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How To Make Your Bridesmaids Feel Appreciated

HeatherMatthews — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:59:38 +0000

“My friends are my estate.”

- Emily Dickinson

Without your loyal and lovely bridesmaids, your wedding would be less wonderful. These caring ladies are there to help you look as beautiful as can be on the big day…they also provide amazing moral support during the months leading up to your wedding.

If you’re given to a little Bridezilla behavior now and then (and aren’t we all?), you’ll have even more reason to value every bridesmaid in your wedding party… why not show these special girlfriends just how much they mean to you?

Avoid The Clichés – Give Your Bridesmaids Something Pretty To Wear At Your Wedding

The best way of showing you care is by helping your bridesmaids avoid the most dreaded cliché – the homely dress, designed to make the bride look so much prettier by comparison. It can be tempting to put your girls in ugly dresses, but it’s really a bad idea on many levels.

After all, you’re a modern, confident woman! You don’t want your bridesmaids dressed in tacky styles they’ll secretly despise. Your wedding will be more pleasant for everyone when you honor your bridesmaids – they don’t need couture pieces straight off of a Paris runway. However, even cheap bridesmaid dresses should offer the best quality, sophistication, and fabric possible.

A brainstorming session, where the bridesmaids come together and give you ideas about what they’d prefer to wear, would be a great “girl’s night” activity. Watch 27 Dresses or The Wedding Singer, have some snacks and drinks, and chat about bridesmaid gowns and fun wedding decor ideas!

Of course, it’s your wedding, not theirs – still, you should always be sensitive about their body issues and opinions. Treat them as you would want to be treated…even if you had to wear something terrible when they walked down the aisle!

Being a gracious, kind bride-to-be is just good karma! It will also ensure that your friends are happy and comfortable in their gowns.

Choose Wisely

If they’re paying for their own outfits, they will be so relieved when you choose modern, pretty dresses that can even be worn again for other occasions. Consider cocktail-length gowns for your bridesmaids – they can add pizazz to your wedding, and they are so classic!

A knee-length sheath is always a flattering choice for almost any woman! A-line skirts are wonderful for curvier bridesmaids – they balance their shapes beautifully. Pay attention to the unique physical characteristics of each woman. It’s possible to find different bridesmaids dresses for each lady, as long as you stay in the same color family. Have fun with it! Don’t be afraid to innovate!

You’ll Always Be The Star On Your Wedding Day…

You will be the focus at your wedding – you are the gorgeous star of the day! Your stunning, snowy white wedding dress, sparkling bridal rings, and glamorous hair and makeup will put the spotlight on you throughout the ceremony and reception.

Your bridesmaids will be there to provide the perfect backdrop – and backup – if they are feeling pretty and appreciated, it will show! Their positive energy will add a lot to your whole wedding experience – make the day special for them as well!

A Fun Gift Idea For Your Bridesmaids

Before or after your ceremony, consider giving each bridesmaid a special present that is fun, personal and even poignant. It’s not about money – it’s about friendship! Here is a lovely gift idea that can be work with almost any budget:

Bridesmaid Survival Kits -

These popular kits often contain boring essentials, such as travel toothbrushes, sewing kits, extra stockings, Chap Stick, and mints. No one really wants everyday basics as a present! Make your own emergency kit – but fill it with fun and glamorous little mini-gifts.

A rhinestone-studded compact mirror or a scented lip plumper will be appreciated by almost any bridesmaid. Bath bombs that fizz and smell delicious are cheap, but they will always be enjoyed – and they’ll help each bridesmaid unwind before or after your wedding celebration. The goal is to give useful items with a little added charm!

Add any fun extras, such as glam nail polish or luxurious body lotion, that you happen to find on sale in the weeks before your ceremony. Wrap the whole kit up in a basket or shiny gift bag – add tissue paper or cellophane, and tie it with lots of colorful ribbons.

Your survival kit should be practical, but also something even Lady Gaga would appreciate! Put in a personal note as well, letting the bridesmaid know how much she means to you!

Online Bridal Shops: How to Choose Them

wedding expert — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:47:46 +0000

Looking for the perfect store to shop for your wedding necessities, such as bridesmaid dresses, mother of the bride dresses, and of course, your wedding gown, is not easy. You could always choose to go searching for those items the traditional way, i.e. hopping from one shop to another. Or, you could make use of the Internet to make your job easier.

