Author: Olga Pomeransky

Olga is manager at Best for Bride since 2005. Currently Best for Bride operates 4 bridal stores in Canada (Toronto, Etobicoke, Hamilton and Barrie). Best for Bride sells wedding, bridemaids, mob dresses and more. https://www.bestforbride.com/
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New Wedding Reception Ideas & Trends Your Guests Will Love

There’s always a new trend around the corner that could make your wedding reception become a memorable affair. Frequently, you don’t have to go big, make it extravagant, or even spend a mint. There are tons of fun and new wedding reception ideas and trends could be right up your alley. Read on for our take on some themes, trends, and Knick Knacks that are sure to enhance your special day and your guests experience.

Add Some Flair to Your Programs

Wedding days tend to provide guests with considerable amounts of free time. Whether it is the anticipation of the ceremony or the sometimes awkward timing before the reception, your guests are likely to have some “free” time throughout the day. Providing programs with some added flair is an excellent way to make those periods of time more exciting and enjoyable.

Blank notebook and wild flowers on blue wooden background. Concept flowers of spring,

Adding fun facts about the couple or ceremony location, introducing the wedding party, outlining the event schedule, and adding any fun tidbits, are creative ways to make the experience feel more personalized. It’s also a great conversation starter for family and guests that want to get to know one another. You’re also more likely to have guests taking pictures of your program and sharing fun with non-attendees.

Create Small Knick Knacks For Your Guests to Use or Keep

It goes without saying that the Bride is always the most important attendee at any given wedding. That being said, there are plenty or small ways to make your guests feel truly appreciated and more involved in the event.

Confetti in wedding thrown on the floor, celebrations and events

Providing to-boxes for leftovers or cake, personalized coasters to leave on drinks while dancing, or customized guest lists based seating arrangements to help people get to know each other, all make for great ways to make guests feel the love too. Going the extra mile to enhance your guests experience will make for an even more memorable reception. Make sure to add your wedding hashtag on these types of items so your guests can share their memories on social media!

Make Memories That Last a Lifetime

Hire a photographer that knows how to mix and mingle with the guests to take some candid shots. Nothing is staged here. These photos show the two sets of grandparents toasting each other. They show the bridesmaids and ring bearer flossing. Ask the pro to customize the borders of the pictures to spell out your wedding details.

The photos are printed out throughout the night and placed on a board. Guests can walk right up and take the images that they want. If there’s a shot you want but someone else snapped up, don’t worry! These photos also go on a website for downloading and social media sharing. To make it even more fun, all guests can use a special app that allows all images taken to be easily shared on social media. Now your wedding hashtag can truly go viral!

Skip the Restaurant and Invite the Food Vendors

Artisans from the local bakery bring the bread. The lady with the delicious cheeses at the farmer’s market stand brings some of her wares. The mom and pop restaurant with the fiery spaghetti alla puttanesca provides an experience worthy of its Napoli origins. The ice cream vendor whom you always see when you walk the dog? Invite him, too! He’ll bring the dessert. Now, that’s a party!

 

Encourage Guests to Bring Their Best Friends

No, we’re not talking about the plus-one option on the RSVP card. This best friend is the canine companion they refer to as a fur baby. If you and your significant other met in a setting that involved dogs, this is an ideal way of honoring the memory and giving the nod to the canine that brought you together.

Go wild, and encourage guests to dress up their dogs. Keep it low-key and merely let friends and family members bring their best friends as they see fit. Just be sure to provide plenty of water bowls, treats, and a designated area for doggies to do their business.

Incorporate Your Hobbies into the Party

The standard reception includes a meal, some toasts, and dancing. What would happen if you made your favorite hobby the backdrop to the standard? Are you and your love members of a roller skating team? Have the event at the roller skating rink! Did you meet at an indoor trampoline park? They have party rooms!

Wedding guests are enjoying a dance while the father of the bride plays piano music.

Just Have Fun!

In short, make the party a fun event for participants of all ages. Just be sure to let folks know if they need to bring special footwear or should pack a change of clothes. After all, nobody wants to jump on a trampoline in a long evening dress.

With so many new wedding reception ideas and trends, there’s no reason to do the same old routine. Forget the chicken or steak dinner and let’s party like you mean it!

