Wedding Inspirations

Are you overwhelmed by all the decisions you have to make to plan your dream wedding? Which centerpieces should you get? What color theme should your wedding be? Which bridesmaid dresses should you pick? What if the style doesn't go together? You are not alone. That's why it helps to create your own wedding inspiration board. Collect any images that caught your eye while you're browsing the internet or flipping through magazines or while traveling. Have your digital camera with you wherever you go and capture anything that inspires you. You'll notice a recurring theme and your vision will come to life.

What are your wedding inspirations?

Weirdest Wedding Gifts Ever

I found this on MSN. Recently theknot did a research on married couples about the weirdest gift they ever get. It's interesting! Here are the result:

Monetary Oddities

"$10 in scratch tickets."
"$100 worth of quarters."
"A graduation card with $7."
"A hundred $1 bills rolled up in a rubber band."
"Boxers with money in them."
"Two cents and a nasty note inside a card."
"A check from my husband's friend, and in the 'for' line, it said 'vasectomy.'"
"A check that bounced."

Obscure Decor

"Broken fake-marble horse head bookends."
"'Rosie the Riveter' bookends."
"Moosehead bookends."
"Zebra shower curtain."
"A crystal block with a face in the middle."

Weird ... but Useful

"A hurricane evacuation backpack full of MREs (meals ready to eat), first-aid kit, ponchos, etc."
"A pink can opener with the word 'love' on it."
"A used walking cane."
"Asparagus."
"24 double rolls of toilet paper."
"Dental floss."
"Octopus-shaped baster."
"A high-heeled shoe cake server."
"A magnifying glass."

Weird ... and Useless

"Dog shock collar — we don't have a dog."
"Pirate flip-flops."
"A 3-ft. SpongeBob SquarePants pirate doll."
"Autographed picture of Bret Michaels."
"Bronze kangaroo."
"Fake vomit."
"A cat suit."
"A picture frame with the wrong initials on it."

Kind of Creepy Gifts

"A bronze bust of myself."
"A book that a friend of mine had written and dedicated to me alone, not my husband (he apparently has a large crush on me) ... very stalker-ish."
"Toilet paper with writing on first few sheets."
"A birthing video from a professional midwife! Ew!"

Budget Concious Bride

I found this great video for DIY wedding centerpiece. For those of you who's trying to save some money by making your own centerpiec, you should see this. It's a series of several videos, make sure you watch all of them.

How to Make a Wedding Flower Arrangement

Flower Centerpiece Ideas For Your Wedding

Flowers are important element for wedding decorations. The fragrants and colors will make a reception place feels warmer and more beautiful. So , what type of flowers should you choose? what colors? and which styles?

Type of Flowers
There are two types of flowers flowers: seasonal and all-year-long. Flowers such as Lily,Calla Lily, Roses, Gerbera daisy, Hydrangeas, Hypericum Berries, Chrysantemum are popular to use in centerpieces and usually available all season. Other favorites flowers such as peonies, ranunculus, and lily of the valley which commonly used in bridal bouquets are only available in the spring and summer time.

Seasonal Flowers and Colors
Spring Flowers
Spring time is a time nature bursts into life. The colors hues in spring are usually light pastel colors such as pink, light blue, light yellow and lilac. Popular spring flowers are : peonies, ranunculus, lilac, lily of the valley

Summer Flowers
Bright colors flowers typically bloom during summertime. Summer wedding are all about the strong and vibrant hues. Fuchsia, purple, bright yellow, blue, orange. Popular summer flowers are: snapdragon, stock, delphinium, anemone, poppies,daffodil

Fall Flowers
When people think of Fall wedding flowers, it is often the colors as much as the actual flowers that are important. Rich reds, fiery oranges and beautiful yellows are the order of the day. Amongst all seasons, autumn is one of the most popular time for wedding. Popular autumn flowers are dahlia, chrystantemums, hypericum berries and crab apples. Also see Fall Wedding Favors Ideas

Winter Flowers
Most people refer the winter wedding to a "White Snowy Wedding" or "Red Christmas Wedding". Although not many colorful flowers are available in winter, there are still some all year round flowers you can use like freesias, lilies, poinsettias, hydrangeas or even roses. Combine winter flowers with winter accents such as pine cones, holly leaves, baby's breath and glittery birch to make a beautiful centerpiece. White feather also make a nice touch to your bridal bouquet. Also check out Winter Wedding Favors

DIY Budget Friendly Flower Arrangement
Flowers for wedding centerpiece can be costly, so if you have a low budget you might want to consider do-it-yourself. It's best to pick a simple style, so that your friends and family can help with the arrangement. The more types of flowers you use the harder it is to predict the costs. If you want something classic, pick 1-2 types of flowers for every arrangements and try to use the same flowers for bridal bouquet and boutonniers. Shown on the left is a picture of carnation flower bouquet in white.


