Browsing all posts in Ceremonies.
Unity Candles
Some wedding traditions go way, way, way back others, like the lighting of the Unity Candle, is only 40 years old. The lighting of the Unity Candle is more of an American tradition and symbolizes the “union” of two families and/or two individuals. Some trace the popularity of the Unity Candle to a famous wedding that took place on the soap opera General Hospital in the early 80′s. When “Luke & Laura” finally tied the knot and had a Unity Candle at their fictional wedding, Unity Candle Ceremonies suddenly became popular in the U.S.
Here is a sample of Unity Candle Vows:
Unity Candle Ceremony
“___________________ and ________________ the two lighted candies symbolize your separate lives, your separate families and your separate sets of friends. I ask that you each take one candle and that together you light the center candle. The individual candies represent your individual lives before today. Lighting the center candle represents that your two lives are now joined to one light, and represents the joining together of your two families and sets of friends to one.”
If Children Are Involved
“The lighting of the center candle represents not only the union of ____________ and ___________ in marriage, but the unity formed in this new family in which your lives will now shine as one family.
Moments of Elegance has a nice selection of Unity Candles to choose from and they range in prices from as low as $20 to $84.99.
Queen Anne Red Swarovski Crystal Unity Candle and Taper Set($64) – This heirloom quality paraffin unity candles are hand made in an oval shape with red and Queen Anne flowers, Swarovski crystals and shimmering faux pearls. They add sophisticated beauty and sparkle to any wedding or event. Personalization is the two first names of the bride and groom, the first initial of the groom’s last name and the numerical wedding date. Comes wrapped in cello and tied with a red/burgundy ribbon. Pillar measures 3″x9″. Hand decorated tapers are 12″.
Single Unity Candle ($39.99) — Hand printed, hand polished, heirloom quality unity candle. Choose candle image, white or ivory candles, silver or gold band, and black, gold or silver ink. Includes one 3″ x 9″ unity candle.
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Tips to Dazzle Your Guests with Your Reception Decor
Dazzle your guests when you personalize your special day with fun and whimsical reception decor, reception accessories, and centerpieces. The perfect wedding is in the details.
Here are some easy tips to add that extra special “touch” to your wedding:
- Think outside the box — yes, flowers and candles are lovely accents to any wedding, but how about going that extra mile and use Wedding Sparklers or Willow Tree Lights Tips Branches?
Think like a wedding planner — use your creativity, have fun, look to not only wedding mags for inspiration, but design and fashion mags too. You can also go for fun details like Custom Vinyl Wall Monograms or Personalized Wedding Ceremony & Reception Signs. - Think Drama & Sparkle – make your wedding sparkle with Swarovski Crystals or Dazzle Swarovski Monogram Cake Topper.
Looking for mor reception accessories? Then check out:
For more unique and beautiful reception decorations, visit Moments of Elegance Reception Decor Catalogue.
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Wedding Complaints — What your guests won’t tell you
Jayne Williams Wedding Cake Tops Figurines
Everybody knows that the wedding is the bride’s special day. It is and we would never argue that point. Ever. But it is also about the friends and family that you have asked to share in your special day. We all have those wedding nightmare stories — cash bar, not enough food, or bad music. The last thing you’d want is your guests to have a bad time at YOUR wedding. Right?
1) Cash bar — nope your guests aren’t coming to your wedding to get hammered. (Okay, maybe your drunk uncle Fred). At the same time asking your guests to pay for drinks its just not done. To save money on drinks you can go with beer, wine and a signature drink. If you do go the cash bar route, be sure to let your guests know, so they can bring cash.
2) Not enough food — it does happen, it can happen, but don’t let this happen at your wedding. A good catering manager should always build in “extra” plates just in case. So make sure that you discuss this with yours.
3) Bad music –you may think it is a great idea to save some money by hiring your co-workers cousin who wants to Dee Jay on the weekend. But honestly you know what can clear a dance floor faster and send your guests running for the door? A bad Dee Jay or band. You want your guests to kick up their heels and have fun.
Check out Shine from YAHOO! for The 7 Biggest Fattest Wedding Complaints. Do you have any wedding complaints? Pet Peeves? Or wedding horror stories? You do? Great! Post a comment below.
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Are you a Bridezilla?
Let’s face it. There is a bit of a Bridezilla lurking in all of us. It’s a big day. It’s your big day and you want it to be perfect. You have thought over every detail in your mind over and over and over. If you want to know if you are a Bridezilla, they check out Blushing Bridezilla.com. The site features their Are You a Bridezilla Quiz, where you can answer questions like:
Your Maid of Honor gets pregnant 8 months before your wedding. You…
- Relieve her of her Duties. You need a Maid of Honor who can actually party at the bachelorette party and the bridesmaid dress won’t fit her now anyway.
- Change your entire color scheme to match her most comfortable maternity moo moo.
- Schedule her a dress fitting for 2 days before the wedding and call your caterer to order a supply of sparkling cider.
The Bride-0-Spherefeatures pics and stories from other brides. These ladies look like perfectly sweet brides, they must just have a touch of zilla in ‘em. And you can even submit your own Bridezilla Tale. This one is priceless:
My husband and I own a Bed & Breakfast overlooking a lake and we often host weddings on site. Last summer we had this Bride who was furious because there were no sailboats out on the lake that day. She complained that – all of the photos on our brochures and website had sailboats in the background, so why wouldn’t there be any out there on this, most important of days? She accused us of deceiving her and told us we ruined her wedding photos now that she didn’t have her picture perfect setting. Worst of all was the fact that, after explaining to her that we don’t actually own any sailboats and therefore have no control when they’re on the lake, she replied by saying: “Better start calling your neighbors!” — Gloria
Lot’s of fun stuff like all the info on bridal gowns, wedding favors, bridal registry, wedding cakes, flower decorations, engagement rings to check out, whether your the bride or in the bridal party. Today’s post is about Pastel Wedding Gowns. Who knew white weddings were a thing of the past? So have fun embrace your inner Blushing Bridezilla.
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Wedding Planning Tips from Moments of Elegance
Planning a wedding can be a bit stressful, can’t it? But it doesn’t have to be, really it doesn’t! We swear! We are here to make sure you have the perfect day…the day you have always dreamed of ever since you were a little girl.
Here are some little ways you can make your big day super special:
Share a Secret
Have a little secret between the 2 of you that day whether it be wearing matching underwear or having something “just between you” in your hand, bouquet, pocket or even a special look and when ever you get nervous you look at your partner with “the look” and you’ll both know what each other are thinking about. Some people may catch it and wonder what it’s all about but it’ll be “your little wedding day secret” that helped you get through the day together… depending on each other at the beginning of your life as a family.
Best Man 101
The duties of a best man include being an assistant to the groom and the head of the groomsmen; he also is in charge of the bachelor party, getting the groom to the church, paying the officiant, signing the marriage license, holding the rings and giving a toast at the reception. He has a lot of responsibility and its also traditional to give him a nice gift at the rehearsal dinner to say thank you for all of his hard work!
Choosing Wedding Favors & Decorations
When deciding what wedding favors and decorations to use, there are some questions you can ask to help you choose:
Do you want something that will feature your names and wedding date?
Do you want something that will be fun to play with at the reception?
Do you want to give something that´s useful?
Do you want something that will last for a long time?
Do you want something that will be part of the table decorations?
Do you want a favor that will express both of your interests or personalities?
You’ll also want to find the BEST Wedding Favor company to work with, like Moments of Elegance.
Congrats from The President
Send one of your wedding invitations to the President, Pope, and the Queen of England and be on the lookout for a special wedding surprise back from them. Be sure to send their invites out early.
Things to ask your wedding planner
How long they have been in business?
How many weddings they have organised.
Can they provide references?
How do they charge, hourly, fixed fee or % of your wedding budget? Do you feel comfortable with this?
Do they accept commission from suppliers is it passed on to the client?
Do they operate on a full time basis or do they have another job?
Ensure they have public liability insurance.
Do they have a portfolio for you to look at?
For more Wedding Planning Tips visit Moments of Elegance Wedding Planning Tips. Do you have a wedding planning tip? We bet you do! If so submit it to Moments of Elegance Wedding Planning Tips.
Get Your Party Planning Questions Answered HERE
Planning a wedding can be a wee bit stressful, can’t it? How many people should you invite? How much should you budget for flowers? And likewise, planning any event, a birthday party, holiday gathering, baby shower, wedding shower, anniversary party, you name it, and it’s tricky. Well, never fear Moment of Elegance is here! Here to help you answer any party planning or entertaining questions you may have.
Need to know how many bottles of wine you’ll need for your next party? No prob. Here’s the wine bottle equation, figure one bottle of wine yields four glasses. Next figure that you’ll need a half of bottle of wine, per guest, (that’s two glasses per person). If you have 20 guests coming to your party you’ll need ten bottles. Or for you math savvy peops, 20 people x 2 glasses = 40 glasses of wine. 40 glasses/4 = 10 bottles.
If you have party or wedding planning questions, that you need answered ASAP, here’s what you need to do, just post your answer below in the comments section and our party planning expert will respond.
Want to sign up for special offers and coupons? You do! Great! It’s so easy. Just enter your email address in that little box over there to the right of the post. See it? Perfect.
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Hot Color Trends for Weddings
Color Me Beautiful
What are the hot, hot, hot wedding color trends??? For the last few years monochrome colors like black, white and gray have been the go to colors for weddings. The new color trends are infusing the monochromes with a punch of color like a muted plums and yellows.
Eye on Patterns
But the color story doesn’t end there… patterns are tres chic. According to Lori Stephenson, owner and senior event consultant with LOLA Event Productions, “Vintage brocades have been really popular in the last few years, but there are many other fabulous patterns with a contemporary edge from the 1960’s and 70’s that are great mixed with some of the mod elements that are so popular right now with décor like mirrors and Lucite.”
Tone On Tones
Unify your wedding by allowing bridesmaids to choose their dress in a different shade of your “chosen” color. Brides can also add a splash of color to their gowns too.
Color can color your wedding beautiful. So follow the trends, use a punch of colors and add patterns and have fun!
Avoid the Top 5 Wedding Mistakes
Weddings are a crazy mix of joy and stress. For many of us, we have been planning our weddings since we were little girls. We want the big day to go off without a hitch. Although, things can, and let’s be perfectly honest something will probably will go wrong. But trust us, you’ll get over it! In any event, here are the top five wedding mistakes brides-to-be can make.
1) Issues with the marriage license. Be sure to know the rules and regs in your state or the state you are getting married in. They do vary, so you’ll want to know what’s what.
2) Postage. Wedding invites come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, so be sure to take yours to your local post office to ensure that you have proper postage for your envelopes. It would be a bit of a bummer if all your invites were marked “return to sender.”
3) Last minute beauty treatments. Weeks before your wedding is not the time to try out a new hair cut, hair color, facial, beauty treatment, tanning bed or fad diet. The last thing you want is to have purple hair and red splotches on your face in your wedding pics!
4) Waiting too long to buy a wedding dress. Getting your dress should be one of the first things on your “To Do” list. It can take months to get your dress. You”ll also want to factor in times for fittings and alterations.
5) Booking the hotel rooms for your guests. You’ll want to reserve a book of rooms for your guests soon after you book your locale. You can always cancel them.
Planning a recession wedding?
Recessions and weddings just don’t mix. Do they? But if you are a bride planning her wedding in today’s economic landscape, you’re going to have to be one savvy girl to pull off a stylish, yet affordable wedding. You can do it! First, you’ll need to put down those wedding mags for just one minute.
You must read these tips, before you step one foot in that bridal salon. Trust me. Here are wedding tips for every recession bride:
- Set your budget — you’ll need to have a figure in mind before you can plan your special day.
- Set your guest list — know your numbers are you having 50 or 500 people?
- Make a list — write down the three things you can’t live without on your special day.
- Be inspired — start a note book with all the things that inspire you colors, dresses, flowers etc.
- Do your research — ask around and find out how much wedding cost in your area, you’ll need to know what the going rate is for venue, photography, flowers, and more.
I know spread sheets and budgets aren’t too romantic. You’ll need to know what you can afford. Like before you get convinced you’ll need to release a colony of Monarch butterflies when you exit the church, you’ll need to know how that will effect your overall budget. It’s your special day and if you want butterflies then, you should have ‘em but that might mean forgoing that $10,000 hand made wedding dress.
How big is your wedding gonna be? Will it be a massive event in which you invite every person you know? Or will it be a small event for family and close friends only?
You need to determine what you can and can’t live without on your special day. This will help you make important decisions. For some brides lavish floral bouquets are the thing for others it’s gourmet food. Make your must have list and stick with it!
For today’s bride, the choices are truly endless and it can be overwhelming. An inspiration book will help you figure out what speaks to you in terms of colors, themes, dresses and more.
Before you meet with any wedding vendors in your area, make sure you know how much the average wedding costs in your city or town. You don’t want to find out later that you paid waaay more than other brides for the exact same service. On the flip side, it will give you a reality check on what services cost in your area. If you are budgeting say $200 for flowers and in your town florist charge $2000, you’ll need to come up with a plan B.
You’ll find that planning a wedding is an emotional event and getting clear on what you want and what you can afford will give you some much needed focus.
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Be The Hostess with The Mostest
To be a successful hostess, when guests arrive say, “At last!” and when they leave say, “So soon?” - UNKNOWN
If the thought of hosting a party gives you hives… never fear, Moments of Elegance is here! Here to help you truly be the hostess with the mostest. Being a true domestic diva is equal parts planning, organization and old fashioned elbow grease. Just remember, an organized hostess is a relaxed hostess and a relaxed hostess is a gracious one. And a relaxed and gracious host can then focus on the most important part of any event — the guests.
If you feel like you need to brush up on your entertaining etiquette, here are some tips for hostesses and their guests.
- Use a check list to guide your preparation and do as much as you can before your guests arrive.
- Ask about any food or pet allergies beforehand and plan accordingly.
- As the guest, arrive on time and bring a gift for the host that suits her tastes or interests.
- Hostesses should personally greet guests when they arrive, take coats, offer drinks and make introductions to other guests.
- At dinner parties place cards are preferred. If there are not place cards, ask the host if she has a placement for seating arrangements. If not, alternate male and female guests. Be sure to reserve the ends of the table for the hosts.
- Do not eat until the hostess is seated and ready to eat.
- Pass condiments and food around the table in one direction, and take small portions to ensure that there is enough for all guests.
- Hostesses should be aware of foisting unwanted seconds and thirds on guests.
- At the end of the meal, guests should offer to assist the hostess with cleanup.
- Guests should be mindful of not overstaying their welcome.
If your etiquette is still a bit rusty, then be sure to check out more helpful suggestions from The Little Pink Book of Etiquette ($9.95, Amazon) by Ruth Cullen. It is a quick reference for any etiquette question you may have.