Archives for: March 2007

If you’re a bride planning a garden wedding, whether it’s to be held in your backyard or elsewhere, there’s an abundance of ways to blend this theme into your affair. A garden wedding exudes charm, and is cozy, intimate, and light-hearted. Here are some suggestions guaranteed to help you create this mood.

Set up small, round tables and layer with linens of cream and white. For the top layer, select a soft, feminine print. For floral arrangements, hydrangeas, daisies, mums, or sunflowers add an old-fashioned touch. Place some of the flowers in drinking glasses or tall, clear vases for an unfussy look. Let guests take these lovelies home to enjoy after the party ends. Another thought, add fresh fruits and vegetables to your arrangements, like cumquats and clementines, or just fill a large vase with bright, sunny lemons.

Water is a lovely, natural accent for a garden wedding. Set up a bird bath so guests can toss pennies and make wishes for the bride and groom. If you’re renting a facility that has a water feature, perhaps they (or you) could find a pair of swans for a dash of elegance.

Use small candles with lampshades for intimate lighting. Trim the lampshades with tassels or silk braids for a romantic effect. For the outdoor wedding, decorate trees and shrubbery with strings of tiny, white lights.

Tie your garden theme into your wedding favors by giving small, painted terracotta pots with seedlings or cone-shaped bags filled with potpourri. Butterfly or dragonfly placecard holders add whimsy to your tables and make pleasing favors too.

A watering can is a garden staple and can also serve as a clever centerpiece. Fill galvanized watering cans with baby’s breath and a few yellow roses. Decorate some gardening tools, like gloves and trowels and arrange them around the watering cans. Copper or soft floral teapot centerpieces adorned with a bouquet of flowers add charm to your table too. Extend your garden theme even to your china. Choose delicate, floral or gold-rimmed teacups for each place setting; if they don’t match perfectly, all the better.

Your garden wedding is about simple elegance. We hope these ideas get your creative wheels spinning, so your wedding will be exceptional and distinctive.

Tags: garden wedding, wedding theme, wedding planning

This Easter, consider holding a neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt. It’s easy and fun, and saves parents the hassle of transporting kids to a commercially hosted event. Here are some ideas for planning the hunt and suggestions for other enjoyable activities to accompany the main event.

Location, location, location…

Where will the hunt take place? Depending on the number of “hunters” attending, it could be held in one accommodating neighbor’s yard; but to make it truly exciting and challenging, why not let it traverse throughout the neighborhood. Plenty of space equals plenty of hiding places.

Inviting the guests

Extend the invitations in fun, informal ways. Sit your kids down at the computer and let them design a “community” invitation that announces the upcoming hunt. Post the announcement in conspicuous spots around the neighborhood. Or, write the details of the hunt on small pieces of paper and tuck them in plastic eggs for the kids to hand deliver.

Hiding the eggs

Obviously, you (and some volunteers?) will have to do this when the kids aren’t around. Hide some eggs in easy-to-find locations (for the younger crowd), and others in a more clever fashion. Make sure you hide enough eggs so that all the kids end up with a fair share of them.

The rules of the hunt

Here’s where the fun begins. If you’re using plastic eggs, assign different colors to different age groups. (If this was your plan, hopefully you hid your eggs accordingly!) For the youngest participants, put candy, stickers, and small prizes in the eggs. For the older kids, you could do the same, but to make it more challenging, put clues to hiding places in the eggs, directing them to the “golden” egg, or perhaps a glitter-decorated egg; the one that contains the “big prize” such as a gift card to a favorite store. For all ages, award special prizes to the child who finds a certain colored or specially marked egg. The possibilities are endless.

Other fun and games

Keep the entertainment rolling along even after the egg hunt is over. Organize the kids into teams and have an Easter egg relay race. For added difficulty, have them carry the eggs on spoons. First team to finish is the winner. Instead of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, play Pin the Tail on Peter Rabbit; replacing the donkey tail with cotton balls and tape.

Tags: easter egg hunt, easter fun, easter ideas

Wedding favors have long been a tradition at weddings, dating back as far as the 16th and 17th centuries. European aristocrats in France and Italy would give their wedding guests a gift known as a bonbonniere, or bomboniere as it is pronounced in Italian. Back then, these gifts weren’t exclusive to weddings; they were commonly given at birthday parties and other celebrations too.

A bonbonniere was a small box made of porcelain, crystal, or other types of precious stones. Inside, a sugary candy or confection would be found. From this custom evolved the wedding favors of today.

These days, couples give favors to thank guests for sharing in their celebration; years ago, attending a wedding was considered good luck. Giving gifts to guests allowed the newlyweds to “share their luck.” Frequently, these gifts consisted of five almonds or pieces of candy, which represented fertility, health, wealth, happiness, and longevity.

Modern wedding favors can be almost anything imaginable, as long as they’re meaningful to the bride and groom and provide guests with a keepsake of the wedding, particularly ones which they can take with them to treasure. Many couples choose favors that celebrate their cultural heritage. Favors that accent the wedding theme are popular choices too.

Depending on their budget, couples can give favors to each guest or each couple. If giving to each guest, the favor can be as simple as a single flower tied with a personalized ribbon embossed with the couple’s names or wedding date. If giving to each invited couple, the favor could be more elaborate. Regardless, be sure to have enough on hand in case of last minute guests or guests who would like to take additional favors. Many couples send favors to friends and family who were unable to attend the wedding.