Modern style centerpiece arrangement usually is simple and easy to do. The picture on the right is an example of a simple and budget friendly wedding centerpiece. The cylinder vase filled with water and 3 stems of alstroemeria or some call it Peruvian Lily. Alstroemeria is an all year long flower and you can get it almost anywhere in the US, you might have seen this flowers at a grocery store.

RESOURCES

Flower Vases, Candle Holder and other wedding supplies:
Wal-Mart is a great place to find inexpensive flower supplies.
99 Cents Store - depending on where you live, some 99 cents store may carry simple round clear glass vases.
Save on Crafts - has great prices and selections for vases.
IKEA - Believe or not the retail price at IKEA sometimes beats supplier's wholesale prices.

Inexpensive Flowers:
Costco Floral has great prices on flowers you can order them online and have it delivered to their neares warehouse in your area or you could order it from the local suppliers where they get their flowers from.
Rose Source
Fifty Flowers

Practical Unity Candles

For a candle that's only being burned for an hour, unity candle is huge for its size. It takes so much space to keep it and it's a waste of waxes. Fortunately, these days the wedding industry have come up with some alternatives for unity candles. These are some practial unity candles ideas I love :

Engraved Medallion for Unity Candle
You can buy any scented candle of your choice, attach this medallion on the candle, and Voila! You've got your own personalized unity candle. After the wedding you can burn the candle at home and keep the personalization medallion as a keepsake or tie the medallion around your marriage certificate.

Personalized Pedestal Unity Candle Stand
Less is more. The pedestal is one of creative invention for unity candle. With this pedestal unity candle stand, you only need a medium sized candle. After the ceremony, bride can burn the rest of the candle at home and reuse the pedestal stand for special occassion, or display it in the living room as keepsake of the couples memento.

Floating Unity Candle and Vase
Adored by many, I have to say this floating unity candle & vase idea is among one of my favorite wedding stationery. If you think about it, your ceremony only lasts for an hour, who needs a huge candle to burn? The floating candle size is perfect. It such a practical design. Both the floating candle and the vase are reusable. Although sized almost as big as the traditional unity candle, the vase can be displayed in your living room and make a beautiful personalized decoration at home rather than sitting in a box somewhere in your storage.

Wedding Trend: Something Old , Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Green...

Going green is the hottest wedding trends right now. Many couples decided to spend their money wisely by throwing an ecofriendly wedding.

Maria McBride, the wedding style Director at brides magazine said
“Going a little bit green is better than not at all, because every thoughtful action helps our environment,” she said. “Celebrating your wedding with global awareness is a satisfying way to begin a life of commitment together and an important way to guide the marketplace to provide even more environmentally correct business practices.”

So what's the typical "Green Wedding" like?

The Dress: A dress that could be worn again after the wedding. The dress usually made of organic cotton, hemp, soy or silk.
Location: An outdoor garden setting over a large, energy-sucking reception hall.
Menu: Organic, Pesticide-free Food
Dinner Plates: China or disposable plates made out of sugar cane
Utensils: Silverware or disposable utensils made from potato starch
Napkins: Linen napkin or disposable recycled napkin.
Transportation: The groom organized car pools in hybrid vehicles
Gift Registry: Donations to charities foundation that helps saving the earth
Bridesmaid Gifts: Eco Friendly Organic Tote

Asian Chic Wedding a la Lisa Ling

The 33-year old TV Reporter, Lisa Ling ties the knot with Oncologist, Paul Song on Memorial day weekend. She walked down the aisle in a dashing red gown designed by Vivienne Tam. Lisa Ling's wedding reflects her style, personality and the couple's Asian background. The ushers were reportedly dressed in "karate kid" like outfit which gives more character to the wedding.

The reception room were decorated with Asian red lanterns and large painted hand fans. Guests include Kelly Hu, friend and mentor Connie Chung and Ling's close pals, Patricia Herrera and stylish Rachel Zoe.

