Happy 4th of July Everyone! With the 4th of July upon us – we would like to take a moment to honor the men and women who bravely served our country and have lost their lives serving to protect us in the line of duty. We offer our prayers to those families who have lost loved ones in the Armed Forces. And for those who continue to serve – we salute you and thank you for continuing to protect our freedom and independence!
To celebrate this holiday we are offering our blog readers a special discount 15% OFF your wedding favors or wedding order of $175 or more PLUS Free UPS Ground Shipping. But Hurry! This offer won’t last for long, your 15% OFF Discount expires on Sunday July 5th, 2009 at 11:59 PM.
Use discount code: July09 to save 15% off!
And remember! Our New Jersey Showroom features over 2,000 of our most popular wedding favors, over 30 wedding accessory collections and wedding invitations. Plus we carry tiaras, Bridesmaid and Groomsmen gifts. If you are in the Tri-State area we are conveniently located just 30 minutes from New York City, 10 Minutes from Staten Island and centrally located in NJ.
Our showroom is located at 137 Main Street, Sayreville NJ 08872. We are open to the public on Saturdays 12-6 and weekdays by appointment only. We are opened tomorrow, July 4th until 6 PM.
Finally, if you’re on Facebook – become a fan of our page!
"Please Be Seeded" Cherry Blossom Plantable Seed Place Cards
As a wedding expert, I cringe when I hear brides (or read about them) stating that they want open seating for their reception.
Open seating is every guest’s nightmare and it also will prevent you from having a smooth flowing reception.
But hey if you’re a fan of chaos, disorganization and unhappy guests, this may be the option for you!
Putting my sarcasm aside, I would like you to think about being in a crowded cafeteria looking for your friends or searching for an open table. It’s nearly an impossible feat. Or have you ever been at a table, already seated – when someone comes over and asks everyone to shift their chairs so they can fit? It’s annoying and disrupting – especially if you are already eating.
Now think about your reception – what if you’re groom’s obnoxious fraternity brothers storm in first and snatch up the front tables leaving your grandmother to sit in the back? What if your friends who don’t know anyone – are left to sit at a table alone? It doesn’t make it a fun time for your guests – and your guests’ feelings should be of uptmost importance.
While some couples think open seating is fun – it’s really not. If you leave it to chance you will have half empty tables, overcrowded tables, some guests dining with strangers and some guests dining alone. All of which will disrupt your wedding flow and your wedding feel.
You’re guests are like sheep – they want to be led – by you! Unless you’re having a cocktail reception where there are no seats, it is in good taste to assign tables (you don’t have to assign seats, but tables are mandatory!)
If you don’t want to go through the expense of place card holders or frames – don’t. But do splurge on inexpensive place cards (you can buy bulk packs at most craft stores for pennies). Or you can even puchase inexpensive place cards like the cherry blossom ones above – which also double as your wedding favors.
Paint chips and strips for your wedding colors? Who knew? Get inspired for your wedding color palette by visiting a local paint shop or your friendly big box home store. By selecting a palette of paint chips you can easily see which colors go best with each other, get great ideas for base colors and accent colors, and have really cheap swatches to bring with you to all your bridal appointments.
Shown above is a wonderful and popular fall wedding palette for Fall 2009 weddings. Deep hues of purples are all over – it lends itself to a certain richness and gives a sense of royalty and grandeur! Deep purples can be paired with lovely reds or accents of orange. I can just picture a beautiful fall floral arrangement with purples and oranges – very chic!
So now that you’ve found your colors, grab several of them – drop one off at your florist, one at your catering hall, bring one with you when shopping for dresses and accessories. This way all of your vendors know exactly what colors you are looking for and everything will blend together beautifully! How’s that for a wedding idea?
In a perfect world (kinda like the picture above, I would imagine) none of your friends or co-workers would put you on the spot and ask if they are invited to your wedding. But in reality, it happens.
With the current economic situation, you may be scaling down your guest list and that’s OK! Gone are the times of super-sized guests lists. Now, more than ever couples are including their families and close friends only – sometimes even cutting out their extended families to save cash.