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Your Ultimate Guide to Throwing a Destination Wedding All Your Guests Will Love

beach wedding

No matter where you celebrate your wedding, the guests who come to watch your nuptials in person will be delighted to witness such a display of love. Still, there’s something even more special about a destination wedding — maybe it’s the fact that it blends the adventure of traveling with the joy of experiencing that everlasting love we already mentioned.

And that’s precisely why you’ve decided to take your “I dos” somewhere other than your hometown or the city in which you reside. Now, all you have left to do is figure out how to put together a wedding from hundreds or thousands of miles away. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered.

Here’s your guide to throwing the destination wedding of your dreams.

Select the Perfect Spot

Chances are, if you’re thinking about having a destination wedding, you already have a spot in mind. Maybe it’s a particular city or a gorgeous resort or somewhere off the beaten path that holds a special place in your heart. Regardless of where it is, start by pinpointing your location.

In your research, make sure there’s a lot for your wedding guests to do. Most destination weddings will require them to stick around in your chosen city for a few days, so the more activities available, the better. Post a list of suggested activities on your wedding website, too — that way, everyone will be even more hyped about the chance to travel and attend your nuptials at the same time.

Provide Trip Prep Tips

Your wedding website is a powerful tool in preparing your guests for your big day, especially when everyone’s traveling to experience it. Not only will it create anticipation for a far-flung getaway, but it will also help them to ensure they have everything they need to travel to your chosen locale.

So, provide guests with a packing list tailored to your destination. If there’s a beach, and the resort charges for towels, suggest that your guests bring their own. Or, if there are hiking trails near the mountain lodge you’ve selected, remind everyone to bring boots or sneakers so they can take a few picturesque walks.

Book Services for Guests in Advance

Your destination wedding is at a resort with an incredible pool. However, in order to get a seat a said pool, your guests would have to wake up at 7 a.m. every single day or pay a hefty sum to rent a cabana.

You don’t want to force them into either one of these scenarios, so plan in advance to make these types of activities simple and fun for everyone. Speak to the hotel and see if they will rope off a corner of the pool for your event. Chances are, they’ll save you some seats because you’ve reserved a good chunk of the place for your nuptials.

On top of that, think ahead to the other services your guests might need while they’re there and reserve those, too. This is especially true for your attendees who are bringing their kids — scheduling babysitters will take a huge weight off of their shoulders. Think about anyone else with a unique need and plan accordingly for them, too.

Connect Your Guests

You know everyone coming to your wedding, but they might not all know each other. So, make a point to bring attendees together. You can have hotel staff block off rooms, so all of your friends and family stay near each other and socialize that way. Or, you can have a welcome party, which will allow everyone to break the ice and spend the next few days hanging out before, during and after your nuptials.

Give Them a Ride

Your guests have traveled around the world to attend your wedding, so make the rest of their journeys easy. Start by scooping everyone up from the airport and transporting them to the hotel. You could make this ride even more memorable by hiring a local guide to point out some of the sights on the way in.

Have cars lined up for your wedding day, too, if it’s not taking place at the hotel. Weigh the merits of different types of hirable transportation. For example, a limo is a bit more of an intimate ride, since fewer guests fit inside of the stretched-out vehicles. On the other hand, a party bus can carry more people, which, as the name implies, gets everyone in a festive mood for the reception.

Gift Them with a Welcome Bag

Another grand gesture when welcoming your wedding guests is to have a gift bag waiting for them when they arrive. The hotel staff can hand them out at check-in, or you can have them on-hand at the break-the-ice party we already mentioned.

The gift bags don’t have to be fancy. You might fill them with a few bottles of water and some snacks to get your loved ones through the weekend. You can make them even more special, though, if you add local treats, maps or even a souvenir representative of the trip they’ve taken. You can make these goodies useful by slipping a copy of the weekend itinerary inside, as well as any additional gifts that could come in handy — bug spray or sunscreen, anyone?

Keep Décor Simple

You’ve chosen to take your wedding across the world, so let the backdrop shine through. There’s no need to lug heavy décor from your home all the way to your destination. Instead, pack light and simple pieces that will play up the otherworldly feel of the location — too much will take away from the spot you’ve picked.

This should be your game plan for all the wedding’s events. Choose a theme color and stick with that, whether you’re throwing a welcome mixer, rehearsal dinner or wedding reception. Always rely on the local backdrop for its beauty, as well as its flavor — the more inspiration you can draw from your location, the better.