Lisa Ling has successfully created a wedding that's uniquely hers. She proves that a wedding doesn't have to be white and any bride can look fabulous in any dress color.

Asian Wedding Favors

Wedding Stationery For the Modern Bride

Champagne Flutes Set in a Vase
A rare find and one of a kind of wedding Toasting Flutes. Simple enough to complement any table setting, a set of classic flutes with frosted stems rest inside a glass vase that may be filled with ice or any other decoration to match your event. The champagne flutes in a vase is absolutely unique and it will be something you will treasure as a keepsake. A unique way to toast to your new lives together!

Floating Unity Candle in a Vase
Unlike the traditional unity candle,the floating unity candle vase can be use to decorate your home after the wedding. It's look sleek as a flower vase, look stunningly elegant as a floating candle holder. It will add just the right amount of ambiance and grace to your ceremony and your home after the ceremony. You can add fresh flowers or colored water to vase to match your wedding theme.

Swarovski Rhinestones Cake Top
So, you dream to have a monogram ice carving at your reception, but you have overspend your budget. Now what? This Swarovski Rhinestone Cake Top is the solution for you. These metal letters decorated with Swarovski crystals will look amazing amongst your reception decorations. This beautiful Crystal Cake Top is a rare find and it will bring shines to your wedding picture. You can customize your look by pairing two letters with the heart, two letters with the ampersand, or form a monogram using three letters.

Reception Decoration Ideas

Do you know what the most expensive part of a wedding usually is?
If you said, “the reception” then you're absolutely correct. Receptions eat up an enormous chunk of most wedding budgets – throwing a great party isn't cheap. However, your reception's decorations don't have to cost a lot to make your celebration visually appealing. Below are some decoration ideas you can use for your indoor or outdoor reception:

Indoor Reception Ideas

• Fill clear bowls with colored water and add rose petals or floating candles then use them as centerpieces
  
• Have an ice sculpture, chocolate or champagne fountain, or a balloon release to combine decorations with entertainment
• Sprinkle the tables with customized confetti – the confetti pieces can be cut from colored paper or fabric and cut into wedding-related shapes or the bride and groom's initials
  
  
  Outdoor Reception Ideas
• Fill small silver or wood planters with your wedding flowers and let your guests take them home as living keepsakes
• Hang Japanese lanterns to light outdoor receptions or to illuminate walkways during evening receptions
• Fill small decorative glass bottles with bubble-blowing liquid and place on tables for your guests along with blowers decorated with lace, ribbons, bows, or flowers.
  

These are just a few ideas to help you decorate your reception in style without increasing your expenses significantly.

Another way you can save money on your wedding planning is by using this coupon SMBBLGRD-WD to save 5% on your purchases at http://www.sweetmemorybaskets.com/

Practical Gifts For Men

Finding gifts for men is more challenging than finding gifts for women.
Men aren't as emotional as women, they care less about sentimental value of the gifts. Think practical! Practical gifts that they can use and keep for a long time such as golf accessories gifts for a golfer would be more appreciated then men's cufflinks. Look for something along the line with his hobbies or occupations.

A personalized wine stopper would make a great gift for a wine connoisseur; a cigar aficianados can use a personalized cigar box to store his cigars; for a football games lover give him something that represents his favorite teams such as NFL Money clip. Whatever you choose, purchase a gift that he can use , not wasted.

Accessories For Your Wedding

Wedding Guest Book

Traditionally, a guest book is often use to keep record of the wedding guests attendance on your wedding day. After the wedding, bride will keep the book as a keepsake of her wedding. Today, bride gets creative with their guest book. One alternative idea is to take a polaroid picture of each guests at the entrance table and have them to write messages for the loving bride and groom on the book. After the wedding, the printed pictures will then be placed in the guest book on top of each guest's personal message.

Selecting your guestbook

A wedding guest book and a matching pen holder usually sold separately. If you plan on getting the matching pen stand, you may save a bundle by purchasing it as a set.

There are different types of wedding guest books to choose from, the most popular one is Satin Guestbook. For a bride who likes think out of the box, the personalized platter guestbook has been increasingly popular.

Silver Plated Guest books

Personalized platter Guestbook

Photo Frame guest book

Instant Photo guest book

Placing your guest book.

