Fairytale Wedding

Your ring bearer will most likely be between the ages of four and eight. He should attend the rehearsal for practice, but is not expected to attend pre-wedding parties.  Encourage your little ring bearer to arrive at the ceremony site 45 minutes to an hour before the wedding for photographs.

He will carry a ring bearer pillow, typically in white, with rings attached, down the aisle. If he is very young, choose mock rings and allow him to sit with his parents during your ceremony.  If mock rings are indeed used, turn the ring pillow over at the end of the ceremony.

You have decided on a wedding theme and now it’s time to choose your wedding favors.  You may already have an idea of the type of favor you would like to offer your guests in thanks for being a part of your special occasion.

Candle favors are a favorite due to their versatility. They are pretty, useful, often smell good and are easily available to coordinate with nearly any theme or color. Perhaps you are having a formal affair and need classy, elegant wedding favors? Quality is always a consideration when purchasing favors. A favor meant to be a memorable keepsake will need to be a quality one, such as photo frame favors. Another popular choice is edible favors. Your most difficult decision will be what type of chocolate, candy, nut, fruit, tea or coffee to go with. Consider pairing edible favors with theme bags or boxes and personalized napkins. Sparklers, bubbles and party poppers are a fun treat for guests and encourage participation in your event. Unique favors may be memorable, while practical wedding favors that your guests may keep and use after the reception are very thoughtful. Something to keep in mind as well, favors range in price depending on their type, quality and the number you need to order.

As I browse what seems like millions of styles and options of wedding accessories I think they are lovely but how can I make them feel like mine? Sure, there are many options to personalize these accessories with our names and monograms, but I needed to find something a little more.  I wanted to find ways to add interests and pieces of my past to my wedding.

My “something old” will be a cameo bracelet, part of a jewelry set handed down to me from my great fairy godmother. It’s very classy and dainty. However part of this set included some very large clip-on earrings, one of which is broke. I am planning to attach one earring to my flower girl basket and the other to either my ring bearer pillow or guest book. I will decide after I see how it looks on each of them.  This idea for really personalizing my wedding accessories not only got me carried away about what else I could do with them, but also makes me feel like I am bringing a piece of my past to my wedding. In a way, my great fairy godmother will be at my wedding!

You can choose to have a ”green” wedding as an entire theme or you can take a few aspects throughout your wedding planning process and think ”green”.  Some of these aspects may include a nature theme with flower seeds as wedding favors or favor boxes made of  recycled materials. You could promote a favorite charity as your wedding registry.  Or how about something as simple as choosing wedding invitations printed on recycled paper?  For the creative bride, make your own wedding invitations!

Utilize local wedding vendors and ask them green questions. Is your photographer all digital? Will your caterer donate your wedding day buffet leftovers? (Be sure to check that this allowed in your area.)  Little things such as these make a huge difference in your local community as well as our world. A green wedding is a great idea!

As a Fairy Godmother I’ve been to my share of fairy tale weddings. I thought I might share some of my favorite ideas from the most prestigious princess brides!

Ariel left her fins behind for legs, but what better way to bring her family’s heritage into her wedding then to have an “Under the Sea” theme wedding? The bride-to-be would fit the theme snugly in a mermaid style wedding gown. A beach or destination wedding may seem like the obvious location, but a beautiful garden, at a boathouse or in a park overlooking a body of water is just as lovely! The unity ceremony could be performed using sand in wedding theme colors and vases or use colored water with personalized jars. Live Hermit Crabs in small terrariums or Gold Fish in glass bowls as centerpieces. Having a candy buffet? Be sure to include Swedish fish or gummi lobsters as unique wedding favors.

These are a few fairy tale wedding ideas evolving around princess Ariel, read on for more princess wedding reception ideas. As you’re planning your own special day keep in mind, a fairy tale wedding is YOUR DREAM wedding celebration come true!

My sister grew up watching Disney films religiously, and she absolutely loved all the Disney princesses. From Jasmine to Ariel to Cinderella, she adored them all, and she would absentmindedly play with her Barbie dolls and dream of finding her own Prince Charming. Even as a young girl, she was planning every little detail of her perfect wedding. From the cake to the dress, she had every detail solidified before she’d ever even had her first boyfriend!

So it was no surprise to me when she happily announced to the family many years later that she was getting married. I always knew she was marriage-bound, and I was so happy for her, because I knew her fiancé truly was her Prince Charming. I was asked to be her maid of honor, and once I started hearing the details of the wedding, I had to laugh. She was constructing a fairy tale wedding theme, and it was exactly like she had planned as a little girl.

Sparklers at weddings can be fun and a particular beautiful scene, especially at evening receptions. Sparklers can be used both indoors and outdoors. They can be placed at each setting as a favor and then held by guests to create a tunnel for the newlyweds as they make their honeymoon exit.  Sparklers can be painted to match the wedding theme. In order to allow enough time for everyone to get their sparkler lit and have them all burning simultaneously, the best size is either 14″ or 20″. Larger sparklers can be used to create a unique light show at an outdoor reception.

Create a sparkling presentation worthy of “oohs” and “ahhs” with sparklers as wedding cake tops. However, because of the small amount of non-toxic black residue specks which may be noticeable on cake frosting, use only two or three 8″-10″ sparklers.

Prince Charming has proposed, of course you said “yes” and now, you are ready to experience the ultimate adventure – planning your special day! You may have a matter of months to plan or a few years, either way, here are a few guidelines to get you started.

Decide on a either a wedding date and or wedding site (and reserve it) Depending on how much time is available, begin browsing ideas of wedding themes, decorations and favors. You should choose your theme and order decorations approximately 3-6 months prior to your event. Determine your guest list, then order invitations. Your wedding invitations should be addressed and mailed 4-6 weeks in advance of the wedding day.   

An addition to traditional wedding invitations are save the date magnets and cards. These work wonderfully for destination weddings, where guests need plenty of advance notice to prepare for the trip or for a wedding where many guests are from out of town and need to make lodging arrangements. You can send save the dates as early as choosing your wedding day, but you may wish to wait until you have reserved the location for your grand ball first!

A candy buffet table or candy centerpieces at each guest table at your wedding reception is not only a unique idea but one that will add pizazz to your celebration and nearly guarantee something for everyone to enjoy. It’s not hard to tailor a candy buffet to any wedding theme style, color or era. A grand candy buffet inspired by a fairy tale is just the kind a princess bride should have! Try a castle setting atop puffy white clouds with star jewels or glitter attached to them amidst other clouds carrying candy filled jars. What about a mixture of tiaras and crowns surrounding clear round bowls full of candy? And the candy to include  for a Cinderella event could be gummi frogs, chocolate kisses, chocolate candy bars wrapped in personalized Cinderella and Prince Charming wrappers and mints (before the kiss!)  Or why not make candy the theme of your wedding?

You can find or buy jars or vases in many different sizes, but they should have wide openings so the candy can easily be scooped out. You will also need scoops, ribbons and tags or stickers to label each jar with the name of its contents. Consider adding sugar-free or gluten-free candy to your bar. As well as a variety such as hard candy, chocolate, sour candy, gummi candy, licorice sticks, lolipops, the list goes on!  You can add cupcakes, nuts, popcorn, caramelized apples and or mints to your table. 

For unique wedding favors consider providing personalized goody bags or favor boxes at each setting (or on / near the buffet table) for your guests to take their candy home in. Remember to keep the size of your take-home-treat containers in proportion to the number of your guests!

The expenses of your wedding day can quickly surpass your budget. This is why it is so important that the bride and groom sit down together (possibly with their Fairy Godmother wedding planner!) and decide what aspects of their wedding is the most important to them. Of course the entire day is important, but choices are made (whether realized or not) on what the large majority of the budget is spent on.

For instance, is it spent on a destination wedding? On the memories the best photographer and or videographer will capture? The bridal gown of your childhood dreams? Perhaps the ”sky is the limit” when it comes to the wedding decorations that will create the perfect ambiance for your special day? Maybe you go all out with a horse and carriage coach like Cinderella’s? Or provide gourmet catering, open bar and lavish favors for your guests? There is no wrong or right here.

Remember, it is your wedding and the choice is yours. Just make sure that the choices you make are ones you can live with happily, ever after!