Spring and Easter Wedding Planning

 

If you’re looking to plan an upcoming Spring/Easter wedding, you should begin by thinking of color schemes. Spring and Easter and easily represented with beautiful pastel shades of pink, blue, purple or yellow. Flowers such as daffodils, lily of the valley, tulips, snowdrops and pansies are quite common.

An easy way to bring Spring to your wedding is to stick with the floral theme.  This way you can find great inexpensive favor ideas such as Lily of the Valley personalized tea bags or favors boxes matching your flower of choice. Alternatively, tulips are a common spring bloom and these can inject some color to your floral arrangements.

If you’d like to add a little Easter flair into your wedding you can incorporate the Easter egg into your wedding. This is extremely inexpensive and fun for adults and children as well.  Fill cute raffia birds’ nests with delicious mini Chocolate Eggs which guests will eat up (literally!). If you’re going for the Easter Egg theme, be sure to have an Easter Egg hunt (even if just for the kids)

Spring weddings are perfect for garden or outdoor weddings when the flowers are in full bloom and the weather is nice and breezy.

Event Blossom Silk Fan – Pink

Weddingstar "Ring Bearer" Wedding Transfer

Aside from the ring pillow and the flower girl basket, there aren’t many items available on the market that the bride and groom can give the children to feel special. Until now!

Weddingstar’s unique wedding transfers can be applied to any colored shirt for a no-mess shirt! Ideal for use with t-shirts or any fabric item that could be made a little more special by recognizing this distinctly wedding related duty. With white flocking this Ring bearer iron-on if ideal for darker colored fabrics

Weddingstar is famous for their top of the line bridal products such as decor, fashion accessories, ceremony accessories, reception accessories and more!

Weddingstar “Ring Bearer” Wedding Transfer

Wedding Gift Myths

With so many bridal occasions for just one wedding, it’s only common that a guest be confused as to how many gifts to bring to which occasion. On the other hand, it can be confusing for a bride too! Should she send multiple thank-you cards? Signature Grand Weddings has the insides and outs of wedding gift etiquette.

It’s OK to send Thank-You cards within a year’s time: FALSE!  Thank you notes should always be sent out promptly; within two to three weeks is ideal. Guests won’t remember what they gave you one year ago! Try to keep it sooner rather than later!

You should only send thank-you cards for the wedding, not the bridal shower: FALSE! Like any gift giving occasion, your “Thank you” in person should be followed up with a card as well. Have a friend take down the details of the gifts so that you can jog your memory when sitting down to write your cards.

Stating “No gifts” on the wedding invitations is thoughtful. FALSE. You may think your intentions are good, but you are actually not supposed to mention gifts at all on your invitation. The reason is that it is implied that without the “no gifts” notation, your guests would have been obligated to provide a wedding gift, which technically, they are not.

Maid of Honor and bridesmaids are obligated to host a bridal shower. FALSE! It may be tradition that the bridesmaids host the shower, it is not a necessity. In these times, many bridesmaids can’t afford to host a shower as well as pay for their dress and other bridal accessories. The bride is never to ask her attendants when they will be having a shower for her.

The cost of the bridal gift should be the same as the cost per head of the reception. FALSE! Each gift should not be expected to give a certain amount. Gifts are a generous token from the guests. To top it off, who would know the exact amount of cost per head at the reception besides extremely close friends? A gift should be chosen with care that it will please the recipient, not based on some imaginary equation.

Signature Grand Gifts

Weddingstar Cherry Blossom Hand Fans

With Summer Wedding planning around the corner (and the most popular wedding season), many brides and grooms are looking for a way to incorporate summer ideas into their ceremonies and receptions.

The Cherry Blossom theme is a beautiful, light idea that is quite popular for the 2011 bridal season. With bright white and pink colors, this theme can be used indoors or outdoors (and is perfect for garden weddings!).

Weddingstar features an entire collection of Cherry Blossom Hand Fans which are perfect to cool off your guests and coordinate with the rest of your decor! Give as favors or use as part of your table-scape (as pictured above)! Guests will keep cool and stylish at your Cherry Blossom Wedding!

Weddingstar Cherry Blossom Hand Fans

Cathy’s Concepts Birdcage Card Holder

Many guests bring cards and money as gifts to a wedding and with the commotion that many weddings offer, there should be a good location for these cards. Created by Cathy’s Concepts, the elegant birdcage card holder is the ideal location for these cards (or other items) to be placed and kept safely. This item features a sturdy frame and elegant scrolled heart design

Browse York & White for more savings on:

• Weddingstar
• Cathy’s Concepts
• Lillian Rose
• Beverly Clark
• Rockwell Industry
• Hortense B Hewitt
• Kate Aspen
• And more!

Cathy’s Concepts Birdcage Card Holder

Cake Topper Keepsake Stand at Bellacroft

Many couples simply pack away their cake topper as a memory when they feel like looking at it. What if your cake topper means so much more to you? Weddingstar has introduced a line of Wooden Keepsake  Display Stands for cake toppers. Each stand can be personalized and also comes with a photo space, the perfect keepsake!

Include a photo of your wedding cake or an official photo of the cake cutting ceremony. Or, celebrate an Anniversary with a figurine paired with your favorite couple photo. Plan to add a custom message in keeping with the occasion. To commemorate a loved one, display a cherished photo along side a vase of fresh flowers or decorative candle.

Weddingstar is famous for their:

• Wedding Decor
• Wedding Fashion Accessories
• Wedding Favors
• Cake Toppers
• Serving Sets
• And more!