Here are 4 great ideas on what to say if you’re put into an awkward situation.
If you’re having a small wedding say: “We really wish we could invite all of our friends, but we’ve decided to keep the wedding as an intimate family affair.”
If the above isn’t entirely true, but your friend didn’t make the cutsay: “Since we have large extended families, our guest list is relatives only.”
If your paying, blame it on the economy: “Because we’re paying for the wedding ourselves, we’ve had to cut down on the size of the event so it is more afforable for us.”
If you’re parents are paying, blame them: ” ___ and ___ are footing the bill and I need to stick to their budget and heat count, so unfortunately I can’t invite everyone I’d like to.”
From tealights to votive holders, table lamps to floating candles, the choice for wedding candles to light up your reception is, indeed, endless. Wedding candles can take on all different shapes, sizes, designs and types. Wedding candle favors extend the light in your heart to theirs reflecting the wonderful sentiment of your joy filled day. Candle favors are the perfect way to say thank you to your guests.
Here are some of my favorite candle favors, which are suited to a multitude of events, not only weddings.
“Damask Traditions” Black and White Frosted Glass Tea Light Holde
The Damask Traditions Black And White Candle Holder is beautiful for any special occasion. Classic in style, traditional and formal – this Parisian inspired glass favor is decorative for your guests’ homes as it is for table decorations. Tea lights are included in each, but these can also fit a smaller sized votive candle. Trendy and in style these gorgeous candles are a sure-fire win. This is part of our elegant and traditional candle favor collection.
LOVE Design Candle Holder Favors
Some times all you need is “love, love, love.” With love the theme of the day for so many events, its only natural to select a candle favor which reflects the sentiment to a “T”. From our Love & Hearts Candle Favors collection, these remind me of the LOVE statues in New York City, Philadelphia and other major cities. You know the one I’m talking about – the big red LOVE one. So if you’re planning on tying the knot in the “City of Brotherly Love” or just want to show the world how in love you are, these Love Design Candle Holder Favors are the sweetest of symbols.
Elegant Black & Crystal Flower Candle Wedding Favors
Nothing says “Spring Fling”, “Black-Tie Only” or “Garden Party” than an elegant Floral & Garden Themed Candle Favor like this one does. One of our most popular floral candles, these elegant black and crystal flower candles are pretty enough to be used for a variety of social gatherings and upscale parties. Appropriate for a number of occasions, these gorgeous candles are the epitome of elegance and style.
Autumn Themed Candle Wedding Favor
Whether you choose to place these fall candles on each place setting, or scatter them on your tables, these lovely fall wedding candles will add a punch of autumn color to your event. Just a few of these to each table will add just the right amount of outdoors to your wedding without going overboard. Suitable for any fall or autumn themed event!
Elegant Blue Beaded Candle Holder
Nothing reminds me of winter more than icy-blue sparkle. Everything glitters in the winter, the ice on the trees, the newly fallen snow, the stars in the crisp clear sky. We have a varitety of winter candles to suit your winter event, from icy blue candles like above to wintery white sparkling snowflake candles – even red and green holiday designs. The winter season is the perfect season for a candle wedding favors – the dim candle light just reminds me of the season so much!
I hope that I have given you some great ideas on how to decorate your tables with candles. A simple, but beautiful candle on each setting is enough to invoke a wonderful theme throughout your reception hall.
We had a couple come into our Sayreville, NJ showroom on Thursday who were shopping for beach themed wedding favors for their destination wedding in South America. They were looking for something memorable and wanted candles, but we advised her against it. Candles don’t travel well in the heat, and if the cargo area on a plane is hot, you’ll end up with melted candles. Same holds true for chocolates.
If you’re traveling to a destination by plane you’ll want wedding favors which are relatively lightweight (due to weight restrictions on luggage now) easy to pack, and temperature proof.
