Christmas is coming – if you’re considering a few fun gifts you’d like Santa to bring to you, you’re not alone. While no one wants to seem greedy or too acquisitive during the holidays, it’s only natural to want presents that bring happiness and please the senses.

For brides-to-be, certain gift ideas can actually help to make wedding planning (and related stress!) easier to handle. If you’re going to be walking down the aisle in the coming months, consider asking Santa for goodies that will help you to prepare for (and enjoy) your upcoming nuptials!

If you’re not celebrating Christmas, you may still want to check out these fun gift ideas – all are viable gift options for any special occasion during the lead-up to  your own wedding day!

Cutting Machines for Paper Crafts -

Are you interested in making your own place cards, menus, and other cardboard wedding favours? If you are, a cutting machine, such as a Cricut die cast machine, will give you incredible creative “powers”. These laser-cut, die cast cutting machines allow brides-to-be to create incredible layered and artistic effects.

A series of different cartridges are available for different purposes – some fun choices for weddings might include hearts, doves, bells, wedding cakes, or initials. If you’re “crafty”, a cutting machine will undoubtedly thrill you, as it will give you results that are straight out of Martha Stewart Living.

Different types and models of cutting machines are available – from budget to super deluxe. If you’d rather leave wedding invitations and wedding planning to the experts, you might prefer our next suggestion…

Aromatherapy – We’ve all seen Bridezillas in action…these self-obsessed, stressed-out stereotypes are never ladylike, calm, or composed. To avoid the diva label as you plan your wedding, stay as cool as a cucumber with soothing aromatherapy that balances the mind, body and spirit.

Essential oil burners from the Body Shop are one great Christmas gift idea that will give you months of pleasure before you marry. Certain essential oils used in aromatherapy have different effects on the system – for example, lemon or orange energizes and stimulates. To calm your system, opt for lavender (this scent helps you to fall asleep, or just to chill out) or vanilla.

Experimenting with aromatherapy is great fun, and it’s also a wonderful way to manage stress as you prepare to walk down the aisle in your white wedding dress…

Home Fitness Equipment -

If, like many women, you often feel too tired to drag yourself to the gym before or after work, you may be a prime candidate for  home fitness equipment. If you’d rather break a sweat in the comfort and privacy of your own home, and you have the self-discipline to use treadmills, Exercycles, elliptical machines, and other equipment faithfully, you may find that in-house exercise machines have a life-changing effect on your mind and body.

Just 30 minutes of cardio exercise each day will streamline your shape (an hour is even better), and it will also help you to cope with stress. With regular hard exercise, problems are processed more easily – you just don’t “sweat” the small stuff. Do yourself a favour this Christmas – ask Santa to bring you a nice recumbent Exercycle that you can ride while you watch Food TV…by your wedding day, you’ll be in excellent shape, both mentally and physically.

The main advantage of home fitness equipment is the way it saves you the hassle of driving to the gym, parking, packing and unpacking a gym bag, waiting for free machines, showering in a communal setting, etc. However, to get the benefits, you must work out at home several times per week.

Best for Bride Is Here to Help

There’s more to planning a wedding than staying fit and de-stressed beforehand – although both of those things help enormously. Most brides-to-be need expert guidance as they search for the prettiest wedding dresses, wedding bands, bridal rings, and wedding invitations. Luckily, our team of experienced and compassionate experts is here to help you every step of the way.

Our bricks-and-mortar bridal boutiques are located in Ontario, Canada, and they are the perfect place to find wedding dresses Toronto and bridesmaid dresses in Mississauga. For brides-to-be in other provinces (or countries!), we offer a convenient online bridal store that allows you to shop from the comfort and privacy of your own home.

Contact our team today, and begin this important journey with some professional backup and advice. Happy Holidays from Best for Bride!

Most brides and grooms-to-be must consider their wedding budgets when they plan their nuptials. Weddings can get very expensive, and it’s a rare couple that doesn’t have to worry about the cost of catering, alcohol, music, renting a venue, etc. For many brides, one of the most important parts of wedding planning is choosing the right bridal gown. In most cases, this white wedding dress is incredibly meaningful for the bride-to-be – therefore, it should probably not be a budget item.

