Unique Wedding Favours - How to Choose Them

Choosing wedding favours is an extremely unenviable task, so I've come up with a few tips which will hopefully make your choice a bit easier. Unique wedding favours are a great idea and give your friends and family something to keep long after your wedding in order to remember it.

Wedding favours that your guests can eat are always gratefully accepted, chocolate favours are normally the best as everyone likes them. However, if the temperature is likely to be hot and you don't want to risk the chocolates melting, why not consider something a bit more unusual like something from the fantastic range of cookies or small cupcake wedding favours there are available? Now you can even get Cookie bouquets and these are becoming more and more popular as well as looking truly awesome as a wedding table centerpiece. For the more traditional of readers there are also the timeless classic sugared almonds. tradition says to give your guests five, however you can give as many (or as few) as you like - your guests will always be happy to have something to munch on the way home!

If you are struggling for ideas then place card holders can be doubled up as wedding favours. There are a wide range of place card holders which can hold a photo and your guests can take away to use as a photo frame after your wedding. There are literally hundreds of different place card holders which can be used as wedding favours which will all be a stunning addition to your wedding table decorations as well as being great favours.

Wine bottle stoppers can also be a practical yet unique wedding favours and as there are so many different types on the market you are sure to able to find one that fits in with your wedding theme. If you are getting married abroad or in particularly hot conditions, why not give a fan for ladies to be able to keep themselves cool in the heat? There are a lovely range of silk fans available which should be just the job. There are also a range of sandalwood fans which look a bit different to the silk however either make a welcome addition to your wedding tables. If you are getting married abroad, be sure to remember to allow for the weight of the favours in your luggage - if they are too heavy then you may have to pay additional fees with your airline!

If your budget doesn't stretch to allow you to give wedding favours to all your guests. why not give them to your female guests only? Women are much more grateful than the men and this makes it a bit easier to choose the favours. Women love things that can be put in their handbag and lipstick and other makeup are a popular choice with many.

Whatever your choice of unique wedding favours, they can really add to the theme or colour scheme of your wedding so make sure you consider this when you make your choice.

Edward Janes is an expert in Wedding Stationery and all aspects of wedding decoration. He owns and runs a Verbena Stationery the online wedding shop where you will find all the latest trends in the wedding industry. Visit http://www.verbenastationery.co.uk to see the current list of fantastic wedding invitations.

How to Have an Amazing Hairdo For Your Beach Wedding

A beach wedding allows for beach brides to let their hair down, be mousse-free, what have you. Some beach brides do not want the heavy feel or tiaras and veils and any hair product while enjoying the sun on her beach wedding location. While tedious hours are spent styling hair for any traditional ceremony in town, beach wedding hair wear is as unique as the beach wedding itself.

The veil can be left out completely on a beach wedding. Some beach brides do away with the veil because of unpredictable island weather such as sudden breeze or an entirely windy day. Even tulle can become very uncomfortable during extremely hot weather, so no beach bride wants her makeup to cake underneath it. There is one style that proves to be very suitable for beach weddings too. The birdcage veil is growing increasingly popular again for that old Hollywood style.

Flowers are the next best thing to tiaras. Tropical flowers can be stuck to a simple bun or pinned to the end of a pretty braid on the side. Choose flowers that can withstand warmer (or hotter) climates for hair wear that can last until the end of the reception, as well as for décor. The flowers that are tougher to extreme weather are calla lilies, stargazers and roses. Artificial flowers can be used together with real flowers, but make sure that they don't look too faux.

Hair accessories shaped as starfishes, shells or any sea life can be pinned to hair and any beach bride will look coordinated without much effort. For a little glitter, choose the ones with rhinestones or Swarovski crystals. Mother of pearl is an excellent choice, too. Combs and pins adorned with crystals and pearls look good too. Flower girls can wear wide headbands decked with shells and pearls.

