Wedding Planning

Planet Wedding: A Nuptialpedia

About two years ago, Harry Choron, contacted me – he wanted to use a few of my articles that I had published on our website in his upcoming book, Planet Wedding. Of course I was thrilled and honored to be included in such a wedding publication and signed the article releases right away!

Although it wasn’t my first time published (I had poems published way back in my high school days in Teen and Seventeen Magazines) and I’ve been an aspiring romance writer for a few years now – it was my first time that I was going to have my name in print in an industry wedding publication.  How exciting!!! And today, I finally received a copy of Planet Wedding - and there I was, on page vii – under the acknowledgments.   Wow!

Planet Wedding is a fabulous guide for brides-to-be, wedding buffs and the romantics at heart who not only want useful wedding planning tips but also history, information, cultural, funny stories and more – it really is everything you need to know about weddings. (Maybe even some things on wedding favors?)

Our Articles:

• What Your Color Choice Really Means
• A History of The Honeymoon

But Also includes Articles such as:

• 69 Rules of Wedding Crashing
• Ten Things the Bridal Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know
• How to Tell If You’re a Bridezilla
• How to Have a Green Wedding
• 231 Money-Saving Tips
• Wedding Customs from Around the World

It really is a useful book chock-full of useful tidbits and items you can use to help plan your own wedding!  And because I’ve been published in it, I would like to give away to one reader a copy of this book!  All you have to do is comment on this blog post for a chance to win – and please include your real email address when you comment (don’t worry, it won’t be published) so I can contact the winner.

Open to US Residents – US Shipping Only.  Contest ends on April 30, 2010 at Midnight EST.  Winner will be announced Saturday May 1, 2010!

Happy Wedding Planning!

Erica

Brides will always encounter problems and issues while planning their perfect day.  Recently here in our NJ showroom we’ve noticed that a couple of brides asked us the same question.  They have a young girl between the ages of 9-11 that they would like to incorporate into their wedding, but are unsure how to place her.  Is she a flower girl, a bridesmaid, or perhaps a junior bridesmaid?

Technically the age limits for the female wedding party goes like this:

Flower Girls:  Ages 3 – 8
Junior Bridesmaids:  Ages 9 – 15
Bridesmaids:  16+

If you have a girl young enough to pose as a flower girl, then go for it!  As the tradition goes, she’ll walk down the aisle while sprinkling flower petals from a basket.  For the perfect one to coordinate with your wedding, see our Flower Girl Basket section.

If the girl is too old to be a flower girl and too young to be a bridesmaid, she’s considered a junior bridesmaid.  She’ll be wearing the same dresses as your bridesmaids, but usually junior bridesmaids carry a smaller bouquet.  You can also use a pomander bouquet as an alternative.  A pomander bouquet is a ball of flowers carried by a ribbon.  This also works if you were really leaning toward having a flower girl in your wedding, because it will almost appear that she is holding a basket.  If you absolutely have to have petals sprinkled down the aisle, have your junior bridesmaid carry this Flower Girl Cone instead.  It isn’t exactly a basket, so you’re not following the traditional flower girl rule.

Of course, this is your big day, so anything you say goes!  You never have to follow the rules.  Check out our Silk Rose Petal section to choose the right color for you.

Happy Tuesday! <3 Kelsey

Connect with Kelsey on Google+

Sometimes it’s hard to put into words, exactly what you would like to say.  Sometimes, its hard to write a blog which is balanced between a business blog and writing copy that will engage your readers.  One of the posts which I received the most feedback from was about what it was like to be an entrepreneur.  And when I thought about it, why wouldn’t I want to write my business blog, personally to you – our readers?  There’s only so much you probably want to read about new wedding favors, after all!

So, sometimes I even falter with the right words – and I can imagine that many of our brides and grooms to be, struggle finding just the right sentiment to express their love on their wedding day.

If you should know anything about our office and staff, it is that the majority of us adore quotes.  If you follow our facebook profile, you’ll see daily quotes.  If you walk in on any given day, we may be rattling off a favorite scene from a movie.  If you walk to my desk you’ll see a collection of fortune cookie quotes. And when you wash you’re hands over our bathroom sink you’ll be greeted with the quote, “True love stories never have endings.” – Richard Bach

Tonight, as I was watching HGTV, I was browsing a quote app on my iPhone for a love quote to post to my Twitter account. I stared at my phone and saw the following quote staring at me, “I love you not for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.” – Roy Croft – It was a quote I had heard often, even used occasionally and is one of my favorite quotes.

After a little searching, I discovered the full poem in it’s entirety.  And that’s when I realized that my love of quotes could benefit our brides and grooms by finding love poems and quotes that could be perfect for ceremonies or wedding speeches, even vows.

So I would like to present to you one of my favorite quotes and subsequent poems which I think would be perfect to use within a wedding ceremony or reception. Stay tuned for more love quotes & poems that you can incorporate into your wedding in the upcoming months!

Have a wonderful Monday!

Love
Roy Croft

I love you,
Not only for what you are,
But for what I am when I am with you.

I love you,
Not only for what you have made of yourself,
But for what you are making of me.

I love you for
the part of me that you bring out;
I love you for
putting your hand into my heaped-up heart
And passing over all the foolish, weak things
that you can’t help dimly seeing there,
And for drawing out into the light
All the beautiful belongings
that no one else had looked
Quite far enough to find.

I love you because you
Are helping me to make
Of the lumber of my life
Not a tavern, but a temple;
Out of the works
Of my every day
Not a reproach
But a song.

I love you because you have done
More than any creed
Could have done
To make me good,
And more than any fate
Could have done
To make me happy.

You have done it
Without a touch,
Without a word,
Without a sign.
You have done it by being yourself.
Perhaps that is what
being a friend means, after all.

Hurry! 5 Days Only To Save on Everything at LittleThingsFavors.com

It’s our annual Thanksgiving Sale. Just in time to kick off the holiday season!

Shop early and save on all the little things you need to make your wedding, holiday party or event special and unique! We want to help you save more this holiday season that’s why you can save up to 15% off** of your order when you shop
Thursday November 26th through Monday November 30th.

Pick up everything you need for your wedding including wedding favors and all of your wedding essentials such as our large selection of wedding cake toppers and guest books. But the savings doesn’t end there! Save on everything in every category including our holiday party favors, bridal shower favors, and even our Birthday party favors.

But Hurry! Sale ends Midnight EST, Monday November 30th, 2009!

**This offer is only valid for online orders only and only at the time of purchase. This offer cannot be applied once the order has been placed, or applied to previous orders. Offer is valid for a limited time only and cannot be combined with other promotions, coupon codes, free shipping or discounts. Returns made under this promotion which cause the total amount of your order to fall below the threshold of the promotional order amount(s) may cause your order/refund to be adjusted accordingly.

"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?

Happy Monday to you!

Erica

We’re going back to the beach again! (Can’t you tell summer is on my mind?) Yesterday we visited our customer’s top ten favors and today we’re going to visit my top ten new beach wedding favors which were just released this season – perhaps it will give you some beach themed wedding favor ideas for your upcoming beach wedding.

(By the way, did you know I had a beach / destination wedding as well?)

1. Chrome Starfish Wine Bottle Stopper – I’m a big fan of wine stoppers because there isn’t a household out there that doesn’t have a bottle (these work with any bottle not just wine) that needs to be sealed.  Cork tends to break after a while – whereas chrome stays sturdy and strong.  I like the fact that these are reasonably priced and have chrome (not resin) tops – which make them more durable.  It comes pre-wrapped with attached beach themed tags, so there is no need to do any work! Btw, we have a huge selection of wine stopper wedding favors, so if this design doesn’t work for you check out the 100 + other stoppers we carry.

Chrome Starfish Design Wine Stopper Beach Wedding Favors

2. Shell Place Card Favor  Boxes With Designer Beach Place Cards – Brand, spanking new and just out of the box (get it? lol).  These favor boxes serve double duty – you can use them to hold sweet treats (candy, almonds, mini cookies, jelly beans) while at the same time the tops double as place card holders.  When your guests take them home they have a neat looking little wooden trinket box to display in their homes or to use as a jewelry box.  A really inventive idea.

Beach Theme Shell Place Card Favor Boxes with Designer Place Cards

3. “Please Be Seeded” Starfish Eco-Friendly Plantable Place Cards – Let’s face it – you need place cards.  People want to know where to sit.  If you don’t seat your guests, some people who don’t know your family will be left holding their plates looking for a spot to sit.  You don’t  want that and neither do we.  Here’s a beach themed wedding favor that is eco-friendly (the starfish can be planted), functional (it is used to assign your guests seats), pretty (hey, they are good lookin’), and relatively cheap ($1.10 to $1.60 each depending on quantity).  We have these available in different designs too, so hop over to our eco-friendly wedding favors page for more designs.

"Please Be Seeded" Starfish Plantable Seed Place Cards (Set of 12)

4. Natural Selections Shell Candle Wedding Favors – It’s like you just collected a jar full of beautiful shells from the beach and topped it off with a candle.  These candle holders are beautiful and packaged in recycled cardboard boxes with natural rattan ties.  Eco-friendly as glass is reuseable and renewable.   If I go to a wedding this beach season, I would want someone to give me this!

Natural Selections Collection Shell Beach Candle Wedding Favors

5. Palm Tree Water Globe Beach Wine Stoppers – Yes, I’m back to wine stoppers again, but with good reason -  this is the most unique stopper we carry.  Have you everr seen a water globe on top of a wine stopper?  It’s pretty cool.  Not to mention the packaging and display is dynamite.

Palm Tree Water Globe Beach Wine Stopper Wedding Favors

6. Beach Theme Starfish Ice Cream Scoops – Nothing says summer more than the sand, the shore and ice cream!  Functional, fun and practical who can’t use an ice cream scoop in their kitchen?  Made of resin with a solid chrome scoop these will last for many seasons to come.

Beach Theme Starfish Ice Cream Scoop Wedding Favors

7. Elegant Crystal Flower & Starfish Candle – if you want a beach themed favor but don’t want to scream “beach” at your wedding – or if you want to give a gift a bit more upscale – these candles fit the bill.  Pretty flowers and starfish in crystal clear color (these are also available in pink or lavender, btw) will charm your guests.  Subdued but classy, these are elegant beach wedding favors.

8. “Ocean Breeze” Seashell Scented Soaps – Gorgeously gift boxed, these beach themed soap favors will look beautiful on your reception tables or as your bridal shower favors.  Very popular, these guest soaps smell as good as an ocean breeze!

9. Personalized Lemonade Wedding Favors – Long days in the sun call for a refreshing summertime treat.  Share the sunny love with your guests with these delicious lemonade mixes – available personalized in 58 designs. These are also available in 4 packet lemonade gift packs (great for gift bags!)

Personalized Lemonade Wedding Favors

10. Seaglass Luminary With Beaded Handle – These come as show in assorted beachy colors.  Whether you use them as table decorations or give them out as candle wedding favors, these are beautiful and well made lanterns.

“Sea Glass” Luminary with Beaded Handle (Set of 3)

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

2. Sandalwood Fans in Glass Top White Boxes – A best seller since last year, our sandalwood fans are affordable and make unique favors.  Personalize them as shown with our Modern Square Favor Labels

Starfish Design Wine Stopper Beach Wedding Favors

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:

Starfish Wine Stopper Wedding Favors

A Southern tradition, the Kentucky derby is a wonderful celebration which usually starts two weeks before the actual Derby.  The community surrounding Louisville celebrates with steamboat races, fireworks, and private parties.

If you’ve ever watched the race, you’ll know the press focuses on the wealthy and glamorous in their silks, linens and dramatic hats.  It is just as much about the style as it is about the horses.  For women, it’s all about red carpet glamour and traditional elegance.  The hat is a Derby must with a dress which compliments the hat.  Accessories such as pearls, gloves and sunglasses  compliment the look.  For men, the most important component is that they compliment their dates.  The quintessential Derby look for men is  a seersucker suit, fedora, and comfortable loafers but you will often see men solid colored suits, patterned ties and occassionally tuxedos.   However, her beauty comes first and it is his duty to compliment her beauty!

For wedding favors, party favors and accessories which compliment a Kentucky Derby theme these will go dashingly well with your day:

"Derby Time!" Mint Julep Cup Tea Light Holders

Dating back to the eighteenth century, the mint julep has a rich historical background which began in the Southern part of the United States. Since 1936, the Mint Julep has also been considered the traditional beverage of the Kentucky Derby.

Treat your guests to a bit of time-honored southern hospitality and enhance your décor with a mint julep cup wedding favors as delightfully southern as a rainy night in Georgia. This versatile cup can hold a tea light, small flowers or candy like Jordan almonds or jelly beans.

Personalized Silver Plated Mint Julep Cups

For a traditional or Southern style wedding favor, select these silver plated Mint Julep cups. Measuring 3″H x 2-5/8″W each tapers downward with intricate detailing on the rim and bottom of the cup. Serve them during your cocktail or reception in the traditional sense or use them to hold candy at each place setting.

Horseshoe Key Chains

The horseshoe is one of the world’s most relied upon symbols of luck. So give your guests some “good fortune to go” with these dazzling horseshoe key chain favors. Perfect for Kentucky Derby parties,

Lucky In Love - Horseshoe Ring Pillow Alternative

“lucky” events and almost any occasion where Lady Luck is on the guest list, each has a metal key ring and chain attached to a resin pewter colored horseshoe charm lined with alternating rhinestones embedded at its center.

Customers seeking a Western-style wedding, or those looking for a little luck on their wedding day will adore this unique alternative to the ring bearer pillow. The genuine pewter horseshoe hangs from a pretty white satin handle and is engraved with the words “Lucky in Love.” Heart-shaped holes line the horseshoe for a decorative touch and white satin streamers are included for tying the rings. 5 1/2″x6″.

"Western Affection" Horseshoe Pen Set

A silver-tone lucky horseshoe pen set is supported by a Lucite base.  This is a great guest book pen for western weddings and Kentucky Derby parties.  It also makes a handsome desk pen set.

Little Things Favors

Our New Jersey Showroom opened in February 2009 and has been a success with brides to be.  In March 2009 The Home News Tribune visited us and described us in their April 28th, 2009 article as a “bride’s paradise”.  And we couldn’t agree more.  Every Saturday we are open to the public from 12 Noon to 6 Pm.  Our brides and couples receive top-notch personalized service.  Just this past weekend one bride to be lounged with us for over four hours chatting about her wedding, the customs of her country and her future husband.  Our relaxed, lounge-like atmoshphere allows brides to shop with comfort and ease.  We’ve been described by our brides as “a great place to hang out”!

Read the article here: Couple’s Sayreville wedding favors store is ‘a bride’s paradise’.

And here are some pictures of our showroom which is located at 137 Main Street, Sayreville, NJ 08872

Come visit us on Saturdays from 12 to 6 pm!

Our Spring Cherry Blossom Window Display

Our wall of wedding favors

Over 30 of our most popular wedding collections, complete line of cake toppers, unity candles and more!

View from the entrance to our showroom

View from the rear of our showroom