So, to make your wedding interesting from the onset, why not opt for either of these two fun ideas for invitations to your wedding?

Message in a Bottle

If you have ever picked up a bottle on the beach with a message written on a piece of paper, you may have appreciated the romantic idea. Well, now, you can recreate the magic you felt by sending out message in a bottle wedding invitations!

You can either have a wedding store make these bottled invitations for you to save time or you can make these fun invitations yourself to save money. Whatever your choice, keep to the theme of a beach wedding by injecting touches of the sun, sand and sea.

Think of placing colored sand to match your color motif, little seashells to match those in your cake, starfishes to reflect your starry-eyed state of happiness and even small water balls to represent the sea. This way, you can evoke the beach-y mood to your wedding guests through these unique wedding invites.

If you decide to make them on your own, remember a few things. First, make sure that you have a pull mechanism to allow the paper to come out of the box easily. You don’t want your wedding invitation recipients to go fishing on dry land or hammering on glass to get to the paper. Even a simple strip of ribbon attached to the paper will do the trick.

Second, think of shipping costs. Try to keep the weight to a minimum, say, by placing just a half-inch of sand so as to save on costs. Besides, you want your wedding invitations to be evocative of the beach, not mess up your guests’ tables with sand!

Flip Flops in a Shoebox

Well, flip flops are great beachwear so why not turn them into unique wedding invites? These might be the easiest invitations in a beach-themed wedding because you just need two basic things: a pair of flip flops and a piece of paper with the invitation words.

For more flair, you can always place the flip flops in a customized shoe box. Of course, this will add up costs per se but then again, you will have wedding invitations that double as wedding favors. Ultimately, you can save money from double duty wedding items!

And your guests will appreciate your thoughtfulness since they can use the flip flops on the beach. Whoever says that wedding favours have to be for display purposes only must have never attended a beach wedding where flip flops are the wedding invites and favors rolled into one.

Truly, when it comes to wedding invitations, you are only limited by the power of your imagination. So, veer away from all-paper wedding invites and start thinking of bottles and flip flops beyond their utilitarian functions.

BestforBride.com has the best selections of mother of the bride dresses and wedding dresses in Toronto as well as wedding invitations that can be customized to your beach wedding.

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/)

1. Don’t forget to double check

Most of the time, your wedding invitations are printed at once – together. Therefore, if one has a tiny error, all the other invitations will have that same mistake. Still, it doesn’t hurt to recheck. You may have not noticed that one invitation has an ink smudge. Surely, you don’t want to send a partially dirty invitation to your guests.

In addressing your invitations, don’t forget to recheck if the names and addresses are spelled out correctly. There’s nothing worse than sending out a card to a friend whose name you can hardly spell. This act looks sloppy and insincere.

2. Don’t let someone with a messy handwriting address your wedding invitations.

Etiquette requires you – and any couple who is planning to get married – to hand write your invitations. This allows you not only to save on printing costs; this also makes the whole invitation gesture more personalized.

As such, it is important that the person tasked to write on the wedding invitations has a legible handwriting. If you cannot find a close friend who will fit this qualification, you can always hire the services of a professional calligrapher.

3. Don’t forget to use full names

When addressing your wedding invitations, always use your guests’ full names. While using nicknames somehow shows that have a very close relationship with your guest, you don’t want to ruin the “formality” of the event. Remember, weddings are a formal occasion – this is precisely the reason why mother of the bride dresses are as expensive as wedding gowns!

Thus, use Mr. and Mrs. Mackinley Taylor rather than Mr. and Mrs. Mac Taylor. Of course, in writing the names of your guests, use the proper titles. Know who are the doctors, the engineers, and the honourables.

4. Don’t send out envelopes with spelling mistakes

When you committed an error in the name of your guest for example, don’t scratch out that mistake. In fact, you must never send the invitation using that envelope at all. Instead, use fresh envelopes -start again. With this, it is important for you to order a few extra envelopes from your wedding invitations supplier.

5. Don’t write “and guest” on the envelope

If you don’t know who your single friend will be inviting as her date, then don’t write “and guest” on the envelope. It looks awkward. Instead, put the note inside the envelope. This gesture still connotes that you will welcome whomever she will be bringing to your wedding but you did not announce this fact to the whole world.

Wedding invites may only account for a small budget in your overall wedding financial requirements. These little cards will have lesser budget whether you are shopping for wedding dresses in Toronto or in Montreal. Still, you cannot deny the fact that their significance to the success of your wedding is inversely proportional to their size -and budget! Without them, no one would come to your wedding.

