Eco & Budget Friendly Weddings

More and more brides today are looking for environmentally friendly as well as budget friendly  options for their wedding decor.  There are so many ways to be eco friendly for your wedding.

1- Serve organic food

2- Wear a gown made from natural fabrics

3- Send invitations printed on recycled paper

Even though you’re going green, your wedding can still be ultra chic.  Just cutting down on the number of flowers you use can help.

Using branches with some flowers and crystals can fill in a room with a tall ceiling or an outdoor event while limited the amount of flowers needed.

Branch Centerpiece - Photo Courtesy of On Occasions Of Atlanta

Hydrangeas are a wonderful flower because they have so much volume. Be creative with DIY centerpieces. Pick flowers from your garden. I once had a bride with a very limited budget for decorating. Fortunately her wedding was in a month when everyone’s hydrangeas were in full bloom. We found a neighborhood bursting with hydrangeas in the front yards. Three of us split up and with clippers in hand, knocked on doors , explained why we needed them, and all the neighbors were so willing to let us clip a few hydrangeas from their bushes. Many said “take as many as you want”. I was able to make centerpieces from “free” flowers for all the tables and it was beautiful.

Photo Courtesy of: On Occasions Of Atlanta

A lovely flower inspired favor for your wedding could be a Cherry Blossom Candle.

Who Would Have Thought “A Woman Of Excellence”?

Here I am  working on my blog and trying to find new and exciting favors for Favors By Serendipity, when I find that I’ve been inducted into the Women of Excellence registry by the National Association of Professional and Executive Women.  Apparently someone nominated me.  I got a call from NAPEW where I was interviewed and then congratulated for being accepted.  I’m really delighted that women think of me as a good example.  Since I started Favors By Serendipity I have enjoyed helping other women who have contacted me start their own business or feature items they’ve designed on our site.  I would say in addition to the success of our business, seeing these women become successful has been very rewarding.  This week I was featured in the Orange County Register and you can see the article here:

http://www.ocregister.com/news/business-222694-favors-women.html

At first I was told it would appear in those stands that offer free newspapers.  Great, I thought, all the homeless people will see what is a very exciting event in my life.  However,  when I ran into friends who congratulated me (and I hadn’t had a chance to tell them about it yet), and had a woman at our local store ask for my autograph, I realized there was a lot more to this article being published than I realized.  Apparently it was an insert in the Orange County Register so everyone who got their Sunday paper saw it.  Now that’s really exciting!!  Yesterday I received an email telling me it was on their website, and I’ve been getting emails all day today.  Is this my 15 minutes?  I’m still waiting for Oprah to call….I’ve been saying that since Favors By Serendipity was born.

We have a winner of the $200.00 Shopping Spree

Congratulations, Harper for being the winner of Favors By Serendipity Shopping Spree.

Prepare Yourself For Your Wedding Day

Every bride wants perfection on her wedding day.  After all, it’s what she has dreamed about since she saw her first “At Last I Found My Prince” movie.  However, there are some things you need to know  so you will be prepared for the unexpected, which I can almost guarantee will happen.

1- To save yourself a lot of grief,  recognize  there will be mishaps – don’t expect perfection, it will only lead to frustration.  Your cake might have something happen in delivery – perhaps it’s leaning.  Know that it’s your wedding day and you’re going to have a great time!  Even the most seasoned wedding planner might encounter last minute hitches in your wedding.

2- When thinking about your Limo  think about the season of your wedding.  If your wedding is in the high wedding season or holidays, you’ll have to book it way in advance.  As soon as you set your wedding date, book your transportation.  You might get a discount for booking early or take advantage of special packages they offer.  If you wait until 2 months before the wedding, you may be paying next year’s prices.

3- Expect the unexpected!  If you’re having an outdoor wedding, make sure you have a plan B.  Always choose decor that can be used indoor or out so if things have to be moved inside it will look as good inside as it does outside.  Think about having a tent for your outdoor reception to protect your decor from the elements in case of rain.

