Honeymoon Accessories Make Great Gifts

Honeymoon Accessories

Whether you’re trying to decide what gifts would work well for a couple about to embark on a honeymoon or you’re packing your bags yourself, honeymoon accessories are a fun way to personalize and enjoy a first vacation as a married couple. Honeymoon accessories range from the fun and frivolous to the elegant and essential, but one thing is always for sure when deciding on what honeymoon accessories to include for your big trip: the more the merrier.

If you’re thinking about purchasing some honeymoon accessories for the new couple in your life, remember that they probably won’t have many of the essentials many more established couples have. If you’re sending them their honeymoon accessories well ahead of time, matching luggage is a luxury most couples don’t consider for their registry. Honeymoon accessories don’t have to be just the finest things in life, either. Even just a personalized cooler or a tote for beach trips will brighten any new couple’s day.

If you’re planning for your own trip and you’re wondering which honeymoon accessories you will need to add to your checklist, consider little things that will keep the two of you happy and entertained on your voyage. How about Frisbees? Bath salts? Fancy soaps? Many couples like to tote around “Just Married” car and window clings to let the world know just why they’re sharing kisses and rubbing noses so frequently. Let the world know you’re on the adventure of a lifetime with honeymoon accessories!

Centerpieces are one of the biggest design pieces of your reception. If you hire a florist to design them for you, it can get expensive quicker than you would expect. Flowers ARE one of the biggest hunks of your wedding finance pie. So what are some simple, cost-effective centerpieces that any bride can whip together in a weekend with a little help from her loyal bridesmaids?

Vases within vases

The vase-within-a-vase technique allows you to present a complex-looking finished product with almost no hard, sweaty work. You don’t need florist-quality bunches of flowers with this technique, because it’s all about what goes in between the spaces of the vases. Even grocery store-quality blooms will look professional when you whip out this secret weapon.

After you’ve made sure your flowers  have access to plenty of water in the bottom of the inner vase, fill the space in between the big and little vase with whatever fits the style of you wedding. Jelly beans, gum drops, or other candies are a sweet option (plus, you can design according to your wedding colors or go crazy with the variety pack), but the inspiration doesn’t stop there. Many brides choose less-sticky filler options like whole fruit or gift wrap. For a more formal affair, smooth river rocks or sand give your blooms a natural and elegant look.

An Alternative plan for the not-so-crafty bride:

Teapots!

Fill assorted teapots with your favorite seasonal flowers (or paper blooms!). This is a particularly fun option for the bargain-hunting bride who would love to wade through thrift stores looking for quirky pots and odd containers.

Offering tea (or favors!) in mismatching teacups to your guests will make your centerpieces feel more connected and completed. Make any garden party into a whimsical event!

Wedding Accessory Collection Sets: Discounts and Style!

Wedding Accessory Collection Sets

When you’re going through the process of collecting all of your wedding essentials (toasting glasses, flower girls baskets, guestbooks, cake servers, and the like), have you ever considered skipping the hunting and opting for wedding collection sets? Wedding accessory collection sets offer the unity of one prevailing theme and often come with a discount you wouldn’t find by purchasing all of the pieces separately.

Even if your wedding isn’t plastered in the same stylistic monogram or starfish motif, wedding collection sets offer a small piece of unity that ties together the rest of your wedding. Having your event on the beach? Opt for wedding accessory collection sets that use the same style of shell for a few different pieces. It won’t look matchy-matchy, because wedding accessory collection sets aren’t the big pieces of your wedding, they’re the small pieces that hold it together, Your guests won’t see monotony, they’ll see unity.

Wedding accessory collection sets don’t have to have a theme, they’re often unified by a central color or monogram, or even just the style of the manufacturing. So, instead of having eight different kinds of lace in slightly different shades of white for your wedding accessories, wedding accessory collection sets offer a more put-together feel for your wedding day.

Pride and Service: Military Wedding Cake Toppers

Military Wedding Cake Toppers

Are you or your betrothed a member of the armed forces? Celebrate your commitment to your country on your wedding day with military wedding cake toppers. Military wedding cake toppers are a great addition to your day no matter what the conditions of your service: army, navy, air force, or marines. Military wedding cake toppers represent you or your fiancé in your finest dress blues, or the seal of your branch.

So why military wedding cake toppers?

Because your service is a part of your life; your identity. Why not use a cake topper that shows you as you will be when you walk down the aisle, not as a civilian, but as an exceptional member of our society. Military wedding cake toppers show your guests how proud you are to serve your country and protect your family. Even if you find yourself in another field as your married life goes on, having military wedding cake toppers as keepsakes in the archive of your marriage will always remind you how important military service is the to the life of those serving, their families, and their country.

Handmade Wedding Cake Toppers: The Perfect Touch

Handmade Wedding Cake Toppers

With the popularity of sites like Etsy, shopping for wedding accessories (especially antiques and handmade crafts) has gotten much easier. Handmade wedding cake toppers are growing in popularity, and there are many reasons why they’re such a great choice for brides in all price ranges.

Handmade wedding cake toppers are environmentally friendly
With some traditional cake toppers, the materials that are used are sometimes questionable. With handmade options, you can be more sure of what went into the design and production of your particular piece. Many designers pride themselves on their environmentally-friendly business practices – inquire about materials when you commission yours.

Handmade wedding cake toppers are unique

Handmade wedding cake toppers have the advantage of not being spit out by a production line that makes thousands of identical pieces. Even if a designer specializes in handmade wedding cake toppers of a particular design, no two will be exactly alike.

Handmade wedding cake toppers are special

When you choose handmade wedding cake toppers, you can be sure that no one at your wedding will have used the same design on the top of their wedding cake. Handmade wedding cake toppers make your special day even more different and unique!

Handmade wedding cake toppers support local designers
Local designers (such as those on Etsy) will continue to create interesting and fun crafts as long as customers keep buying them. By purchasing handmade wedding cake toppers for your big day, you help to keep the movement of online artists and crafters alive. Be proud of your handmade wedding cake toppers!

A wedding party will vary in size and composition depending on a couple’s preferences, but one thing doesn’t change: they deserve a thank-you. For most brides, the bridal party is an important support system during the planning process, attending fittings and tastings, holding your hand as you try to hold on to your self esteem and sanity, and standing up for you on your big day. They are there for you as you take your vows and pledge the rest of your life to your partner.

I think that deserves some bath wash.

So who counts as the wedding party?

Certainly your bridesmaids and your maid of honor, but also your groomsmen and best man. Don’t forget about junior bridesmaids, flower girls, ring bearers, and parents, too.

You aren’t breaking any major etiquette rules if you get something for your usher but not your flower girl, but thank-yous are always appreciated, even if they’re only a bath kit or a coloring book.

So, here are some ideas for bridal party gifts:

Groomsmen:
Think practical. Muted colors; leather, silver.
Engraved flasks, personalized cuff links, martini glass set

Bridesmaids:
Something that they can wear during the ceremony; wedding keepsakes.
A spa morning, matching earrings, clutches

Mother:
Wedding keepsakes
Handkerchief (for the ceremony); wedding antiques; matching earrings

Father:
Similar to groomsmen gifts
counterbalance wine holder, money clip

Flower Girl:
Try to include the flower girl with bridesmaid gifts. If she’s too young, less expensive jewelry for the ceremony.

Ring Bearer:
Something to keep his hands busy and his mind active.
Backpack with small games and toys; crayons and coloring books

Save the Dates: The Sooner the Better!

Save the Dates

Wedding invitations and thank you notes aren’t the only bit of wedding stationary you will have to worry about if you’re in the planning stages for your wedding. Wedding etiquette suggests that save the dates are a great idea if you want to help your guests plan for your big day. Save the dates aren’t as formal as your wedding invitations (only one envelope required!), and they’re much simpler. Save the Dates should be sent as soon as possible (six to eight months in advance if you’ve got the time), and they allow your guests to make travel plans and mark their calendars before other events and obligations get in the way. Save the dates are really helpful if you’re planning on getting married during a high-travel season (such as the beginning of summer or over a holiday weekend).

So what should you include on your save the dates? You don’t need much – just the intended date of your nuptials and some hint as to the level of formality of the event (the fancier the save the date, the fancier the wedding). Some couples choose to include their wedding website on the save the date, which will allow you to provide your guests with updated information about the venue,  directions to the ceremony, and even hotel info (for those ariving from out of town).

The most important thing about your save the dates is this: make sure your guests won’t lose them. A good way to avoid missing save the dates is the make them magnetic! Guests love the convenience of sticking a wedding reminder on their fridge, and you can rest easy knowing that your friends and family will be ready for an invitation!

Wedding Ring Accessories: Tradition and Elegance

Wedding Ring Accessories

The wedding rings are the one static symbol in a society that is constantly changing and shifting the (new and old) traditions of marriage. Wedding ring accessories (that is, wedding accessories that feature wedding rings, not accessories FOR wedding rings) fit in to any wedding decor without distracting from the overarching theme of the day (that is, if there is one). Wedding ring accessories feature intertwined wedding bands on almost any feature of your day, from toasting glasses and guest books to wedding cake toppers and cake servers.

Wedding ring accessories offer the unique aesthetic opportunity of a delicate intertwined circular trinket to adorn anything that has to do with your wedding – from invitations to napkin rings. The wedding ring accessories, not unlike your actual wedding bands, symbolize your eternal commitment to your future spouse. Wedding rings, even if they’re featured on your flower girl basket or unity candle set, will consistently promote the idea of commitment and tradition.

Wedding ring accessories are as versatile and they are beautiful, and they make a great engagement or wedding gift for the guest who isn’t quite sure what direction the wedding aesthetic is going. Wedding ring accessories are the one static symbol that won’t disappoint on the wedding day.

Heritage and Elegance: Irish Wedding Accessories

Irish Wedding Accessories

Irish wedding accessories are a popular addition to may weddings, even those not tied to Irish decent. The charm of Irish and Celtic flare is hard for any bride to resist.

Irish wedding accessories usually feature a staple symbol of Celtic and Irish culture: the Celtic knot. The knot is usually an attached silver trinket that adds simple style and elegance to any cake server, toasting glass, unity candle, or cake topper. Irish wedding accessories also take a turn for the mythical and tradition-steeped, often featuring knotted pewter stemware and whimsical Irish Claddagh flower girl baskets.

It’s never hard to coordinate Irish wedding accessories, as they often follow a very predictable color scheme. Predictable isn’t a downside of these Irish wedding accessories, however; it’s actually quite the opposite. The shades of green and silver that adorn Irish wedding accessories make it very easy for a bride to put together a wedding that nods to Irish culture without drowning guests in it. At a green/garden/natural-feel wedding, Irish wedding accessories fit in perfectly.

Irish wedding accessories are also wonderful gifts to couples who come from Irish backgrounds. Whether from a father to a daughter to carry on family tradition or from a family friend choosing to honor the heritage of the happy couple, Irish wedding accessories never disappoint.

Your personal wedding march might not be one of the most pressing matters on your mind as you plan your nuptials, but it certainly isn’t a detail that should be left until the last second. Your options aren’t exactly numbered, but it’s worth it to keep a few things in mind while choosing the right tunes for your walk down the aisle:

Does it fit your personal style?
If you and your fiancé spend all of your free time at metal shows where at least half of the audience leaves with blood on their leather vests, it might not be true to your nature to hire a concert pianist. That’s not to say that pianists aren’t a completely viable option, but it might be prudent to think long and hard about what sort of music represents your style. If you and your fiancé are huge fans of the Rolling Stones, there is no rule that says you can’t march up to the altar to “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” though “Paint it Black” might make your future mother in law fall out of her chair.

Will it scare your family?
If your family is less than liberal about their musical tastes, and the last piece of contemporary music they heard was Ke$ha at the mall (and it ruffled some feathers), you might not want to start your big day off with a hearty rendition of “Poker Face.” While you want to be true to who you are (and the music that you care about), it often isn’t worth it to alienate your family with R&B hits that feature the word “booty” more than once. Consider alternatives such as string quartet versions of contemporary songs. You get the music you love, and your grandmother survives the ceremony.

Does it mean something to you?
If the traditional wedding march really is your thing, by all means, set the harpist to work. But if you and your fiancé are choosing your own wedding march, don’t be afraid to pick a song that is meaningful to your relationship. Was the song you danced to at prom “Video Killed the Radio Star”? Did you catch him crying while listening to the theme music from “Up”? Nothing is cheesy if it’s meaningful – don’t let your family bully you into a decision if it isn’t something you really want to walk down the aisle to. After all, it’s the song you’ll probably remember forever. Do you really want it to be some Sarah Mc Lachlan song you’d only heard of the week of your wedding?

Do you have the budget?
Most venues can accommodate a mix CD and a walkman with few problems, so seriously consider how fancy you want to get with your musical choices after that. If you have your heart set on a live string duet but you would have to sacrifice a wedding cake, remember that quality recorded versions of string music exists, and your guests probably won’t throw their hands up in rage if they can’t see where the cellist is. Remember also that bands you hire for your reception are usually fine with showing up a little early for some ceremony mood music (for an extra fee – though it’s much smaller than hiring two separate musical performers).