Posts from — February 2013

1) Make a separate children’s table with children’s menu

I went to a wedding that had tables with children only with children’s menu organized for them! Mini burger, macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, etc.  With maybe one or two adults supervising over 4-5 tables, they looked like they were all having fun without any adults!  And their food looked better than ours.

2) Make a room for children

Depending on your venue, if there’s a room to accommodate all the children, have them all hang out in that room.  The worst thing is to tell children to stay quiet and sit still, they’ll be less stressed hanging out in the room and then coming out when it’s time to eat!  Also moms with babies can use this space to nurse them.

3) Play the “I Spy”game

Make a fun game for kids to play, with a surprise prize at the end! Print a list of things that they might be able to find in the wedding, and have to go on a scavenger hunt.  First one to collect them all will get the prize.

4) Game area, board game

Make an area for games, or leave out board games on the children’s tables.  Try to find games that don’t need too much adult supervision, or ones that involves throwing.

5) Play a kid’s movie

Get a small TV or a laptop and have a movie night for the kids!  It’ll keep them entertained for many hours.  Have a popcorn stand so that they can enjoy popcorn and snacks too.

6) Drawing and crafts

Cover the children’s table with large paper and leave crayons and craft activities out on each table.  Make sure they’re water soluble!

7) Build a canopy

Build a canopy, tent, or teepee and add kids in them.  All you need to keep them having lots of fun!

8) Arrange floor seating

Get cushions, bean bags for kids to sit on the floor.  They can lay down, sit down and fidget all they want.  Happy kids = great party.

9) Book reading

Have one of your friend or a babysitter to do a book reading with all the kids.  It’ll be like story telling at a library!

10) Give them responsibilities

Think of things that the kids can contribute to your wedding.  Can you have to blow bubbles when you’re exiting? Can you have them throw confetti? How about having them in a row and do a human wave?  How about giving them disposable cameras, make a list of things they need to take pictures of? (For ex. a kissing couple, a man in a red tie, etc).  How about giving the girls a ribbon stick for them to twirl around?

Valentines day is right around the corner! Here’s a Valentine’s day special tutorial of how to make a paper cake display.  I wanted to make a big fake cake since baking a cake, cupcakes and other Valentine’s day goodies seems to be too much for just my husband and I.  I wanted something big to have a visual impact, without effecting too much of our diet!  So I made a paper cake to display my heart cake toppers.  Enjoy!

It’s been a long journey of wedding planning, and I know what I’m going to look like, what the table centerpieces are going to be made out of, what the cake tastes like and what music to walk down to.  But.. who’s going to tell me what actually happens on the wedding day? What do I do with my bouquet? Where do I keep the rings?  Do I cut the cake after the dance? All these small questions will keep you clueless and sleepless. So I thought I’ll help all the DIY brides out there to know exactly what will happen on the day of your wedding.  Get these small tasks situated in advance so you don’t have to think or stress about a thing on your beautiful wedding day.

>> Wedding Day Timeline Guide Sample <<

Screenshot:

**Please note that this is only a sample of what I used for my wedding, every bride will have different timeline, program schedule and cultures.  My wedding invitation time was 5:30pm, but I planned to start the ceremony at 6:00pm, knowing that people will be late, and it would have been difficult to sit all 250 people in 30 minutes.  I had the MC, officiant, bridal party, the groom all walk down the aisle to an upbeat music like a fashions show, to keep things entertaining. I also had the staff close the door and guide the late arrival guests to the side room when the ceremony starts, so that I’m not interrupted while walking down the emotional aisle.  But this is optional.

Please feel free to comment me on what other important information I’m missing!

I’m loving this color palette from Green Wedding Shoes! Using old vintage book pages as decor elements.  A big plus for low cost wedding brides!  You can get lots of vintage books for almost free at any flea markets or thrift stores.  Checkout the full post for other old book wedding decor ideas.

Get your romantic, vintage wedding by adding lots and lots of lace!  The pattern and the texture of lace gives so much richness to all your wedding decorations.  It also gives it a handmade feel without too much things to make.  You can’t really have too many laces!

^ Veil Rebecca Ruby Chami

^ Wedding Dress – Vintage Wedding Dress Inspiration

^ Lace Bolero Jacket

^ Short lace wedding bolero jacket

^ Lace Table Runner via A Whimsical Wedding at the Smog Shoppe in Los Angeles: Michelle + Ryan

^ Lace Altar via Inspired by Embroidery Hoops

^ Lacey wedding Cake via Sugar Ruffles

^ Lace Wrapped Wedding Invitations via Cards Inspired

^ DIY Paper Doily Chandelier via Martha Stewart Weddings

^ Lace feather wedding reception place setting via Once wed

^ Adrianna Papell Strapless Lace Sheath Dress, Nordstrom via Audrey Hannah Photo

^ Lace Wedding Aisle Runner

^ Cream Lace Wedding Bunting via Luulla

^ Wedding lace candle holder via TimDunCanEvents

^ Lace Bouquet Wrap via Aileen Tran

^Lace Wedding Shoes

I’d like to introduce you to Rosie from mytrueblu.com!  She is our guest blogger for today.  MyTrueBlu is a wonderful website dedicated for the bridesmaids and close friends of the brides.  She gives advices, tips, design ideas for what the bridesmaid needs guidance on.  From bridal shower, bachelorette party planning, bridesmaids dresses, makeup tips, to how to be an awesome bridesmaid, myTrueBlu covers all that you need to know to make your bride friend happy.  Check her website out, and share it with your bridesmaids and friends!  Here’s a few important tips from MyTrueBlu how to be a great bridesmaid by NOT doing these.

5 Things NOT to do as a great bridesmaid

Being a bridesmaid in your bff’s wedding is such an exciting role. Along with planning
the pretty details of her wedding the bride-to-be will be under a major amount of stress.
Knowing what you can do to reduce her stress level is extremely important. The bride
will look to you for emotional support as she prepares for her big day. Here are 5 tips
you should avoid in your role as a bridesmaid.

1. Ignore the bride-to-be
The last time the bride-to-be has heard from you was at her engagement party. We all
lead busy schedules, but if being part of her bridal party conflicts with your schedule, it
needs to be communicated. Avoiding her calls, not responding to emails, and skipping
out on meetings will only lead to bitterness and frustration. It’s always best to discuss it
early on.

2. Forget important dates
Dress fittings, rehearsals, and the bridesmaid brunch are just a few key dates you’ll need
to remember. Being late or not showing up is majorly time consuming on the bride-
to-be’s tight schedule. If you know ahead of time of a scheduling conflict, inform her
immediately.

3. Constantly Complain
You know that nitpicky never can please friend that’s overly opinionated? She doesn’t
like the dress, doesn’t want to participate in anything, the wedding is a major financial
burden, and the list goes on. It’s always nice to voice your opinion as long as it doesn’t
agitate the bride. If being part of the bridal party is a major stress, reevaluate your
decision.

4. Fight with the other bridesmaids
You’ve met the other ladies of the bridal party and not too keen with some of the other
personalities. Getting along or at bare minimum being cordial to the other ladies is
extremely important. Creating tension with the other bridesmaids can and will stress
out the bride-to-be. So please do play nice and get along for the bride!

5. Invite guest to her wedding
This is an obvious, right? It’s never okay to invite guest to attend your friend’s wedding
without approval. If you’re unsure of the details on your invite notify the bride-to-be to
avoid any unnecessary tension.

Being a bridesmaid is secondary. Be a friend first and you’ll do great in your role for
her big day!