Whether you are looking for wedding invitations, mother of the bride dresses or wedding dresses in Toronto, you don’t have to look that far. Everything about weddings is in one site. Visit BestForBride.com now.

To appease you from all these unnecessary worries, you might want to take note of the following reminders. These cover almost all aspects of the wedding ceremony, from wedding gowns to wedding favors and socializing skills.

1. Follow the dress code

Wedding invitations usually bear the preferred dress code. So before you hop from one shop to another, you must first understand what the couple requires you to wear. You might already be checking bridal boutiques that sell expensive wedding dresses and formal gowns when all you really need to wear is semi-formal attire.

Now, the last thing that you want to happen is to be over- or under-dressed for the occasion. The other guests may not be that vocal about their side comments on your out-of-place attire but analyzing what their stares mean is very stressful for you.

Therefore, to keep this scenario from happening, you must know and understand what the dress code means. If you are not sure, ask the bride or the groom. It’s better to be sure than sorry.

In addition, refrain from wearing white as you might compete with the bride’s gown. There’s a purpose why wedding dresses are white – that is, to distinguish the bride from all the other ladies in the room, including you.

Some cultures discourage wearing black during weddings as well. If yours is one that adopts this tradition, then follow it.

2. Socialize

A wedding is a social event. Therefore, you must interact with the other people in the ceremony. This comes with the invitation.

Of course, since you have spent a fortune for your perfect outfit and your make-up, might as well put that “more beautiful version” of yourself into better use. Who knows, you will meet your Mr. Right there. So, the next time that you go shopping, you will be spending your time in the bridal dresses section already.

3. Come with a wedding present

Out of courtesy to your friend or your family member, do bring a wedding present. You don’t have to buy the most expensive gift that caught your fancy while you passed by the wedding dresses racks. You can always get inexpensive yet useful items such as kitchenware.

To be invited to a wedding is a privilege – much more if you are part of the entourage. Therefore, if you have been invited to one, make the most out of it. Do everything in your power to be the perfect wedding guest!

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Fret no more as there’s one department of the entire wedding-day-traditional-preparation that you can cut cost on, your wedding invitations! Yes, these important and official bearers of the good news need not be expensive. Here are a few tips on how to save on your expenses for wedding invitations.

Learn About the Trade

They say that an informed customer gets the most reasonable deals. And this is also true in wedding invitations. These cards could cost you a lot if you don’t know what you’re getting into. Use the internet to know about the common printing methods. Naturally, most the elegant printing method could cost you more. If a simpler technique could get your message across, then by all means, use it. Experts suggest laser printing as this is the least expensive.

You also should learn about papers when designing your wedding invitations. Visit various stores first before you buy the stationery item of your choice. You’ll learn than paper boutiques have higher mark up’s as compared to bookstores and other general merchandise outlets.

Go for the Basics

Letting go of the extras in wedding invitations could really make you save. Do away with those buttons, strings and other decorative items. Keep your cards as simple but as informative as ever. You’d thank yourself for doing so come mailing time as an extra weight would also cost you more.

Invite Less People

If you really are tight on budget, then nobody would blame you for inviting only the most important people in your — and your fiancé’s — life. This is truly one of the surest ways to save on your expenses on wedding invitations. Naturally, because you have less people to inform and to gather for your special day, you have less notices to send out.

Use the Internet

Get practical. Use electronic invitation cards for friends who have regular access to the Internet. Surely, your comrades won’t mind. It’s more convenient for them as well as they don’t have to carry those stationery sets on their way to your wedding.

Plus, you can send these electronic wedding invitations to as many people as you can (at a time), provided that you have their email addresses, of course! Not only will this technique let you save on cost, but on your time as well. With electronic wedding invitations, a simple mouse click — or a series of clicks, to be more realistic about it — would replace the effort of writing down the addresses on each envelope and mailing them.

You see, wedding invitations (and weddings, in general) need not be expensive to become successful. As long as they fulfill their primary goal – that is in informing everyone about your big day – then you’re good to go. You need spend so much on it. After all, the ceremony itself is just the start of your life together… you still have the rest of your life to prepare for.