If children are attending the wedding, you can give them the same favors as the adults or you can give them different ones, something that you know they will enjoy, like personalized cookies or candy. You could even give favors that are gender specific, if you’re struggling to find ones that would be pleasing to both men and women.

How should you present and display your favors? The sky’s the limit. Display your wedding favors on a table at the entrance to the reception hall. Tie a personalized hang tag on them that includes the guest’s table assignment and let your favor serve as an escort card. Have the favors waiting for your guests at their table, or, depending on the favor, tie it to the guests’ chairs to save table space.

Place the favors in a basket near the entrance with a note reminding guests to take one. If you’ve invited children, give them baskets filled with favors and ask them to hand them out to the guests. Sometimes, depending on the size of the event, the bride and groom take on this responsibility, which provides them with a unique opportunity to personally thank each guest. A wedding favor tree, a super idea for Christmas, lets you hang the favors on a tree. With some research and imagination, you’ll find the perfect wedding favor that says “thank you for coming” to your guests.

Tags: wedding favors, wedding keepsakes, favor ideas, wedding planning

If you recently got engaged, you may want to consider registering for wedding gifts. Registering is an easy way to let people know what you need and what you like, so they have some guidance when they shop for you. It is also a good way for you and your fiancé to combine your different tastes and find some concrete items that appeal to both of you. I believe in registering at a few different stores and selecting a variety of price points so people will be able to find something for you, regardless of what their budget is. Some of the popular places where you might register include Crate and Barrel, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Target and Macy’s. Some people also register at Bed, Bath and Beyond, Linens and Things, Sears and JC Penney. A lot depends on where you live and where your guests are apt to shop. If you have guests who may be spending a lot on your gifts, you could also register at Tiffany’s, Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Saks and Neiman Marcus. It all depends on your taste and your guest list. You can register for china, flatware, linens, bedding, cookware and various home accessories. You cannot, however, register for clothes. I know because I checked around after I got engaged, in the hopes that I could include Ann Taylor on my list of registries, but this idea didn’t fly! But with the exception of the clothes, the important thing when you register is to pick what you like, so your guests can easily select the gift from your list that they feel best about giving and at the same time, they know it is something you really want. But it’s also important to select stores where your guests will feel comfortable shopping, too. I recently attended a bridal shower where the bride had registered at Williams-Sonoma. (This fact was listed on her shower invitations so all of the guests would know where to shop.) Two days before this event, I went to Williams-Sonoma and selected a beautiful rose-shaped cake pan from her list. I felt happy to give the bride this gift, which was something I might have bought for myself. To my surprise, though, this was the only gift any of the guests had purchased from this registry. At the shower, I found out why the rest of the guests hadn’t shopped there. Some said that they lived too far from the store and didn’t feel comfortable shopping online. Others said they didn’t care for any of the bride’s choices anyway so they had picked their own gifts from other places. This was the first time I have ever heard of that happening. I don’t know how the bride felt as she opened all of her gifts, but I am sure that she did appreciate all of the beautiful other items that people so carefully selected. I guess what it all comes down to is that every event, and every guest list, is different. The good news, though, is that she still has her wedding to hopefully fill in lots of the items she wanted and was still missing. But if you want to start building your new life with the accessories and pieces you and your future spouse like best, registering is a good, and often exciting, way to begin.

Tags: gift registry, wedding gifts, bridal gift registry

If you are a mother who is trying to plan a party or some other event, you may wonder how in the world you cart your young children around with you to get all of the things you will need to buy and keep everyone happy at the same time. It’s never easy to shop with children, particularly when you have lots on your list to get, but with some advance planning you can help ensure that you get everything you need and at the same time, make sure you and your children even have a good time! It helps if you start with a shopping list. If you have everything written down, you can determine where you need to go and what aisles you need to visit. Try to plan ahead so you can get as much as you can in one stop or in one area of the store instead of wandering around aimlessly, wasting precious time. Also, come prepared with snacks, small pocket games (preferably ones without lots of pieces) or a few favorite toys. If you will be out at lunch time, stopping to eat can be a good way to break up the day and give your children something to look forward to. I find that Target is a particularly good place to shop because my children love their pizzas and cookies! I also try to include my children in the shopping process. You can ask young children to help you pick out pretty paper plates they like, or choose what color plastic silverware you should buy. In addition, you can set up the shopping trip like a treasure hunt, and offer small prizes such as a yoyo, a plastic ball or a chocolate chip cookie, to the person who finds the juice boxes first. Just be sure to set up the competition so everyone has a chance to win a prize. When my children are very patient, I also sometimes let them pick out something special at the end of the shopping trip. Target’s $1 aisle offers a wide variety of great items you can use for party favors and is an inexpensive way to let your children get a treat at the same time. Finally, think ahead in terms of how long your children will be able to stay at the store and try to finish your errands by naptime. If you have toddlers with small legs, be sure to bring your stroller with you, so when they are tired they can ride. With a little preparation, shopping for your party or other items can turn into an adventure that all of you can actually enjoy!

Tags: event planning, childrens activities, plan party