In fact, brides-to-be tend to regret buying cheap wedding dresses after the ceremony and reception are finished. Of course, there are exceptions, but quality does show in wedding photos and videos. So, in general, it’s smart to save on other aspects of the wedding, so that you can enjoy getting the dress you really want. It still doesn’t have to cost a fortune, but it should fulfill your fairytale dreams for your special day – you deserve to feel like a queen when you walk down the aisle.

Luckily, there are lots of ways to economize if you’re smart and organized. Planning well in advance can be key – give yourself time to comparison shop on everything from catering to wedding flowers to wedding favors – if you’re rushed and under pressure, you’ll end up buying overpriced items out of desperation. Instead, use the months before your wedding to research deals and plan your strategy.

You’ll be glad you didn’t move too fast when you consider the overall cost of your ceremony and reception. By putting some energy into finding lower-priced items and services, you’ll be able to enjoy your wedding more – after all, no one wants to return from the honeymoon to be confronted with a mountain of debt. Debt creates stress, and it take a lot of romance out of the blissful newlywed state.

Here are some practical tips on saving money at your wedding:

Rent His Tux – Unless you have a lot to spend, you should consider tuxedo rental for your groom-to-be. Most men don’t really care too much about whether or not they actually own their tuxedo. If he’s not particularly obsessed with fashion, he’ll probably be glad to rent something nice and return it afterwards. You can outfit him in style when you choose to rent instead of buying. Good tuxedos are actually incredibly expensive.

Make Your Own Invitations And Wedding Favours – Many women enjoy making crafts – they watch Martha Stewart and other skilled crafters and feel inspired. Today, there are ways to get a completely charming and polished result when you make wedding invites, place cards, menus, and wedding favours yourself.

Scrap booking stores will usually have everything you need to do the job yourself. You can use stencils, pretty colored card paper, and stick-on embellishments, such as tiny “crystals”, to make your work look really special. If you’re seriously into crafting, consider investing in a die cast personal cutting machine, such as a Cricut. This type of computerized device can be loaded with cartridges that include pretty borders, letters, hearts, flowers, or whatever you can dream up! Then, you just feed in the paper and the machine creates perfect cutouts.

Choosing a cartridge with a wedding theme can be a great way to make your own decorations, wedding invitations and wedding favours, If you really like making crafts, a machine like this will pay for itself in terms of the pleasure it brings you through the years. It can definitely save you money as you prepare for your wedding.

Keep Things A Little Less Formal –

in general, the more formal and elaborate a wedding is, the more it will cost to plan it and to carry out that plan. By loosening up your wedding ceremony (or perhaps your reception) and keeping it more casual, you can be more creative with cost-saving techniques.

Food will be a huge expense at your wedding, so consider sharing some of the work with your caterer – perhaps the caterer could provide entrees, and you could prepare side dishes, salads, and other foodstuffs yourself. If you’re planning something fun like a beach wedding, consider outdoor grilling and buy great cuts of meat wholesale. Then, hire a cook or chef to take care of things while you celebrate. Look for recipes that are glamorous and high-impact, but don’t contain pricey ingredients. Be a frugal gourmet to save money as you feed your guests.

Brides-to-be who follow these smart tips and use their ingenuity to plan a cheaper wedding can reward themselves by choosing the wedding dresses they’ve always dreamed of wearing.

If You Can’t Be that Creative

It takes some spunk to be creative; you take on new ideas and make them into tangible objects. According to Rollo May, American existential psychologist, “creativity is the process of bringing something new into being…” This can be well applied on wedding favors. Admittedly some people have this gift for creativity. Well if you share the same boat, you can borrow these ideas to bail you out of a creativity plateau.

Capitalize on Your Locality’s Specialties

Look around you. What are tourists buying left and right from your shops? Are they buying delicacies or special sweets only available in your region? If your California region has the best peaches order the fruits and have them preserved. Package these in personalized bottles and you’re ready with your creative wedding favors. This is a special treat for out-of-town guests but local guests will equally love the preserved bottled peaches.

If sweets are not your region’s top tourist drawers, how about having a great carver do miniature caricature carving of you and your groom? This won’t be cheap, but this is fun, and something different in the wedding scene. If you are having 25 guests for your wedding, this idea won’t cost you a fortune. Hire an experienced caricature carver or look for this service online and don’t forget to ask for his portfolio.

