Yankee Candle – 14.5 oz. Wedding Day

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One box contains 36 easy-to-use double stick 3-inch strips of tape. To have and to hold! Brides also discover that Hollywoods best-kept secret is a true wedding-day lifesaver. So when you hear, Does anyone know how to swiftly fix hems, hide slipping bra straps, hold up strapless gowns, or keep this garter in place? You can effortlessly say, I Do! From the ceremony to the[ pictures to the last dance of the evening, rest assured you and your entire party will stay photo op perfect.

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Green is the new white for today’s brides–metaphorically speaking. Environmentally conscious couples are often appalled by the carbon footprint of traditional weddings and are seeking ways to express their earth-friendly values as they express their love. As Green Wedding shows, there are alternatives–products and services that can reduce environmental harm while ensuring a joyous and stylish celebration. Featuring stories of couples who have “gone green” on their wedding day, this authoritative guide by New York Times Style correspondent Mireya Navarro explains how couples can green their dream wedding, and why this is important. The book presents ideas for maximizing the sustainability of every aspect of your ceremony and reception–from choosing (and reusing) wedding attire, to offsetting the global-warming impact of your guests’ travel, to designing a menu (including cake and Champagne) that is seasonal, local, and organic. And because environmental responsibilit (more…)

From Booklist

Never have the to-be bride and groom had so many options for personalizing their wedding day–and for saving bucks. Michaels (as in, yes, the stores) to the rescue. Fifty-plus projects, ranging from decorated cakes to scrapbook pages, will fill the days between the announcement and “I do.” Here, editor Kopp has wisely divided the embellishments into five different decorating styles–glamorous, pink, modern pastels, whimsical, and modern bold. In each section, there’s at least one wedding cake, one invitation, one thank-you note (here’s to etiquette, at last!), among other items to fashion. Complete instructions, color photographs, a frequent tip (like craft stores do sell embossed invitation kits . . . duh!), and five galleries of quick-and-easy projects for last-minute needs. Who could resist a polka-dot daisy cake or a pearl-trimmed thank-you note? Generous credit to the seven designers, however, doesn’t mask one issue: fondant icing is difficult for exp (more…)

You know the drill.  The ceremony is exciting and fun and full of joy, some tears and plenty of meaning as the bride and groom kiss and become one family.  Then it’s all over and everybody files out to go to the reception to dance, have cake and celebrate this union.  But wait, the whole proceeding has to grindTo a stop while the photographer stages the wedding party for as long as an hour or more to “recreate” the ceremony and make those perfect wedding photos.  Meanwhile the reception may be getting underway and many of the guests that the bride or the groom or others in the family want to hug and share the joy with may have to go because they just can’t wait out a fussy photographer.

Somehow this complete disruption to the day has become accepted as just part of what the wedding day is all about.  And the worst part about it is that the photographs, while nice and well staged, look like a bunch of mannequins being arranged for a store window.  The joy and fun of the ceremony is over.  For decades to come everybody will say they are beautiful and meaningful but if you look closely the wedding party looks nervous, uncomfortable, bored and like they wish they were somewhere else.

Well maybe its time to throw that tradition out and put some creativity into how the wedding photos and the wedding photographer works in your wedding.  By finding a photographer who will put together some wedding pictures that have some style, some creativity and some sense of inventiveness, you’ll have that wedding album that really is full of memories worth remembering.

To get that kind of photographer, you’re going to have tobegin early.  You have to find that maverick photographer that “gets it” that the wedding is about the people, not the gowns and the hall and that his photographs must shout out “this was a wonderful day and we celebrated this union.”

You may have to look outside of the conventional “wedding photographers” listing in the phone book.  An artistic photographer may be more appropriate.  But be patient and find one that is just as professional as any photographer in that yellow pages but can bring some creativity and investment of getting to know this wedding party to the job of taking your important wedding pictures.

