So you're planning a bridal shower -- and everyone says you need a theme. "Around the Clock." "Home and Garden." Yawn!
There aren't many times we get to be silly and girly in this world, so a
bridal shower shouldn't be wasted. Make sure it's genuinely fun. It's simple --- just think about what makes your bride special, and let yourself loose with the theme. Here are a few ideas to charge up the noggin and organize something unique.
"Like High School — But Better." Revive some great times by tipping your hat to the bride's high school days. Look up all those slightly embarrassing hits from the year she graduated -- let's say the 80s.
(Create a gift CD of same for all your guests -- they'll secretly savor them when no one else is around.) Yes, they still make banana clips! Pass them out, along with big, dangly inexpensive hoop earrings and loads of jelly bracelets (remember? You wear about a hundred on each arm, a la vintage Madonna).
Slather on the pink, blue and green eye shadow, metallic nail polish and bright blue mascara. Play the soundtracks from Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles.
Now for the games: segment a flashback classic, such as Madonna's "Holiday," into three or four CDs. Divide your guests into the same number of groups, and challenge them to come up with a dance routine to fit their part of the tune. Bring them back together in 10 or 15 minutes to perform their mini-masterpiece before a video camera you've set up for the occasion.
Tape everyone's routine in order. Give a prize to the best choreographers (actually, give a prize to everyone for being a good sport). Together, you've created a music video that no one could forget. With any luck, it'll mysteriously show up at the reception.
Wine and Chocolate
Sometimes, when you tour a bunch of vineyards in wine country and you're really lucky, you hit upon "wine and chocolate" day. But you don't have to wait to hit the jackpot -- you can organize your own.
Plan an easy afternoon of popular, easy-drinking wines like Merlot and champagne, and ask each guest to bring a creative form of chocolate. Some of our favorites: chocolate croissants, chocolate papaya crepes, chocolate-covered ginger, and yes, jalapeno brownies.
But don't stop with the food -- make an outright bordello of it. Pile lots of velveteen pillows around the room, drape the walls with heavy fabric, burn a bit of incense. Put on some soothing Moroccan music, and arrange a few flowers in plum colored pails or vases you've dressed up with groovy gold fringe.
Now pass out those beverages in pretty glass flutes, dropping a rose petal in each one. Then dig in! (Have doggie bags at the ready for blissed-out guests who want to enjoy the spoils later at home).
You plan it for months (or years), but there'll always be things you can't predict on your
wedding day. Here,
brides who've been there tell you how to prepare for the unexpected.
"Stage fright happens to brides, too" "I'm a shy, quiet person and, normally, the idea of standing in front of 100 people would terrify me. Somehow, I thought it would be different on my
wedding day. It wasn't. To my horror, straight after the 'I dos', a blotchy, red rash crept over my neck and face. Reassuringly, the celebrant told me it happens quite a lot."
Georgina, 33, Melbourne, Vic
"What's more important: wedding or marriage?"
"My family and friends were constantly asking about my wedding, but never questioned me about the fact that I was about to start sharing my life with another human being, which seemed much more important than, 'Are you wearing a band/veil?' I felt relieved when the pressure to have a perfect wedding day was finally over."
Gabrielle, 32, Perth, WA
"Don't make big plans for your wedding night"
"I had amazing plans for my wedding night - after the reception we wanted to kick on to a bar with our friends, and then have a romantic night in our candlelit wedding suite. But by midnight, I was exhausted. I'd been up for 19 hours and experienced a roller-coaster of emotions. So, instead, my husband spent his wedding night picking bobby pins from my hair."
Sharon, 34, Ashfield, NSW
"Parents will probably complicate things"
"Both my parents and my husband's are divorced and all have new partners. Trying to please all of them was incredibly difficult. But how can you ignore their demands when they're contributing money? Eventually, my husband and I decided we had to be firm and do what we wanted - after all, it was our day."
Kellie, 25, Cabarita, NSW
"Your dream dress will be over your budget"
"Before my wedding, I imagined getting married wearing a $500 classic, cream suit. But I ended up splurging on an antique lace dress, which cost thousands in fabric alone. We went so over budget for the wedding in general that we gave up and spent what we liked. So don't beat yourself up if you blow your budget."
Emily, 27, Perth, WA
"Some of your closest friends won't make it"
"I had this romantic notion that everyone I invited to the
wedding would attend. But in reality, some people won't be able to - especially if you get married overseas, as I did. It's easy to feel upset, but ultimately - like most wedding details - it won't matter on the day. Your wedding will still be incredible."
Fiona, 31, Rose Bay, NSW
"Even 'ideal' bridesmaids can cause headaches"
"I'd heard horror stories about lazy bridesmaids, so I thought my super-organised friend would be perfect. But Kate, who had a list - and an opinion - for everything, was so organised I started to feel I had lost control of my own wedding. Although Kate had good intentions, I wish I had picked someone more on my wavelength."
Michelle, 29, Prahan, Vic
"You're not the only one who might cry""At the weddings I've attended, the bride cried, so I thought I might, too. But as soon as I arrived at the church I felt calm. As I walked down the aisle, my husband-to-be was looking at me in a serious, but tender way I'd only seen once before - when he proposed. Then, during the vows, he cried. I squeezed his hand, and at that moment I knew we had made the right decision."
Spring is a great time for new beginnings, especially for starting a new life with someone special. What better way to celebrate than to incorporate a spring theme into your
wedding decorating! A few simple touches are all it takes to have a big impact. After a dull winter, your guests will appreciate a bright and happy occasion.
Popular colors for a
sping wedding are pastels, so keep this in mind when shopping for your
bridal party and for your decorations. If you want a darker color for your
bridesmaid dresses, try using the same color in a lighter shade for the
wedding flowers and centerpieces.
The contrast will add freshness to your big day while making everything look smart and well coordinated. Try not to use too many different pastel colors together unless you're planning an Easter wedding.
Some great color choices are: pink or rose, light blue, yellow, lavender, and a soft green. Some good color combinations include rose and lavender, lavender and light blue, or yellow and soft green. Using colors that are close to each other on the color scale will give a softer look to your day, while using opposites will create bolder combinations.
Other than color, some easy ways to add spring to your wedding are:
- Use potted bulbs in your decorations. They can be used to decorate your ceremony, as centerpieces at your reception, and on the gift and cake tables. Just make sure to choose bulbs whose flowers aren't heavily scented in case any of your guests have allergies. A lot of scent in a closed in room can have people looking for fresh air very quickly. Daffodils and tulips are great choices and are available in a variety of colors. You don't need to have the same flower at every table, and using a variety can make your decorating more interesting for your guests.
- Other
seasonal flowers that can be used as cut flowers are lilacs, pansies, and freesias, but again be careful with heavy scents. Lilacs smell beautiful, but some are more scented than others.
- Spring is the time when many people start thinking about planting their gardens. Consider giving away flower or tree seeds in decorative seed packets as a wedding favor. The seeds can be for your favorite plant, or for one that has significance to your family. If I were planning a spring wedding, I would give away apricot tree seeds as a subtle reminder of my grandmother and the apricot tree on her farm that used to always be in bloom for her birthday in May.
- Small trees can also be used as centerpieces or used as favors. Choose ones that are about a foot high so they don't block out everything at your wedding. If using them as centerpieces, plant them in decorative pots and include some planting instructions. For favors, they can be placed on a side table so they aren't in the way during dinner. An announcement can be made after the speeches that they are for the guests to take home. Tie a note of thanks around their base with some raffia as an added touch.
Using color and seasonal flowers you can give your wedding a spring-time feeling without going to a lot of extra time or expense. Think spring and have fun decorating for your wedding!
If you are planning to have the ceremony at a church, the reception and evening party at a different location this will result in you requiring two sets of wedding flowers. It may be worth seeing if you get them moved by the florist or by a relative on the day.
If you are planning to have the ceremony at a church, the reception in one venue and the evening reception in another place this means you are going to require three different sets of flowers instead of the two.
Or if your budget is quite large check with your florist to see if they can supply the flowers for two or three of the venues which means you will be surrounded by the same theme of your chosen wedding flowers all day long which will make a very happy memory and your photographs will also reflect this effort.
The florist being reliable is a big issue on your special day the last thing you need to worried about is whether the florist is going to turn up. You should look out for testimonials from previous clients all good florists should have them.
You will also need to find out how many other weddings they do on the same day. It is a question of wanting your florist more concerned with yours or someone else’s wedding when they are creating your flowers, after you plan them so well you don’t want the ideal getting lost on the day, ideally they should only book in a few per day but do check if you are having complicated designs however a wedding Florist in Durham should be able to cater to this for you.
In addition to above you will also need to see if the person you have consulted with will be doing your flowers. You’ve spent hours with your florist choosing what flowers you want only to realise on the big day that someone else is creating your perfect wedding flowers. To ensure this doesn’t happen ask your florist. They will have a vast amount of experience in wedding flowers in the North.
