Wedding Keepsakes

So you may be wondering what to keep from the wedding. Do I trash my dead flowers? Do I keep the extra printed napkins? Ideally, saving your wedding flowers is a good idea. When you get home, hang them upside down and let them dry naturally. Some suggest pressing them between two heavy books and drying them that way. Either way is acceptable and will dry out your bouquet.

You may want to keep one program from your ceremony, napkins, a favor, and so on. These can all be put in a memory box and opened later. These will make great memories later down the road for you, your spouse, as well as your children.

It's better to save more in the beginning and then filter out the necessities later on. Keep fragile items wrapped in tissue paper for safe keeping. Many stores sell wedding keepsake boxes to store items.

Unique Seating Cards

Need some ideas for seating cards? Here are a few great ideas that will wow your guests. Here are my top ten favorite seating card ideas.

1. Hanging Seat Cards: These unique cards are hing from the chair.

2. Shell Seating Cards: Having a beach wedding? Then these seating cards are for you.

3. Letterpress Cards: Cute, elegant, and embossed.

4. Wreath Display: Have your guests grab their cards from a beautiful wreath as they enter the reception.

5. Drawn Diagram: Guest won't be confused on where to sit because there is a drawn digram.

6. Anchored Seating Cards: If you are having an outdoor wedding these are ideal. These unique favors will not be blown away with the wind.

7. Butterfly Seating Cards: Beautiful and graceful, perfect for a spring or summer wedding.

8. Wrapped Paper Boxes: It's a favor and seating card in one!

9. Watercolor Place Cards: These cards have a hint of color and go well with the floral arrangements.

10. On the Rocks: Add a little nature with some rocks. These small rocks will hold down the seating cards.

Everything to Know About Lilies

Lilies are a beautiful flower, no doubt, but do you know all you need to about the beloved flower? They are a flower grown from a bulb. There are about 110 species of the lily family. The large flower has six petals and is very fragrant. They range in an assortment of colors from whites to reds to purples. These flowers are usually frown in the sub-tropic regions.

In China, the lily is eaten as a edible root vegetable and eaten mainly in the summer months. The lily although eaten in China, can be very toxic to cats.

Lily is also a sign of purity and is widely used at Eater time. It's essential oils are used in perfumes and in other products.

4 Great Guest Book Ideas

Maybe you don't want just any ordinary guest book. Here are a few ideas on how to remember who attended your wedding.

1. Have your guests give you marital advice or wishes. Place a stack of cards on a table with a pen. Have directions printed for your guests so they know what to do. Once they write on the card have them put it in a jar. Don't open the jar until your one year anniversary. Then read what your guests wrote.

2. When sending out your wedding invitations, ask guests to bring a picture of you and your spouse that they may have. When they arrive at the reception they can place the picture into the photo album and write a memory they may have of the two of you.

3. If you are having a videographer at your wedding, have them go around to the guests at your tables and have guests bring up past memories or give you advice.

4. Purchase a frame with the matting around the center. Add your photo to the center and have guests sign around the picture so you remember who attended your wedding.

Homemade Wedding Favors

Why spend a fortune on wedding favors? These favors are easy, fast, and won't let your guests down.

1. Water Bottle Favors: These are great favors, especially if you are having an outdoor wedding. Guests can enjoy their water while remembering your wedding.

2. Candy Favors: Buy some M&M's and stick them in a cute bag with a label over them. The favor is inexpensive and won't go to waste. I mean who doesn't like M&M's?

3. Cookie Favors: Go to your local grocery store and show them a picture of the cookie you would like. Tell them what to write or draw on your cookie and then bag and bow them yourself. This will save you a great deal of money. I bought my cookies from a local grocery store and they turned out exactly how I wanted. I paid $45 for 110 cookies. How can you go wrong?

4. Personalized Wedding CD Favor: One of my favorite wedding favors was a CD I received with the bride and grooms favorite songs. I loved it and still to this day continue to listen to it. Go to Target or another local store and purchase CD labels. You can print them yourself or buy them online. Have your top ten favorite songs burned on a CD.

5. Personalized Coffee or Hot Cocoa Packets: These are another great favor that are very inexpensive. You can purchase these packets for a small price. Attach the label to the packet and your guests can enjoy a nice hot brewed cup of coffee or hot cocoa.

Top 5 Wedding Color Combinations

These top five color combinations are a hit in 2009 weddings. With a touch of elegance and class, these colors make any wedding look romantic and elegant. Check them out!

1. Eggplant & Magenta

2. Green & Pumpkin

3. Cream & Platinum

4. Cream & Blush

5. Ebony & Pewter

Save-the-Dates

The man of your dreams has finally proposed! Now it's your turn to let friends and family know! Save-the-Dates are pre-invitations that are mailed out prior to your wedding announcements. They inform your guests of your upcoming wedding (the date) and that they are in fact invited. This will give them plenty of time to plan and prepare their trip, especially for out of town guests.

Invitation Consultants has some great save-the-date announcements to choose from. You can choose calendars, magnants, photographs, and other styles. With their great customer service and user-friendlywebsite, ordering is a breeze.

Wedding Guests 101

So here it is,  the day you create the guest list for your big day. Who do you invite? Naturally everyone comes to mind. That “everyone” can also cost a pretty penny and leave you with very little money towards other wedding needs. Your reception costs will take up a large portion of your budget. Between renting the hall, country club, etc., food, alcohol, cake cutting fees, gratuity, and taxes, it's normal for this portion of your budget to add up quickly. You also want to make sure your guests are happy and enjoy your wedding.  Here are some wedding guest etiquette tips.

*Children don't eat much, so why should you have to pay an adult dinner price for a child? You don't! Most chef's or caterers will have a list of foods that are child friendly not to mention price friendly.

*Focus on immediate family and close friends first when creating the guest list. Go from there.

*If the bride's parents are paying, it's customary that they get to have more say in whose invited and vice versa.

*Find out which is cheaper, paying for each individual plate or having a buffet.

* When creating the seating chart, put guests withing the same age groups together. You don't want twenty somethings at the same table with sixty somethings. Keep guests closer in age at the same tables so they have better conversations.

*At some point during your reception, go around and greet all guests. Thank them for coming to your wedding!

*If you have out of town guests, it's best to send them a list of hotels near your wedding reception. You know the area better than they do so they will trust your hotel suggestions and take them to heart.

*It's not a bad idea to send an itinerary to out of town guests. They may be in town for a few days and not know what to do. Suggest a few parks, museums, and places they can see.

The Perfect Diamond

Every woman wants the perfect diamond. Not sure what you want? Build your own diamond at Blue Nile. You can select the diamond (round, princess, etc.) you want and the setting. The program allows you to choose the cut, clarity, color, and carat. So build your own diamond ring today.

How did he Propose?

Whether you are currenlty enaged or married, we want you to share with Does the Dress Fit. How did the man of your dreams propose to you? Share your story with us!

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