Winter Wedding Favors

We gathered a few of the top winter wedding favors! These are sure to please your guests and bring the cozy comfort inside.

  1. Gingerbread Cookies. Who doesn’t love the smell of freshly baked cookies? Gingerbread cookies as wedding favors can bring back good memories of childhood treats and snowball fights. You can easily package these cute cookies with fun holiday-themed bags and ribbons. They’re not too expensive and if you feel so inclined you can even try to get a friend or relative to bake them!

Photo cred Fiona Carins Wedding Cakes 

2. Chocolates. These are a sure favorite for any guest at your wedding. Chocolate is so versatile – you can flavor it, decorate it and customize it. We love the idea of putting your initials on pieces of chocolate or form them in wintery shapes like snowflakes or snowmen.

3. Mini Ice wine bottles. A fun winter wedding favor! The tiny bottles filled with iced wine – made from grapes that have been picked on the vine while frozen – are sure to please your guests.  You can personalize the bottles with your name and wedding date too.

4. Chestnuts. We love the idea of roasting chestnuts for a winter wedding! You can package a handful in bright wrapping for your guests or even have a roasting station. That way the guests can eat them fresh! It’s a different idea than just simple chocolate that brings the winter spirit to life.

5.  Another favorite winter wedding favor is soy candles. We love the soft glow that candles give and you can pick a scent that won’t overwhelm your more sensitive guests. Some of our favorite scents are pine, sugarplum, cedar or orange clove. They will be fun favors for guests to remember your big day by.

 

Best Wedding Flowers

When it comes to the best wedding flowers there are quite a lot of choices for you! Which ones do you gravitate towards – roses, lilies, daisies, plumeria, dogwood or lilacs?

This year, we are seeing a lot of orange and butter yellow shades. These flowers compliment both summer and fall weddings. You can use Peonies, Icelandic poppies, Juliet roses, chrysanthemums, carnations, and ranunculus to make a beautiful bouquet or bouquets for your bridesmaids. Add a delicate chandelier and you’ve got a very romantic space.

Another trend we are loving this year is moss! Who would have thought this greenery would replace the lush leaves we’ve been seeing for years? Moss adds a fabulous fairy tale element to your wedding space. Technically moss isn’t a flower, but you can add flowers to it to make it gorgeous.  You can use a moss wall as an indoor ceremony backdrop or place it as a runner down the center of a long banquet table. Different flowers can be placed in the moss to add a great splash of color.

Another flower we love is the arthurium. It appears like a tropical flower but can be placed with more traditional flowers like tulips, roses, celosias, calla lilies and mini gerberas. The arthurium gives your bouquet a very unique look. This flower is especially fun for both summer and fall due to the range of colors it comes in.

Ultra Violet Wedding

What is the color of the year you may ask? We answer: Ultra Violet! Brides, this year this blue based purple hue is very in and we have some creative ways to use it.

  1. Reception decoration : Ultra Violet is a versatile color and perfect for spring or summer weddings. The deep blue base could also work well for fall. We love using flowers with this shade for your reception center pieces. Tree peonies, ranunculus, and heirloom garden roses can come in this pretty shade. We also love using Ultra Violet for ribbons on the back of chairs with decorative clips or table runners.

2. Add Ultra Violet to your cake. Most people think of wedding cake as white so why not accent it with beautiful purple blossoms or a geode effect? We love that this color can not only be used an accent but also as a main color.

3. Your wedding party. If you’re a daring bride you may even wear the color yourself but it also looks great on bridesmaids and groomsmen! We love the pop of elegant violet against a handsome tux or suit. It’s a great shade for skin types as well. You can still give your bridesmaids a choice in the style of dress but the color will unite your wedding party.

 

No matter what you choose to do with Ultra Violet it’s a great color that it very hot right now! We know you’ll be seeing a lot of this hue in weddings this spring and summer!

Boutique Wedding Design

Boutique Wedding Design

Today we’re having a local designer, Brittany Sodora Leonor, owner of Sage Glow Studio. She designs wedding invitations, save the dates and does portraits. If you are a bride looking to support a small business this the place for you! Small business design can not only be cost effective but also give you a one of a kind result. Your save the date cards will be like nothing on the market. This is a great option for the bride who wants more control over the creative process. We love the individualized prints that Brittany creates!

First question, what is Sage Glow Studio? It is an illustration, graphic design and life style brand. For Brittany, a lifelong love of creating and desire to march to her own drum led to the launch of the studio two years ago. She is inspired by an all-natural life style and clean design. She spends her days creating visuals for brands, blogs and bare walls with a hint of hippie. If you are a bride who wants a unique product look no further!

Second question, what can you expect from Sage Glow? Bride to be’s speak with Brittany directly and customize their portraits or save the date cards. Her portraits are also great gifts. She creates custom, illustrated couple portraits. You order them to be professionally printed on 8×10 archival paper to gift a couple for their shower, wedding or anniversary. Or purchase it as a digital file and apply it to your save the date cards, printed wedding goods, Christmas cards, ornaments, pillows and anything else you can think of! Also, these portraits are very Instagram-worthy!

