Stress Free Bridal Shower Planning
December 27, 2008 by Wedding Ideas
Filed under Party Ideas
Secrets to Stress-free Bridal Shower Planning
(ARA) – When your best friend or sister announces she’s engaged and wants you to be her maid of honor, of course you jump up and down with excitement – for her. But inside, you’re starting to cringe. Dresses, presents and planning at least one bridal shower – you can feel the pressure building up.
If the thought of the bridal shower creates more stress than satisfaction, there’s help. Culinary expert and newlywed, Kendall McFarland, research and development manager at Simply Organic, suggests cutting down on hassles with these five timesaving tips for simple but sensational shower refreshments.
* Take smart shortcuts. For enticing flavor without fuss, keep a supply of natural dressing and dip mixes on hand for fresh, homemade appetizers and snacks. Add a dip or dressing mix, such as creamy dill, French onion, guacamole, or ranch to equal parts of low-fat cottage cheese and non-fat plain yogurt and mix in a blender or food processor until smooth. Serve with fresh veggies you can buy already cleaned and cut up at the store.
* Dress up everyday favorites. Special dishes don’t require hours in the kitchen. Make your easy-to-prepare favorites and dress them up with special, wedding seasonings. Try distinctive seasoning blends like red pepper and curry, apple and basil, pineapple and cilantro, or orange and ginger for a gourmet touch. For example, simply add a liberal dose of a spice (like oregano, basil, or cayenne) or seasoning blend along with some garlic and Parmesan cheese to your usual mashed potatoes, and you’ll instantly serve something outside everyday fare.
* Plan and shop wisely. Forget about shopping ’til you drop. Develop your menu, including impromptu snacks, ahead of time. Then pick up everything non-perishable at the same time, eliminating those last-minute treks to the grocery store. To save even more time, order ingredients online. For example, Simply Organic carries culinary items like organic spices, seasoning blends, baking extracts and flavors, gluten-free baking mixes and other cooking ingredients and supplies which they will ship to you within a few days of your order.
* Accept help. When the bride’s mother or other guests ask if they can bring anything, say yes! Ask them to bring something you don’t especially enjoy preparing or something you know is that person’s specialty which the bride really loves. Or have each guest bring a dessert or appetizer, so you can focus solely on the rest of the party and fun. Offers to help are gifts, so allow other bridesmaids or friends to assist if they offer. Working together can add to the shower fun, and give you stories to share as you continue down the wedding planning road.
* Make it healthy – the bride, her bridesmaids and the mother of the bride all want to fit into their dresses when the big day finally arrives. The best meal you can offer your guests is a delicious and healthful one. Provide great-tasting, nutritious snacks that go easy on salt, fat, sugar, and other potentially unhealthy ingredients and your guests will fondly remember your hospitality.
Here are two great examples of healthy bridal shower dishes from the Simply Organic recipe Web site that are easy to prepare:
Fruit Chutney
Serves 8
Ingredients:
1 cup peeled and diced mixed fruit
1 package Apple Basil Dressing Mix
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Directions:
In a medium bowl, mash fruit or use a food processor and blend. Add Apple Basil Dressing Mix and vinegar and mix. Chill and serve as a relish.
Italian Egg Bake
Serves 6
Ingredients:
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 package Italian Dressing Mix
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup diced vegetables (tomatoes and mushrooms are good choices)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add milk and Italian Dressing Mix and whisk well. Add cheese and vegetables. Pour into a greased 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until center is firm. Top with diced tomatoes and shredded Parmesan cheese for an extra special flavor.
For more delicious, healthy and easy recipes, visit www.simplyorganicfoods.com and click on the recipe drop-down menu.
For more bridal shower planning ideas visit Stress Away Bridal.
84 Heart Wedding Favor Ideas
December 24, 2008 by Wedding Ideas
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84 Heart Wedding Favor Ideas
Planning a heart themed wedding? Have a wedding on Valentine’s Day? Our collection of heart wedding favors are sure to add style and elegance to your special day.
Winter Wedding Theme Ideas
December 24, 2008 by Wedding Ideas
Filed under Wedding Ideas
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Winter Theme Weddings – 27 Ways to Tie in the Season
By Cori Russell
Winter theme weddings can be uber chic and ethereal – an absolute wonderland, if you will. Read on for tips, ideas, and inspiration on planning a winter wedding.
