How to Keep Your Wedding Cake Topper Keepsake
When we say "how to keep" your cake topper we basically mean, "what the heck do you do with it after the wedd
Wedding Garters: Don't Blush!
Tossing the wedding garter is a fun tradition that has come to be thought of as the male version of tossing the wedding bouquet, but it has some interesting roots.
The Grand Exit: A Sparkling Send Off
Brides everywhere are jumping to create a send off that screams style and sizzle.
How to Pull Together the Perfect Gift and Sign in Table
As your guests enter in on your wedding or reception one of the first things they will do is try to find the gift table and sign in, so there are a couple of things we suggest doing in order to make this first introduction to your special day absolutely perfect.
The Perfect Cake Topper for the Religiously Centered Wedding
If your faith is at the center of your life, then you may decide to make it a prominent element of your wedding.
Honeymoon Cash Jar
For many cultures it is traditional to have a Money Dance during the wedding reception.
Brevity is the Soul of the Reception: The Maid of Honor Speech
Public speaking scares the pants off of most people, and as much as you don’t want to think about it, you know that you’re going to have to do it if you’ve accepted the brave and noble post of “Maid of Honor.”
Stay Safe with a Wedding Card Holder
While it's never advisable to expect gifts for your wedding, you would be remiss not to include a wedding card holder among your day-of decor.
Andres and Andreas’ Wedding Reception
Andrea and Andres’ wedding reception was held at a private estate in the hills near the church where they held their ceremony. While the bridal entourage took pictures in the expansive backyard overlooking the beautiful California skyline, guests mingled at the front of the estate, entertained by live mariachi music and light cocktails. The wedding, from ceremony to reception, had an old-world feel that came across beautifully in the décor, food, style, and venue.
The backyard was transformed for the Muller wedding (with the family even re-landscaping part of it for the lounge), featuring a polished wood dance floor with floating pink lanterns, a lounge at the fringe of the party, and several family-style tables adorned with flowers and food. The small orange trees that peppered the dance floor, combined with the blooms floating in the permanent garden fountain, helped create a perfect setting for the laid-back, family wedding.
The white guest tables were draped with blue-green burlaps and lined with bunches of spring blossoms such as roses, ranunculus, parrot tulips, garden roses, and other similar blooms atop hunks of driftwood. Blooms were also found in mason jars that had been painted in a chic, vintage style (with a pale blue drip around the rim of each jar). Escort cards, table numbers, and menus all matched in style and color, and coordinated beautifully with the other stationary that led up to the event: programs and invitations.
The focus of the wedding was definitely the dance floor – it was full of guests throughout the duration of the evening – though most people did find time to make trips to the bar (where margaritas and wine dominated the menu) and to eat the delicious dinner prepared by famous Orange County food truck, Barcelona on the Go. Guests also indulged in one of the event’s several cakes, featuring flavors such as succulent chocolate, tiramisu, and red velvet.
The reception space was filled with color throughout the entire evening. Pinks, oranges, whites, yellows, and greens faded to a warm glow as the lanterns became the primary focus of the evening. It looked as if this backyard was meant to host Andres and Andreas’ reception!
Styling by Sugar and Fluff
Mr and Mrs Chair Decorations for your Reception
Including Mr and Mrs Chair Decorations
Mr and Mrs Chair Decorations
While preparing the aesthetic for your wedding reception, think about adding a set of tasteful Mr and Mrs chair decorations. Mr and Mrs chair decorations are sashes or signs that attach to the back of your chair during the reception. The signs can be homemade, but you should be extra careful to integrate them seamlessly into your day; you don't want them to look out of place!
Mr and Mrs chair decorations make for wonderful photo opportunities, and depending on your seating chart, can make it easier for guests to orient themselves in your reception space. Use Mr and Mrs chair decorations during the reception for a fun and festive addition that guests will be sure to appreciate and enjoy.
After the reception, Mr and Mrs chair decorations look wonderful on your honeymoon vehicle (substitute a "just married" sign for re-appropriated Mr and Mrs chair decorations!). Before the wedding, Mr and Mrs chair decorations are fun additions to your bridal shower or bachelorette party (just the "Mrs" sign, of course!), and make wonderful decorations before and after the big day. When you're setting up the reception space, just make sure you don't forget the Mr and Mrs chair decorations!
Creativity in Wedding Table Numbers
Wedding Table Numbers: Noticeable and Subtle!
Wedding Table Numbers
If you want any sort of order at your wedding, you're probably already working on a seating chart - and seating charts mean wedding table numbers. Wedding table numbers are a detail that some brides don't think about until the rest of the planning is over, but honestly, they're just as important as your centerpieces and table runners. Wedding table numbers need to be noticeable without being distracting, and you need to make sure they won't blow away! This isn't a problem for indoor receptions, but it's just one of the little details that some brides brush away until it becomes a problem.
So what are your options for wedding table numbers? There are several styles, designs, and materials that you could use to design your wedding table numbers; they're as diverse and personal as the other details of your day, and they can be fun to integrate if you think about it far enough ahead of time.
You could stick to traditional circular card stock wedding table numbers or tent-style paper wedding table numbers (both simple, classy options), but don't feel limited. Wedding table numbers can be fashioned out of anything if you have a handy-dandy liquid chalk marker at your side. The markers are washable and add a rustic, vintage feel to whatever you might be marking - wedding table numbers included. You could also include your centerpieces in your venture by option for vases with wedding table numbers personalized into them. Get creative!
3 Dancing Alternatives for your Guests
Not everyone throws off their heels and tosses their cares to the wind when the DJ gets going at a wedding reception. Many people just don’t care for dancing - especially at a reception - and some of them might spend their time twiddling their thumbs or making extra trips to the cake and punch as the night carries on. This may not be true for some enthusiastic guests, but if you fear that your guests will be sitting on their hands while only a few wild ones occupy the dance floor, you might want to think of a few wedding activity alternatives.
These alternatives aren’t just for shy guests, mind you. They’re also wonderful for afternoon weddings, weddings with an abundance of children, or weddings where the bride and groom themselves might not be so excited about dancing the night away.
Try… Lawn Games
Perfect for a warm-weather backyard wedding (or really anywhere with space and grass), lawn games are exactly what they sound like. Break out the croquet set and the bocce balls; this plan is a wonderful setup for a wedding that has several younger guests. Lawn games are much less expensive then a photo booth (another popular extra-dancing activity), and guests will stay entertained longer.
Try… Conversation Starter Cards
These are more of a bonus than a way to replace dancing completely. Conversation starter cards are a great way to decorate a table and occupy guests who may be a little shy about shaking it. You can print these cards yourself and arrange them in sets in any manner you like (think ribbons in your colors around sets of fifteen at each place setting). These cards might have hypothetical questions (in the “Would you Rather…” fashion) to get a fun conversation going, and are very well received at events where not everyone is eager to get up and dance.
Try… Wedding Reception Lounges
Better for evening weddings, and a little more laid-back than lawn party games, lounges allow your guests to congregate in comfortable settings on the fringes of your event space. Lounges also let you play with furniture arrangements and possibly integrate a fire pit in a way you probably shouldn’t on the dinner table. Lounges give your guests a laid-back alternative to dancing while still feeling like they’re a part of your event.