Fairytale Wedding

Simple, inexpensive elegance, easily describes candles at a wedding.  Whether it be at the ceremony or reception, indoor or outdoor, by day or at night.  Gather together two or three different size, white or ivory pillar candles with lace or unique ribbon and strategically place them throughout  your venue.   

Aside from your unity candle, subtle votive and/or pillar candles blend nicely within their surroundings (especially in a church) and will help complete your desired ambiance without your guests even realizing quite how.  Simply set them on a plain surface, a platter, a mirror, a doily, in a vase, or in candlebras of different heighths.  You can even add flowers, stones or sand if you’d like!

Finding the perfect ring bearer pillowthat not only coordinates with your fairy tale theme wedding but also captures the whimsy, romance and magic of your special day won’t be too difficult a task.  In fact, with so many to choose from, you mind find it tough to choose!

If a Cinderella theme suits your fancy, then choose Disney’s Cinderella inspired ring bearer pillows or the carriage charm design pillow by Lillian Rose.  If it’s the ”Happily Ever After” that you’re looking for, then choose any number of colors and designs such as the one pictured offering a simply stated ”And They Lived Happily Ever After . . .” stitched in a tricolor mix of pink, silver and orange thread.

The carriage, the castle or the slipper?  With the many options in fairy tale theme favors and decorations, the choice is usually made soley on preference.  Candles, bookmarks, keychains, bath soap and favor boxes are among the favorite available types of favor choices for a Cinderella theme wedding or bridal shower.

For the tables at your Cinderella event, you could decorate coach shaped white or silver metal centerpieces and add Cinderella slippers filled with mints, glimmering castle shaped bookmarks or sparkling castle design place card frames as party favors.  Place beautiful rose floral arrangements on tables paired with Cinderella carriage shaped favor boxes filled with goodies.  Alternate centerpieces or differnt color table linens on every other table.  Choose a glamorous slipper or shimmering castle for the cake top or cup cake table display.

In American culture, the tiered cake has become iconic of traditional wedding ceremonies. One of the most enjoyable aspects of planning a wedding is looking for the perfect cake to cap off your wedding day.  Deciding on a cake is not an easy decision, but the taste testing can be fun and enjoyable experience.

The other big decision when it comes to wedding cake is choosing a wedding cake topper and cake server sets. It is important to choose a cake topper that represents you as a couple, preferably one that you can keep as a memento of that special day you were joined together. And remember the serving sets and topper will be in some of your most cherished wedding photos.

You may have hired the best pastry artist in the world to design your wedding cake, but remember the presentation of the cake is almost as important as the cake itself.   Be sure to talk to your cake artist about who is responsible for what, such as delivering the cake vs. picking it up as well as for cake table presentation.

Gather your  desired wedding cake accessories and decorations.  Your favorite cake topper, desired knife and wedding cake server, along with any floral arrangements, flower petals, confetti or framed pictures to include with the display.  Appropriate table linens, gossamer or string lights always aid in creating a masterpiece presentation.

Bold wedding colors aren’t the only trends making themselves more and more known! Over the last couple of seasons, we’ve seen some pretty amazing, sugary detail in wedding cakes making their debut as well.  From replicas of stain glass windows to graphic motifs that rival their coordinating wedding invitations, your wedding cake creation is limited only by the imagination of the pastry artist and your wedding budget!

I’d say forget unforgettable cake toppers when the wedding cake stands alone, accept when I’m reminded that as beautiful as the cake may be, the only thing left will be the photographs and the memories of it.  A special cake topper can be kept for the years to come, re-used on anniversary cakes or just displayed as a centerpiece.  If you’re considering a wedding cake that wows, leave room for the cake top that will compliment it’s lavish decor!  Check out the March issue of BRIDES magazine for pictures of the 23 most creative wedding cakes. (Picture by elegantcheesecakes.com)  Lastly, remember that no matter how beautiful your wedding cake is, freshness and taste is just as important!

Shortly after the proposal made by my fiance’ (and my excited, “yes!”) I began to browse catalogs and the Internet for ideas.  I imagine most engaged woman also go this route.  It’s exciting to look at the different style gowns, wedding favors and theme ideas.

You may notice many wedding companies create entire wedding collections from coordinating ring pillows and flower girl baskets to cake tops and unity candles.  If you fall in love with a certain collection it’s convenient to purchase all the items at one time and be ready for your special day.  Others enjoy handpicking each item individually.  Unity candles are a wedding accessory that has the most available styles and types.  White and ivory have always been the most neutral selections, but your unity candle can come in nearly any shade of color.  You can have it personalized or customized with initials or your ceremony program.  Accents include jewels, pearls, ribbons.  Traditionally, a round pillar candle is used, but a more modern twist is the square candle.  There are also variations to the unity candle available, such as memorial candles, vases and/or sand or colored water.

Here it is the beginning of a new year, between now and valentine’s day is – tax season!  You are still enjoying newlywed bliss.  The fairy tale wedding theme  may be over, but the fairy tale lives on in the joy of experiencing the simple things in your day to day life as a married couple goes on (along with the memories of that special day, of course!)

Congratulations!  If you were married on or before December 31 of 2009 then you will be filing your first tax return as a couple!  Wishing you could write off the cost of your wedding day on your tax return, you prepare to file your taxes.  You wonder if Cinderella filed taxes with Prince Charming?  Did she remember to change her name with the social security administration office?  Not to mention change of name/address submitted to the post office, car and other insurance companies, magazine subscriptions . . .

The butterfly is a powerful romantic symbol and remains a very popular choice for a wedding theme.  Contrary to what might be believed, a wedding can include butterflies without seeming childish or “girlie”.  Especially when paired with a dark color theme, an artsy palette or the newest pattern craze – plaid, pinstripe, checker or damask designs.

Some methods of including butterflies in your wedding?  How about butterfly confetti or butterflies on your invitations?  A live butterfly release comes to mind, but you can also utilize butterfly luminaries, butterfly shaped candy, cookie cutters or candles as wedding favors or include them as a whimsical wedding cake topper.  Bold, artsy wedding reception table centerpieces are pictured here.  A butterfly is a symbol of rebirth; a fantastic sign to begin a new life together with.

I’m sure you’ve heard the wedding trend buzz about including bold color, but there is also a place for plaid, pinstripe, demask design and even polka dots.  From the bridal party gowns to the reception table lines and even the wedding accessories!

A plain satin ring bearer pillow can be lime green and include a rafia ring tie, or how about in ivory but with a bold pinstripe ribbon wrapped around it!  Or if you’d like to keep it a classic with a little twist, purchase a ring bearer pillow in a damask design like that pictured.  This pattern is available in nearly every color imaginable, so you’ll be sure to find the one that suites your wedding day accessory needs!