But from thousands of online bridal shops, how do you know which one to choose? How do you ensure that you did the right thing in choosing a particular online bridal shop?

Well, make this task handy by taking the following suggestions:

1. Get Referrals

As with anything else, the referral system is one of the best ways in properly choosing an online bridal shop. If you know of people who have done the same thing, ask them. They would be more than willing to share what they know about online bridal stores.

If, however, you don’t have friends and other close acquaintances that have been into the same endeavor, then let the Internet do the talking. Surely, the websites of these online bridal shops have promoted themselves through customer feedback.

Sometimes, however, relying on customer testimonials alone is not that objective since normally, no online bridal shop would put in negative feedback on its site. That would be negative advertising for them.

Don’t worry though as there are a number of wedding forums available. Still using the internet, you can search for reputable wedding forums, sign up and ask for the best online bridal shops. Surely, they will have various responses but if you are just patient enough, then you’ll find yourself dialling the number of the best online bridal shop in no time.

2. Go for Functionality

Online bridal shops differ from each other according to their flagship products or services. While most of them promote wedding dresses, some actually focus on other wedding items, such as wedding favours and wedding invitations.

Therefore, when choosing your online bridal shop, get the one that can properly address your need. For instance, if you are letting a celebrity designer in your locality to make your wedding gown, then don’t look for online bridal shops that specialize on wedding dresses.

3. Get an easy-to-remember name

Most of the time, online bridal shop names are easy enough to remember. After all, that is their way of landing themselves on top of the page ranks. Therefore, take advantage of this marketing strategy. Online bridal shops that have the URL’s of “onlinebridalshop”, the “bridalshop” and “shopofbrides” are stores that would easily retain on your memory. Choose them.

Thanks to the Internet, you don’t have to go from one shop to another, spend at least three hours in every shop and go from one state to another just so you’ll find the perfect wedding items that you need. The Internet is truly a wonder.

And since every modern individual would take advantage of modernity, get into the groove as well. There’s barely nothing that the Internet cannot do. Therefore, make use of it. Hire the services of an online bridal shop now.

Our online bridal shop can give you the most fabulous designs of bridesmaid dresses and mother of the bride dresses. Visit Best For Bride.com today.

Emergency Ideas For Wedding Favours

wedding expert — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:36:46 +0000

As bad as it may sound, sometimes, things would not really go your way. Sometimes, things would not come out according to planned. This is especially stressful and nerve-racking when this happens during your wedding.

What do you do when days before the big day, your supplier for your wedding favours tells you that they cannot deliver your orders on time? Or worse, what would you do if upon follow-up, you get the response: “I’m sorry madamme, but I’ afraid that we don’t have a record of your order.”

Of course, your initial reaction would be to burst into flames. While it is rational to have an emotional outburst and probably file an official complaint to the representative that has handled you, there’s another side of this story that needs to be taken care of as well, and fast!

Yes, you need to have a backup plan. You need to come up with emergency wedding favours! Nobody would blame you if you don’t have wedding favours to distribute during your big day but you definitely would not want this possibility to even surface. Thus, you need to gather yourself and be in the game of planning again — this time, focusing on wedding favours.

Here are a few ideas:

DVD’s

This is something that is personalized and easy to come by. You can distribute DVD copies of the highlights of your life as a couple. Of course, you can also put in baby pictures of you and your groom, and some basic wedding details, such as the venue, date.

Giving DVD’s as wedding favours is also convenient. You don’t even have to contact a professional just so these will be reproduced. As long as you have a laptop, some blank DVD’s and a printer, then you’re good to go. This type of wedding keepsake is truly a do-it-yourself item.

Scented Candles

Yes, you may rant at how common and how ordinary scented candles as wedding favours are. However, if you just put in a dash of creativity into these candles, then it would look like these simple items were not really your second choice after all.

You can even buy these little babies in bulk in your favorite department store so you don’t have to deal with another supplier. After which, you can hire the services of a candle expert so he/she can then put a creative touch into these. In a matter of days, these common mall displays will cease to become ordinary and will be transformed into great wedding favours.

Porcelain Figurines

There are little shops in the malls that sell cute figurines of various designs — bride-and-groom, dolphins, cakes, flowers. Name it, they have it. All you have to do is pick a design and print little tags. These tags would then bear your names (yours and your husband’s, of course) and the date of your wedding. Viola, you have come up with fast but effective wedding favours!