Third question, if you’re wondering, how do you get these custom portraits and cards? Sage Glow accepts payment through the website at http://www.sageglowstudio.com/shop-portraits. Feel free to browse through the galleries and select the design that you love! You can use the portrait design for as a logo for your wedding favors and invitations. You can also get a picture of the happy couple and Brittany will turn it into a custom portrait that you can give as a gift.

No matter what kind of bride you want to be think about supporting a small business! You are guaranteed to get custom, individualized attention and pick out the design that you want.

Wedding Makeup Mistakes

Wedding Makeup Mistakes

Your wedding day is the day you’ll be photographed like the star you are! We have your back and here are some wedding makeup mistakes to avoid.

1 . Don’t try anything new. Your wedding day is not the time to try that new found some of these wedding makeup mistakes: foundation or eye liner you’ve heard some big actress uses. Your wedding makeup should be products that you’ve tested and hopefully used before. Some brides hire professional makeup artists to help them on the big day. Their job is to make you look like yourself. Sometimes over doing makeup or trying that new thing can make you look unnatural.

2.  Going unprepared into your trial make up test. You will want to give yourself and/or your bridesmaids trial make up runs. If you don’t go into the test prepared you will waste time. Be sure to bring pictures of make up styles you like. You could also bring photographs of yourself in what you either like or dislike about your makeup. That way the makeup artist will be able to compile an accurate color palette for you. Also, don’t forget to wear white! It is a great idea to wear white in order to see what the makeup will look like against your dress. Or, if you are not wearing white, wear the color of your wedding dress.

3. Don’t wear lipstick or gloss. We love a lip stain instead. Lipsticks and gloss will rub off after a few hours or worse rub off leaving weird shapes on your lips. A gloss is also messy. It will stick to your veil if you are wearing one or it can rub off on your groom too! The gloss can also make your lips appear shiny and in pictures this will leave a glare and can make you lose definition.

4. Too much drama in your eyes. We know you want to look at least a little more glam than your normal self on your wedding day. However, black liner and shadow is usually too harsh for most brides to pull off. Think instead of browns, blues and deep purples. Those colors will soften the dark edge but still give you great depth to your wedding makeup.

Wedding Day Emergency Kit

Hello brides of fall! You’ve planned everything down to the last detail but life never fails to impress and something can and will go wrong. That’s where your wedding day emergency kit comes in handy. This little tool kit for you and your bridesmaids might not be needed but it’s nice to have just in case.

What should you put in this wedding day emergency kit? We have some suggestions. First, you will need to decide if you want to make your own or buy one. The kits are not expensive on sites like amazon. If you are more DIY then we’ve got some essentials you need.

  • Breath mints
  • Tweezers
  • Clear Polish
  • Lipstick and other make up fixes like remover, concealer, eye liner and small samples of the eye shadow you’re using
  • Face mist to set all that make up so it stays on
  • Perfume
  • Stain remover
  • Sewing kit
  • Fashion tape
  • Aspirin or Ibuprofen
  • Snacks
  • Glue
  • Band aids
  • Sunblock if you’ll be out doors

We recommend putting this all together in one glittery bag! It’s fun to buy new make up bags and most importantly it’ll be easy to carry around.

If you want to be generous you can make or buy a wedding day emergency kit for your bridesmaids too. The bag will have similar items like floss, breath mints and fashion tape.  And if you put in different items into the bags you’ll have all your bases covered if your master wedding day emergency kit doesn’t fulfill all your needs. We also recommend a few extra goodies to make them feel special and taken care of:

  • Tampons because you never want to be without one
  • Favorite snacks that could be individualized to each girl
  • Baby powder
  • Bag of each maid’s favorite color
  • Tissues
  • Sunscreen
  • Pen and Paper if your girls need to send messages to your groom or other bridal party guests
  • White duct tape just in case
  • Small bottles of alcohol because they may need a little liquid courage or they will need to give it to you!

No matter which kit or what you put into it, it’s a great idea to have them around just in case!

Fall Wedding

It’s that amazing time of year again – Fall! A fall wedding can be perfect for those brides who love rich color palettes and crisp air. We have several great ideas for you to try!

  1. Instead of confetti, bubbles or rice, have guests throw leaves instead! You and your groom will be showered with beautiful, vibrant foliage that will look amazing in pictures. You can even make your own leaves if you don’t want what mother nature has to offer. Many craft stores will sell paper leave that mimic the real ones!

2. For your fall wedding you might be worried about getting cold. We love a fall blazer over a wedding gown! It keeps the glam but also gives you a great sense of style. It’s edgy and unconventional but you’ll make a great statement!