Aside from beach wedding hair wear, the style should also be given a lot of thought. Does the beach bride have her own stylist with her to the beach wedding location, or is she having this particular hairstyle copied at the local salon? In the presence of a personal stylist, clearly nothing can go wrong as this is the bride's own. As for having a local stylist copy a desired hairstyle, the beach bride should be wary that the output may vary from the inspiration. To avert this, the beach bride should have had a hairstyling session prior to the wedding day itself. One can just picture out the probable scenarios following hairstyle havoc. Not pretty.

Most beach brides want the wind blowing in their loosely curled hair, one hibiscus tucked in her ear. Others want a tied bun accentuated by tropical flowers or cupped by a jewelry cuff. Some ditch these altogether and just let their hair down. However the beach bride wants to wear her hair on this occasion, whatever look she wants to sport, she has to stick to the rule of thumb when it comes to accessorizing. Don't overdo it!

Sarah Forrester is a recent beach bride, whose site BestBeachWedding.Info minimizes all the stresses that every prospective bride amost always faces. Her Bargain Boutique showcases really fun wedding ideas that will help make the bridal budget last so much longer. Be sure to visit BestBeachWedding.Info to grab your free copy of Sarah's new book, Secrets for the Most Affordable and Best Beach Weddings!

Sexy Hairstyles For Your Perfect Day

A wedding plays up every single aspect of the bride's appearance. Makeup is applied to professional standards, the gown fits every curve just perfectly, and the shoes peek out stylishly from underneath. In planning for your wedding, you no doubt also want your hair to look sexy and elegant as well. Here are some style ideas and tips to get you started on your path to ultimate bridal beauty.

The main thing to take into consideration when deciding on a wedding hairstyle is your own personal style. If you are a free spirit who is never seen with hair pulled back into a tight bun, then don't consider this hairstyle for your wedding day. The way you look on your wedding day will be immortalized forever in photographs, so be true to who you are and your own unique style.

That being said, the dress you choose will somewhat dictate how you wear your hair for the big day. Some dresses call for hair to be worn up, while others are perfectly accentuated by ringlets of hair falling down around the shoulders. The secret to sexy hair for any occasion is soft, touchable texture. With that as the ground rule, let's look at a few wedding hairstyles that could work for long, short and medium hair.

Long hair is great because can wear it bohemian chic or in an elegant up-do. For wedding hair that exudes the utmost of your romantic side, try this style. Pin hair up into a loose updo with soft, wispy tendrils or sensual, sweeping curls. Feminine to the extreme, this is a simple style that is easy to create and perfectly compliments a Cinderella ball gown or dress with ruffles, tulle and lace. Accentuate this poetic wedding hairstyle with jewels or fresh fragrant flowers that will draw your groom to you like nothing else.

Medium hair works in a wide array of wedding hairstyles easily. This length falls right around the shoulders, and looks beautiful with a loose braid or two woven through the front. Another very trendy look is to weave in a loosely braided headband. Ashley Simpson is just one celeb who has sported this super sexy look in recent months. Starting with a deep part to one side, grab a small section of hair and begin braiding loosely across the forehead. Medium length hair can keep going once you have reached the side of the head opposite from where your braid started, and end at the back of the head in a loose chignon for extra panache. Again, pull out some loose pieces of hair and insert a few fresh flowers or some bling.

Short hair has posed problems for some brides, because they have an image of being a long-haired bride. Because trends have gravitated towards short hair in recent years, there are plenty of short wedding styles you can choose from, without finding yourself in that position of simply having slicked back hair pinned tightly to your head.

Chin length short hair can be curled into soft ringlets that fall around the face, with a back that is full and high. This is easily accomplished with a bit of teasing and some hair spray. This length of hair, if straight, can be simply tucked behind the ear and held into place with a large flower for a look that is modern yet romantic.

No matter what the length of your hair, with a little playing and planning, you can have that sexy wedding hair you'll love to show off!

Anita Jones is the co-founder of Stylish-Wedding-Favors.com and loves to help couples who plan their wedding with how to articles and information they need to feel confident when their big day arrives. Anita rights on interesting topics for brides and grooms-to-be, in particular, on beautiful wedding supplies and wedding favors.