4- Think about insurance.  You have a lot of money invested in this day.  Since it’s one of the biggest expenses you’ll have in your life, it gives you peace of mind knowing you have insurance in case of any financial loss.

5- When choosing a wedding planner, be sure you feel comfortable with them, you’re trusting them with the most important day of your life.  Interview more than one planner and  find somebody that gets your vision, understands what you are doing and relates to you on every level.

Since I mentioned “At Last I Found My Prince” at the beginning of this post, I thought you’d enjoy seeing  some  popular fairytale favors.

Your Wedding Day Menu

Remember that incredible meal you had at your favorite restaurant or while on vacation?  This is why selecting your menu can be a major task.   You want to get it right because  your guests will remember  if the food was great at your reception or disappointing.

Your food as husband and wife should reflect your taste but always be mindful of others. Some things to consider are:

1- There may be vegetarians amongst your guests. (Having the caterer prepare a cheese ravioli dish, was the perfect solution at an event I did recently).  Using place cards helps the servers know who gets the vegetarian dinner.

2- If you’ve invited people who have  food allergies you need to take that into consideration.

3- As you’re planning, have a variety of dishes if you are doing a buffet, or choices if you’re having a sit down dinner.

4- The season also plays a roll in what you will want to serve.  In the Fall, you may want to carve out mini pumpkins or squash and use them for soup bowls.

soup in "pumpkin bowls"

5- In the summer, fresh fruit abounds.  Serve a nice assortment and keep the meal on the lighter side, and use fresh fruit in your decor.  There are so many fruits that can be used this way, simply coordinate it with your color scheme.

Fruit Decor

6- If you have a morning wedding, a brunch type meal would be lovely.  For drinks offer Bloody Mary’s or Mimosas so they are more in tune with an earlier event.

7- Traditionally you will want to offer a soup or salad, an entree then dessert.

8- Make sure to do a taste test with the caterer or banquet facility (or your friends and family).

9- If you’re having a DIY reception, make sure all the offers are cohesive. Decide on a theme for the food, i.e., Italian, Mexican, Beef, Chicken, and don’t offer a combination of all these selections.  You don’t want it to feel like a picnic, but a lovely, thought out delicious and harmonious meal.

10- For variety,  you can offer a few different chicken dishes if you’re going with chicken.  The same with beef, etc.

Rice Krispie treats make a wonderful addition to your Dessert Buffet for any season.

$200.00 Free Favor Offer

Favors By Serendipity is offering a $200.00 Shopping Spree towards anything on their site – including Cake Jewelry, Bridesmaids Gifts, Bridal Shower Favors, Wedding and Party Favors, Candy Buffet Packaging and more…..just for giving your opinion.

With Winter approaching, they want to know if you will be using winter theme favors or what your favorite favor is and would love to win.  Visit Favors By Serendipity and then post a comment here and be entered into the drawing.

Giveaway ends November 20 at midnight PST.

Winner is chosen randomly and will be notified Monday, November 21st  and announced here as soon as they accept the prize.

Tie The Knot On A Cruise Ship

Looking for something original and unique?  Having your destination wedding on a gorgeous cruise ship is the perfect solution.

I would be apologizing for not posting for the past three weeks, however, I was on the Ruby Princess doing research for you on what it would be like to have a wedding on a cruise ship – oh well, someone’s got to do it, might as well be me …….

Frankly, it doesn’t get much better than this.

• The ships are just gorgeous and very elegant in themselves.
• I can vouch for the delicious food and beautiful presentation with every choice.
• What is more beautiful than a blue sky with billowy clouds and the ocean beneath you and as far as your eye can see?  Serenity at it’s best. Or,  a stop at a gorgeous location for your ceremony.
• Your wedding, reception and honeymoon would all be included to create an unforgettable event.
• There are experienced wedding coordinators that will design your wedding so that it’s extraordinary and it doesn’t matter if you have a small event or a grand,  large one.

There are different packages available.

• You can choose to get married at sea by the ship’s Captain.
• Have your ceremony on the ship harbor-side,  so even if some of your guests will not be sailing with you, they can still attend the wedding.
• You can get married ashore at one of the exotic locations.