How about flowering plants? If you are living in Oregon or Seattle, Washington you must have known about the stunning roses, which are the best in the US for their beauty and scent. Scout around for some potted tiny rose bushes. If this is a great idea for you, start making arrangements with the local nursery and have your potted roses readied months before the wedding. Pots of roses in the bud are romantic and irresistible wedding favors. You can plant this yourself if you love gardening.

Keeping the Budget Down

If budget is an issue, water down your plans for your wedding favors. Instead of expensive items, go for something practical that won’t ‘bankrupt’ you. If your guests know that you bake a superb chocolate cake and that the groom dishes up great steak, it’s time to share them your secret recipes. Add more family recipes and have these laminated; tied with a satin ribbon, you give the wedding favors flair.

Chocolates, jelly beans, and mint candies are great edibles to give away to your guests. Personalize these with your initials with custom-made molders. Edibles are inexpensive and if you have a hundred or more guests, you can keep the budget down with edibles.

For their wedding favors, some bridal couples ask the caterer to bake a small wedding cake for the sharing-the-cake ceremony and small cupcakes in special boxes for the guests. This is a concession to an age-old tradition of sharing the wedding bread. The tradition was to share the couple’s happiness and good fortune with the guests as a way of thanking them graciously for witnessing the big day and sharing the fun.

Shopping for wedding favors, bridesmaid dress, and the best of the wedding dresses? Visit BestforBride.com today.

Simple yet Fantastic

The rich and the famous can afford to spend $400 on a single wedding favor for 300 guests; that’s a lot of money. But you don’t have to ditch wedding favors because you can only spend a dollar per item. There are great ideas waiting to be found and an example is the vintage handkerchiefs given by Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan to their wedding guests.

The fabrics were purchased cheap on eBay and a touch of flower heads to top the handkerchiefs in a basket made a perfect accent for the vintage wedding theme. For less, the couple was able to give their guests more. The guests were amazed that the handkerchiefs fashioned from fabrics with vintage prints had such a romantic impact. The hankies were meant for “wiping tears of joy” and indeed Tatum’s and Jenna’s wedding was a smash hit.

You can copy this idea for your own wedding; but if you want something different here are some items you might want for your wedding favors. A handmade velvet pouch with your initials stamped on it; decorative boxes you make yourself; tiny potted plants you can prepare well in advance; and perhaps you can invite a local celebrity and ask him to pose with guests. If he or she is that famous you better plan for tighter security or the fans would go wild. That indeed would be the talk of the town for ages.

If you are planning a beach wedding, go ahead to seashore and scout for seashells and scoop up some white sand. Make sure though that the beach is the venue for the wedding. Place these in quaint little boxes you made yourself. Include a personal thank you note and you have unique yet inexpensive wedding favors for your beach loving friends.

Giving frames is a great idea too but instead of opting for silver plated chrome frames, get wooden frames and paint it with your wedding color. A decorative touch can give your DIY frames more character. If your partner is handing with a hammer and a saw, that would be great or if he has zero experience with a hammer, you can ask around. Some friends might recommend a friend who can do the frames without charging a fortune. You can do the painting job later.

Baked goodies are easy to make and how about giving away sugar-crusted cookies? There’s no second guessing these cookies won’t last long. Other edible giveaways are chocolates and fortune cookies that you can prepare well in advance. You can make your own fortune chocolate candies too using special molds to match your wedding theme.

The Easy Way Out

Browse the internet for more ideas. The websites of bridal shops have a showcase of items under a dollar. Choose an item that goes well with your wedding theme and instead of having it boxed, which is another expense, spruce it up with ribbons or a silky cord. So who says you can’t have celebrity style wedding favors?

A one-stop-bridal-shop carries everything for weddings; wedding favors, wedding dresses, and wedding decorating Toronto wedding specialists can help in every way. Visit BestforBride.com today for your wedding needs.

Little Things Mean a Lot

The best surprises come in little packages and this speaks for wedding favors. With this kind of viewpoint bridal couples should work together to come up with spectacular personalized items that reflect both their styles and tastes. Choosing the bridal favors together also gives the couple more time to be together in spite of the fact that preparations for the wedding are tough on schedules.