An Asian Wedding Theme

The trend towards Asian weddings has attracted a dynamic and most interesting demographic because many non-Asians are opting for this theme to sanctify their wedding vows. For lovers of all things oriental, this is completely acceptable; after all, it's your wedding party and you can laugh (or cry, as the old song says) if you want to. Asian weddings usually break down into two main types: Japanese "Zen" style Shoji lanterns and river stones, and the bolder Chinese use of colorful fans and red satin cheongsam (traditional gown). But the range of choices are so much wider than Japanese or Chinese, and you might want to consider other options for your customized Asian wedding ceremony.

A Japanese pearl theme might well be your perfect Asian wedding venue and can be accomplished fairly easily. To enhance the atmosphere of your Asian wedding, drape centerpiece vases in strands of costume pearls (or real if you have access to royal coffers) and stuff with white ostrich feathers. Fill the room with iridescent balloons in ivory, pearl gray and pale pink and select pearl hair-combs and necklaces for the bride and bridesmaids and a pearl tiara for the bride. To drip in pearls is, as Martha Stewart says, "a good thing" (to drip in). The groom need not drip in anything as long as he behaves himself in the company of all this jewelry.

An Asian Pacific theme has nothing at all to do with time zones and provides another beautiful vehicle for an Asian wedding ceremony. Bedeck the room, not with boughs of holly (even if you have some on hand since last Christmas), but rather with fishing nets and swirling glass flotation balls. Hot-glue faux pearls into large mother-of-pearl oyster shells and scatter them all about the Asian wedding reception room. Name your tables for famous tree varieties (Chrysanthemum, Cherry, Weeping Cherry, Yoshino Cherry), but whatever you do, don't get them mixed up with the names of your guests! Serve traditional foods and beverages such as sweet dumplings (dango) and sakura blossom tea. You might even want to consider hiring a sushi chef to put a very special flourish on your Asian wedding.

Asian wedding favors can take many forms. One very popular choice are fortune cookie wedding favors. Other ideas for Asian wedding favors might include: bamboo place card frames, incense sets, gifts of tea, fortune cookie key-rings, jeweled votive candles, almond cookies, lucky bamboo plants, paper or sandalwood fans, sake cups in different materials and shapes and porcelain tea cups with the double happiness symbol.

For bridesmaids at Asian weddings, popular wedding favors can include: gold-tone hair combs, decorative chopsticks (hair adornments) jeweled flip-flop sandals and a feminine shirt with each bridesmaid's name custom-embroidered upon it and tucked into a large-size fortune cookie box.

The old saying that "the world is your oyster" can be true on your Asian wedding day. If you decide on such a theme, there are sure to be many beautiful pearls of wisdom, beauty and countless other things inside.

Find this and many more original articles provided by Truly Wedding by visiting our database at Truly Wedding Favors. Find more wedding tips, stories, news and humor all at the Truly Wedding Blog.

Planning Your Perfect, Hot Summer Wedding on a Budget - Have an Old-Fashioned Picnic in a Park

You'll need a caterer with a sense of humor to pull this off. Of course, you always need a caterer with a sense of humor! After all, you want the food to be surprising and whimsical! So you want someone who can laugh to make it for you! If your friends want to contribute they could easily, but that would take a lot of organization!

But since everything old is new again, why not have your wedding in a park? I grew up in a small town eating picnics from the most casual sandwiches to the most elaborate grills at our wonderful park along the placid river. No matter how hot it was, it was always cooler at the park. This would probably work better for a wedding for under 150 people.

Big Caveat: Unless you've got a really big pavilion, you're going to need a rain space. Sometimes churches will rent their halls out, or schools that aren't used on weekends in the summer. Often you can reserve those places on a contingency plan for just a bit of money.

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  Reserve a spot in the park: Parks may or may not have a rental fee, but the fee is almost always less than other venues. Rent a pavilion or (if you think you can trust the weather) set up a bunch of tables under the trees. Personally, I never like picnic tables, they're just not comfortable and I always get splinters. I'd always rather rent the tables and chairs from a local church, school or other organization. They never charge much and can always use the donation!


