Gap Between Ceremony and Reception

I recently ran into a planning situation where a Bride wanted to have her ceremony at 3pm but not start her cocktail hour at the reception site until 6pm. Knowing that the ceremony was going to last no more than an hour, I was left to determine what the guests would do for an hour and a half. Well to be absolutely honest, it is normal to have this break since many churches do not allow the Bride to have a Ceremony later than 4pm. The key is to make sure that your guests are aware of this break. The time to advise your guests of this would not be the day of the wedding, but ahead of time on your invitations. If you have out of town guests attending the wedding, you might consider arranging some sort of entertainment for those guests in function space at the selected reception venue. A great idea would be to have caricature artists, henna tattoo artist, fortune tellers, dancers, or any other form of exciting entertainment. If the break will last for two hours or more, I would suggest providing your guests with an "out of towner" kit prior to their arrival that gives them information about a variety of activities they can do in the area.

When to Mail Your Invitations

Carlson Crafts Designs by Cornelia, LLC is a dealer of Carlson Crafts Wedding Invitations

I am constantly asked this question..."When should I mail out my wedding invitations?" The answer is 6-8 weeks prior to your wedding day. I have had some brides who know that they have guests who wait forever to respond to invites, so they ask about mailing out the invites a bit earlier than 6-8 weeks. My advice is, "A procrastinator is, and will always be a procrastinator", so no matter when you mail out your invitations, there will be a few individuals who will wait until the last minute to respond. So be sure to make a list with all of your invitees telephone numbers, so that you can call them to request an answer if you still have not heard from them prior to your cut off date. There is nothing worse than having a guest show up who did not RSVP and whom you did not account for.

Wedding Favor Ideas

Coming up with creative ideas for wedding favors can sometimes be a tad overwhelming because there are so many choices out there and then you want also make sure that your guests will actually appreciate the gift. Some of my favorite ideas for wedding day favors are: 1. The Knot wedding magazine had a fabulous idea to name each of your tables after a popular drink or wine and then provide a package of that cocktail mix or bottle of wine at that table for each of the guests. 2. For outdoor ceremonies, provide your guests with fans to coordinate with your wedding colors. You can find these fans at a very affordable price at www.blissweddingsmarket.com. I love the idea of tagging the fans with a favor tag that features your monogram and even your wedding date using a coordinating ribbon. Your guests will be thanking you for this. 3. Another great idea is to stuff a lottery ticket in cute envelopes that match your wedding theme with a little message like "Lucky in Love". 4. Candy or Popcorn Buffet with take out boxes for guests to fill. 5. A smorgasbord of all of your favorite packaged deserts, like Little Debbie snacks. This would be really fun for your guests and you can create a really fun display for your guests to come up and choose their all time favorite treat and perhaps pair it with an individual sized carton of milk.

Funny and Fabulous Girlfriend Advice

So I was explaining to a girlfriend the qualities of my ideal man; I said he would be a chef that can give excellent massages. Her response, was simply, "Just marry a rich guy who can buy you dinner and pay for you to get massages." Now that's what I call advice! Why didn't I think of that! Smiles! Have an awesome day!

The Bouquet/ Garter Toss

From the cutting of the cake to the garter toss, how did these traditions begin and what is the meaning behind them? During the 14th Century, it was thought that by having a piece of the Bride and Groom's clothing, it would bring them good luck. Guests would tear off pieces of the Bride's dress, but apparently this custom did not last, and it became customary for the Bride to throw her garter to the male guests. The males would become rowdy and impatient and they would try to remove the garter ahead of time. Therefore, the custom changed and the groom would toss the garter and the Bride would toss the bouquet.

At the wedding reception, the Bride will toss her throw away bouquet to the single women at the wedding. Whoever catches the bouquet is thought to be the next to marry. Next is the garter toss. Both garters are worn on the right leg just above the knee. The groom is to remove the throw away garter either with his teeth or hands, and will throw this to the single men at the reception. The man who catches the bouquet is thought to be the next to marry. The single lady that catches the bouquet is to take a seat in the middle of the dance floor. The gentlemen who caught the garter will then place the garter on the leg of the single lady.

What Do Your Wedding Colors Mean

Reds = Excitement, Powerful, Stimulating Pinks = Sweet, Happy, Youthful, Romantic Oranges = Friendly, Tangy, Energizing Yellows = Sunny, Warm, Cheerful Browns = Rich, Earthy, Durable Blues = Cool, Serene, Quiet Greens = Nature, Harmony, Freshness Purples = Regal, Sensual, Elegant Choose your wedding colors based on what feeling you would like to evoke for your wedding. A big trend for this year is to choose monochromatic colors for your wedding day decor.

Meet Chante and Kenny

Kenny and Chante' officially met at track practice in the spring of 2001, but the fairy tale started later that month at the state competitions for FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) where the unlikely pair would become inseparable. Right away, Kenny realized he struck gold. With Chante's superb genetics, Kenny knew he had found the mother of his future professional athletes. On the other hand, Chante' realized she had found a gem of her own. It was rare to find intelligence, athletic ability, and a gorgeous smile all in one neatly wrapped package. After countless hours on the phone and shooting stars, it was finally time for Kenny to venture off to college, leaving Chante' behind to finish her senior year of high school. She had no idea how difficult it would be to see her "knight" leave for UCF. The tears continued until he drove off to begin a new chapter in his life. As promised, Kenny came home every weekend to see Chante', and she traveled to see him whenever he couldn't make it home.