Your guest book table is the first place your guests will stop by when they entere your reception area, decorate it with scented fresh flower arrangement or flower petals to bring the positive energy to your guests. Put some candles to create the warmth atmosphere into the room.

If you have many guests at your wedding, it's recommended that you prepare enough pens for people to fill out your guest book or sign your photo mat to avoid a long queue. Place your wedding guest book , pen and signature photo mat strategically where people can either fill out the guest book or sign your photo mat at the same time.

Wedding Things For Less

These are my favorite places to get inexpensive things for wedding:

Bridesmaids Gown
Jessica McClintock Outlet - save up to 75% off.
Nordstrom Rack - save up to 70% off.
BCBG Outlet SALE rack

DIY Wedding Favors
papermart.com - Organza pouches,wine bags, favor boxes, chinese take out boxes, paper bags at wholesale prices.
sfherb.com - Sells all kinds of potpourri.

Reception Decorations
save-on-crafts.com - Fabrics, flower vases, candles, silk flowers.
orientaltrading.com - Best prices for paper umbrella/parasols
asianideas.com - Offers wide variety of parasols
luminarias.com - heat-proof paper bags for luminarias
ikea.com - candles, candle holders, natural stones, picture frames, vases

Catering stuff
Smart & Final - Fancy plastic plates, utensils, mugs, wine glasses, etc.
Costco - Also a great place to buy alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages .

Wedding Themes

Do you want a fairy tale wedding? Elegant wedding? Beach wedding? Rusty warm fall wedding? White wintery wedding?, Or a Modern Fusion wedding?

Fairy Tale Wedding
Since you were a little girl, you've dreamed of becoming a beautiful princess and being rescued from a castle by a charming prince. Now, here comes the time to make your fairy tale wedding comes true and live happily ever after.
Color: White, Silver
Flowers: Roses, Hydrangea, Viburnum
Wedding favors: Carriage candle , Happily Ever After Card Holder


Spring Wedding
Spring wedding is about incorporating beautiful colors of nature in your wedding. This is the season when you get to choose almost all kinds of flowers. Elements for spring weddings are pastel colors flowers. butterflies, and things that bring the freshness into the room such as fresh fruits or scented candles.
Colors: Light Blue, Lavender, Light Pink, Light Yellow, Lilac
Flowers: Peonies, Hydrangea, Freesias, Viburnum, Ranunculus, sweetpeas
Spring Wedding Favors: candle wedding favors, garden wedding favors


Elegant Wedding
Some like it pure and simple. To create an elegant look, decorate your reception in one color or two monochromatic colors. The key to create an elegant wedding is to keep it sweet and simple.
Colors: White
Flowers: Calla lilly, lily of the valey, star of betlehem, roses
Elegant Favors: Diamond ring napkin holder, wine opener, wine stopper, Placecard holders, personalized favors


Beach Wedding
White sands, flip flops, seashells, and tiki torch... beach wedding decoration is about using the earth and water elements.
Colors: Blue, White, Yellow
Flowers: daisies, hydrangeas, lily of the valley
Beach Wedding Favors: seashells salt & pepper , starfish soaps, flip flop keychain , coasters party favor



Fall Wedding
Earthy tones such as rusty brown, plum, dark orange, and red are often use for a fall-themed wedding decoration. Adding some candles an luminarias will be a nice touch for an outdoor wedding. It's nice to light up some candles and luminarias before the sunset.
Colors: copper, brown, plum, burgundy, dark red, purple, fuchsia , orange, green
Flowers: Dahlia, Calla lilly, Orchid, Belles of Ireland , berries
Fall Wedding Favors: Maple syrup, Pillow sachet , Fall Leaves Petals , candle lantern , wine accessories

Modern Fusion
Square tables, square vases, orchid, twigs and natural stones are the essential decorations for modern fusion wedding. Use extra large vases and long twigs to create the modern and clean look. As for the lighting, you could add hang some white paper lantern across the reception area and surround the place with candles.
Colors: black, lime green, aqua/brown, pink/brown, green/brown, white/white, white/red
Flowers: Orchids, Calla Lily, Belles of Ireland, Cherry Blossom, Bamboo
Modern Wedding Favors : orchid candle , photo album



