Be Your Own Brew Master and Bottler

Veronica Scheaffer's My Hands Made It Blog shows these great beer bottle labels that were made for a memorial service. But they got me thinking, why not go creative and design some great labels for some home brewed beer for your wedding?  Sure it would take some effort and time (and depending on your skill set might work for you or not) but it sounds like a great way to spend time with your fiance during all the wedding planning that would be fun but productive and would give him more creative input for your wedding.  Of course you could just slap labels on other wine or beer, but brewing your own sounds like a lot more fun.  He could even get his groomsmen involved--suspect they'd all have a good time being the brew masters for your wedding.  Whether there would be any beer left for the wedding is debatable! Give it some thought--plan you design--or find a creative type to help you make a great label that reflects the two of you and your interests.  Consider having a caricature of the two of you maybe...the possibilities are endless!  Enjoy!

Eggplant and Aqua Inspiration Board

Looking for a unique color combination? Try aqua and juxtapose it with eggplant! The light with the dark is an elegant color combination for your wedding.  Whether you dress your maid of honor in eggplant and bridesmaids in aqua or use the eggplant as an accent to the aqua, your wedding have an elegant look.  This inspiration board is courtesy of eleGALA.  Visit their web site for more great wedding ideas

Top Row:
Beach image via Koyal Wholesale Blog
Striped straws via Pick Fair Etsy shop
Antique bottles via 52 Flea

Middle Row:
Bridesmaid dress via BHLDN
Ring photo by Elizabeth Taylor Frandsen
Cupcakes via Koyal Wholesale Blog
Purple shoe photo by Heather P. Moore Photography
Bottom row:
Aqua Pom from Pom Love
Floral arrangement via Green Wedding Shoes
Purple twine from Olive Manna

Budget Destination Weddings? Vegas Anyone?

Photo courtesy of GigMasters

To me a Vegas wedding always seemed (pardon the put down) but tacky. As destination weddings go I never thought of heading to Vegas as a good option for a destination wedding. But if you go over to Weddzilla (a fabulous wedding blog!) and read "Money, Money, Money" by The Copious Bride, you'll see how she and her husband to be are planning a great wedding for around $10,000.  And her wedding looks anything but 'tacky.'  So I guess I'll have to adjust my attitudes! This isn't to say you couldn't do it for less (or way more of course) but this post is a great introduction to having a NICE Weddings in Las Vegas! Just remember, you don't have to get married by a fake Elvis to have a Vegas wedding!

Double-Decker Cupcakes For Your Wedding

This double-decker angel food cupcake with it's boutique cupcake paper is perfect for a wedding. It looks just like an asymmetrical wedding cake! This cupcake was an entry in a contest and was created by The Insomniac Baker. (The recipe is on the Baker's web page linked previously. Photos also courtesy of The Insomniac Baker.)

Try out this combination of angel food cake and meringue with gelato! Two fluffy angel food cupcakes with meringue gelato in the middle and a smooth, Swiss meringue buttercream on top, with a sweet little meringue cookie to top it all off--perfection! These are an ice cream cupcake though so your caterer will need to assemble them on site and they won't work for a sweet table. You could probably adapt the recipe to use something other than the gelato if you wanted to use them for a sweet table display. 

Pippa's Dress--Now Available at Lord and Taylor

Lord and Taylor is selling this great copy of what will forever be known as 'Pippa's dress' starting in July.  It comes in white, black and burgundy.  Pippa's dress could easily be used as a bride's gown as well, so give it some thought (of course you really need to have the figure to carry it off!).  See all the great bridal looks at Lord and Taylor.  Now that you've found the dress, it's time to head to the gym!

Wildflower Linens Iridescent Taffeta Stardust Diana Chair Cover

Wildflower Linens shows off their Diane chair cover in iridescent taffeta stardust.  Perfect for the head table chairs even if you don't want something this fancy for all your chair covers.  Visit Wildflower Linens to see the variety of colors this cover is available in for your wedding.  See the great coverage they got in Phoenix Bride and Groom Magazine Summer/Fall 2011.  Showoff your sense of style, utilize Wildflower Linens at your upcoming wedding.