Yes, it would have been better if things ran according to planned so you don’t have to be forced to deal with an emergency situation. But, if bad luck comes to you, then you don’t fret. You use that opportunity to turn things around and make the most out of the situation, especially if that happens on the most important day of your life, your wedding day!

Exercise Your Creativity in Choosing Your Wedding Favors

wedding expert — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:27:48 +0000

Bored of getting the most common wedding favors? Now that it’s your turn to give out one, why not do away with the usual bride-and-groom figurines, key chains and small picture frames? It’s time for you to exercise your creative juices when picking out wedding favors for your beloved guests.

When selecting for wedding favors, you basically have a very wide array of choices. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the wedding favors you’ve chosen are within your budget. And of course, these little keepsakes would be in line with the theme of your wedding.

Here a few wedding favor suggestions that have a flair for uniqueness and creativity.

Wine Stoppers

If you want to impress, then why don’t you use wine stoppers as wedding keepsakes. These wine accessories would look chic and modern, especially if you choose unique designs. In addition, wine stoppers would prove to be very useful as it is really hard to put back the cork once a bottle is already opened. These wine stoppers would preserve those highly volatile and sought-after vintage wines.

These wedding favors come in different shapes and sizes, especially the top part. You can select from cork, rubber or plastic wine stoppers. There are also stoppers that are made of wood, plastic, or even crystals and special metals. Surely, with enough time to scout for them, you can get the wine stoppers that would fit your taste and mood.

Fairytale-Inspired Ornaments

If your wedding is one that’s inspired by a fairytale, then it’s but proper that your wedding favors would have a touch of magic and romance. Just make sure, however, that the tiny things you’ve chosen as wedding keepsake aren’t things related to the villains of the fairytales. Otherwise, it would create a very negative impression.

For instance, if you’re a Cinderalla fan, then you could make use of her tiny Cinderella coach ornaments. You could even look for glass slipper miniatures. These wedding favors would truly add a romantic and magical touch to your already magnificent fairytale wedding.

If you are a fan of Iron Heinrich, then you can always come up with Frog Prince scented candles. These green stuffs would look truly refreshing and “hopeful.”

Garden Items

If you are having a garden wedding, then your wedding favors should also speak of the same scenery. If you’re crazy about daisies, then why don’t you look for scented candles that are shaped like those blossoms? You could even go for rose-shaped candles if you are a fan on this type of flower.

A garden-themed wedding is not just about flowers. Expand your horizon and make use of other things that can be found in the garden. Pails are one of them; so miniature tin pails with tiny petals would also prove to be great wedding favors. Get into the seasons drama and come up with personalized fall leaves as wedding keepsakes. These meaningful leaves can be made of plastic or crepe paper, among other materials.

Remember, however, that the success of a wedding ceremony does not solely lie on the beauty of your wedding favors. There are other aspects of the wedding preparation that need your attention. But if you have the luxury of time and money, it wouldn’t hurt to get creative with your wedding favors. After all, as keepsakes, they are the things that your guests will remember you by.

At BestForBride.com, we never run out of ideas for bridesmaid dresses and wedding favors. We also offer a wide selection of bridal shops in Mississauga. Check them out today.

Why Weddings Are Not Complete Without Wedding Cakes

wedding expert — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:12:40 +0000

We often wonder what the big fuss on the wedding cakes is all about. Brides pore over its design, flavor and decorations for months on end. Grooms look forward to taking a bite of it. Guests seek it and eagerly anticipate tasting its richness. Wedding cake makers showcase a wide variety of designs on their display windows, making each passerby drool at its magnificence.

We now know that the wedding cakes’ essential role in marriage ceremonies is up there with the wedding dress, the bridesmaids dresses and wedding bouquet. Every guest holds their breath in anticipation of their first glimpse of the wedding cake, the first slice made by the bride and groom, the first forkfuls that the couple feed each other, their first bite of the lovely, rich luxurious cake. So what exactly is the fuss all about? What is with wedding cakes and what does it actually symbolize?