All the details are spelled out for you on a down loadable brochure.  To find the information for a Princess Cruise wedding:

1 - Princess Cruises

2 – Click on “Learn about our cruise”

3 - Click on “On-board Experiences”

4 – Click on “Special Services”

Or, you can contact the “Tie the Knot” staff at (866) 444-8820 and speak with a wedding coordinator who will be happy to share their expertise, answer questions and offer helpful suggestions during your planning stage.

To coordinate with your cruise wedding, there are save the date magnets and wedding favors.

DIY Eco Friendly Moss Ring Pillow

Being green is easier these days (sorry, Kermit), with so many helpful ideas and tips being shared on wedding blogs.  I came across a wonderful project for a “natural” ring bearer pillow today on the blog of one of my favorite wedding planners Simply Natural Events and knew you’d love this idea.  I can see this same idea being used for centerpieces down a long table  in a garden wedding without the bow and inserting  votive candles in the four center squares and sprinkling some flower petals for color on the table.  The perfect wedding favors would be Eco friendly ones as well.

What You’ll Need: A 5″ x 5″ X 2″ piece of Styrofoam, 2 feet of ribbon (2″ wide),  3 yards of ribbon (1/4″ wide),  a 6″ x 6″ scrap of fabric, a handful of sphagnum moss, straight pins Round-headed corsage pins and a pair of scissors.

Instructions

1. Center your fabric face up on the Styrofoam square Fold the fabric
edges over sides of the Styrofoam and secure with straight pins. Wrap
the corners neatly and pin. (see figure 1)

2. Turn your Styrofoam over so the fabric side is down. Take your
sphagnum moss and stretch it out across the top of the Styrofoam. Be sure
that the moss completely covers the surface. (see figure 2)

3. Cut a length of the skinnier ribbon and run it diagonally across the
mossed surface. Attach both ends of the ribbons on the sides of the
Styrofoam using straight pins. Repeat this process to create a diagonal
grid of ribbon on the top of the pillow.

4. Take your corsage pins and stick them into the points where the
ribbons intersect on the pillow top. (see figure 4)

5. Turn the pillow on it’s side and pin the end of the wider ribbon in
the center of the side, using your straight pins. (see figure 5)

6. Wrap the ribbon around all four sides, concealing the fabric edges and
skinny ribbon tails. Pull it tightly as you go and keep the ribbon edges
lined up with the edges of the pillow. (see figure 5)

7. When you pass your starting point, fold under the ribbon tail and pin
it down using your corsage pins. (see figure 6)

8. Trim off any loose moss bits.

9. Cut a 12″ length of the skinnier ribbon and tie it to the corsage pin
in the center of the pillow. Attach your rings by tying a bow. (see
figure 7)

What it costs:
Styrofoam square $.90
Ribbon $3.00
Corsage Pins $2.00
Small bag of moss $1.80
Total = $7.70

Project created by Laurie Cinotto,

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

Save The Date Magnets – A Must For Your Wedding

Personalize your wedding from the start with Save The Dates.  For just .95 each you can find a style to suit your theme.   Whether your wedding is local or in a tropical paradise, you will want to send Save The Dates because they  allow your  guests to have enough time to make plans for your wedding and get them excited for your big day (especially knowing how busy everyone is these days).

Using a Save The Date Magnet makes it a convenient reminder, and can easily be placed on the refrigerator or a filing cabinet.

1- Choose a design that will set the tone for your wedding and express your personalities.

2- Make sure you send one to everyone on your guest list as soon as you set the date.

3- Your Save The Date can reflect the style of the invitation to come, but don’t be afraid to mix and match styles of the Save The Date and your invitation.  For example, you can send a fun, trendy Save The Date and follow it up with a formal invitation.

Your Save The Date can be sent out a year or so before your wedding.  Your invitation should be sent out 8 weeks before. If you have a personal wedding website, include your URL on the Save The Date so your guests can be informed about getting accommodations, etc. especially  if you get a block of rooms.

Now for your inspiration: