Tasty Treats

I mainly like this idea because the pretzels would add a German touch. However, when I showed them this picture both the groom and my own mother shot it down.

 

 

 

Next up is the hot cocoa bar which looks like fun, but may not be fitting with the season. 

 

 

 

I present to you the coffee bar, I just love this idea. Sadly, I cannot have much dairy, and some people do not like coffee, so...

 

 

 

Coffee AND DOUGHNUT bar! If they don't like coffee then we can also offer milk, orange juice, and water. If they don't like doughnuts with glaze then we can offer cinnamon sugar, plain, and filled. I love doughnuts so I am about 98% for this treat bar!

 

 

 

This last idea, I think is my favorite. I tend to like sweets more than the average person, so having a sandwich bar will give everyone the opportunity to eat healthy if they wish and to eat savory or sweet, because I will have cinnamon raisin bread and honey.

 

 

I like the idea of having popcorn because it is portable, easy to DIY, and comes in a variety of flavors. As an added bonus, guests can keep the pretty (and ever popular) mason jars.

The idea of having miniature pies would also be perfect! I love pies and could bake them all myself, and I could also have several varieties to suit everyone's fancy :)



Wishing you a tastily ever after!

To-Die-For Dresses

Elegance. Flow. Shape. This dress has it all.

 

 

 

I really like how this dress has the appearance of wind-whipped flowers. Information here. ($5,000)

 

This is a lovely dress from Italian designer, Jillian, and you can find out more about it here.

I have never seen a style like this before, and it's gorgeous!

I love that this dress looks like cascading flowers, my only doubt is that it is only available in ivory. The dress comes from Enaura Bridal Couture and you can learn more about them here.

I only recently found this dress, but I really love it. My only qualms are that the only places that I can find it are DHgate.com and Ebay.com and both sellers ship them directly from China. I worry the quality may not be tops, but I may just be interested enough to find out one way or the other ;) (They have it for $168 here)

I really like the illusion back and this dress has nice floral elements throughout. This is the Calandra dress from Mon Cheri's Sophia Tolli collection. The dress ID number is Y11572 allowing you to easily find it online. For more pictures and information you can visit the site here.

I REALLY love this dress. The natural look of the lace flows gently into the flowy skirt, which is EXACTLY what I pictured. To make it even better, the id number of the dress is 116127, and 6 happens to be my favorite number, while 27 is my luck number--I think it's meant to be. The dress can be found at several different retailers, to find one nearest you go here.

I lay before you all my favorite dress. This is by an Israeli designer, Nurit Hen, and it's beauty translates to thousands of dollars, so this will only be my dress in my dreams, but I will always admire the beauty of this fabric. This dress is classified as 13-W-5. ($6,700)

 



As always, wising you a happily ever after!

 

Game Day

So here's the thing, I like me some fun and games. I have seen so many good ideas for wedding games and bridal shower games (We'll get to these--I promise), but my favorite has got to be wedding party games.

Wedding Party Games

 



I have a couple bridesmaids that he doesn't know too well, and he has a groomsman that I have never met. On top of that, my friends don't know most of his friends and visa-versa. So...I think that a wedding party game day would be the perfect ice breaker before the wedding to get everyone on that friend level instead of just the acquaintance level.

Here are some fun pictures to give you some ideas:

This game is played by blindfolding the bride. Then, the groom and groomsmen line up and roll up their pant legs. The bride has to feel their calves and determine which belongs to her groom!

 



 

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Bridal Shower Games

 

There's a few types of games that I have seen that I thought may be fun for me and the girls.

 

First, a game of chance. This is one of those tape-something-under-the-chairs-and-whoever-is-sitting-on-the-special-thing-wins sort of games. In this case, they prepared pieces of paper with tuxedos and glued the heads of famous men onto them, but one has the face of the groom. They tucked these papers into envelopes and distributed them on the table in front of every seat long before guests arrived. The individual who unknowingly sat in front of the groom paper wins.

 

 

 

This game would depend on knowledge of the bridge and groom, and the bride would make the answer key. But for those who don't know them both as well, this may be a fun game for them to learn a little about the couple before the big day.

 

 

The picture below explains the game, but I really think this would be fun as a reminder of memories that may have been forgotten. I forsee this game bringing up a lot of laughs!

 

 

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Wedding Games

 

The wedding scene can get a little dreary if the only entertainment for them is watching the happy couple for a few hours of their Saturday. I hope to play some fun, interactive games with the guests to get everyone laughing and having fun, and maybe even mingling and meeting new people!

 

 As a little outdoor game while waiting for the wedding party, guests can play corn hole.

 

 

This is a game played throughout the reception, and I think setting a time frame (i.e. pins will be tallied at 2pm at the back of the room) would be beneficial to keep order and to make sure the winners are still around when prizes are given.

 

 

 

The next game is fun for using the bride and groom as entertainment. Having them play a game similar to the one at the bridal shower, but just the two of them answering questions. Both the bride and groom remove the shoes (or bring a separate pair of shoes that clearly feminine or manly). Each of them holds one manly shoe and one feminine shoe, then when the question is asked, they answer by raising either their own shoe or their spouses. For example, the question is "Which of you likes the smell of fresh grass?" And if the answer is "The Bride," then they would both raise her shoe.

 

Here's a list of sample questions:

I introduce to you the Wheel of Fun! Throughout the reception, guests can spin the wheel and the players follow the directions of whatever spot the ticker lands on.

Last, but most amazing, is my idea for a fun little game that will start during the ceremony and carry on through the reception. I have no particular theme to my wedding, but there are a lot of things that I would like to include in the ceremony, and decorations that give respect to certain movies, books, and pieces of both mine and Alec's childhood. I'm going to call these "Shout Outs." For example, I am a big Harry Potter fan and want to include some little details in the wedding, like wands holding together my bouquet, and a Deathly Hallows pendant in the flowers. Little things like this will be hidden throughout the ceremony and in decorations at the reception for:

• Harry Potter
• Percy Jackson
• Captain America
• Chronicles of Narnia
• Disney
• Germany
• Ireland
• Spies
• Dinosaurs

What's your favorite game for your happily ever after?

Fun Ways to Save the Date

This picture would be neat for a winter save the date, especially if the girl perhaps was wearing a colorful coat?

 

 

 

This idea is simple, but sweet.

 

 

Alec and I are high school sweethearts, and were certainly amongst those who passed notes in the halls, so this idea would be neat.

I love this idea! It's fun, it displays tons of pictures of the couple, and gets the message across. Beautiful!

 



 

 

Which is your favorite? Wishing you a happily ever after!

Registry

Popsugar offers a wonderful Wedding Registry Checklist here.

MyRegistry.com also has an App that can scan barcodes and find the store where the item is the cheapest.

Here is a handy chart to figure how many gifts you should have within each price range depending on the number of wedding guests.

Being aware of the goodies that are offered can also be of help:

• Crate and Barrel sends new registrants a gift and also offers them free save-the-dates!
• Bed Bath & Beyond has select brands that send you gifts when guests purchase their brand from your registry. Check out their Freebook for more information.
• Kohl's also does something similar. You can check their special brands here.

Some stores also offer you discounts (completion offers) to purchase the items left on your registry

• Dillards offers a 20% off completion offer
• Macy's, Target, and Kohl's all offer 15% off completion offers
• You can find 10% off completion offers at Bed Bath & Beyond, JCPenney, and Amazon

If you have duplicate items from Amazon and they are all going the same place, you can talk to their Customer Service department and waive the shipping fee for all but one of each item if you follow these directions.

Are there any more deals you have heard of? Wishing you a happily ever after!

Let Them Eat Cake

My cake choices showcase the natural element that I really love. All of my favorites are either made to look like flowers or are embellished with real beauties! My faves are displayed in order from least to most favorite.

 

 

I greatly admire how this cake has a flower seemingly blooming upon its surface--gorgeous!

 

 

 

This cake looks just slightly more simple and subtle, while still retaining the elegance and awe of the blooming flower.

 

 

Natural cakes have become increasingly popular in the last couple of years, and I love their simplicity, and ability to really showcase flowers.

 

 

I simply adore home much this cake looks like a tree taken out of the woods, with moss and vinery still connected.

 



Which is your favorite cake? As always, wishing you a happily ever after!

Congratulations! You're Engaged!

Now that it's official, it is time to begin planning. You'll need cake, a dance floor, mason jars, burlap,flowers,dressesinvitesAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!

It can be easy to stress out over all of the details that go into planning a wedding. Now you are faced with one of two options. You can hire a wedding planner, or if you are broke like me, you can get organized.

You can find an extensive wedding planning flowchart here.

Here is a wedding checklist to make sure you don't miss anything as your wedding draws nearer.

Do you have any tips or tricks for the first steps in planning? Feel free to comment or contact me, and I wish you a happily ever after!