So what are the colors suited for that occasion? What are the traditional shades when it comes to bridesmaid dresses? Bridal boutiques everywhere could assert that these are the top ten color of choice in bridesmaids dresses’ fabrics:

1. Peach

Who could not fall in love with the youthfulness, playfulness and sweetness of peach? It is the color that best signifies bridesmaids. Sweet, dazzling and charming. You could stay in church for a month and try to count how many weddings actually have bridesmaid dresses in peach. Why is peach one of the most favored colors? For one, its shade is timeless and elegant. It is one of the dress shades that withstood the test of time. Second, it is sunny and uplifting. Who could resist to smile upon seeing peach bridesmaids dresses?

2. Pink

I’m talking light, soft pink. The baby’s blanket kind of pink. Not the sharp, loud pink most teenagers opt to dye their hair with. The light pink shades represent sweetness and love. Why else would Valentines Day cards have a generous touch of pink? Why else would wedding cakes have hear-shaped toppings in pink? Simple, because pink represents sweet, sweet love. Isn’t that what weddings are all about?

3. Red

Not ruby red or blood red, mind you. A lot of bridesmaid dresses are within various shades of red. It could be maroon, or rose red. Either way, red signifies, more than anything, love. Love is exactly the reason why we have weddings in the first place. Red also signifies courage. Cynics say it takes bucketfuls of courage to take a walk down the aisle.

4. Blue

Blue, as a wedding theme, and as bridesmaid dresses, is not at all surprising. Blue, after all, represents loyalty and faithfulness. You will be needing tons of that in marriage. The various shades of blue are also extremely pleasing to the eyes. Maybe because it reminds us of blue skies and sunny days and glorious walks along the park.

5. Yellow

Yellow actually represents infidelity. But that belief held by thousands did not hinder yellow from creeping into wedding ceremonies. A lot of bridesmaid dresses are in variants of yellow. Why? For one, yellow is youthful. Yellow is also cheery, sunny and very uplifting. To sum it all up, yellow brings smiles. So why should it be banned from being worn as bridesmaid dresses?

6. Green

Green, the color of hope, life and a fresh new start. No other color best represents weddings that this. Green is arguably the most widely used wedding motif since the turn of the century. After all, it best describes what weddings are all about –- hope, life and new beginnings

Looking for bridesmaid dresses and wedding cakes? Visit the bridal boutique that has it all. Visit BestForBride.com today.

There are actually two options up for brides and grooms-to-be. One, if you believe that your handwriting is passably artistic, you can always write the wedding invitations yourself. This exceptionally personalized means is definitely more affective if you wish to invoke a more intimate, cozy feel for your special day.

Moreover, writing your own wedding invitations slashes down a fraction of your expenses. Just buy your own scented stationery, a box of lovely, well-designed envelopes and voila, a lovely invitation without the hefty price. You can even add in a few embellishments and ornate designs here and there to complete the personalized feel to a tee.

This savings could really work well for you. You can then splurge on the wedding dress or your dreams, or on the bridesmaids dresses.

If you still wish to evoke that same intimate atmosphere, yet your handwriting is needs to be deciphered by a specialist, we suggest that you go get yourself a professional calligrapher.

The art of calligraphy’s roots could be traced back to cave paintings. Over the years, it grew to become a famous, treasured art despite the advance of other printing materials such as typewriters, and of course, computers. Despite the myriad of font styles, colour and sizes that a computer can produce, calligraphy is still sought-after. As long as there is a human being who keeps it alive, calligraphy will continue to be an art.

This art is brought to a whole new light when used in wedding invitations. Calligraphy set in glossy, embossed or silky paper gives the guests an impression of comfort and intimacy. Nothing says “you are special” quite like handwritten invitations. It basically shows that much thought and effort was put into each and every line.

A wedding invitation, much like a wedding dress, is the finest representation of the bride’s personality. A gracious invitation reflects a gracious host.

To avoid humdrum handwritten wedding invitations, you can always opt to indulge and experiment in the following areas:

1. Shape. You can always create unique shapes for your wedding invitations. You can either have it shaped like your wedding dress, your wedding cake or have it shaped like a bell. You can always play around with shapes, it is probably the safest element to experiment with.

2. Size. If you really want to make an impression, lay it on the invitation size. The bigger, the crazier. However, your guests would probably be eternally grateful if you will not send them a billboard-size invitation.

3. Design. Make sure that your wedding invitation design matches your theme. Do not depict a beach theme on your wedding invitation when you are actually going to have a church wedding.

4. Colour. Since it is a wedding, go for neutral colors, earth tones or pastels. Avoid black at all cost.

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