Winter Wedding
So, you love the snow, the cool breeze and the smell of the pine trees in the winter. You decided to have a winter-themed wedding. Decorate the room with tree branches, blue lighting, white chairs, white tables, white carpet , pine scented candles, and don't forget to add some fake snow flakes and glitters.
Colors: blue, white, silver
Flowers: white flowers
Winter Wedding Favors: Silver wedding favors, Glass coasters , wine wedding favors , snowflakes confetti, ornaments

Smart Bride Saves Money

On average most couples spend about $20,000 for their wedding. Ask yourself a question, Do I have $20,000 to spend? Making your dream wedding in reality doesn't have to cost you your life savings. There are ways to cut your budget, you just have to know where to shop and willing to replace some things that are less important. Here are some tips where you can save your money on:

Wedding Location
Locations such as public park and beaches usually doesn't cost you any money. In some cities, they may charge you a fee but is usually very minimal compared to hotels and private estates. For an indoor wedding, many restaurants don't usually charge for a rental fee when you spend a certain amount of money.

Wedding Guests
Both of you agreed to invite only 125, after listing the names you've realized that you have 250 people you want to invite. What can you do? A good rule of thumb would be to invite close relatives from both sides of the family and close friends only. That might not be an easy thing to do when you have a large family. Here are some tips to help filter out the names on your guests list:

• Have an adult only reception
• Don't feel obligated to invite people who invited you to their wedding.
• Don't invite friends whom you haven't had a meaningful conversation with within the last year.
• Address the invitation to only one person, if you're single friend isn't seeing anyone seriously.

Bridal Party Gifts

Bridesmaid Gifts
As a token of appreciation, you want to show your bridal party how thankful you are for being by your side during the wedding planning and on the wedding day. Your gifts don't have to be fancy, but it should be thoughtful. Think of what your each bridesmaids hobbies are or the color she likes. If she likes to travel, a travel toiletry bag or jewelry roll will be suitable for her. If she loves bags, get her a cute monogrammed tote bag. Based on our poll, most brides would spend around $25-$30 on gifts for bridesmaids and up to $50 on maid-of-honor gifts.

Groomsmen Gifts
Guys aren't as emotional as women. Think of the sports he likes, his hobbies and occupations, then find gifts that he could use. A golfer would love to receive a golf accessories such as utility knives or golf towel. A business man might appreciate a business card holder rather than a stainless steel liquor flask.

Food and Beverages
Opt for chicken instead of steak, this could save you a bundle. Serving sodas only at your wedding will also help you cut down some costs. Some couples serve sodas and cocktails only and/or have an open bar where the guests have to pay for their own drink. If you must have alcohol beverages at your reception, purchase it in bulk from Costco or other wholesaler store where you can return the unopened wines after the reception. Some wineries may give you 10%-15% discount when you buy the wine in bulk.

Bridal Gown
Each retailers might sell same styles / brands , but the prices they offer may vary. The best way is to decide on the gown you wanted, find out the designer's name and style number, then start calling around bridal stores around your area. You'll be surprised of how much money you can save. Another way to save money on your gown is to shop at Jessica McClintock Outlet or bridal store during a sample sale event. Don't be afraid to make an offer to the bridal store, most bridal stores are willing to give up to 20% off to beat their competitor's price.

Centerpieces
Wedding flowers can be costly especially if you have a many tables to decorate at your wedding. Finding an alternative for your table centerpiece could help save you some money. Opt for centerpieces such as floating candles, sands and seashell in a clear vase or 2 stacked carton boxes with colored ribbon to match with your wedding theme.

Bouquets and Boutonnieres
Little things could pile up your expenses. Flower bouquet arrangement may cost you $75 to $150 for bridesmaids and $125 up to $350 for brides. Why not buy your own flowers at the farmers market and put it together yourself? Together with your bridesmaids and family you can create your own bouquets and boutonnieres.

Rentals
It's cool to have a tented-wedding, it's not cool to spend for $1,500 - $2,000 just for the tent. When you're on a tight budget, little things count so try not to spend on things you don't need. Ask yourself a question, Do I need a tent? If you do need it due to the weather, it'll make sense to rent a tent. Renting chairs and linen can be costly, too. There are different chairs styles available to choose from . The plastic kind is usually the most inexpensive, the folding wood chair and the most expensive one, the chiafari chair. Chiafari chairs usually costs around $10-$12 each to rent. Ask yourself a question, Will my guests remember the look of the chairs they sit on after the reception? They probably don't, most likely they'd remember the food they ate more than the chairs they sit on.