Shopping for wedding giveaways should not be a drain on one’s nerves. There are one-stop bridal shops that provide everything couples need for wedding package. These shops have a huge selection of the latest classy items bridal couples would be proud to give their wedding guests and likewise, guests would be tickled pink to receive these fantastic novelty items. No matter how little the package, the message sent by these wedding favors will go a long way.

This gesture reinforces the saying that little things mean a lot. Here are some of the items you can find in bridal shops – ceramic lovebirds salt and pepper shakers, eco-friendly bamboo pen, Mr. and Mrs. shoe-shaped shoe polish containers, miniature wooden boxes with tree design, and miniature good luck elephants.

With a wide range of selections available for theme weddings and seasons of the year, it would be great fun choosing wedding favors; just going through the assortment of wedding favors is a delightful eye-popping experience.

Little Details that Matter

Couples shopping together easily spot items that have significance for them as a couple. If they prefer romantic candles that reflect their upcoming union, they might go for lovebirds-shaped votive candles or infuse fun into their message with a two peas in a pod candle. The two different candle designs send two different messages – one is 100 percent romantic whilst the latter reflects the couple’s sense of humor. The point here is to choose something that reflects the couple’s style without going overboard.

Wedding favors generally come in three types – edible favors, practical favors, and whimsical favors. All of these can reflect the wedding theme and these are packaged elegantly or with a tad of whimsy should the couple decide to go for out-of-the-ordinary packaging.

The items should be scrutinized first-hand before you make an order because this might not be what you expected. If you are ordering online, do so several weeks before the wedding; should there be any breakage due to shipping and handling, or product defects that went unnoticed, there is still time to have them replaced.

Check out the available decorations for the packaging, whether you are opting for “retro” tin boxes or carton packages. There are heart-shaped boxes, tall boxes and little boxes, heart-shaped tins, square and round tins. If you opt for unboxed wedding favors, there are ribbons in various colors and sizes to decorate the bottle openers, glassware, or wooden birdhouses, if these do not have their own packaging.

Every detail from the choice of wedding favors to packaging should be selected with care. Without telling them so, your guests know you have made a good job of choosing the amazing little surprises.

Go over the wedding favors with the exacting eye for details when going over wedding dresses. When shopping for wedding dresses in Toronto, do ask for the latest in all wedding paraphernalia. For more information, visit BestForBride.com today.

As a result, you are bombarded with the huge task of choosing from myriad of wedding dresses, wedding favors and wedding cakes, among others. You even have to concern yourself with getting the best bridesmaid dress designs just so your entourage will look as grand as you.

Among the most intricate tasks in wedding planning is choosing your wedding favors. These items are not simply little things that you feel obliged to give out to your guests. Above anything else, wedding favors are a memorabilia. Long after the wedding ceremony is over, these small things will be the sole reminder of this momentous affair in your life. As such, it is but proper that you choose your wedding favors properly. Here are some tips.

1. Inscriptions?

Because wedding favors are memoirs, they should bear the name of the couple and the date and venue of the wedding. Otherwise, they would just demote themselves as one of those generic figurines sold in the department stores. So when choosing your wedding favors, go for those that have space for your names. Go for those that will shout what you and your groom are most proud about – your wedding day.

2. Decorative Appeal

More often than not, wedding favors will end up in the cupboards or any other decorative space in the homes of your guests. Therefore, it is but proper to choose favors that would look pleasing in the eyes. Choose those items that your guests will feel proud to have in their homes.

3. Durability

Of course, nobody wants wedding favors that get broken even before they are taken out of the wedding venue. So when choosing, go for those that will last months – and even years! After all, they are a memorabilia and the only for them to carry out that role is to stay “alive” and usable for a very long, long time.

4. Uniqueness

Another important factor to consider when choosing wedding favors is uniqueness. These items should be unique enough that they are able to represent your (and your groom’s) interest. For instance, if both of you are beach bums, then shells and miniature slippers would prove to be appropriate wedding favors.