That wedding photographer should become as much a part of the wedding party as the groomsmen.  After all, if he’s going to capture the personality of this couple, he’ll have to get to know you.  Spend some informal time with him and share those fun memories of when you met, those special times while you dated and certainly those very specialplaces where important moments in your relationship took place.

Armed with that kind of creative individual in charge of your wedding photographs, you will look forward with great anticipation to what he comes up with.  Many of the best shots will be created before the wedding, at some of those special places and he can Photoshop them to blend them with wedding day moments.

Above all that wedding photographer will understand that he is there to serve this wedding and capture those special moments as they occur.  Sure, you may “pose” for a picture from time to time but this whole business of bringing the wedding day to a grinding halt to take stilted pictures of bored wedding party members will go out with the trash.  The outcome will be wedding pictures with style, with life and a lot of love in them to reflect the love that was exchanged in those vows and the love of family and friends as they enjoyed this magical day with you.

Coasters are one idea for wedding favors which can be romantic or suit the theme of your wedding but can also be very practical. You can purchase coasters in a variety of shapes including hearts to provide for your guests as wedding favors. Heart shaped coasters will be best because they are romantic and convey the sentiment of love but they’re also something your guests can really use. Another option for using coasters as wedding favors is to give out coasters which match the theme of the wedding. For example you can buy coasters with pictures of sand or the beach to go with a beach themed wedding. You can also give out coasters with room for the guest to insert a picture. You can include a picture of the bride and the groom in one of the coasters and leave the rest of the coasters in the set blank so your guests can use their own pics if they wish.

Key chains are another example of wedding favors which can be both romantic and practical. Hearth shaped key chains or key chains in the shape of wedding bells or other items related to love or wedding are a good idea for favors. You canchoose an elegant key chain which is sturdy so your guests will want to use but that’s also very romantic and will remind your guests of your wedding for years to come.

Another very practical wedding favor idea is a gift of candles. Whether you chooseto give tea light candles, taper candles or candles of another style it is very likely that your guests will be able to use these favors. Most people already have at least a few candles in their house but they can always use a few more. Candles are very versatile. They can be used to set a romantic mood but can also serve other purposes as well. For example in the event of power outages, candles can be used to provide lighting. With so many uses for candles it is no surprise that if you give your wedding guests candles as a favor, they are likely to use the candles in the future as opposed to setting them aside and forgetting about them which might happen with other less practical favors.

Wine charms in a shape such as hearts or another romantic theme are also very practical favor ideas for a wedding. Wine charms by themselves are somewhat romantic but when they’re designed in shapes such as hearts, wedding bells or other romantic shapes they’re very appropriate for a wedding. They are also a very practical favor idea because many people will not have this type of item but can really use a set of wine charms. Wine charms are simply small charms which can be placed on the wine glass to distinguish one glass from another. This is useful in a party situation where guests may be mingling and may set there glass down for a minute or two while chatting and then become confused about which glass is theirs. Charms which distinguish the glasses help to eliminate this problem.

When shopping for wedding favors, it  is vital that you create a budget that encompasses every aspect of your wedding, that means that you need to know exactly how much you’re willing to spend on the wedding favor and stick to it. Having a budget means that you won’t be caught by surprise when tallying up the total bill for the wedding. The key is not to  assume that the cost of the wedding favors will be an incidental point in the budget, the fact is, the cost can often be astronomical. You’ll needto take into account how many people will be attending your wedding and then budget accordingly. What most couples do when deciding how many wedding favors to purchase is to calculate it based on family or couple groupings. That means that you’ll give out one wedding favor per couple or per family, this will give you a good idea of how many to purchase. Once you have decided on the number of wedding favors you need, you’ll need to considerthe cost per piece. For example, if you are planning on purchasing 100 wedding favors, a $10 dollar item will be very costly,Think about reducing the price down. Another way to keep the price down is to order pre-wrapped wedding favors, or wedding favors that are being discontinued.