Very few know what wedding cakes represent. Very few understand why bridal boutiques have tons of magazines piled up with various topics about it. Actually, wedding cakes are illustrative of the bliss, as well as the lightheartedness that abounds during the wedding celebration. It shows the bond that husbands and wives will eventually share — it represents the friendship and love that will continue to flourish within the marriage. Feeding each other in front of so many witnesses is deeply meaningful, wherein the bride and groom seem to show the world their affection for each other.

Wedding cakes are, more often than not, a central part of your theme. It links together all the other aspects of your wedding – your decorations, wedding favors, wedding invitations, wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses, among others. The cake is the biggest representation of your wedding theme; it is also the best representation of your personality.

What adds to the glitz of wedding cakes is its design. The essential components of its design are the wedding toppers, the icing, and the color of the wedding cake. These designs and decoration determine the impact of your wedding cakes. A wonderfully made cake with a dowdy design is deemed ineffectual. At first glance, guests already have made a judgment on your wedding cake. The already have a preconceived notion on how dowdy it must taste like. Similarly, an exaggeratedly embellished wedding cake will put a lot of guests off. On another note, there are also a few wedding cakes that look superb – every bit as glorious as those in wedding cakes magazines. Yet, these wedding cakes taste bland. Wedding cakes like these are even bigger disappointments. You are building up the expectations of a lot guests, and you let them fall off a cliff when they get to taste the cake.

All in all, wedding cakes are indispensable. As mentioned above, wedding cakes are the bond that holds you wedding theme together. Without it, your wedding day would seem patchy. It is definitely one element of a wedding that you simply can not do without. A wedding is never the same without a lovely wedding cake.

Be a Gracious Host, Add a Personal Touch to Your Wedding Favors

wedding expert — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:58:59 +0000

The Wedding Favors

Weddings, being happy events are supposed to bring luck. To share this good fortune, wedding couples give away tokens to the guests. Traditionally wedding favors were sugared treats packed in beautiful boxes and given to each guest. The early tokens were pieces of five almonds or candies. Way back, the wedding tokens were part of the bread or cake, which guests grabbed for good luck.

This changed with the times and modern bridal couples are giving away practical or decorative items for wedding favours, one for each family or couple and if budget permits one for each guest. These are usually placed on the table as part of the decorative table setting. These are artfully wrapped with tinsel and ribbons echoing the wedding theme and colors.

The choice of wedding tokens for the guests reflects the couple’s personal taste, no matter if they have the budget or a limited one. Whatever your budget, choose items that will please your guests – it may be handmade items to a packet of colorful scented candles. Happily, choosing tokens for your guests is fun making the task an enjoyable one. The internet has also made the shopping convenient and faster and online bridal shops offer discounts for bulk purchases. You can pick up the items to save on shipping costs.

What to Give Your Guests

Your wedding guests have done their part to attend your wedding. They have filed a leave of absence, paid for their plane tickets if they are out of the country or live in another state, bought your wedding gift, and traded their old party clothes for new. This may sound easy but fact is they spend a lot of time preparing for your wedding too.

Thanking them with practical items is part of your role as a gracious host. Since most wedding favors are almost identical, make it special to stand out even if it is another packet of scented soap or bottle opener.

These tips can help you make a good impression:

* Discuss this matter with your fiance, both of you can pick your brains for something unique, interesting and affordable.

* Choose items that can be proudly displayed in curio cabinets instead of landing in a heap of cookie cutter wedding favors easily forgotten.

* Not all guests have the same tastes. You have the task of choosing wedding tokens that will appeal to both young and old and male and female.

* If you want to give your guests something they enjoy for years, or something they can enjoy immediately, it is all up to you.

* Add a personal thank you note in your wedding favors to show them how much you appreciate their coming over to your wedding. This personal touch connects you to your guests and this gesture makes the wedding favours special to the recipient.

Instead of having someone distribute the wedding favors to the guests personally go around and hand the tokens to your guests. This could be done when you go the rounds of having your pictures taken with the guests.

The personal touch that goes with your wedding favors, says much about the kind of host you are.

Delight your wedding guests with your wedding favors. Shop for these in your bridal boutique where you can also go over stylish wedding dresses. At BestForBrides.com you can find your heart’s desires.

Top Tips For Edible Wedding Favors

wedding expert — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:09:27 +0000

If you want wedding favors that all of your guests will appreciate and partake of, the edible varieties are your top choices. After all, not everybody can appreciate the subtleties of scented candles, the cuteness of miniature watering cans, the usefulness of glass coasters and fridge magnets, and the playfulness of light-up rings, among other things. But with food, you can satisfy your guests’ love for candy, wine, coffee, cookies, cupcakes and other delicacies.