Wedding Favors we would not recommend for destination weddings:
Candles (due to high heat, they can melt)
Chocolates, chocolate covered candy (again they can melt)
Oddly shaped and/or large items which would be difficult to pack such as our tall candle lamps (they would take up too much room in your luggage)
Heavy items such as 4 pack glass coasters. 100 coaster sets (where there are 4 coasters per set and made of glass weigh approximately 80 pounds which is too heavy for airline luggage restrictions).
Lip balm, chap-stick, soaps and hand cream (again these items will melt in transit)
It’s best to use common sense when deciding on which wedding favors to buy for your destination wedding. If you think there is a possibility they may melt, break or be too heavy – you’re instinct is probably right.
1) Beach Themed Bookmarks – while all of the beach themed bookmark we carry are cute, I recommend “A Jewel From The Sea” Seashell Bookmark because the outside folder is pretty (its a metallic pearl shimmer in your choice of label color, but I am partial to the origina color scheme). It’s lightweight, can easily be packed and the bookmarks themselves are lovely! At about $2 each for a personalized wedding favor, these are sweet. Here’s a picture of them:
"A Jewel From the Sea" Seashell Bookmark (2 Designs and 27 Colors Available)
2. Beach Themed Keychains – lightweight and useful, everyone can use a keychain. However, the boxes (although small, about 2″ x 3″) can take up a bit of luggage space if you’re carrying a whole bunch of them. Inexpensive, these range from $1.75 to under $1, depending on design. My favorite beach themed keychain is Choice Crystal Shell Keychains – they are really pretty and great quality plus the packaging is a pretty blue box which can’t be beat. Here’s a picture of them:
3. Beach Themed Coasters – Coasters are great because they are functional. I don’t know what household wouldn’t be complete without coasters. Men and women can use them, they are a universal favor. Ultimately, our customers who were shopping this week in our store, chose coasters for their favors. And here is my choice, because they are 2 to a pack (lightweight), they can hold 2 photos of the couple, and they are relatively flat to pack in luggage. Here’s a hint to pack these, line your luggage with clothing, pack the coasters above the first layer of clothing, then pack the rest of your clothing on top.
5. Personalized Mint Tin Wedding Favors – cheap, personalized and useful (hey everyone needs a breath mint after dinner) these adorable and useful palm sized tins can be refilled after your wedding day. They come in a variety of beach inspired designs, are easy to carry, are lightweight and won’t melt. Some come in a variety of colors (like the one below comes in 5 different color choices), so these would make great favors.
I blogged yesterday about the top selling wedding favors for 2009, so with the upcoming Memorial Day weekend and the official kick off to the summer here, it is a great time to discuss beach wedding favors! Whether you are a beach bride or having a summer wedding here are the Top 10 beach themed wedding favors selected by our customer’s based on popularity and sales.
Mini Buri Fans - Eco-friendly Favors
1. Buri Wedding Fans – they made it to the Top 10 list yesterday and they are #1 on our top beach wedding favors as well. A bestseller for beach and summer weddings – you can keep your guests cool as well as providing them with their seating assignments. Shown here as a DIY project with craft paper, reinforcements and colored favor ribbon. Since these are currently out of stock until 7/30/09, why not try the larger version of these fans – Large Buri Wedding Fans
Sandalwood Fan Wedding Favors in Glass Top White Box
3. Starfish Design Wine Stopper – Great for beach themed weddings, events and parties these chrome, resin and rhinestone accented bottle stoppers are as pretty as they are functional. They come pre-packed in a black box tied with organza ribbon. One of our best sellers for the past two beach wedding seasons.
Beach Theme Luggage Tag Wedding Favors
4. Beach Themed Luggage Tags – What says beach more than summer vactions, sand and shells? These beach themed luggage tags are perfect gender neutral wedding favors which are great for beach weddings here or abroad!
Flip-Flop Luggage Tag Wedding Favors in Beach Themed Box
5. Flip Flop Luggage Tags in Beach Themed Box – In the world of look-alike luggage any distinctive or brightly colored mark can help identify your luggage. These uniquly designed flip flop luggage tags will help your guests easily travel in style. With a cute beach themed box and “For You” beach bucket thank you tag, these beach wedding favors can’t be beat.
"Our Love Shell Last Forever" Personalized Seashells
6. “Our Love Shell Last Forever” Personalized Sea Shells – if you would like to give your guests a truly memorable keepsake favor then these personalized seashells will be perfect for your beach wedding. Each comes with the standard engraving “Our Love Shell Last Forever” and is then engraved with up to 2 lines of your text. Since these are all natural, they are eco-friendly too!
Palm Tree Favor Boxes
7. Palm Tree Favor Boxes – Edible favors are a trend in weddings, so why not have a cute and themed box to display your wedding favor treats in? These charming little pryamid shaped boxed have neat little palm leaves which top off these irrestible boxes. Great for beach and destination weddings.
Starfish Bookmark Beach Wedding Favors
8. Starfish Bookmarks – What’s a day at the beach, or a seaside vacation without a good book to curl up with? They will remember your wedding each time they use these shore inspired place markers. Although these are out of stock until 6/30, we do have two other similar starfish bookmarks to recommend: our Modern Starfish Bookmark and the slightly darker colored Starfish Design Bookmark
"Beach Memories" Miniature Adirondack Chair Place Card / Photo Frame
9. Beach Memories Miniature Adirondack Chair Place Card / Photo Frame – While the concept is great and these are our bestsellers, they hold a VERY small place card or photo. The opening is only 1 1/2″ x 1 1/4″ (who’s wedding photo is that small?) They are designed well, but look at their name – Miniature Adirondack Chairs!! (They don’t call them miniature for no reason). If you are looking for the same item which is bigger, heavier and will really “wow” your guests try our Adirondack Chair Frames (which holds a 2″ x 3″ photo – standard size wallet photo) – I guarantee you will like them! They are slighly more expensive (about .15 cents difference) but they are well worth it.
Starfish Wine Stopper
10. Chrome Starfish Wine Stopper - prettily packaged and made of solid chrome this handsome wine stopper is gender neutral and will serve everyone on your guest list well. Here is an alternate view:
Now through May 31, 2009 when you order your wedding wands you can save 15% off your order! Better than birdseed, lasts longer than bubbles, and is pretty in pictures. Here you can see the bride and groom leaving the ceremony location under a wave of ribbons. Plus your guests will be able to take these home with them as a nifty reminder of your day!
They take 5 to 7 days to print (we offer a 2 day rush fee if you need them in a hurry), so order these in advance of your wedding.
Use Coupon Code: wands09 to save 15% off.
Wedding wands are also great for Graduations, Sweet 16 parties and other events when you want to throw your hands in the air and dance! It’s a great celebration tool and so much fun!
This past year in a Kate Aspen survey, brides to be told us that the color blue was their top pick for wedding colors. Fashion designers and the runways agree – blue is the top color for fashions next year as well. But just don’t think of your standard blue – beautiful, saturated shades are making the list.
Not only is the fashion world screaming blue, but also the top stylists for America’s leading women also find this color to be fabulous. Take a look at both Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain – both wore shades of blue for speeches during this past Presidential election campaign.
2009 wedding colors think:
Clear Bright Blue
Cobalt Blue
Green Blue
Deep Violet Blue
Turquoise Blue
Palace Blue
Williamsburg Blue
The complimentary colors which are in season for 2009 are:
Cream
Bone
Champagne
Taupe
Shimmering Light Gold
Tan
Beige
Also worth note is gray. Gray has made a comeback and also compliments blue nicely. Think light gray, steel, gunmetal, charcoal and brushed silver.
Blue is universally flattering – there is a shade which will suit everyone in your wedding party. Blue is also, classic, traditional and timeless. If you are considering blue as your wedding colors, why not compliment your wedding by purchasing blue wedding favors to match?
Hey brides and brides-to-be! Come and join us over at our brand new Ning.com page at http://littlethingsfavors.ning.com . It’s full of great wedding favor ideas and a forum so you can share your favorite wedding favor ideas, and feel free to start a new discussion about all those wedding thoughts in your head!
We created it with you in mind – so start posting and interacting with each other!
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