Once you’ve decided on the price, it is important that you startshopping as early as possible. It is a good idea to buy your wedding favors at least a few weeks before your wedding day, but preferably one or more month in advance. This is especially important if you want to have the favors or ribbons used to wrap the favors personalized with your names and the date of your wedding.  This personalization often requires a couple of weeks lead time because your order has to be made especially for you instead of simply being shipped from a warehouse. Most companies will rush your order upon your request but there will typically be substantial fees involved with this service.

There’s no escaping it, purchasing wedding favors will be a time consuming event, that may take more time and effort than you originally thought. That said, you’ll find that if you do your homework, and shop early, finding the right wedding favor can add to lasting memories for years to come.

The wedding dance is also the time where the anticipation of months and years of preparation culminates, effectively centering the two of you in a harmonious moment.  Your wedding dance is the one time during your wedding reception that you and your spouse are truly together within the crowd. All eyes may be on you both but this is your moment together and no one else in the room should matter at this moment. Your wedding dance is one of the few memories of your wedding that you’ll have forever.

For some, especially the men, the wedding dance can be of and in itself a point of discomfort. This is in part due to some people’s discomfort with dancing, making that occasion a disconcerting one. It’s for this reason that many couples are now taking wedding dance lessons in order to make sure that nothing goes wrong during their wedding dance. Many teachers often suggestthat you use the shoes you’ll be wearing for your wedding as well as a skirt that is very similar to your wedding dress in order to actually get an honest feel for how you will be dancing on your wedding day. It is incredible how much of a difference the height of your shoes and the length of your skirt or train can make when it comes to dancing. These classes are very important for couples that truly want to have the fairy tale wedding experience though not necessarily practical for couples that are already working at the end of their budget constraints.Although most couples opt to taking dance lessons at a dance school, due to time constraints, many chooseto buy instructional DVDs to help them dance. It would be great fun to practice your wedding dance together before the huge night and it is a great way to have fun together as a couple even after the massive night.

For the more spontaneous and courageous, you can always just wing it by picking  a song you both love, a dance you like and have fun without worrying about getting it perfect. You are beginning your new life together as a couple and who really needs the pressure of dancing perfect, right? It is also your day and that’s one thing that far too few brides really realize when getting caught up in the pressure of creating the perfect wedding within a limited budget.

Whichever method you choose, try your ideal to have fun and make your wedding dance the special moment that it is. It will bring you many years of great pleasure knowing that you and your significant other have shared this important moment, to symbolize your love of one another.

A few thingsto take into account include things like will this be a formal wedding with a sit-down dinner? If so, you might want to replace the formal rehearsal dinner with an informal barbecue dinner or picnic.  Keep everyone occupied during the long weekend requires an understanding of people’s needs, factoring in the age of the guests. The key is to factor in as many activities that can be enjoyed by many age groups. For example, will the wedding be near a lake or resort? How about planning a day at the lake on Saturday, filled with pre-wedding activities like swimming races and beach volleyball, or perhaps a scavenger hunt. If you are going to include a scavenger hunt into the wedding festivities, be sure to make a list of meaningful items should be drawn up, and guests placed in two teams. The list should include things like  “take a picture with the bride and groom”. You will have to tailor the scavenger hunt list to the location of the wedding and the energy of the guests who will be participating.  You can even offer lavish prizes for the team that wins the scavenger hunt, such as gift certificates or gourmet food and gift baskets.

It’s important that during the wedding weekend, planners keep in mind that the weekend itself might be Expensivefor some guests, particularly those who had to fly in for the occasion and many of the activities should be free, or inexpensive. If they are more expensive, and planned for the entire group, they should be paid for by either the bride and groom or their families.

Remember to keep the weekend activities fun, and adequate for all age groups, by providing everyone with something they can enjoy. Weekend wedding parties are fun and will be remembered for many years as a great time had by all.