All In the Details – Winter Wedding Ideas
Invitations & Stationery
* Add a wintery motif – such as a snowflake or holly branch – to your stationery suite
* Go white on white – and create a snowy first impression.
* Add metallics – jazz it up with a hint of silver or gold.
Location
* Think intimate and cozy – bed and breakfasts or inns complete with roaring fires and plush décor create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Bonus points if you can score a view overlooking a scenic winterscape.
* Think elegant and grand – a formal hotel ballroom overlooking the city evokes a celebratory mood to match the holiday spirit.
* Think seasonal activities – a ski lodge or mountain chalet guarantees a true winter experience and a nice getaway for your guests
Décor elements
* Color palette – 1) new-fallen snow – use whites and creams accented with silver or gold. 2) winter sparkle – ice blue or navy accented with silver. 3) black tie – black is especially suited for a winter wedding when paired with white, silver or gold.
* Go glam – deck your halls with crystal detailing for a sparkling winter effect – adorning linens and chair covers or sprinkled over table tops. The result is deliciously glam and oh so fab.
* Liberal use of candle light – the glow will add warmth and elegance.
* Holiday theme – decorate with potted evergreens, pine branches, wreathes, poinsettias, ornaments, bells, or twinkling white lights.
Flowers
* Seasonal blooms – white stephanotis, poinsettia, holly, amaryllis, camellias, roses.
* Added interest and texture – incorporate holiday greenery or tiny crystals into your arrangements
* Creative bouquets – instead of flowers, carry tea lights, votive candles or cascading bells Tossing alternative – have your flower girl throw silver glitter or sprinkle fake snow.
Menu
* Hearty dishes – serve heartier fare in sophisticated, creative ways – such as colorful butternut squash puree or warm pumpkin soup in ramekins or shot glasses.
* Wintery beverages – warm guests with eggnog, spiced wine or mixed coffee drinks.
Cake
* White on white – adorn an all white cake with marzipan snowflakes or swiss dots, or top with fresh white poinsettias or stephanotis
* Get rich – serve a decadent chocolate cake or cheese cake with raspberry sauce/filling, and decorate with chocolate covered cherries or strawberries.
* Top it off – use a decorative snow globe or snowflake as a seasonal topper
Attire
* Rich fabrics – warm up to velvet, satin, brocade, and heavy silk
* Add a layer – if your wedding dress is sleeveless or strapless, add a wrap, shrug or cape in white or in one of your wedding colors
* Winter white – dress the wedding party, flower girl and ring bearer in winter white for a chic, clean look.
* Black tie – formal attire at an elegant winter wedding is always a classic
Favors
* Sip it – give decorative tins or packets of hot cocoa mix
* Let it snow – inside mini snow globes
* Celebrate – with splits of champagne
* Indulge a sweet tooth – decorate sugar cookies as snowflakes, bells, or another seasonal emblem
If you’re looking for even more inspiration to help you plan your winter wedding, you can view wedding pictures and get advice from successfully planned winter weddings in this real weddings guide.
Consult this complete Winter Theme Weddings guide for even more ideas to tie in the winter season.
Cori Russell is editor for Elegala.com and Gala Weddings Magazine. Elegala.com is a comprehensive weddings and wedding planning resource with a national directory of wedding venues and services, along with articles, expert advice, checklists and photo galleries to lead brides through every step of the planning process.
Engagement Party Planning- Invitations
December 24, 2008 by Wedding Ideas
Filed under Party Ideas
Engagement Party Invitations 
by Tamara Ford
You want to organize a really special engagement party for your friends and part of that is creating engagement party invitations that will really be special and mean something to them. Before we go into how you can do this though let’s think about some basic etiquette tips for organizing a great engagement party.
Engagement Party Planning Etiquette
Before planning the engagement party let’s just say that there are a few basic etiquette rules that you should probably be aware of, like:
* Give the engaged couple time to just enjoy being engaged – don’t have the engagement party for at least the first two months.
* Make sure that people know they are under no compulsion to give engagement party gifts, a note on the engagement party invitations saying “No gift required” would be a good idea to make people see that they do not need to feel pressurized into buying two expensive gifts (one for the engagement party and another for the wedding).
* If the couple is having a small wedding then have a small engagement party – plan in line with the wedding.
* Think about the couple and families involved – make sure that they will feel comfortable with what you have planned.
* Send out engagement party invitations that will get everyone talking.