For the Sweet Tooth

You can set up a penny candy cart where your guests can stock up on childhood candy favorites – button candy, jelly drops, gum drops, mints, and mini chocolate bars, to name a few – in personalized takeout boxes. Not only will you satisfy the sweet tooth, you will also be taking a trip down memory lane with these simple but delectable wedding favors.

Or you can provide a jar of organic honey for your guests, wrap it in a length of ribbon, and pin a tag with sweet messages of your choice. You will be providing sales to the local bee farm while providing sweet wedding favors of the health-friendly kind to your family and friends.

Or you can hand out your favorite cookies packaged in cute little boxes wrapped in ribbon. You need not bake it yourself since you can ask the local bakery to make it in batches for you.

However, if it is a long-cherished family recipe, you can always ask the help of your siblings and parents.

Or you can always hand out mini cupcakes that are a reflection of your wedding cake. This way, your guests can have mini-cakes to show at home if they want. Or they can eat it right there! How is that for wedding cakes doing double duty as wedding favors?

For the Oenophiles

To the uninitiated, that is wine lovers for you. You can package mini wine bottles with the same wine you used during the reception, use a personalized wine bottle stopper, and attach a ribbon to them with your own message of thanks.

Admittedly, this can be on the expensive side but your guests will admire and appreciate the thoughtfulness behind the gifts. It is small compensation for the trouble they, too, took to attend your wedding.

For the Coffee Lovers

These are wedding favors that almost every adult will love. Do not settle for the instant variety of coffee but instead go for the gourmet touch. After all, it is not as if you will be spending for a coffee chain; just enough for a cup or two of coffee will do nicely!

You can buy gourmet chocolate-covered coffee beans online, package them into personalized tins or bags, and wrap with a ribbon. You will be giving your guests a welcome boost at the end of or in the morning after the festivities.

There are other edible wedding favors that you can provide your guests. The first thing to do is to determine what you like, what your guests might like, the time you can devote on making or buying them, and the amount you can afford to pay for them. In the end, it is your wedding and your favors are just small tokens of appreciation that guests will take no matter the cost.

For the best bridal shop online, visit BestforBride and get expert advice on wedding matters like discount wedding invitations and wedding favors.

Gift Basket Gifts for Wedding Showers

wedding expert — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 22:05:56 +0000

Gift Basket Gifts for Wedding Showers by Michele Rogers

Â Wedding planners of today rule over weddings.Â They are to be commended on jobs well done.Â However there are few ladies out there that are more on a strict budget.Â These ladies have worked hard and find joy in planning their wedding and make their own decorations for the tables and such.

There are many aspects of the wedding to take into consideration, one being the shower.Â Although the matron of honor usually plans this,Â the bride still has some things to say.Â A shower for the bride to be is just the gateway of planning for the wedding.Â

While planning for the wedding is hard, the shower can be much easier on the bride and matron of honor.Â At the shower the bride and matron of honor either make or buy items to give to the people who attend.Â If the wedding is being planned and items are being made by the matron and bride, then buying items for the shower is the better choice.

There are items that you buy for the shower, like bath fizzes or bath caviars.Â These items still look like they are hand made.Â They are all wrapped and given a bow with a color of choice.Â For all the ladies that attend the shower, this is the perfect gift.

In choosing either bath fizzes or bath caviars, leaves precious time for the bride and matron of honor to work together on the wedding.Â These shower gifts are small but yet they are a reminder of a shower and a beautiful wedding.

Author is Michele Rogers, owner of http://www.lilyputts.com Lilyputts Gift Baskets , an online gift basket retailer. Also hosted is a http://www.lilyputts.blogspot.com BLOG that reviews gifts and welcomes other comments as well. Please visit Lilyputts Gift Baskets for descriptions and product presentations.

Article Source: http://add-articles.com

Author is Michele Rogers, owner of www.lilyputts.com Lilyputts Gift Baskets , an online gift basket retailer. Also hosted is a www.lilyputts.blogspot.com BLOG that reviews gifts and welcomes other comments as well. Please visit Lilyputts Gift Baskets for descriptions and product presentations.