Martha showcases some of her wedding favorites to inspire brides as they beginto plan their special day. Discover how to create some of the world’s most beautiful floral bouquets and centerpieces. Learn the essentials for finding the perfect bridal gown, and find everything you need to organize a successful wedding reception. From elegant cakes to personalized invitations and thank-you notes, this is an introduction to planning a wedding that every soon-to-be bride should have.

(more…)

The following ideas will help keep your guests happy.

Frequently, the numbered table system is incorporated in order to shorten the queue and waiting time.  Each table is assigned a number that are randomly chosen by the MC or DJ at various intervals, people sitting at the the tables that are called out by the DJ will then line up in the queue while everyone else stays seated.  You can put the numbers in a variety of locations on the table, including on the flower arrangement. For a fun variation on the numbered system, you can have your florist add one extra flower to table one, two extra flowers for table “two” and so on. In order to guess their numbers, each table will need to count the flowers in their arrangement. This is quitepleasingfor guests and wedding celebration alike, and can lead to very amusingscenarios, especially if your guests have been drinking.

Another spin on the numbered tables, is to use colors instead. In this case, you can place different colored label or napkins on each table and then have the DJ simply call out each color name. To be safe, it’s wise to have the DJ have a sample of each color with a tag so that there is not too much confusion.  With the color system, it’s simple to arrange to have different tables where guests are related or close to each other line up in the queue. This is done byreplicatingthe colors on the tables that you want to queue up together. For example, if your friends are seated at two or three different tables, you can make those tables the color Pink, for example, and when the DJ calls out Pink all two or three tables will head to the buffet queue.  The color method is great in order to help you’ve your family and friends queue first, without it appearing that you are picking favorites.

One extraordinary amusing game that will bring all your guests together is a trivia game. In essence, you place a little bell at each table and have the DJ ask questions about the Bride and Groom, the ideal man etc.   When the DJ or MC asks a question,  seated guests can ring a bell to guess the answer. Whoever answers correctly will head to the queue. This game is bothpleasing and endearing because it helps the guests and bridal celebration connect.

If you’re incorporating a buffet dinner at your wedding reception, be sure to make it fun and appear fair in order to not arouse any resentment among your guests. You will find thatalthough not everyone will eat at the same time, everyone will still have an enjoyable time.

First of all, if children are invited to the wedding, take into consideration their ages. If the kids are toddlers up to about age 12, your best option is to provide a separate room for them with childcare and a make a number of activities available to them.

If the children will be in a separate room at the reception, you can provide a coloring table, perhaps a TV with an appropriate movie  and board games. That could probably be enough for the duration of the wedding reception. Be aware of a few things: there should be a ratio of at least 1 adult for every 5 kids if the kids are toddlers, or 1 adult to every 10 children if the children are older. Don’t anticipate the children to take up the activities on their own, but rather tell the childcare provider to get the children involved in the activities by doing them him or herself.

What if the children will be part of the reception festivities? What activities can be geared specifically to children at the reception?  You can certainly plan a coloring table at the back of the reception hall or room. There, you can provide loads of paper, coloring books, markers and crayons. Paints are not recommended, for obvious reasons, andMothers will thank you if you remember to supply the children with washable markers and crayons only.

Another popular option for kid friendly weddings  is to have paid entertainment on hand just for the children. This can take place in a separate room or toward the back of the reception room. You can hire a clown or a balloon artist. You can have someone braid the children’s hair and provide temporary tattoos. If there is a separate room available, you can even hire a children’s musician to come and entertain the kids. The options are endless.

As you may have guessed, a child friendly Wedding Reception can take a lot of planning, and will undoubtedly force you to rethink your budget. That said, if you considerthe joy that you will bring the kids and the many thanks from the parents, it will be one of the best things that you could do for your guests.

One of the most obvious is a breakfast the day following the wedding reception with your close friends and family. This is a time for everyone to touch base with each other, check in on how everyone did and perhaps share memories of the night before.  You can meet your friends and family at a relatives house or restaurant.

One popular tradition for a post wedding party is to have the bride and groom open the previous night’s presents the day after the wedding.  This can be a easy gathering of friends and family or you can turn the present opening into an all-out activity, where each item is opened, demonstrated or displayed and discussed in great detail.  You might evenThink about making a game out of the present opening. Everyone has to guess what’s in each gift prior to its being opened. (Of course, people can’t guess on their on gifts.) Someone can be in charge of keeping a tally and whoever gets the most right, wins a small prize.

How about planing a scrapbook celebration after the wedding. You will not have pics back from the photographer, but you can scrapbook many other wedding events, such as pre-wedding events like manicures, celebrations or candid pics taken by wedding guests at the reception. More than being focused on the photos, this activity gives the ladies a chance toreflect on the events of the wedding, laugh at all the fun ties and journal.

Some brides and grooms plan activities the day after the wedding that are designed to help everyone calm down, relax and unwind after what has likely been a busy weekend. In this light, you can plan a picnic at the park and bring along games to play. You might pack a football, a volleyball net or items to play baseball. You might bring along water guns or a dartboard. Whatever it is, the idea here’s to have some fun and blow off steam.

Post Wedding celebrations are a great way to getting all set for your honeymoon. It often helps wind down the wedding celebrations in a way that lets everyone gently move onto the next phase of your wedding without the crash and burn that often happens on the wedding day. Plan something fun and you will have wonderful memories to share for the rest of your life.