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  Set up the drink tables: Do this before the wedding ceremony, because it's going to be hot. Many parks won't allow alcohol, so you'll want the iced tea, lemonade, water and sodas to be really special. You'll want to make sure that you have enough of everything. No matter how hot it is, some people will want coffee.


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  Set up early for recycling and trash. Even if the park has vessels, you're going to want things right there to make everything convenient.


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  Find a shady spot and set up chairs for the wedding ceremony: Say your wedding vows in a beautiful and relaxed setting in front of your friends.


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  Pass hors d'oeuvres: Why not have your hors d'oeuvres be good old-fashioned picnic foods? Pass deviled eggs, small cups of gazpacho and cucumber or tomato sandwiches.


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  Table assignments. This will work best if you assign seating, which seems odd for an informal picnic. But you're going to have things arranged in 8s or 10s, depending upon the table size. So you're going to want a table where people can pick up their table assignments. This isn't always easy, but it's fun to think about getting your friends and families to mingle and come to know one another.


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  Table set-up: You're going to need to have the chairs retrieved from the wedding ceremony site.


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  Picnic Baskets: Set out the correct number of baskets (boxes). You want each box to be a complete picnic for 8 (or 10!). Dishes, cutlery, glasses, tablecloth, serving pieces, food, table decoration and identification. Give people some clue why they're seated together!


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  Food: Serve cold chicken or fish (or both), marinated asparagus, potato salad and a big bowl of summer fruit. Make it simple, fabulous food. Not lots of variety, and not too much. (You may want to have a table with some extras of all things for the tables who run through!)


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  Dessert: Serve a local favorite. Here in Central Pennsylvania, there is only one cake to be had: a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. Make it a sheet cake. Make it great. People will be thrilled.


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  Staff: You can do something like this with far fewer staff than most weddings because the tables will be setting up their food and serving one another. But you do want people organizing and making sure the liquids are kept up. You want someone to serve the cake. You want someone cleaning up, even if you ask people to help, it's great to have staff to direct everyone!


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  Clean-up: People will love to help you leave the park cleaner than they found it!


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  Linger: if there's time, have a bonfire. Don't forget the makings for s'mores!

This is one of those lovely, easy weddings to have and to organize that people will have a lot of fun at. Make sure you let people know how casual it's going to be. The bride and groom can be as casual or formal as they'd like for the wedding ceremony. It's not that you CAN'T make your wedding vows in shorts, but it's nice to be in dressy shorts. Then go change and get ready for volleyball or your community's lazy summer activity of choice! This doesn't cost a lot of money, but everyone will have a great time. Every summer picnic you have from that day forward will remind you of the one you had on the day you promised to love one another forever. That's a great way to keep a marriage alive!

Bottom Line?: Give your relationship the chance it deserves to succeed wildly, against all odds! After all, you deserve it. Your relationship deserves it! And now I'd like to invite you to sign up to receive 2 free templates for creating the wedding ceremony of your dreams, the wedding vows of your heart and the marriage of a lifetime: http://annkeelerevans.org/weddings/free

The Rev. Ann Keeler Evans - helping you move from "I do" to happily and healthily ever after!

Preparing for Wedding Day Hairstyles

Think of your hair as your greatest accessory for your big day. Whether you plan to wear your hair in an updo style, long and silky, or short and tousled, it is important to plan ahead in order to make sure that everything goes off without a hitch as far as your wedding day hair is concerned. In the perfect world, brides-to-be would begin thinking about their hair care routine about six to nine months before the big day.

About six months prior to your wedding day plan a visit to see your hair dresser. You will want to discuss your plans and set up all of your appointments. Start a scrap book full of collections of ideas and hairstyles to share with your hair dresser. Take with you pictures of your wedding dress and veil. Your hair dresser will be able to look at these and help you come up with ideas to make your day knock-out perfect.

About five months before your big day begin experimenting with color treatments to be sure to achieve just the right look for that all-so-special walk down the isle. Giving yourself five months will allow time to try different options and time to wear them around to see what you really love.