Give Them a To-Go Gift, Too

As your guests gear up to go home, arm them with one last “thank you” — a goody bag to take on the plane, train or in the car. Again, think about the types of sweets and snacks that’ll get them through that long journey. This is your last chance to express your gratitude for their long trek, so choose munchies that are a cut above what they can buy at an airport shop or road stop.

Planning a destination wedding takes work, but the payoff is huge — you’ll put together the idyllic nuptials of your dreams. And, even better, everyone who comes to witness your “I dos” will love every minute of it, thanks to your careful planning. All there’s left to do is to get started.

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Mascara Stains And Red Wine – Common Wedding Dress Stains And How To Clean Them

wedding gown care

Your big day has finally arrived, you’ve been planning for your wedding for months now and everything is in place, your guests are on their way and all you need to do is slip into your dream wedding dress that everyone is going to be wowed by!

But… Why is there always a but? What if the unthinkable happens on your and your partner’s special day and you end up spilling something on your dress and staining it? It’s a well-known fact that whenever we wear something white, stains gravitate towards us and there is no exception, not even on your wedding day!

You could be popping on one last coat of mascara before you head to your venue when, whoops! You drop the brush and you have a black streak all down the front of your dress. Maybe it’s raining (which is lucky on your wedding day, by the way) and you have a long train that inevitably ends up covered in mud by the end of your photo shoot. Or, maybe your emotional aunt is giving you a hug at your reception and accidentally spills red wine all down the back of your dress… It doesn’t bear thinking about!

It is important to remember that accidents happen, no matter how well you prepare and if you do end up with a stain on your dress, no matter how small, you mustn’t let it upset you and spoil your special day. None of your guests or your partner would want to see you freak out about something, that in the grand scheme of things is quite trivial.

The best piece of advice we can offer when it comes to stains on your wedding dress is to prepare for the worst, remember there is always a way to resolve a situation and most importantly, stay calm!

Of course, one of the easiest ways to avoid spilling anything down your beautiful white wedding dress is to put in place a few prevention methods. We recommend the following:

  • When getting ready be sure to do your hair and apply all makeup BEFORE putting on your dress. If you need to lift your dress over your head when putting it on, a silk cloth over your face will prevent any of your makeup rubbing off.
  • Don’t eat or drink anything whilst wearing your wedding dress

By following both these stain prevention methods you will reduce your chances of spilling anything down your dress but not eating or drinking on your wedding will not make it much fun… If you decide to ignore this tip (which we strongly recommend you do, if you want to enjoy your wedding day), we suggest putting together a small emergency stain removal kit to deal with any little mishaps as they happen.

Your emergency stain removal kit should include the following:

  • Stain remover wipes
  • Cotton buds
  • White cotton cloths
  • White chalk
  • Baby powder
  • Rubbing alcohol

If you get this dress lifesaver kit ready in advance and give it to your maid of honor to look after on your wedding day, you can be sure you are ready for any stains that come your way.

The next question is, what do I use from my emergency stain remover kit for different types of stains on my dress? As with any clothing, different stains need different treatment and below we have outlined a selection of the most common stains you are likely to end up with on your wedding dress.

Makeup – If during a quick makeup touchup during your wedding day you end up with a drop of foundation or lipstick on your dress, grab a stain remover wipe asap and the stain will be gone before you know it. Nobody will ever know!

Ink-based stains – You’re at your wedding venue, signing the marriage license, when the pen leaks all over your dress! For this, you will need the rubbing alcohol and a couple of white cotton cloths from your emergency stain remover kit. Use one cloth to blot the stain dry and then apply the rubbing alcohol to the other cloth to lightly dab the stain.

Water-based stains – We have already mentioned red wine once but if you do end up with it on your dress, use one cotton cloth to absorb as much of the stain as possible and then soak another cloth (or a cotton bud if it’s only a spot) in warm water before dabbing the area until the stain begins to fade. Remember, red wine is notoriously difficult for getting out so if you can’t remove the entire the stain there and then, pop a bit of white chalk over it to hide the mark for the remainder of the day.

Oil-based stains – Whether it’s a drop of salad dressing or a piece of oily food that ends up in your lap during your wedding breakfast, be sure to sprinkle it with baby powder quickly to soak up the oil. If required a drop of rubbing alcohol on a cotton bud should remove any remaining residue.

Chewing gum – This one is a little more unlikely but if somehow you do end up with gum stuck to your dress, ask someone at your venue to get you some ice cubes and hold it to the gum until it hardens, making it easy to scrape off.