Free Party Invitations for the Engagement Party
To really make the day special for the engaged couple you want to begin with creating great engagement party invitations, but you also don’t want to spend too much money on this. Well, a great idea is to create engagement party invitations using Web 2.0.
Using Web 2.0 you will be able to create a free web page inviting people to the engagement party and that you can customize as much as you like. Use photos, videos, audio and music to show people what you are planning for the engagement party and then add more afterwards so that those who couldn’t make it still feel like they are a part of the celebrations.
Once your web page is up, send guests an email with the link to the web page so that they can get the party details and also RSVP online. They will also be able to see their photos next to their names on the page (if you have added their photos), see who else is coming and then even start communicating with other party guests before the party.
Tamara Ford is the wife of an Internet Entrepreneur who specializes in Event Launch Marketing applying social media and internet marketing strategies. “I initially started writing to help my husband and have since become hooked”. If you enjoyed this article, you may be interested in reading another article I wrote about Engagements and Announcements. Looking for Online Casual Party Invitations? visit Events Listed website to learn more about our fantastic (FREE) event publishing tools & resources.
For more engagement party planning ideas visit Stress Away Bridal Cafe- Your source for weddings ideas and free wedding websites.
The Proper Way to Carry the Bouquet at Your Wedding Ceremony
December 24, 2008 by Wedding Ideas
Filed under Ceremony Ideas
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Your Wedding Ceremony – The Proper Way to Carry a Bouquet at Your
Perfect Wedding Ceremony
By Ann Keeler Evans
How many weddings have you been to where the bride and her bridesmaids have walked down the aisle acting as if they were carrying something unpleasant rather than a handful of beautiful flowers? This is one of those little things that both jars me as I stand watching a line of beautiful women walk toward me and makes me scratch my head. I don’t know why either the wedding planners or the florists aren’t teaching you how to hold your bouquets. One of the wedding planners jobs is to make you look great. Looking as if you know how to handle a bouquet simply makes you look more at ease. It lets the flowers do their job which is to declare you a gorgeous confident woman. The florist has spent hours making your flowers perfect. Making sure you carry your bouquet correctly allows the world to notice how beautiful the flowers are and not that the bride looked as if the stems to the flowers might have been too hot to handle or to hold too close to her body. You got these flowers to celebrate your marriage to your wonderful partner. Enjoy them.
So a few simple pointers to help you be comfortable at your wedding ceremony.
* Make sure that your bouquet and those of your attendants are not so heavy that you won’t be able to hold them through your wedding.
* A wedding bouquet is held at about belly button height. Hold your hands snug against your belly (which offers you support in holding the flowers and doesn’t let anyone see that your hands are shaking!).
* You hold the flowers toward the community, not the stems. No one wants to see the stems, no matter how beautifully wrapped.
* If you’re carrying a sheaf of flowers, they rest in the crook of your left arm like a baby. Borrow your friend’s baby and practice a bit. Look at old movies about Pageant winners.
* Practice the royal wave, you may want to use it that day, you’ll certainly feel like royalty.
* If you’re carrying a ball of flowers suspended from a ribbon on your wrist, fold that arm across your waist so that the ball hangs down the front of your gown.
* A nosegay, or tussy-mussy is a lighter bouquet which can be held at belly button level if large enough or simply at waist level.
* During the ceremony, have a small table with a receptacle that can hold your flowers while you’re needing your hands. The vase will have to be heavy enough to hold the flowers without tipping over. (Stones or glass marbles in the bottom of the vase can help that.) You may want to hand off your flowers, but many of the bouquets are so heavy these days that it can be too much to hold two bouquets.
* You’ll want the same vase at the reception so that your flowers can be displayed to their full advantage. And the attendants will need vases in front of them as well.
* Flower balls should be light enough that they can continue to swing from your wrist (and not so long they drag on the ground should you drop your arm to the side.).
* Tussy-mussies can often tuck into a loop at the waste of your dress, if you have thought about it. Otherwise, they can sit in a smaller vase.
There. Simple, easy, and now you’re set to be a beautiful bride and the queen of your day as you join your heart with your beloved’s in marriage.
Bottom Line?: Give your relationship the chance it deserves to succeed wildly, against all odds! After all, you deserve it. Your relationship deserves it! If you want in-depth pointers, ideas, information about designing your perfect wedding ceremony, explore my site! And now I’d like to invite you to sign up to receive 2 free templates for creating the wedding vows of your dreams and the marriage of a lifetime: http://annkeelerevans.org/weddings/free
For more wedding ceremony ideas visit Stress Away Bridal Cafe- Your source for wedding ideas and free wedding websites.