3.  Fall wedding food is the best! You can play around with favorites like apple pie or pumpkin pie. They can be served in a variety of forms like apple pie pops or have a pie dessert bar. The options for these comfort foods will keep guests full and warm.

4. What fall wedding would be complete without table decor? We love the floating branches with candles look. Even if you’re not going for a rustic wedding this elegant piece still gives your tables the romantic light you want!

5. If you are a bride who wants the more rustic chic feel then we recommend hosting your reception at least half way outside. That way you can have bonfires! Especially if your wedding is kid friendly because who wouldn’t want to roast marshmellows and make s’mores? Of course, you need a venue that will allow for an open fire. We think you’ll love the added excitement and great smell to your reception!

Wedding Bonfire

Fall Wedding Ideas

The weather should be changing any moment and we’ve got fall wedding ideas for you! You might not be a fall bride but here are some things to consider. The weather is cooler so you won’t be baking in that gorgeous gown if you’re taking pictures outside. The brilliant foliage this time of year is perfect for photos. And, warm spices and comfort food recipes lend themselves favorably to cocktail hours and reception food!

  1. Apple Bin escort cards. What’s not to love about a cute bin full of apples (real or fake) with your guests names and table numbers on them? We love the rustic accent that is so popular this year and it provides a necessary purpose.

2.  Another fall wedding idea is velvet. Normally, this heavier material isn’t utilized but it’s perfect for a fall wedding! A velvet sash, shoes or bows can make your wedding pop. Many think it’s an old fashioned material but velvet can give your big day the glam you want. Your bridesmaids can also rock velvet dresses since they won’t die in the heat of summer. Or your groom can wear a velvet jacket. You can have lots of fun deciding what accents would look great in the soft, plush material.

3. Seasonal welcome snacks are a great way to have a fall wedding! Most people enjoy apple cider donuts, warm spiced cider and pumpkin pie. You can use these delicious treats as cocktail hour snacks or desserts at the reception. You could have a caramel apple bar with different caramels to dip slices into or even bags of candy for children. Get your guests into the brisk fun of fall right away with seasonal food.

 

Our fall wedding ideas are just things to keep in mind if you’re aiming for an autumn wedding!

 

5 Ways to Decorate Tables

Hello Brides! We have 5 ways to decorate tables this week. Tables at your reception leave an impression and will be where your guests reside for a lot of the evening. You want to make sure to decorate tables in the style you want but that is also fun.

  1. If you’re a Disney aficionado why not try to decorate tables with some Mickey Mouse ears or fairy tale items!You can have each guests name on the hats or items as well to make it another way to personalize the tables. It’s a fun way to give your guests both a table place holder and something to take home.

    2. Mirrored glass vases. We love to decorate tables with mirrored glass vases because they’re elegant and also create the illusion of more space. The mirrors catch the light in a romantic way and you can put candles in the vases for even more light. Or you can put flowers and greenery in the vases.

     

    3.  Speaking of lighting we love the decoration scheme using three forms of light. You can use the table center pieces, floor lights and chandeliers from the ceiling to create the ambiance you want. The cool thing about floor lights is you can usually choose the color and have it change periodically!

     

    4. You can decorate tables with cute menu bags as well. The bag can contain a baguette or chocolate and on the bag you can put the menu for the reception or a beloved recipe! Guests will love having the course menu as well as the treat inside.

     

    5.  Lastly, we love to decorate tables with two tier pieces. They are grand and elegant but are also elevated enough that guests won’t have to try to look at each other through the center pieces. No one wants to constantly be shifting the table decor.

     

     

Pets in your Wedding

You’ve got the fiance, you’ve got the venue and dress but what about pets in your wedding? Most of us have that special animal or animals in our lives that we just couldn’t live without. We’d love to include pets in our weddings if possible so here a few ways you can!

  1. Include pets in your wedding ceremony! Thousands of people have done it and what’s cuter than your dog all dressed up with a bow-tie walking down the aisle towards you with the rings? You’ll have to keep in mind how your dog does with large crowds but if Fido is a brave guy or gal then why not have him or her in your ceremony? You can also accessorize them appropriately or just leave them plain with a nice collar and bath beforehand!

 

2. The Farm wedding. If you’re having a rustic wedding out at a barn why not include your donkey? Even the most odd pets can be included in your wedding day. You can make it more romantic or glamorous with a fun flower crown too!

3. Photo ops! You can include your pets in your wedding in the photo opportunities as well. Maybe they can’t handle the stress of walking down an aisle but someone could be holding them for the photos afterwards! You can have great candid shots with your pets whether it’s a bird, dog, cat, guinea pig or llama! Your bridal party can get in on the action too and it’ll make for great pictures!

Dog photo bomb

No matter how you decide to involve pets in your wedding be sure they are comfortable with it! You don’t want to be worried about their safety and comfort on your big day. If you’re lucky enough to have someone trusted take care of them during the day that’s great! And if you think your pets will be disruptive then just opt for taking photos with them instead!