5. Usefulness

While wedding favors are primarily used as decorations, it doesn’t hurt to go beyond normal expectations. Therefore, it would be better to choose favors that can be used by your guests. For instance, pens, paper weights and letter openers would be practical. They are more than just fine stuff, they are also usable at the office. Your guests will be glad to have them as wedding favors.

Looking for a bridesmaid dress? How about wedding dresses and wedding favors? If you are, go check out BestForBride.com and be treated with the finest options available.

Should You Get Expensive Items?

Expensive does not always mean it is the best; unless you are having a million dollar wedding, guests will expect something pricey and custom made and they do no expect that you entirely copy celebrity weddings. But there is no reason why you can’t give away nice wedding favors to thank your guests for celebrating your wedding. So should you get expensive items? Yes if you can afford it and no if you are on a shoestring budget.

There should be no stopping you from buying expensive items. If you can give away Italian coffee presses for 25 guests, why not? This will surely make them happy and they will actually keep and use this. So it is not a waste of money, right? But if you have 300 guests, the idea won’t work. Stick to your budget and choose items your wedding guests can enjoy and use.

Get into the Groove of the Wedding Theme

Reinforcing the wedding theme in the wedding favours, keeps you focused in the choice of items to give to your guests. Whether it is a spring or summer wedding, a fairy tale or a beach wedding, there are practical favours to choose from a wide range of selections.

Guests appreciate unique wedding favours they can display on their bric-a-brac shelves. Giving them something that would look pretty on a shelf will definitely bowl them over. For a summer-themed wedding, giving away felt butterfly ring candle holders or miniature wooden bird houses gives your wedding summer theme a big boost.

If you are having a spring wedding, botanical garden votive candle holders, floating orchid candle holders or attractive flower card holders are practical favours to use and to cherish. Autumn theme weddings and winter weddings have their set of wedding giveaways from adorable bottle stoppers to key chains. Just focus on your wedding theme and the items that would please your guests.

Where to Shop

Instead of wasting your time looking around for your wedding tokens/favours, your bridal store can supply everything you need form wedding cakes, wedding getaways to wedding favours. Shopping for your wedding needs in one shop, takes off a lot of stress off the wedding preparations because you deal with only one provider and you can work together to synchronize activities for your pre and post wedding details.

You can also browse the internet for more ideas for items you want to give your wedding guests. Shopping online makes it easier to compare prices and most often suppliers are ready to give discounts on bulk purchases. Local stores also have websites, so check them out. You might catch a promo and freebies on certain days. You can also visit the stores to inspect the items first hand before finalizing your order.

Thank your wedding guests with wedding favours to please them. It’s your wedding and you want it to be a well-remembered event. Choose the items that are practical or decorative. Either way, they have great uses.

Getting ready for your wedding? Check out the wedding dresses, wedding favours and wedding bouquet flowers Toronto bridal shops have to offer. Visit BestforBride.com today and get set for your wedding.

This day is deemed so special in that when the “right person” proposes, you get all ecstatic. Not only do you get so excited about the rest of your life together, but you also could not wait shopping around the bridal shops – in Mississauga or elsewhere – to find just the perfect dress for you. And not only that, with all the planning that’s needed to be done, you certainly have to devote time to choose wedding favours.

Wedding favours – just what are these for? Why is there so much fuss about them? Well, for starters, they are keepsakes. And they are truly more than just another tradition to spend on, wedding favours mean more than that. Let’s examine some of these:

They Speak of Gratitude

By giving out wedding favours, you are saying thank you to your guests for gracing this momentous affair in your life. You are thanking them for sparing their time and sharing it with you. Of course, given the nature of the occasion, it would be more wonderful to say thank you with style and glamour. You can accomplish that by giving out fabulous wedding favours.

There are various designs of wedding favours so you have a lot t choose from. You will never run out of style. As such, given the proper budget and time, you can get wedding favours that truly speak about you as a couple.

They Speak of Memories

Wedding favours also speak of memories – not only of the couple but also of the guests. Of course, when choosing the favours, you would think of something that would aptly represent you as a couple. You would choose those that have a bearing on how you both meet and how you have designed your “forever.”

But during the wedding ceremony, your guests will also form memories. Remember “Four Weddings and a Funeral?” Well, the point exactly. You’ll never know, your wedding could be the avenue for at least one of your guests – when he/she will meet the better half.