Cake Topper Keepsake Stand

Wedding Budget Advice

If you have your heart set on a nice, lavish wedding, but your budget is holding you back, take a nice deep breath and read on:  You don’t need to look at your budget as the end of your wedding world!  Look at is as a great way to save money for other events! You don’t have to sacrifice your dreams because of a wedding budget!

The first step is to create your budget, even before you select a venue or guest list. You must know your limits before you decide on how many guests will be It is important that you set a budget before making a list of who to invite. You need to know what you can spend so that you know how many people you can have at your wedding.

The next step is to decide what you can do yourself. If you are pretty skilled with crafts, you may want to tackle the favors and décor on your own. If you have a friend or family member that knows photography, see if they will do your photo shoot pro-bono (or for a reduced cost). All of these tiny details will help you to keep your budget for other aspects, such as food and venue.

If you can’t afford certain things, try to find help or resources that will make them within your reach, allowing your budget money to be spent elsewhere. A great idea is to buy a used or pre-owned wedding gown. If you think about it, this dress has most likely been only worn for an hour or two. The cost will be reduced in half, a great savings for most brides!

Remember that you should spend time planning a wedding so that cost do not get out of hand. If you being your planning well in advance, you will find that you aren’t feeling rushed and overwhelmed, you will have plenty of time to research your wedding essentials and stay within your desired budget.

Signature Grand Wedding Planning

Signature Grand Guide to Diamonds

If you’re shopping for a diamond engagement ring, it’s important to know what type of cut that your bride to be likes. The “cut” refers to the symmetry, proportions and polish of a diamond. A well cut diamond will reflect light beautifully, setting off your ring perfectly.

You need to decide if you want an unusual ring or one that truly sparkles. Here are the major engagement ring cuts:

* Round: A round diamond. The round brilliant cut is the most popular diamond for an engagement ring. It brings out the sparkle of the gem in a simple shape.
* Princess: This square cut is the second most popular choice for diamond engagement rings. This won’t sparkle in the same way as a round brilliant, but this bold choice gets maximum brilliance from a square shape.
* Oval: An elegant oval shape. It works well for ladies with small hands as it elongates the fingers.
* Pear: Sometimes known as the teardrop because of its unusual teardrop shape. This cut would give a classic diamond engagement ring a modern twist.
* Marquise: This is an elongated shape with pointed ends. Another brilliant cut, this will reflect light beautifully and will look stunning as the sole diamond in a ring.
* Heart: A beautiful, heart shape. Use caution when choosing this cut. Only a highly skilled cutter will bring out the true beauty of a heart cut diamond.
* Emerald: A rectangular shape with cut corners and a broad surface. The emerald is perfect for a flawless diamond, but will show any inclusions in a stone.
* Tycoon: Similar to an emerald cut, but the tycoon is harder to polish and is only attempted by master cutters. A tycoon diamond reflects more light and has more natural sparkle than the emerald cut.
* Ashoka: Rectangular with rounded corners. This gives maximum beauty and brilliance and is an

If you’re ring shopping, now that you will come across so many more diamond cuts then the ones listed above. Try them on your hand and ask yourself the following:

• Does it suit your hands well?
• How will it look with a wedding ring?
• Will you love it forever?

Signature Grand

The History of the Wedding Cake

Wedding cakes were first noted in Medieval times.  This “cake” was actually a celebration bread created from wheat. They were viewed as an indicator of fertility and were often pitched at the wife.

The Romans toasted wheat and salt desserts to be eaten at a wedding ceremony. Strangely enough, the groom would eat a slice of the cake and the remaining portion would be crumbled over the woman. Again this was symbolic of fertility and prosperity and much like the rumble for the bouquet the wedding guests would war to find and snack at any leftover crumbs as to get any passive fortune.

Why are wedding cakes tiered?

As time passed, the wedding cakes were made larger and more fashionable the idea of smashing them over the bride disappeared. In fact, many brides came to protest the cake smashing and were relieved when the size of the wedding cake tripled in size!

The approach of a tiered wedding cake can also be followed back to Medieval times. In some places there was a custom of stacking as many wedding cakes as possible in the center of the bridal couple. The couple then had to aspire to kiss atop the pile of cakes.

Why are Wedding Cakes white?

A primary reason why many wedding cakes are white is pretty noticeable. White traditionally symbolizes purity and wedding cakes were generally called ‘bride’s cakes.’ A white wedding cake is to indicate the girls purity.

Another reason is simply because while in the Victorian era it was quite hard to find ingredients that may conclude in icing in any alternative color than white. For absolutely white icing refined sugar was fundamental which could be costly. Prosperous families would use white to demonstrate their wealth.

There is another form of the wedding cake, also known as the grooms cake. This cake is often a surprise to the groom and is made to suit his interests or hobbies. The grooms cake is a great way to include the groom in the wedding reception and add a little flair as well!

Signature Grand Weddings

Cathy’s Concepts Royal Champagne Flutes & Cake Server Set

Elegance and romance meet with this beautiful cake serving and toasting set! With the option to personalize, brides and grooms are left with beautiful memories and keepsakes! Feel like a true princess on your big day with our majestic Royal Champagne Flutes & Cake Server Set. With its sleek shape, modernly etched design and crystals, this collection is sure to be the perfect finishing touch to your wedding day celebration! Noble set includes two toasting flutes and a cake knife and server. So, toast the town and your regal love with elegance!

Cathy’s Concepts Royal Champagne Flutes & Cake Server Set