Hopefully, with your emergency stain remover kit to hand and these nuggets of knowledge, you are ready to tackle any disaster stains your wedding dress may encounter.

If you have had to use your trusty white chalk as a last resort cover up option on your big day, you can try any of these stain buster methods at home again to see if they remove it a second-time round.

It is always advised to have your wedding dress professionally cleaned. However, if you are looking to clean it yourself at home, you could try spot cleaning the out layer only or soaking the individual layers in a bath of warm water and detergent for a couple of hours before hanging them out to try.

Depending on your wedding dress material, you might be able to clean it at home but we would always recommend having it professionally cleaned to avoid any irreversible damage. Also, it’s a lot less stressful if you leave it to the professionals!

This is where cleaning facilities and professionals like Love Your Dress come in and take the stress out of removing stains from your wedding dress. It’s important to make sure your beloved dress will be cleaned by a team of experts using modern technologies. That’s the definitive way to get it looking as good as new following your wedding day, helping any unwanted stains vanish and make them a thing of the past.😉

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How To Move Away from the Traditional White Dress

 

Since the age of Pinterest, more brides have resorted to doing something “different” for their wedding day. More often than not, the traditional aspects of a wedding such as a fruit cake for a wedding cake, a white wedding dress and getting married in a church instead of the venue’s chapel, has been tossed aside to make way for new ideas.

The History of the White Wedding Dress

 

By now, most of you might have heard the story before: Prior to the traditional white wedding dress – 1800’s and back – it was considered an elite privilege to have access to white linen. Pure white linen was extremely expensive at that time and only the riches could afford it.

When a bride was to get married, she would wear whatever fancy dress she had.

It wasn’t until 1840 when Princess Victoria married Prince Alfred of Saxe-Coburg. The dress was a stunning victorian style and rounded off with lace. It became so popular, that brides from that time forward only wore white to their weddings.

Fun fact: Queen Victoria was not the first princess to get married in white. In 1559, Mary, Queen of Scots, also wore white when she had wed Francis Dauphin. However, white was the colour of mourning in France at that time, so the trend did not pick up.

Moving Away from the White Wedding Dress

You have probably seen it all on Pinterest or social media: The controversial brides in their non-white wedding dresses. And you will definitely see more of them in the future, too!

There can be many reasons why a bride chooses not to wear a white wedding dress. The most popular reason is because it is not her first marriage. However, it might be the bride’s personality to choose a controversial dress only because she feels like it. And finally, another reason may be in honor of a loved one who passed away. The bride simply chooses the favorite color, pattern or motive, in memory of that person.

The following is a list of options which you can choose from to move away from the great, white wedding dress craze!

  1. Keeping the White Skirt

The whimsical look of a white tulle skirt, paired with a lace top or a blouse, took the world by storm. Even now, in the alternative fashion industry, two-piece dresses are still all the rage. If you are not completely comfortable to move away from a traditional white gown, then this might be a better option for you.

  1. Off-White Options

If you still want the soft, elegant look of a white dress, but you’re not keen on crisp white gowns, maybe you should opt for off-white dresses or pastel colors. The soft tones still gives it that elegant, wedding look and you will still be comfortable knowing that your dress isn’t white.

 

  1. Going the Opposite Direction

If you’re keen on mixing things up to a whole new level, then you will be glad to know that black wedding dresses are also a thing. The black wedding dress doesn’t need to shout “gothic theme” from the rooftops. It may also be incorporated into a very elegant, Gatsby theme when paired with gold. Check out this post from The Pretty Blog, for more inspiration.

 

  1. Bright Colors

You can be bold and go for something bright and colorful on your wedding day. Mix it up by using different materials and textures, or go for plain bright colors. The options are endless!

 

 

  1. Floral Dresses

It has been a few years already since floral patterns became a trend in interior design and décor. And with that, came the floral wedding dresses. So much so that The Gilded Gown did a feature about many popular designers who jumped onto the flower wagon. Also, see this post from The Wedding Chicks for a more elegant, clean floral look.

 

  1. Ruffled & OTT

Over The Top (OTT) wedding dresses also became a thing in recent years. This may or may not have been the origin of the wacky series My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding! Who knows… All we can say is, if you want your day to be truly unforgetable, then wear an unforgetable dress.

 

Author Bio: The Wedding Club is a blog created for brides who want to plan their own weddings, and also for wedding planners who need some guidance in the industry. Follow us on our social media and visit our blog here