Take Some Time Off From Wedding Planning

And enter a giveaway for tubing for two @ Two Frugal Moms Blog! Get out in the sun and on the water and float away your wedding planning woes on a huge tube in the Delaware River! Two Frugal Moms help you relax without blowing your budget when you win this day of tubing.  So head over and enter today!

A New Kind of Bar For Yor Wedding

A Stinky Cheese Bar instead of overly sweet desserts--Genius! OK, I know it sounds kind of weird--or maybe a lot weird--depending on your taste in cheese, but the combination of sauces and cheeses and crusty bread to put them on in pure genius! No overly sweet concoctions for your wedding, instead your wedding will be unique with a Stinky Cheese Bar!  Photos courtesy of 100 Layer Cake blog.

Papabubble Makes Candy Twists

Cocktail hours with candy twists? Hmm... well if these are the twists I'll take some! Pappabubble makes these pretty candy twists to use as drink garnishes that not only add flavor but add color and pizazz to your cocktails. Turn your cocktail into a guilty pleasure times two! Contact Papabubble at 2120966-2599. Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart.

Doughnuts With A Difference!

Planning on providing a late night snack for your guests as your reception winds down? Serve these doughnut holes with a difference.  Ask your caterer to make you a variety of these great donut holes in a variety of hot colors and serve them in a gold or silver cone.  Add some good coffee and your guests will thank you!  Thank you Martha Stewart for the great idea and photo!

Doughnut recipe at Martha's site.

A Lovely Deal--Wedding Site to Save You $$$

Phoro not of cake available--just to pretty up the post! Sorry! Photo from Calligraphy by Jennifer on Facebook.

What is A Lovely Deal all about? Save. Share. Plan. Connect. Wed. Their philosophy is simple: help engaged couples save money and vendors expand their business.

They know as a couple planning a wedding, the options seem endless and overwhelming (not to mention EXPENSIVE). By searching “The Deals” list, you find exciting deals offered by all types of vendors! It’s definitely worth a look to see if what they’re offering can benefit you. If you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for, create a listing on “The Wishlist” and let a vendor find you!

Vendors can often feel like a small fish in a big sea. Offering a deal of any kind to couples is a great way to explore and expand your market. There is no stipulations on what types of Deals you can offer and they don’t take a percentage of your sales.

CONTACT INFO

• Questions about the site: help@alovelydeal.com
• Advertising: advertise@alovelydeal.com
• Give us some feedback: feedback@alovelydeal.com

Nonpareil Rimmed White Chocolate Martinis

The folks over at Pizzazzerie are the queens of cocktails with bling! These nonpareil rimmed white chocolate martinis just cement their rep as the queens of drinks that not only taste good but look good too!

They posted this recipe for a Godiva White Chocolate Martini with directions on how to rim the glasses with pretty nonpareils in the color or colors of your choice. Any version of a white chocolate martini would do. We suggest having a tray of these pre-made ready for your guests to ooh and ah over so they become part of your decor as well as a drink to die for!

We suggest providing the children at your wedding their own version of these using milk or chocolate milk--just tie a ribbon around the glass to designate the alcohol free versions! You wouldn't want the kids quaffing back the adult versions!

1 1/2 shots Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
1 1/2 shots half-and-half
1/2 shot vodka
Nonpareils
Light corn syrup
Dip rim of martini glass in light corn syrup (easiest to pour light corn syrup into a shallow plate and dip martini glass into plate). Pour out nonpareils onto a second shallow plate. Dip martini glass into nonpareils. Fill cocktail shaker with Godiva white chocolate liqueur, half-and-half, and vodka. Shake over ice and strain into martini glass. Enjoy! Optional: Top with a dollop of whip cream!

DIeting and Your Wedding

Photo from Email from Hungry Girl
Almost every bride I've ever met was on a diet pre-wedding.  Oh to lose those 10-20 lbs. before the big day! One great way to start slimming the tasty and easy way is this delectable frozen hot chocolate! YUM!  The recipe is from Hungry Girl's web site and I can guarantee it tastes oh so good!  Sign up for their daily emails and you'll get inspiration in daily doses!

Freakishly Good Frozen Hot ChocolatePER SERVING (entire recipe): 58 calories, 0.5g fat, 184mg sodium, 10g carbs, 1g fiber, 5g sugars, 3g protein -- PointsPlus® value 1*

Ingredients:
One 25-calorie packet diet hot cocoa mix (like Swiss Miss Diet or Nestlé Fat Free)
2 no-calorie sweetener packets (like Splenda or Truvia)
1/4 cup light vanilla soymilk
1 tbsp. sugar-free calorie-free vanilla-flavored syrup (like the kind by Torani)
1 tsp. sugar-free chocolate syrup (like the kind by Hershey's)
1 cup crushed ice or 5 to 8 ice cubes
2 tbsp. Fat Free Reddi-wip

Directions:
Place hot cocoa mix and sweetener in a tall mug or glass. Add 1/4 cup hot water and stir to dissolve.

Add soymilk, vanilla-flavored syrup, and chocolate syrup. Mix well. Place in the fridge or freezer for several minutes, until completely chilled. Pour mixture into a blender and add ice. Blend at high speed until uniform. Pour into the tall mug or glass. Finish off with whipped topping. Drink up!

MAKES 1 SERVING

BJ's Wholesale Club Rocks For Brides

Start the Celebration with Flowers from BJs!

I just got an email today from BJ's Wholesale Club.  It was promoting everything from great prices for flowers to wedding rings and engagement rings.  This might be a good time to sign up at BJ's Wholesale Club--after all, saving money is the name of the game!

I remember talking to a very upscale florist in Philly about where to get your flowers--he admitted they bought them at one of the local grocery stores! Yikes! I didn't ask what he charged his clients for them! So don't feel bad about buying yours from BJs!

The Wholesale Club also offers some deals on travel, so stop in today and see if they can help you balance the budget for your wedding!

Zoo Weddings Are All The Rage!

Zoo weddings rock! Bloomingdale's sells these two great Kate Spade dresses, one in giraffe, one in zebra, that would be perfect for your bridesmaids. Talk about a dress they REALLY could wear after your wedding! Love them! Of course it helps that Philadelphia's Zoo totally rocks! You can visit their zoo web site and see!  Inspiration from East Side Bride--that site rocks!

The Care And Feeding Of Your Bridesmaids

Provided by Mint.com

When is a picture worth a thousand words? When the info pic is like the one on Mint.com about the cost of being a bridesmaid.  Remember how excited you were when your friend asked you to be in her wedding--the glitz, the glam, and then reality hits--THE COST! Sure you expected to pay for a dress, shoes etc.  but these days weddings are becoming bigger extravaganzas than they were in previous times.  Mint.com offers suggestions on how brides can help their bridesmaids avoiad 'sticker shock' and keep the drama to a minimum.  Since you want your bridesmaids to look back on your wedding day and remember it as something they enjoyed, keeping the costs down as much as possible will help do that. 

I remember the first time my daughters were in a wedding.  It wasn't a major extravaganza, but the maid of honor refused everyones help until the last minute--when she just backed out of everything! ARRGH!  She was the bride's sister! You'd think she could have gotten together the bachelorette party without backing out at the very last minute.  She didn't just back out of coming--she backed out of helping to pay for it too.  If there's any chance your maid of honor is likely to pull a stunt like this you might want to consider choosing a more responsible individual.  Try to keep the responsibilities of your bridesmaids down as well as the costs--don't forget--they're paying mortgages and car payments too.  So choose your bridesmaids with care and care about your bridesmaids. 

Preppy Inspiration Board

This inspiration board courtesy of Elizabeth Anne Designs features aqua and kelly green--TOTALLY PREPPY!  I really fell in love with men's ties at the top.  What's your favorite part of the board?

Or mix aqua with berry/lavendar and surprise your guests with your color savvy.  Again, Elizabeth Anne Designs created the board.  Totally in love with the glass bottles at the left!  How about you?

Floral Ties -- Instead of a Boutonniere Or To Match Your Bouquet

Carrying pink roses? Purple Dahlias? Have your groom and his groomsmen wear these silk ties from Silkiness, Wardrobe Silk Art on Etsy.com as the perfect accompaniment! Instead of boutonnieres why not provide them with one of these hand-painted silk ties? 

Peacock Feathers--For The Groom and His Groomsmen

Silkiness Shop, an Etsy shop that specializes in all things silk has this gorgeous tie for the groom and his groomsmen for a peacock theme wedding.  Looking for accents for groomsmen who are wearing ho-hum suits? Just add these magical ties and they'll be as splendid as a male peacock!

DIY Wedding Invites--A Little Different

Consider this option for your wedding invitations shown on August and After's web site. These invitations from Vista Print are postcards--a great option to save postage and it will certainly consume less paper--can we say 'decrease the carbon footprint of your wedding?' Always a great idea! Think about the amount of waste that goes into weddings from the paper used to the gas consumed. Why not try to decrease it just a little bit?

Artisan Wedding Rings

Turtle Love Co. is an online retailer of artisan jewelry. They are committed to using ecologically and socially responsible practices and materials, and to supporting the work of jewelry artists and designers.

Visit their web site and find all their newest rings and other jewelry. It almost makes me wish I was getting married all over again!

Kate Middleton Dress Copy--Both Long and Short Styles

These dresses modeled after the one worn by Kate Middleton are available at Curvety's web site. So whether you're planning a more casual wedding and are looking for the short look or a more formal wedding this dress is avaiable in both.

Comfort for Your Feet

If you're planning a honeymoon with a lot of walking try these shoes/sandals available from Zappos. Not only are they pretty but they give you comfort and are easy to pack or just wear as you walk through the airport. I've owned Keens for years now, I first got some after my sister introduced me to them while we were in the mountains in Colorado (which will give you an idea of how sturdy these are for walking!). Read the comments from the owners of these shoes and you'll see just how much they enjoy wearing them and how often they come back to the company to purchase their footwear again and again. Find the Keens at Zappos.com. They come in many colors and styles--if I had the money I'd own almost all of them!

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Philly Soul Giveaway @ Two Frugal Moms--Entertain Your Honey!

Does your fiance enjoy watching the Philly Soul? Or are they your faves? The web site Two Frugal Mommas where they help you save money one click at a time (I am not affiliated with them in anyway, just thought this sounded like fun!) is giving away a family four pack of tickets! Head over to their site and see what you need to do to enter!  "The winner will be randomly selected at 10 PM EST Wednesday evening (June 15) and will be announced on our website (that means their website). The winner will be able to obtain the tickets at the will-call window prior to the game."

I just love the excitement of going to a game vs. just watching on TV! So head over to enter now.  There are a couple different ways to enter so use them all.  Then take some time to read through their web site which is full of great money saving tips.  Money saving tips and ways to have fun for free...sounds like a winning site to me!

Win A Cake! Make Your Sweet Tooth Happy!

Enter to win a free cake from Truly Custom Cakery on  their blog Stacy's Sweet Shop.  There are a lot of different ways to win so be sure to read carefully and enter often!

If you need a cake for a special occasion, birthday, anniversary, a groom's cake etc.  Truly Custom Cakery is a great source!  Stacey says she has a passion for creating custom, one of a kind cakes that are as unique as the people who buy them, so no more going to a baker who hands you a notebook full of 'someone else's cake!'  If Stacey makes your cake it's JUST YOURS!  Which is what you're looking for at your wedding. 

A Bride's Greatest Concern? Bathrooms and The Bride

I wasn't sure whether I should post this under DIY or just the general wedding blog, so here it is, and I'll post it on the DIY page as well.  Obviously this is a serious consideration for any bride! So here it is.  It's a direct quote from TheWeddingbee.

Photo and How-To Directions Directly from The Weddingbee

On arrival at your venue
* Open the door of the ladies' room and look in.
* If the floor is not clean, call the venue staff and ask to have it cleaned.
* If the floor is clean, walk into the ladies' room and open the door of the handicapped stall.
* If the floor of the handicapped stall is not clean, call the venue staff and ask to have it cleaned.
This ensures that you will not later get the train/back of the dress dirty just by having it touch the floor.
When you need to go
* Walk into the handicapped stall. Remove (don't just pull down) your underpants.
* Facing the toilet, pull up the front of your dress to your waist.
* Walk straight forward, so you are straddling the toilet, and sit down that way. The train/back of your dress will now be away from the toilet, so you won't get them wet or dirty.
* Lean forward before peeing. That way, even if you drop the front of the dress onto the seat, you will not pee in its direction.

Aqua Inspiration Board

If you're looking for an aqua inspiration board Laura Bielecki gives you lots of ideas for designing for your wedding day. (Photo via Romona Keveza Facebook page)

And The Bride Wore...

The Romona Keveza Collection offers brides this mint green option for their wedding gown.  A new twist on color for the bride, I fell in love with this gorgeous dress!  Even if you can't afford a designer original use the idea when planning your wedding dress. 

 

And if you are not quite adventurous enough to wear mint green as a bride, there are also short dresses in the same color--see below:

Bars, Bars, Bars-A Churro Bar?

Weddings these days seem to be made up of bars.  Mashed potato bars, martini bars, stinky cheese bars, on and on and on.  Here's one I hadn't heard of before, a churro bar! Yum!  What are churros?  Unique desserts that you can roll in cinnamon sugar, Oreo bits, or nutmeg.  These Mexican delights will set your wedding apart from the ho-hum everyday cookie cutter weddings.  This idea and photos courtesy of A Subtle Revelry.  They suggest purchasing the churros ready made from a warehouse store like Costco.  The ones they bought were preformed but uncooked.

Set up your bar as seen above.  Lots of toppings for your guests to choose from and enjoy!

Or some dips for your guest to try out--Chocolate, strawberry, etc.

This idea is perfect for a wedding held at the beginning of May and could reflect Cinco de Mayo.  Or it could just reflect the bride and grooms enjoyment of international foods.  Your choice!

Aqua and Gold Inspiration Board

Sometimes I find a blog post that I fall in love with...this is one of them.  Everything from the gold dress (heavenly! even if I can't afford it I can probaby get something to create a similar look) to the fascinator to my very favorite--the golden pomegranite! For a bride with the moxy to be willing to think a little bit outside the box this inspiration board is perfection!  This vintage inspiration board is courtesy of Green Wedding Shoes.

Butterfly Theme--From Invites to Table Numbers and More

Butterflies are a popular theme for spring and summer weddings.  These invitations and table numbers as well as the butterfly origami are offered to you to inspire you to consider using butterflies everywhere at your wedding (except for those nasty 'live' butterfly releases which I think are cruel!) 

Use the pretty lace-look butteflies as table numbers! So cool! If you want a more colorful look print the butterflies out in the color of your choice.

I'm not good at origami but these butterflies have a great look! Just be sure you give yourself plenty of time to practice making them and then time to make the final products.  This is a great project to do with your bridal party.  For more butterfly ideas that match these head to Green Wedding Shoes, as usual they are a font of fabulous ideas to inspire you!