Inexpensive Wedding Centerpieces Ideas
December 23, 2008 by Wedding Ideas
Filed under Reception Ideas
Inexpensive Wedding Centerpieces Ideas 
by Cassandra Mallett
Wedding centerpieces are a critical part of the wedding décor and can also take a huge part of the wedding budget as well. So what’s a fabulous bride on a budget to do? There are many ways to make your wedding reception look breathtaking without the huge price tag.
Candles. We have all heard that candles are an inexpensive way to create a beautiful mood for a wedding reception; well, I have to agree with that. Candles create the perfect romantic atmosphere. When the lights are low, they produce a warm glow throughout the room. Although pillar candles of varying heights can be elegant and sophisticated, tapered candles with beautiful glass holders can create the perfect formal look for just a few dollars. They are also available at the dollar store! So go ahead and make your wedding centerpieces spectacular, and light up the room with tons of candles.
Nature. Mother nature offers many excellent things that make for great wedding centerpieces. Take a stroll in the country and find beautiful leaves in gorgeous oranges, yellows and browns for a fall wedding. Why buy leaves from the florist when nature offers them for free? You can submerge the leaves and float candles on top, or you can spread the leaves on the table. Not only do they give color but, they give texture as well.
Another gift from nature are branches that can also be used in centerpieces. Branches can create that height that many brides want their wedding centerpieces to have without the cost. They can also be sprayed gold or silver to match or compliment your wedding colors.
The beach is another source of great inspiration for wedding centerpiece ideas. Although this does not come from nature, many craft stores carry large, beautiful seashells that can be the “vase” for flowers. To compliment this, small seashells from the beach can be spread around the centerpiece. A small mound of sand can be poured into a wide vase with seashells on top.
Petals. We all want flowers, but may not have the budget for them. However, we can come close with rose petals as our wedding centerpieces. Petals surrounding candles make very beautiful centerpieces. If you are having rectangular tables, make table liners out of the petals and put votive candles on top of them.
Silks. Now, I know that quality silks can be as costly as real, flowers, but using silks sparsely can be cost effective. Right now, the rage in wedding centerpieces is to have submerged flowers in a vase. If you get a vase and put a beautiful silk orchid in water with a floating candle on top, you will have a striking centerpiece. No one will know that flower is real because of the water. Plus, you can begin to assemble them ahead of time which will save you stress on your wedding day.
Fruit. Fruit is another trend in wedding centerpieces right now. Fruit can be submerged in water or can act as a filler along with flowers. You can get red apples, put them on a sturdy stick, and put them into floral foam. With a few apples and some beautiful red roses, you have a unique centerpiece. The more fruit you use the less flowers you will need. Another way to use fruit is to submerge them in water. Lemons whole or cut within a vase can make for a great wedding centerpiece. This makes for a great urban sophisticated mood.
With these ideas, your wedding centerpieces can create the look that you want without making your budget grow. Look outside of the traditional wedding flowers to generate the appearance that you want.
http://www.inexpensivelyfabulous.com
For more inexpensive wedding centerpieces ideas visit Stress Away Bridal Cafe- Your source for weddings ideas and free wedding websites.
Monogrammed Gold Chair Favor
December 19, 2008 by Wedding Ideas
Filed under Favors Ideas
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Miniature Gold Chair Favor Box with Heart Charm and Ribbon 
Shining moments, like your wedding or a 50th anniversary celebration, deserve the warm, elegant ambience that only gold can give! These classically designed, miniature chairs with a stunning, gold finish silently beckon your guests to their seats with a stylish place card and a sweet surprise.
Features and facts:
• Slotted chair backs hold lovely vellum-strip place card
• Favor box holds your favorite gourmet candy, chocolates, mints or other treat
• Chair décor includes a dazzling white-and-gold organza ribbon and a delicate, gold heart charm
• Chair measures 4 ½” high, and favor box measures 1 ½” square
• Add a monogram sticker to the chair for an additional charge
• Sold in sets of 12
• Some assembly required
Click here for more information and to purchase the Miniature Gold Chair Favor for your wedding.
For more favors ideas visit Stress Away Bridal Cafe- Your source for wedding ideas and free wedding websites.
