Don't Forget...

...to turn your clocks back one hour this weekend - officially at 2am on Sunday, November 4. You really want to make sure you have done this prior to going to bed after your wedding Saturday night. You don't want to arrive too early for your flight and you'll probably need and want that extra hour of sleep after dancing all night.

Bridesmaids and Groomsmen Goodie Boxes

I was looking at a past issue of Martha Stewart Weddings and saw in her “Good Things” section an idea for a Bridesmaid Goodie Box. All of a sudden, I thought, “What a great idea. I could start offering these to my clients as well as those individuals who want to purchase them separately.” At the same time, I also thought, “Why limit it to just the Bridesmaids? Don’t the Groomsmen need goodies, too?” So, I put my thinking cap on and started coming up with all sorts of ideas and decided that, “Yes! I am going to do these.”

To help keep the cost more affordable, I am going to use brown (guys) and white gloss (girls) gable boxes (pictured at top right) instead of the plastic lunch box style (pictured on left) that Martha had which are more expensive. The gable boxes will be simple, yet still have an elegant flair to them. The standard goodie boxes will be filled with bottled water, cheese & crackers, white grapes, cookies, chocolates and mints. However, the customer could opt to customize each one according to their Bridesmaids’ and Groomsmen’s own personal favorite treats. For example, if you know one of your bridesmaid’s favorite chocolate candy is a 3 Musketeers bar, then we would substitute the chocolate for the 3 Musketeers bar and so on.

If you are reading this and you are not the bride but maybe a bridesmaid, then consider purchasing these for all the bridesmaids as a gift for the bride. It will be one less thing she has to worry about on the day of the wedding. Or, if it’s not in your budget to provide one for everyone, then you may want to just purchase one for the bride. We’ll be sure to dress it up for a special presentation.

For my clients, I will provide a goodie box for the Bride and Groom for free. For the wedding party, the goodie boxes may be purchased for only $15 each.

If this is something that might interest you, whether you are a client or not, please contact me. I would be more than happy to supply these for your wedding party. And, while you’re at it, order one for yourself. You, the bride especially, need to make sure you eat something before walking down that aisle.

Victorian Ribbon Ceremony

Photo courtesy of Carlson Craft

Back in Victorian England, charms were placed into the wedding cake that brought luck and foretold the future. These charms were attached to ribbon and were hidden within the layers of the wedding cake.

Currently, I do not see many brides using these charms anymore. In fact, I have only had one bride that did use them. I guess the only couples that would use them would be those who wanted to do something a little different or are having a Victorian theme wedding – one of my favorite themes, by the way. Hence, why I decided to write something about these charms, which, of course, can be used whether your wedding theme is Victorian or not. Here is the lo-down on how the ribbon ceremony traditionally takes place:

The bride should, in advance, determine how many women of marriageable age she will have in order to have the appropriate number of charms. These women were traditionally the bridesmaids, as they were always single. However, these days that may not always be the case, so this is why you would want to pre-determine who the bride wants to receive the charms.

Traditionally, there were six charms:

1. The Heart – “Love will come”
2. The Clover – “Good luck”
3. The Engagement Ring – “Next to marry”
4. The Anchor – “Adventure awaits”
5. The Flower – “Love will flower”
6. The Horseshoe – “Lucky in life”

Today, and presumably since the bride usually has more than six women who are dear to her, other charms have been created. Some other charms you may find are:

The Wreath – “A happy home”
The High Chair – “Blessed with children”
The Rocking Chair – “Longevity”
The Airplane – “Travel and adventure”
The Satchel – “Good fortune”
The Mirror – “A Happy Life”

If you want to pull the charms out of your wedding cake at the reception, consult with your baker and let her hide the charms when assembling and icing the cake. The charms should not be baked into the cake. It is easiest to have the ribbons draping from the back of the wedding cake. This is the best photo opportunity set-up for the ribbon-pulling ceremony. The ribbon-pulling should occur before the cake is cut and should be announced by the Master of Ceremonies. If you wish, each bridesmaid can read out loud what her charm means after she pulls it – usually the charm’s meaning is on the ribbon.

Traditionally, the ladies who are going to pull the charms gather behind the cake, along with the Bride and Groom, at the wedding reception. The ribbon-pulling ceremony takes place just after the cake-cutting ceremony, but prior to cake-serving. Each lady takes a turn and pulls a ribbon from the cake. The charm foretells the future. Some couples like to have the ribbon-pulling ceremony prior to the cake-cutting.

So, c’mon. Bring back the old! Have a ribbon-pulling ceremony.

Using Martha's Idea

Well, I used the Mason jar idea for my gathering Sunday night. Although, duh, I forgot to take pictures, so I just took a picture of them grouped together as you can see. Anyway, I didn't have the vintage green-tinted Mason jars like Martha, but I did have the clear ones and they still looked beautiful. I used them to line my walkway. Since this is fall, I tied orange raffia around the top. Just as Martha Stewart suggested, I filled each jar with a little bit of water. It did make for a very easy clean-up. Since they were standing in the water, the melted wax just sort of "floated" and it was very easy to get them out afterwards.

On a side note, another way I use these Mason jars, and have for several years, is I fill them with homemade hot chocolate mix I make for friends and family to give as gifts for Christmas. I love them.

I love Martha Stewart!

Isn’t it amazing how she can make the simplest things look so elegant? Take the Mason jars pictured above, for instance, which were featured in the latest Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. Who’d thought you could dress up a canning jar? All she did was take vintage Mason jars, tie gold-rimmed ribbons around the tops and place a votive candle inside and Voila! you have instant lanterns. These would be great for a fall or country-style wedding used either as centerpieces or to line a walkway in the evening. To prevent the candles from sticking to the bottom of the jars, she suggests adding about an 1/8 inch of water before setting the votives inside. Also, be forewarned – the jars will get very hot so you need to take care in handling them after they have been lit for several hours. I have several Mason jars. I think I’ll use this idea to decorate for a small gathering I’m having at my house this Sunday. Love it!

Top Ten Reasons to Hire A Wedding Day Coordinator

Okay. I know you are like me. You are very administrative, detail-oriented and love to plan. So, you shouldn’t be feeling overwhelmed in the planning process of your wedding, right? Good.

But, what about the wedding day itself? You want to enjoy your wedding; you want to be relaxed and be stress-free, don’t you? Well, what is stopping you then from hiring a Wedding Day Coordinator? Let me answer that with what I call my “Because List” of the top ten reasons why you should hire a day of coordinator:

10. Because the coordinator will create a very detailed schedule of events. This is a very important instrument for the wedding party and all of the major vendors. The schedule ensures that all activities during the reception happen in a timely manner.
9. Because your coordinator will act as your liaison and handle any unforeseen circumstances, so you, your groom and families can rest and enjoy time with your guests.
8. Because your coordinator will ensure your desires for the day are just what you envisioned and planned.
7. Because you want your best friends to remain your best friends after the wedding and not have to “work” on your wedding day.
6. Because you still want to have a relationship with your mother after the wedding. No need to have her running around checking last-minute details, resolving any problems and end up exhausted before the wedding even begins.
5. Because you want to be worry-free and stress-free.
4. Because you want to breathe and relax.
3. Because you want to enjoy your day just like the rest of your guests.
2. Because your Wedding Coordinator will orchestrate your wedding from the rehearsal through the end of the reception. She will ensure everything and everyone is in place from having the ushers ready to seat guests to cueing the musicians, plus much, much more.

…and the number one reason for hiring a day of coordinator…

1. Because you can’t afford not to. (See reasons 2-10 above)