Bridal Bouquets – How to Make Your Own

If you are on a tight budget for your wedding, or if you just like working with flowers, you might try making your own bridal bouquet.  You may run into some problems that can be avoided by paying attention to our checklist for making a bridal bouquet.

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The Best Wedding Toast Ever

From the bride:

This is my Man of Honor’s speech from my wedding on April 28, 2007 in Sanibel and Captiva Islands, Florida.
In this magical moment, I seriously felt like my heart was going to explode!

Chose Your Wedding Colors Early

Perhaps one of the most important decisions you will make when planning your special day is choosing your wedding colors. Everything from the invitations to your jewelry will be affected by what palette you chose. Make your choice of wedding colors early to avoid major headaches down the road.
Tradition may say that your wedding colors should be soft and pastel, but that’s not the case for the modern bride. Throw caution to the wind and start with your favorite color, no matter what it is. This is your day; why not surround yourself with your favorite color? This will act as your base color for your wedding palette.

Once you have your base color, use a color wheel to chose complimentary colors. Using a color wheel will insure that your palette creates a pleasant visual backdrop that isn’t glaringly obvious. Keep in mind, however, that there are a few instances when your wedding colors may need to be adjusted beyond your chosen palette.

Theme weddings may demand particular color palettes in order to create the feel of the theme. If you have a particular theme in mind for your wedding, such as Medieval, Pirate, or beach, then your choice of wedding colors will probably be driven by the theme.

Hiring a professional will make the choice of wedding colors much easier. They are trained in helping brides chose colors that will not only look good together, but will also compliment the bride and her wedding party.

If you can’t afford to hire a professional wedding planner, don’t worry. Comb through bridal magazines for ideas for wedding colors. Cut these pictures out and keep them in your wedding organizer. Make sure to also keep either fabric swatches or pictures of the bridesmaids’ dresses. Take this organizer with you when you chose flowers, invitations, your cake, and your decorations. Having all these ideas in one place will help you see what colors work together and will help you create the wedding and reception of your dreams!

Celtic Wedding Rings

A fairly new trend in wedding ring design has risen in popularity over the past few years and it’s based on something that is anything but new. Celtic wedding rings, wedding bands and engagement rings that are designed featuring classic Celtic knot work are adorning more and more matrimonial fingers than ever before, perhaps since the days of the Celts themselves.

At one time these rings could only be special ordered from specific companies and were very costly. Today, however, with the rise in popularity of ancient Celtic design, many jewelers are carrying Celtic wedding rings and jewelry of all kinds on a regular basis.

The best and most beautiful Celtic wedding rings still come from companies that design the jewelry and do all the work themselves. Special intricate designs can be custom ordered and there are companies that will work your initials into a unique Celtic design for your wedding band… Purchasing your wedding rings from one of these companies can result in your having a true one of a kind ring that is completely unique to you. If you love the Celtic look but want to spend a bit less, however, you can simply go to your closest jeweler and find a Celtic wedding ring that suits your tastes. The method you use is entirely up to you.

Celtic wedding rings take their laced designs from the patterns of the ancient Celts, European peoples in the areas of England and Ireland in the last few hundred years B.C. At one time the Celtic civilization stretched across most of Europe, but it is from Ireland that most of the Celtic traditions and designs have been gleaned. Celtic wedding rings incorporate the most recognizable of Celtic designs, the interwoven lacework of basic shapes, entwined and overlapping in a distinct pattern.

Celtic jewelry, including Celtic wedding rings, first gained popularity with followers of neo-pagan religions like Wicca, but are now worn by people of many faiths who simply like the look of the designs. Influences of Celtic design can be seen in many cultures, traditions, and religions of today, most notably in Roman Catholicism which has long since adopted the image of the Celtic Cross as one of their own. It seems only natural that the intricate, ornate, and beautiful designs of the Celts would once again find their way into popular culture. Celtic jewelry began appearing in mainstream America again about ten years ago, although it has been around in one form or another for ages before that.

Celtic wedding rings and other Celtic jewelry make a statement about the person who wears them to the rest of the world. Wearing it says that this is a unique and different person with their own style and a different perspective. Having a Celtic wedding ring on your finger will let you hear some things as well. Most common is the comment, “Oh my gosh, what a gorgeous ring! Where did you get that?”

Celtic Wedding Bands – 14k Gold Two Tone Celtic Knot Wedding Ring 8mm wide Celtic Wedding Bands – 14k Gold Two Tone Celtic Knot Wedding Ring 8mm wide Highly detailed Celtic Knot wedding Ring is made to order, for a perfect fit.

Popular Wedding Songs

It can be hard to chose songs for your wedding. Certain songs may hold a special meaning for you, so you’ll want to include them. However, if you don’t have any particular songs you absolutely have to include, trying to decide can be daunting. To help you make a shortlist of music for your ceremony and reception, here is a list of popular wedding songs and what part of the ceremony they are often played during.  Of course, you can play any song you want, during any part of the ceremony and reception – you wedding is, after all, all about what you want.

Prelude music: Played prior to the ceremony, while guests are arriving.

• Moonlight Sonata (Beethoven)
• Isn’t It Romantic (Glenn Miller)
• Water Music (Handel)
• Ave Maria (Schubert / Gounod)
• The Four Seasons (Vivaldi)
• Greensleeves (Traditional)
• Rhapsody In Blue (Gershwin)
• Arioso (Bach)
• Ode To Joy (Beethoven)
• Brandenburg Concerto #2 (Bach)
• Gloria (Vivaldi)

Processional & Bridal music: Played during the time the family, wedding party, and the bride walk down the aisle.

• Bridal Chorus (Here Comes The Bride) from “Lohengrin” (Wagner)
• Trumpet Voluntary in D (The Prince of Denmark’s March) (Clarke or Purcell)
• Canon in D (Pachelbel)
• The Four Seasons (Handel)
• Water Music (Handel)
• What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
• Unforgettable (Nat King Cole)
• I Can’t Help Falling In Love (Elvis Presley)
• When A Man Loves A Woman (Percy Sledge)
• In My Life (The Beatles)
• March From Lohengrin (Wagner)

Interlude music (optional): The songs played during the ceremony.

• Ave Maria (Schubert)
• Amazing Grace (Traditional)
• La Traviata (Verdi)
• Sheep May Safely Graze (Bach)
• And I Love Her (The Beatles)
• Primavera: First Movement, Allegro (Vivaldi)
• Love Me Tender (Elvis Presley)
• Für Elise (Beethoven)
• We’ve Only Just Begun (The Carpenters)
• Have I Told You Lately (Van Morrison)

Recessional music: Music played as the new husband and wife walk up the aisle together.

• Wedding March (from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”) (Mendelssohn)
• Ode To Joy (from The Ninth Symphony) (Beethoven)
• Hallelujah Chorus (from “The Messiah”) (Handel)
• Trumpet Tune (Purcell)
• Magnificat In D (Bach)
• The Long And Winding Road (The Beatles)
• I Got You (I Feel Good) (James Brown)
• How Sweet It Is (James Taylor)
• Then He Kissed Me (The Crystals)
• I Got You Babe (Sonny and Cher)

Reception music:

First Dance music: First dance as husband and wife.

• Unforgettable (Nat King Cole)
• Can’t Help Falling In Love (Elvis Presley)
• Can I Have This Dance? (Ann Murray)
• The Way You Look Tonight (Frank Sinatra)
• It Had To Be You (Harry Connick, Jr.)
• What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
• Endless Love (Diana Ross and Lionel Richie)
• I Cross My Heart (George Strait)
• I Swear (John M. Montgomery or All 4 One)
• A Whole New World (Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle)
• As Time Goes By (A Kiss Is Just A Kiss) (Michael Feinstein)
• When You Say Nothing At All (Allison Krauss)
• Faithfully (Journey)
• No Ordinary Love (Sade)
• Here And Now (Luther Vandross)
• I Can Love you Like That (John M. Montgomery)
• Power Of Love (Celine Dion)
• Tonight I Celebrate My Love (Roberta Flack & Peabo Bryson)
• Everything I Do {I Do For You} (Bryan Adams)
• When A Man Loves A Woman (Percy Sledge or Michael Bolton)
• All My Life (Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville)
• I’ll Be There (Mariah Carey)
• On Bended Knee (Boyz II Men)
• At Last (Etta James)
• Don’t Know Much (Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville)
• From This Moment On (Shania Twain)
• Our Love Is Here To Stay (Harry Connick, Jr.)
• Unchained Melody (The Righteous Brothers)

Father/Daughter music: The dance between the new bride and her father.

• My Girl (The Temptations)
• Unforgettable (Nat King Cole / Natalie Cole)
• The Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler)
• My Dad (Paul Petersen)
• Hero (Mariah Carey)
• Butterfly Kisses (Bob Carlisle)
• Times of Your Life (Paul Anka)
• A Song For My Daughter (Steve Moser, Mikki Viereck, Ray Allaire)
• Because You Loved Me (Celine Dion)
• Have I Told You Lately (Van Morrison)
• What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
• Through The Years (Kenny Rogers)
• Daddy’s Hand (Holly Dunn)
• Daddy’s little Girl (Kippi Brannon)
• Daddy’s Girl (Peter Cetera)
• Sunrise, Sunset (Fiddler On The Roof – Sndtrk)
• Lullabye (Billy Joel)
• A Whole New World (Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle)
• How Do You Fall In Love (Alabama)
• Isn’t She Lovely (Stevie Wonder)
• Landslide (Fleetwood Mac)
• Thank Heaven For Little Girls (Gigi)
• Father’s Eyes (Amy Grant)
• Friends (Elton John)

Mother/Son music: The dance between the husband and his mother.

• Don’t Know Much (Linda Rondstadt and Aaron Neville)
• Butterfly Kisses (Bob Carlisle)
• I.O.U (Jimmy Dean)
• Moon River (Andy Williams)
• Moon Dance (Van Morrison)
• ‘Til The End Of Time (Perry Como)
• Through The Years (Kenny Rogers)
• Have I Told You Lately (Rod Stewart)
• Because You Loved Me (Celine Dion)
• Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel)
• Unforgettable (Nat King Cole / Natalie Cole)
• What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstong)
• In This Life (Bette Midler)
• You’re The Inspiration (Chicago)
• Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler)
• Friends (Elton John)
• Wishing Tree (Sonia Dada)
• Blessed (Elton John)
• Hero (Mariah Carey)
• In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel)
• A Song For My Son (Steve Moser, Mikki Viereck, Ray Allaire)
• Sunrise, Sunset (Fiddler On The Roof – Sndtrk)
• In My Life (The Beatles)
• Ever I Saw Your face (Roberta Flasck)
• Greatest Love Of All (Whitney Houston)
• I Wish You Love (Natalie Cole)
• Thanks Again (Ricky Skaggs)
• Stand By Me (Ben E. King)

Bridal Party Dances music: The dance including the Bride & Groom, Bridesmaids & Groomsmen, and family members.

• That’s What Friends Are For (Dionne & Friends: Elton John, Gladys Knight & Stevie Wonder)
• Can You Feel The Love Tonight (Elton John)
• Friends In Low Places (Garth Brooks)
• We Are Family (Sister Sledge)
• Friends (Elton John)
• Heroes and Friends (Randy Travis)
• In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel)
• Celebration (Kool & The Gang)

Cutting The Cake music: Played while the Bride & Groom cut the cake.

• Cut the Cake (Average White Band)
• I Wanna Grow Old With You (Adam Sandler)
• How Sweet It Is (James Taylor)
• Sugar, Sugar (The Archies)
• Hit me With Your Best Shot (Pat Benatar)
• When I’m 64 (The Beatles)
• Recipe For Love (Harry Connick Jr.)
• That’s Amore’ (Dean Martin)
• Happy Together (The Turtles)
• Pour Some Sugar On Me (Def Leppard)
• I Got You Babe (Sunny & Cher)
• Love & Marriage (Frank Sinatra)
• Oh Yeah! (Yello)
• Axel F (Harold Faltermeyer)
• Peter Gunn Theme

Garter And Bouquet Toss music: Played during the bouquet toss and garter toss.

• The Stripper (David Rose)
• Legs (ZZ Top)
• You Sexy Thing (Hot Chocolate)
• Oh Yeah! (Yello)
• Macho Man (Village People)
• Theme From Mission Impossible (Danny Elfman)
• Wild Thing (The Troggs or Tone Loc)
• Let’s Get It On (Marvin Gaye)
• Bad Boys (Inner Circle)
• Another One Bites The Dust (Queen)
• Curly Shuffle (Jump n’ The Saddle)
• Kiss (Prince)
• Do Ya Think I’m Sexy (Rod Stewart)
• Gimme All Your Lovin’ (ZZ Top)
• Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison)
• Freak Me (Silk)
• Hungry Eyes (Eric Carmen)
• Heaven (Bryan Adams)
• U Can’t Touch This (MC Hammer)
• Shameless (Garth Brooks)

Last Dance music: The last song of the night for the Bride & Groom and their remaining guests.

• Last Dance (Donna Summer)
• New York, New York (Frank Sinatra)
• Good Riddance {Time Of Your Life} (Green Day)
• From This Moment On (Shania Twain & Bryan White)
• Save The Best For Last (Vanessa Williams)
• Wonderful Tonight (David Kersh)
• Could I Have This Dance (Anne Murray)
• You’re Still The One (Shania Twain)
• Closing Time (Semisonic)
• Unforgettable (Nat King Cole / Natalie Cole)
• I’ve Had The Time Of My Life (Bill Medly & Jennifer Warnes)
• How Your Love Makes Me Feel (Diamond Rio)
• Goodnight, Sweetheart (David Kersh)
• The Party’s Over (Nat King Cole)
• Goodnight Sweetheart (Spaniels)
• What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
• The Dance (Garth Brooks)
• Truly, Madly, Deeply (Savage Garden)
• Always And Forever (Heatwave)

Wedding Flowers – How to Make Your Choice

Wedding flowers are one of the largest expenses for a wedding. Besides the bouquets and boutonnieres for the wedding party, brides usually want flowers to decorate the church, the reception hall, and for various members of their family. This expense can add up very quickly.

There are several important things to consider when choosing your wedding flowers. The first decision has to be whether you want fresh or fake- either paper or silk- flowers. Fresh flowers will generally cost more, especially if you choose flowers that are not in season. Fake flowers make not have the look and smell of fresh flowers, but are generally much cheaper. A good compromise may be fresh flowers for some items, such as reception centerpieces, and fake flowers for things people won’t be close to, such as bouquets and boutonnieres.

As a bride, you will also want to take into consideration any allergies that members of your bridal party may have. The last thing you want is an attendant sneezing all through the ceremony. No one will probably notice the red eyes- just write that off as emotions.

If you have already chosen your colors, this may dictate what kind of flowers you can choose for your wedding. If you are going with paper or silk flowers, you can choose any color you wish. However, fresh flowers only come in certain colors, unless you want to pay extra to dye their petals.

When choosing your wedding flowers, keep in mind the general style of your wedding (formal, theme, etc), and the colors of your attendants attire. Usually, attendant flowers are similar to the bride’s bouquet, which should make that choice fairly easy. However, you may wish coordinate flowers for the wedding party mothers, grandmothers, siblings, etc. with the color of their dresses.

To make sure no one has to figure out where all the flowers are going after the reception, you may want to mark a plate at each table as a winner. Whoever sits there gets the prize- the beautiful centerpiece!

Mini Butterfly Wedding Decorations

Having a spring wedding? Or maybe an “Alice in Wonderland” themed wedding?

The Butterfly Grove specializes in nylon butterfly decor for all your decorating needs. These beautiful butterflies are perfect for spring weddings – indoors or outdoors. The Butterfly Grove also offer nylon flowers, dragonflies, bees, and ladybugs, to complete the spring garden (or Alice in Wonderland) look.

The butterflies shown are 3″, however, butterflies are also available in 5″ and larger sizes.

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Wedding Planning Checklist

One of the first things you should do once you decide you are getting married is to create a wedding planning checklist of all the things that you think are necessary to create a smooth running event where all your needs will be met.

You will be quite surprised as you start writing out your checklist how it will grow and grow over the weeks and months as you move towards your wedding and getting additional input from your partner and other people will help you realize everything that is required.

Rather than trying to go into too much detail right from the start it is best to begin your checklist with the most important items and then go into more depth on your list as you think more and more about those items.

So you would start your list of the basic headings of: dress, flowers, reception, guests.

Then under each of these headings you would go into more detail so that under a heading such as dress you would list your wedding dress, your bridesmaid’s dresses and possibly even your mother and mother-in-law’s dresses as they will be in the wedding photos and will need to coordinate their clothes with yours for the best photo results.

Then you would start listing the various different places you need to investigate to get your dress sorted and that might include getting wedding magazines, contacting dressmaker’s, going to wedding dress shops and trying on the various dresses and so on.

Then you drill down even further in these lists and write down prices of the various solutions that you have found.

As you can see the list will grow bigger and bigger until you find every solution that suits your needs.

You can then create another list of items that have been solved and these can be checked off as they are implemented; for instance the second list might have the date where you will get your dress fitting, the name address and phone number of the dressmaker and other such details that you will need at hand at all times.

By staying well-organized at all times and keeping all these details in one place you will find that the time leading up to your wedding will be a lot less stressful and quite possibly less expensive.

“Just Married” Beach Wedding Cake Topper

Beach weddings are very popular. This cute cake topper would be perfect for beach wedding, or an ocean-themed wedding.

From the manufacturer:

Made of hand-painted resin, this beach couple figurine measures 7″ tall. The widest point is 5″ and the base measures 3.75″ wide. The groom lovingly carries his bride in the sand, which has been decorated with a heart and the words “Just Married.” A bit of ocean blue and a scattering of seashells also decorate the base. Also available in African-American and Hispanic.

Click here to purchase this wedding cake topper

Gazebo Wedding Decorations

You’ve chosen the setting for your wedding ceremony – a beautiful gazebo with a lovely pond behind it. The decision you need to make now is whether to use the wedding gazebo as is, or enhance the setting with some nice decorations. If you are at a loss as to how to decorate this structure, here are some great tips for gazebo wedding decorations.

It will be easier to decide on decorations if you have your color palette and theme (if any) picked out before you begin. Keep color swatches with you when you shop for your gazebo decorations, so you can easily match or blend colors. You may also want to tuck a small inspiration photo album in your purse. You can then pull these pictures out in the stores to help you find just the right gazebo wedding decorations.

You may also want to ask the wedding gazebo owner about the types and colors of any flowers and plants that are planted close to the structure, and if these flowers will be blooming at the time of your wedding. If so, think about utilizing these built-in wedding decorations – perhaps choose the same flowers and complimentary colors for your wedding decorations. You could save a lot of money on flower arrangements by incorporating existing live plants!

A very classic and traditional way to decorate a gazebo for a wedding is to use tulle. This can be an inexpensive decorating tool, that will add a touch of romance and fantasy if hung right. Shop around for just the right color and try to buy entire bolts of tulle on sale. If you purchase too much for the gazebo, you can always use the leftover tulle to decorate tables, aisles, and other wedding receptions elements.

You don’t have to wrap tulle around the wedding gazebo. A prettier use might be to attach it to the inside top of the gazebo and let it hang down – like a romantic canopy over the bridal couple. You can also swag the tulle around the banister of the gazebo. Get creative in attaching the tulle – use flowers to hide the attachment areas.

Instead of tulle, you may want to use flowers and flower garlands. You can usually purchase these at craft stores, or in bulk online from stores like Oriental Trading Co. You could also use fresh flowers – though creating the garlands would be expensive and time-consuming. Flower petal strewn around the steps and floor of the gazebo add a nice romantic touch.

If the gazebo owner does not want you to use glue, nails, or staples to attach your decorations, you will probably need to buy some ribbon to tie the flowers and garlands in place. You could also use tulle cut into strips, either alone or mixed with ribbon, to use as ties. Ribbons come in such a variety of colors and styles that you are sure to find the right look.

Another idea for gazebo wedding decoration is to use strand of lights. You can wrap the lights around the pillar of the gazebo, or intertwine the lights with the flower or tulle garlands. Of course, the lights will only provide a romantic, fairy-tale effect if you can see them, so this idea would probably work better for evening or night weddings.

When you decorate the gazebo, consider extending the decorations out to where your guests will be sitting. Use the same tulle, ribbon, or flowers to decorate chairs and aisles. Make your guests feel they are part of the wedding ceremony, rather than just spectators looking at a stage.

Be creative when choosing your gazebo wedding decorations. You are really only limited by any restrictions the owners of the gazebo have. There are an infinite number of ways to decorate your chosen gazebo – tulle, ribbon, flowers, lights, crystals – even hanging butterflies – be creative in your wedding decoration ideas and your ceremony is sure to be one you and your guests will remember for a lifetime!

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