Most guests look forward to the wedding toast, but there are no rules engraved in stone that you need to add a toast activity into the wedding, you are definitely free to leave it out, it’s your wedding. But for those of you who feel that a wedding toast is an essential component of a wedding, there are manythings that you can do to spice it up.

One popular wedding toast, is to incorporate the toast into the wedding video,and essentially have all of your closest friends and families state a Littlespecial something about the bride and groom.  The video toast is a great way to give everyone a voice and help them share a heartfelt message that would not be appropriate at the wedding reception.

Another wedding toast is to have one person at each table be required to make a toast. Number the tables and at various intervals, have the MC or DJ call a number, which will require guests at that table to decide amongst themselves who will give the toast at that table. Certainly, more than one person can if they like, but there will likely be at least one ham at each table who will enjoy standing up and toasting the newlyweds.

Say you have plenty of public speakers in the group, and finding willing toast participants won’t be a problem. But you think the subject matter might be. There’s an easy solution to this problem. You can provide open-ended topics for the toast speakers. Say you’re providing an “open mike” toast arrangement, where anyone can request the microphone and offer a toast. The DJ, MC or someone else in the wedding celebration (perhaps the maid of honor or ideal man) can offer the speaker a surprise topic, which might be pulled from a champagne flute or drawn out of the floral arrangement on the head table. There might be slips of paper to choose, or just one sheet of paper with several ideas.

The speaker might choose to finish this sentence, “I remember when (groom’s name here) was aTiny boy, he always …” or answer this question, “When was (insert bride’s name here) at her silliest? Tell us the story”. You might have to give each speaker a minute or two to collect their thoughts, but you are sure to have some interesting stories, someone-of-a-kindanecdotes and some different perspectives on the bride and groom.

There are no limitations to the number of ideas regarding the wedding toast, and it should reflect who you’re as a couple. You can often include wedding toasts to the delight of your guests, and best of all, you’ll have memories to share for many many years to come.

One way to make wedding music fun is to plan fun activities around the music that’ll add an element of fun to your wedding. Keep in mind that often, the DJ or Stage Band can provide you with many great ideas, and are often responsible for much of the music fun, but that shouldn’t stop you from coming up with your own ideas.

Possibly the most fun wedding music game is the adult version of musical chairs. The traditional rules of musical chairs isn’t appropriate for a wedding, because people may get injured, or accidentally spill beverages. Instead, use a napkin that and send it around the table, when the music stops, the person holding the napkin either gets a prize, or needs to do something sill, like a dance or a song.  Some brides and grooms like to play musical chairs in order to give away the table centerpiece, which many guests like to take home. This is one great way to give out the centerpiece to your guests.

Another fun Wedding game is  “name that tune”. This is a game that is best for a smaller, intimate wedding where everyone knows the bride and groom well. Prior to the wedding, whoever is planning the wedding should get a list of favorite songs of both the bride and groom. Create a CD of those songs, and then create a game of “name that tune”. Guests can be divided into teams and then be played just a small snippet of each song.

After guests hear that first snippet, they can then “bid” on how swiftly they can name the tune. So one group might[ state they can name the tune in 10 seconds, while the other group might state 5 seconds. Once one group has bowed out, the other group will then have to “name that tune”. This is a fun game that gets everyone involved and which the bride and groom are particularly delighted by.

Depending on the style of the wedding, there are manyfun games you can play to get the bride and groom out on the dance floor. Now, if this is a veryHuge and very elegant wedding, this option might not work since there’s certain decorum to maintain, but for a casual, fun, family-centered wedding some of these games can be fun.

You could also be adventurous and make up your own wedding music games, but make sure that the games can be played by all participants, and that it doesn’t involve physical activity that may lead to an accident. Be creative and have fun with your wedding music, your guests will thank you for it.

The wedding cake has generally been perceived in traditional terms, and few realize that there’s much fun that can be had involving the wedding cake. One new option that is gaining popularity is to substitute cupcakes instead of a cake. The Cupcakes may be decorated in accordance with the wedding theme, just as a cake is, but the cupcakes are instead arranged on tiered cake plates and displayed on a cake table until it’s time to eat them.

Now, what is fun about using cupcakes instead of a whole wedding cake is you can save money, certainly, as many reception halls and caterers charge a per slice fee to cut and serve the wedding cake, but you can also build activities into the cupcake presentation. For example, the cupcakes that are for the bride and groom can have a different decoration than the ones for the guests.  As an extra touch, you can have the baker include a special prize in one or several cupcakes. A small charm or tiny toy can be baked into the cupcake. Whoever gets the charm wins a special prize. These prizes can range from a gift basket or gift certificate to a restaurant to a dance with the bride or groom.

In keeping with the dance during cake theme, how about a requirementthat in order to get cake, a guest must perform an impromptu dance first? Or there could be trivia questions about the bride and groom or about popular culture. Guests must correctly answer the questions before getting their cake. There could be competitions among tables or individuals for most questions answered correctly.

Many people believe that once the cake is cut, they are free to leave if they wish. Since cake cutting usually comes after the meal and after dancing and other traditional celebration activities, many people take the opportunity toleave the celebration after the cake is cut and enjoyed.

Fun activities such as the above will make the wedding reception a more intimate moment, as opposed to a rigid formal affair, and the guests will have fun doing so, especially after they’ve enjoyed some time at the open bar. For your wedding, why notThink about wedding cake fun, you’ll be glad that you did.

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 will 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 oftenrecommendthat you use the shoes you will 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’ll be dancing on your wedding day. It is extraordinary 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 massive 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.