This six to nine month time frame will allow time to consider the condition of your hair. If your hair is in poor condition due to chemical over-processing, it may be a good time to consult your hair specialist on how to go about treating it. Diet is a very important factor when it comes to the health of your hair. Making diet changes now can help the shine and manageability of those locks in time for the big wedding day. The following nutrients are important for hair health: protein, B-complex vitamins, vitamins A and C, and omega-3 fatty acids. Make sure to start a diet that includes adequate amounts of these nutrients. Make sure to include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet as you can never go wrong with these.

About 3 months prior to the big day begin a weekly schedule of conditioning treatments. Consult your hair professional regarding the best choice of conditioning treatments specific to your hair's condition.

When there is about 2 months to go consider ordering the flowers for your hair and have a trial run at the salon. About 1 month prior consider another trial run with the veil or tiara and confirm your final haircut and hair color.

Good luck with your final wedding day hair.

Rachael Taylor

http://www.hairstylejunction.com/bridalhairstyles/ and http://www.hairstylejunction.com/weddinghairstyles/ For more information about hairstyles and hair health please visit our webiste at http://www.hairstylejunction.com

Hair Extensions! Your Dream Wedding Hair Style Secret?

Every girl dreams of her wedding day! How absolutely fun it is to plan! You can express your personal style in everything for this special day.

After the engagement, the plans start becoming reality.  The hurdle most parents and bride have to get over is the cost. The bride and parents budget for all of the normal wedding costs.  These are a few of the normal wedding costs.

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  Invitations


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  Engagement photos


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  Ceremony location


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  Minister to marry them


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  Ceremony music


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  Ceremony flowers


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  Ceremony candles and decorations


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  Photographer


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  Videographer


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  Wedding dress


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  Tuxedos


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  Reception


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  Dinner costs


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  Beverages


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  Wedding cake


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  Party favors


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  Rental equipment


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  Transportation


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  Honeymoon

After spending so much time and effort in planning for the wedding, many brides do not consider the cost of other personal services when they budget their wedding.  Every bride wants to look her absolute best for her day.  However, many brides forget about the extra costs of hair styling, makeup, manicure, and other personal services.

Some brides have found a way to express their own style and flair in their hair and beauty in an economical way.  What's their secret?  They are turning to clip-on hair extensions to help them look their best for this special occasion.  This is the "hottest" beauty item today!  Whether they want a glamorous updo or long beautiful flowing locks, hair extensions can give them this in an instant. 

Why would a bride need hair extensions?  For women with thin or fine hair, extensions can give them length, volume and thickness.  These would allow them to try new hair styles without a professional.   The more hair they have the more dramatic styles that can be created.  Women want to look and be special!  Imagine transforming your short to medium hair styles into long free-flowing locks or a fabulous updo just for this special occasion! 

What types of clip-on hair extensions are there?  A couple types of hair extensions are natural human hair or synthetic. Natural hair extensions are considerably more expensive. The advantages with these is that they can be colored, curled, set, or treated. Applying natural hair extensions should be done by a licensed cosmetologist. They can be weaved or glued onto one's hair. You could easily spend up to $2,000 on this type of extension. Synthetic hair extensions are less expensive but you cannot use a hair dryer on them, set them or color them. They are attached with a small clip. They can be put in and out in an instant.  Most extensions come in a variety of colors to match your own hair.  The extensions blend many color tones to give a highlighting effect. 

Brides have fallen in love with these hair extensions not only for their wedding day but also for the ease of changing their hair look for their honeymoon.  They can change their hair style to match their trendy fashions.  Maybe they want ponytail curls or a long and sleek style!  The extensions can be removed one day and clipped back in again for another event.  How fun!

As my daughter and I are planning her special wedding day, we are experimenting with hair extensions for that perfect hair style for her veil and dress.  Her dream wedding is right around the corner.  Hope your wedding day is as you dreamed it would be! When planning your dream wedding remember this little hair styling secret.  You will look gorgeous without going over budget.  The possibilities are endless!

Mary Bertsch,
Independent Avon Sales Representative,
Unit Leader
http://www.beautywithmary.com