Kenny's first year of college sailed by, and it was finally time for Chante'to start her first semester at UCF. Throughout college, nothing could keep them apart except for the basketball court between their apartments. Three years later the two graduated and moved into their first apartment together. It wasn't the traditional method, but it worked. On their eighth anniversary, Kenny proposed on a private island in Key West. A cloudy sky allowed the sun to peek through long enough for Kenny to get down on one knee and pop the question. It was music to her ears, twice! Yes, she made him do it twice to ensure she would never forget that moment! Chante', the hopeless romantic, had finally found her prince charming. And Kenny had finally found his perfect 10!

This amazingly cute couple will be married on November 20th at the fabulous

Heaven Event Center.

All photos courtesy of Absolute Love Photography!

DIY vs. The Professionals

The popularity of Do It Yourself wedding planning is rising and brides are flocking to their local craft stores to create their own fantasy wedding. Many of thse Brides find themselves disappointed when they are unable to bring their vision to fruition without it looking cheesy and cheap. Beware of letting this happen to you! Part of the beauty of leaving the work of pulling your vision together to the professionals, is it allows for you to enjoy your fiance and the time spent with family and friends. The week of your wedding is not one where you should be worried about timelines, creating floral arrangements and bouquets, etc. Your wedding planning experience should never feel like work unless you are a professional wedding planner.

Storing Your Top Tier for Your First Anniversary

Tres Belle Cakes

• Remove decorations or anything that could break • Don’t let it rest on cardboard because it will then taste like cardboard

Tres Belle Cakes

• Put cake in freezer as is for 20 minutes so that it won’t stick to the plastic wrap then take it out and completely cover it in plastic wrap (airtight) • Wrap in 2 layers of heavy duty aluminum foil to protect from freezer burn

Tres Belle Cakes

• Defrost the cake 1 day before serving in your fridge • After 2 hours remove the wrapping and continue to defrost

Tres Belle Cakes

• Let it rest at room temperature before serving • You can have a new layer of icing added to make it look pretty again

Tres Belle Cakes

All photos courtesy of Tres Belle Cakes - an awesome wedding and speciality cake baker in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Your Wedding Cake (and non-cake) Options

Why not be different and veer away from the traditional by offering your guests a non cake dessert option at your wedding such as: • Cupcakes

Sweet by Holly

• Chocolate mousse • Petit fours • Dessert buffet

Clo by Clau

• Chocolate fountain • Chocolate bar- hot chocolate, chocolate covered coffee beans, chocolate sticks, everything chocolate • Crocumbroche- traditional French pastry formed into a ball and structured into a cone with spun sugar over top • Individual mini cakes for each person Who Will Eat Your Cake? • Serve at desert • Midnight buffet • Boxes to take home

How to Save Money When Purchasing Your Wedding Cake

• You can opt for a smaller wedding cake and purchase a sheet cake as a less expensive option to serve all your wedding guests. • Your cake doesn’t have to be real, just one slice does. If you’re not serving your wedding cake to your guests then have a Styrofoam cake decorated and have one piece be real or a cake behind the fake cake to do the traditional cake cutting. • If you’re not serving your wedding cake for dessert you do not need to order one slice per person because if you’re serving it at the end of the night, not everyone will eat it • Most venues do charge a cake cutting fee/ plating fee to serve a cake not made by their catering staff • Use cardboard circles stacked together to give your cake the desired height you want, or you can purchase a cake stand from companies such as Raise the Cake. www.raisethecake.com

Raise the Cake

• Decorate the dummy cake just like a real cake • Want more servings then make your base larger or add mini wedding cakes which makes the cake table look extravagant

Free Wedding Website

I highly recommend that Brides create a wedding website. This allows for you to be able to keep your guests informed on the happenings for your wedding weekend. Create your website prior to sending out your Save the Dates so you can include the web address on the Save the Date. You can upload pictures of you and your sweetie and give tell the story of your relationship, how you knew that he was the one, and the engagement. This is also a great place to display some of your fantastic engagement shots! Additionally, there are features that allow your guests to RSVP and to see your bridal registry (as that information is to never be included in your wedding invites). And the best thing about it...It's free. Go to http://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-websites.html to see over a 100 beautiful layouts.

Bridesmaids Dresses for Under $100 at JCPenny

The financial responsibility of being a bridesmaid is not a cheap one, that is why it is so important to consider your bridesmaids wallets when choosing their attire for your big day. The always affordable JCPenny has fabulous dresses all less than $50 that serve as great Bridesmaids dresses. This first look with dress and necklace comes in a variety of sizes and will work perfectly for an evening wedding. This entire look came in less than $100. This little number again is less than $50 and comes in a variety of colors and sizes to accommodate your bridesmaids. Additionally, your girls can go online to order their dresses. Last but not least is this Jones Wear teal wrap dress. Perfect for a variety of sizes and can you believe the necklace and dress together are less than $100.