They Speak of Milestones

A wedding is truly a milestone. And with the wedding favours that you distribute, you are able to communicate that to your guests. And given the proper design of your favours, you are able to tell them what an important step it is – what an important event it is. Of course, your guests know that already, but complementing that “idea” with a fabulous wedding favour will do the job more effectively.

Wedding favours are an important part of the traditions in a wedding ceremony. This role is even more enhanced given that they not only act as decorations, but that they do speak of gratitude, memories and milestones!

If you are looking for plus size wedding dresses, wedding favoursand even bridal shops in Mississauga, visit BestForBride.com.

As the planning lengthens, you strive to make everything perfect. Of course, your wedding gown should be the most beautiful thing on Earth. Then your wedding cake must be one in a million. Of course, your wedding favors should be well thought of. After all, it is the “material manifestation” of the things that you want to thank your guests for.

Just what are you exactly thankful for? Why do you need to spend a considerable amount of money on wedding favors when they are simply little tokens – things that your guests can easily throw or misplace?

Well, the good news is, wedding favors actually remind you of the favors that you have asked from your guests – and most especially from the members of your wedding entourage.

On time

Today, not all people have all the time in the world. With today’s fast-paced life, people hardly ever have enough time to eat a decent meal, to get enough sleep, or to relax. Getting them to be present at your wedding is already a big thing. Getting them to take some time off from their usual schedule is already an accomplishment.

The members of your entourage – your bridesmaids and maid of honor most especially – need more than just ordinary wedding favors. After all, they will be required to spend a bit more time to take care of some aspects of the wedding planning.

On Unnecessary Expenses

Get real, when you invite friends and family to your wedding, they will have to spend. Although some may have already been taken care of by you, you can’t deny the fact that your guests will spend on new shoes, handbags and even accessories. Sure, they can recycle the things that are already in their closets but who would want to be seen wearing the “same exact” ensemble twice?

This fact alone proves that by inviting people to your wedding, you are encouraging them to spend on unnecessary expenses… unnecessary because they would not have spent on these had there been no wedding to attend. As such, it’s just proper that your guests be given special wedding favors.

On Embracing Cliches

While most women are suckers for weddings, some simply grimace at the thought of it. You would be lucky if all your guests like to attend a celebration such as this. Otherwise, then you would have some convincing to do. You don’t need to really need to change their perception on weddings, love and romance; you just have to coerce them to show up at the most important day of your life. After all the convincing and the talking, back it up with delightful wedding favors. Who knows, it might just be very thing that can make them less cynical about happy endings – or to be more appropriate, happy beginnings.

BestForBride.com is your one-stop shop for wedding dresses, wedding favors and even designs on wedding decorating – Toronto or elsewhere. What are you waiting for? Visit them now!

Best for Bride is proud to present GRAND OPENING with Special Discounts and Absolutely FREE Wedding Planning Seminars. It’s your opportunity to meet vendors that will help you to plan a Wedding of Your Dreams.

Topic: It’s YOUR Day and WE Want to Help

Date: Sunday, February 21th, 2010
Time: 11am – 5pm
Location:
Barrie Store Location:
303 Dunlop St. West (at Highway 400)
Barrie, ON, Canada, L4N 1C1

Wedding planning is a lot of work and can be a disconcerting task. With the average wedding eating up to 250 hours; So many choices, so many decisions, a strenuous timeline and a budget that can quickly get out of hand. This is your opportunity to learn everything you need to know to plan a Wedding of Your Dreams.

Seminar is presented by a Certified Wedding Planner Debbie Savic.

Topics of Discussion:
Wedding and Bridesmaid Dresses by Denise from Best for Bride)
Wedding Cakes by Dianna from Yours to Savour (http://www.yourstosavour.com/)
Destination Weddings by Dan from American Express Travel Services (http://www.onthekingsway.com/)
Invitation Wording & Etiquette
Budgets by Debbie Savic from Fresh Occasions (http://www.freshoccasion.com/)
Flowers & Decor
Photography & Videography
DJs & Entertainment
Catering
Trends…and much more! by Debbie Savic from Fresh Occasions (http://www.freshoccasion.com/)