… or rather, plant one. Toss aside those Hershey kisses in miniature chinese takeout boxes, an emerging trend in wedding favors are seedlings and actual trees wrapped up in pretty paper and bows. Light in calories, uber friendly to Mother Earth. We dig it. Recycled wedding dresses, reusing wedding decor from a wedding last week, and now this? Yes, ladies and gents, going green is EVERYWHERE on the wedding scene. Plant the memory of your special day with an oak seedling. Check out The Magnolia Company’s Seeds of Life, which sells oak seedlings wrapped in pretty boxes. They have a pretty extensive collection with favors hovering at about $4 a box, depending on how many you order (see photo above). If that’s not in your budget, a trip to Home Depot, Michael’s, a glue gun, some bows, and a little creativity could do the trick.
If you think that the lighting at your wedding is as simple as walking into the room and turning on a few lights here and there… you may want to consider taking a different approach. Lighting creates ambiance and mood, and it is this very lighting that can be the difference in whether your flowers (and even some of your guests!) look drab or fab. The truth is, the right lighting can completely transform a wedding. So many of us are guilty of planning the meticulous details of invitation fonts, music tracks and wedding cake flavors but when was the last time we gave a second thought to the appropriate lighting? Without the proper lighting, details like the intricacies of the dress may be missed, the right atmosphere may not be created and flower centerpieces may go unnoticed. If you plan on dimming the lights, also opt for inexpensive tricks like using small spotlights to highlight architectural features around the room or lighting candles for a soft glow. Paper lanterns and inexpensive Christmas twinkle lights can add the perfect romantic feel to your outdoor wedding, while also making sure your wedding pictures come to life!
Whether you decide to use soft lights, colorful strobes, big spotlights, or tea light candles… remember that each beam will add its own distinct radiance to your celebration. The only thing stopping you from creating a masterpiece of light.. is you!
Who wants to be just another number? Certainly not the tables at your wedding reception! These days the trend is to tap into your creativity, your passport or map, the city you live in, the names of your favorite love songs, all the films you saw together and more… to add a bit of personality to your seating chart. We’ve seen weddings where the couple used places they’ve visited, names of streets in their town, names of buildings at their university, places the couple ate at in the first year they dated in lieu of the same old boring numbers. How clever! Adding this touch to your reception is as simple as a trip to a craft store for letter stickers or stamps and decorative card stock. You can always hire a printer to make them a bit more formal. Thirty minutes at Kinkos, even, will do the trick.
For the same reasons you wouldn’t let your friend bake your wedding cake using Betty Crocker cake mix or your cousin snap photos with her cell phone camera, you shouldn’t turn to your gym buddy Mr. iPod to DJ your wedding reception. Known as simply “iPod weddings,” this cost-cutting trend has emerged as a way to save a few bucks on the big day. It’s as tacky as relying on cheap disposable cameras on the tables to capture the day. People sometimes think: I want my music, so why not just play my iPod? But, as this video shows, it can be a disaster. “Is this mic working? Anybody seen the father of the bride?” We got observer discomfort watching that video. Sure, we know wedding disc jockeys can be pricey, but sometimes it’s well worth the money. (You can scale back your costs elsewhere: party favors? who needs em?) You need music at your wedding to help set the tone. You need a (sober) master of ceremonies to carry the event. If a pricier band is out of your budget, a disc jockey ought to be your second choice. (By the way, we found a pretty interesting read at discjockey.org on how iPod weddings may not really save you all that much money.) In the case of a destination wedding, your wedding venue probably has a list of disc jockeys in its rolodex. If not, San Diego is home to hundreds of DJs, most coming with good references. Ask your other vendors if they can recommend someone… and save that iPod music for the plane ride.
In an era where anything goes as far as weddings are concerned, the no-rules approach can certainly apply to the first dance– somewhat. I say that because there are some things to consider before you step onto the dance floor with your new husband or wife. As wedding enthusiasts and regular attendees, we’ve seen it all: the Chicken dance; the dirty-dancing tango; and the over-rehearsed and not-quite-perfect waltz. That said, we’ve come up with some basic rules:
If you are not the dancing type, a lesson or two might be a good idea. Just don’t over-do it. Tell your instructor: keep it simple. Don’t attempt the Patrick Swayze-Jennifer Grey nobody-puts-baby-in-the-corner “lift” if you haven’t been dancing longer than two or three lessons. Be careful with the dips, too.
Don’t be too silly. We all have a funny side and some couples are down-right clowns. But if you opt to do the “hokey pokey” as your first dance, you might regret it later on when you look back at photos. This is your time to be in love and shine as a newly married couple. Take it a little more serious. Save the silly moves for later on during the reception.
On song: pick something that sings of love and commitment. If you have been one of those on-and-off-again couples since college years, nobody needs to know that your tune used to be that R&B favorite about being reunited and how it feels so good. You are looking toward the future; say that in your wedding dance song.
Have fun and don’t make this your wedding-day stresser. Believe us, you’ll have other things to worry about. Be as natural as you can be, if you are not up for learning the waltz or some other traditional dance. Most people fall into this category. It can be a simple slow-dance.
On making out: No! No! No! If your dance prompts someone in the audience to shout “get a room!” you know you have taken it too far. We get it. You are in love. You are happy. It’s your wedding day. But please, save the slurpie stuff for later, in private.
