

Post a comment here telling us which item from the Favors By Serendipity website you especially like or would love to get if you win.

Giveaway ends Thursday, August 13 at midnight, PST.

Winner is chosen randomly and will be notified Friday, August 14, and announced here as soon as they accept the prize.

Here are some ideas of what you can win: