It's Your Day, Your Way!

Make your day about the two of you, not about the third party guest lists, not about the most convenient location, and not about a something-for-everyone buffet. It may sound romantic to proclaim your love in front of hundreds of people but how meaningful is it when these people are made up of your mother in law's friends, your partner's boss, your cousin's date, or the neighbors?

Your wedding can be personalized, original, out of the box. Or at the very least, not catered to everyone else besides you. Imagine your own backyard or dream destination as the setting; neither of those are too likely with a full set of RSVP's. Speaking of guests, imagine just the two of you committing your lives to each other in the sanctity of each others company or in front of the few people who mean the most to you. An elopement doesn't have to be totally exclusive; it's just that you actually own the guest list.

There are as many ways to personalize your wedding day as there are ways to get married. Ponder getting married on the top of a beautiful hill, in a cave, in a beautiful southern mansion, on a gorgeous mountain, or at a surprise party in your own home.

So stop the thought of hiring the meat carver when you're both vegetarians. Getting married is surely one of the best days in your life. Make it the day you want and not the day that your mother in law, parents, bridesmaids, buffet zombie guests, and last but not least, the wedding industry insist upon.

The Twilight Bride

Black Wedding Dress – Why Not?
You Don't Have To Be Goth To Get Married in Black:
The idea of a black wedding dress might make some women cringe, but to an unconventional bride-to-be, a black wedding gown could be "the one." Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be Goth to look and feel great in a darker dress on the big day – but it is easy to go overboard. Here are some great tips and suggestions on how to totally rock your black wedding dress without going over the top.
* Mix it with white. The best way to incorporate black in a wedding dress is to pair it with a classic white or even ivory. You can have more black than white or vice versa, but this way you’ll look more "black tie" than Morticia Adams.
* Nix the dark makeup. Sure, you want smoky eyes. Who doesn’t? If you’re looking into wearing a black wedding dress, however, dark eyeliner can make you look like something out of the graveyard. Go easy on the makeup for a fresh-faced, dewy look instead.
* Avoid heavy fabrics. Black velvet simply screams Gothic teenager. If you’re going dark, go with thinly layered chiffon or light satin instead of thick, heavy garments.
* Consider a tighter fit. Drenching yourself in layer upon layer of black fabric will only make you look like a Gothic prom queen in your black wedding dress. Look for something with a streamlined fit or a tighter bodice with a flowing skirt. Try going for a blend between cocktail dress and traditional wedding gown.
* Don’t wear long sleeves. Enough said.
* Wear minimal jewelry. If you were planning on wearing a huge Victorian-style necklace with your black wedding dress, you’re better off with a simple pair of drop earrings. The focus is on your dress and you don’t want to look cluttered. That actually goes for any dress with strong colors or a lot of detail.
As you search for the perfect black wedding dress, you may be surprised at the variety of styles that fall under the term gothic. A gothic wedding dress is similar to a Renaissance dress and it may be closer to the dark style of the underworld.

Romantic black bouquets complement twilight nuptuals:
Whether you looking for a pretty black bridal bouquet or beautiful contemporary black wedding flowers there are 100's of inspirational wedding bouquet ideas and designs to choose from. Black wedding flowers for brides are interesting and a different side of style and statement. There are many flowers with black colors or tints.
This bouquet is made up of Black Calla Lilies, Chocolate Cosmos and Peacock feather make a sassy, chic bouquet. Visit www.soulflowersf.com

Twilight and Vampire Wine are both love at first bite!
Vampire Merlot was harvested from cool-climate, coastal vineyards at the southern end of the Central Coast’s Paso Robles viticultural district. At this site, sunny summer days are tempered by daily afternoon fog rolling in off the nearby Morro Bay and Pacific Ocean. Cost: $10.95 For more information visit www.wickedwinesonline.com

Wedding Cake Charms

Cake charms can be used for many different reasons. One of the most popular is for cake pulls. What are those? Well, you simply have your baker attach each charm to a length of ribbon and insert them in between the layers of your cake with the ribbon extending out beyond the edge of the cake. Then at the reception you have each of your bridesmaids pull out a charm for good luck

In the Victorian Era, a Bride would place wedding cake charms into the bottom layers of her wedding cake. Each bridesmaid would pull a ribbon from the wedding cake and discover the cake charm dangling from the other end of the ribbon, revealing her fortune.

Today, wedding cake charms are used at the Bridesmaid Luncheons, where each bridesmaid pulls one ribbon from the center of a bundt cake to find her cake charm and reveal her fortune.

The wedding cake charms are also used at the wedding reception before the cake cutting ceremony. The individual cake pulls are nestled in the icing of the bottom layer of the wedding cake and each bridesmaid pulls a ribbon from the cake to reveal her destiny.
However you choose to use them they are a unique and fun surprise sure to add a special touch to your event. Visit www.favorsnbridal.com for a unique selection.

Convertible Gowns: Going From Your Ceremony to Reception in Style

Face it, going straight from a wedding ceremony to the bash of your life is a radical transition few brides can carry off without making some changes to her attire. The most typical adjustments are to head and hemline. Following the ceremony, a bride usually takes off the longest layer of veil or removes it entirely leaving only the headpiece. A train that looked spectacular during the walk down the aisle gets bustled up for dancing and moving around. Some brides even take time out between ceremony and reception, changing into an entirely different dress—usually something "cocktailish" that’s chic in addition to comfortable.

Enter the Convertible Wedding Gown. A convertible wedding dress transforms from a glamorous mermaid style complete with chapel train to a fashionable cocktail length gown. The secret is in the invisible zipper cleverly tucked under one of the ruffled tiers. The halter strap is also removable for the ultimate transformation. The aisle will feel like a runway as you make your grand entrance in this unique creation. Your guests will be amazed when you re-emerge in the more practical yet still fabulous knee-length version.

The detachable skirt zips off for convenience. Wear the short dress for another occasion: for the reception, an after party, on your way to the honeymoon or even for a special first anniversary party! The dress shown is available from www.davidtuterabyfaviana.com

Five Steps to a Greener Wedding

1. Give guests green favors. There are several attractive, unique favors creating lasting memories while reducing your carbon footprint. Eco-friendly favors can be reasonably priced and beautifully packaged. Most favors include complete growing instructions to help your guests create amazing gardens and landscapes. Visit www.beau-coup.com or click on their link on our website.

2. Give guests gifts and favors in eco-gift boxes made of 100% recycled paper.
These gift boxes are made from 100% recycled fibers with a subtle water based stripe design or no finish. Some boxes are available adorned with either an organic color grown cotton/hemp or organic cotton low impact rainbow/hemp cord handle.
Each handle has a recycled glass bead detail. Visit www.ecobutterfly.com

3. Have an eco-friendly guest book. Beautiful handmade guest books can enhance a wedding reception with their elegance and originality. A double layer of Twisted Limb’s handmade 100% recycled paper held together with a zig zag stitched border create the covers of this simple yet pretty book. A stitched double layered sidebar of handmade paper is wrapped around the left edge for decoration and then the book is bound Japanese style with raffia or ribbon OR bound with raffia and a twig.
Visit www.twistedlimbpaper.com

4. Present guests with seed place cards. Customize these place cards by printing or writing your guests’ names on them. Add ribbon to match your wedding theme. Here’s another idea - outside the reception area, hang your place cards on a small tree with invisible thread. This creates a fun opportunity for guests to find their names on the place cards. For seed place card ideas visit www.beau-coup.com or click on their link on our website.

5. Place tree centerpieces on tables. Grow your own or visit a local nursery for a 3-4 year old mini-evergreen tree in a decorative pot. What a socially conscious way to support local business and to celebrate the outdoors.

“Break Away” From Traditional Toss Bouquets

THE LATEST BRIDAL BOUQUET IDEAS:

Breakaway Bridal Bouquet Design:
A fresh and clever idea in wedding flowers, breakaway bouquets are gaining in popularity for creative brides. Made up of any type of flower, breakaway bouquets appear to be one large bouquet, but are actually composed of three separate smaller bouquets. The bride will carry the large combined bouquet down the aisle and then she'll break the three bouquets apart and they'll be used as other wedding flowers. Of the three bouquets, one is usually used for the bouquet toss, another is for the bride to keep and the third is for the bride to give as a special gift to a friend or loved one. Breakaway bouquets add a unique touch to traditional wedding flowers.

Another alternative is when you have your bouquet tossing, simply untie the bouquet and throw it as one unit, so that it breaks away and more than one very eager girl gets a piece of the bridal bouquet.
It’s also a good way to keep the gals from getting into a cat fight (but oh how we love to watch them scramble!).

Paper Wedding Cake Toppers!

These wedding cake toppers are handmade from paper- yes, paper! -
By Concarta of Los Angeles. Each one can be custom made for you, with specific flower colors, suit colors, or dress styles. I personally love simplicity of the all-white one, but be sure to visit her shop to see all of the options! How would you look as a couple translated into paper?

Custom paper sculpture cake toppers start at $100. Prices vary according to level of detail and complexity. Wedding dresses can be copied. Skin and hair can be monochrome or made to match a variety of skin and hair colors.
Visit www.etsy.com/shop/concarta

Something Old, Something New

Brides need look no further for something old and something new with a gorgeous brooch bouquet.
These would be great for a bride looking for an alternative to traditional flowers. It would also be a great way to incorporate all those amazing vintage brooches you can find out there.
What a wonderful way for the whole family to contribute vintage, antique and heirloom pieces to your special day. A beautiful keepsake and a family treasure.
These exquisite creations are a work of art that any bride would want to have in her wedding. Fabulous!

These Wedding Favors Rock!

I also found these unusual favors on Etsy on sjengraving's Shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/sjengraving.
Description:
Add originality and flair to your wedding with natural river rocks. Surprise your guests with name stones.
This favors idea is our original creation and we are the only source that engrave each piece with individual name.
Imagine how delighted your guests will be when they see their own name beautifully engraved on a rock. Undoubtedly, they will keep it.
Love it!

Love These!

I found these great place cards on Etsy on TimelessPaper's Shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/TimelessPaper.
Paper butterflies perch on the rims of champagne glasses. Help guests find their spot at the table with these eye-catching, imaginative place cards — they make for great conversation-starters. Cute!