How Do I Include My Child into My Wedding?

This question is asked a lot. I mean.. A LOT. If you are getting married with a child, it's only natural that you want that child (or children) to feel as though they can participate in the wedding. It makes it special for both the couple AND the child. My advice? Incorporate a Unity Sand Ceremony into your wedding. The Weddingstar Heart Shaped Sand Ceremony Set even comes with an accessory vase for your child to help pour.
 

Adding a child (or as I mentioned, children) into the sand ceremony set symbolizes the "blending" of family into one solid unit. The final product is a keepsake that can be cherished forever. Weddingstar, in fact, offers the accessory vase as an additional product so you can purchase as many as you need.

Another added bonus is that you can purchase as much sand as you'd like, and you can pick colors to coordinate with your wedding theme or color scheme.

I'd also appoint my child with some duties that make him/her feel special. For example, they can show the guests to the dance floor or help take coats (if they want to). While this is a very special day for the husband and wife, it's also a special day for the children that are included, so make it fun and memorable for them too!

Weddingstar Heart Shaped Sand Ceremony Vase Set

History of the Grooms Cake

As with many traditions, the grooms cake is an old wedding tradition that has found it's way back into modern cultures. Originated in the south,  the grooms cake was a separate cake, in addition to the main wedding cake, usually in a different style, flavor and color than the main cake, that was designed around and about the groom. It was intended to be a present from the bride to the groom, and thus, was usually about something the groom loved (besides the bride!). It was generally dark, and had 'masculine' themes such as sports, hunting, etc. Over time, as weddings became less extravagant, the cake began to be seen as an unnecessary expense and was phased out from wedding ceremonies.

As all old things come back in fashion, the grooms cake too is making a big comeback in weddings. Couples with disposable incomes are splurging big time on a day that will come once in their lifetime, and are experimenting with their ceremonies. The groom's cake, thus, becomes a good idea to invest in, adding a layer of 'retro cool' to the ceremony.

The purpose of the groom's cake can be many. It can serve as a dessert at the rehearsal dinner, or can be an alternative choice to the main bridal cake at the wedding. Custom dictates that the cake be placed next to the bride's cake at the ceremony. It is then cut into wedges and placed in boxes to be given out to guests. Such slices can even serve as a wedding favor (thus eliminating one expense!). You can have the cake placed in stylized boxes and add a further layer of 'chutzpah' to the ceremony.

Legend has it that single women who sleep with a slice of the groom's cake under their pillows dream of their future husband that night. While you of course don't have to compel the single women to take this course, it can make for a wonderful excuse to have this cake at your wedding!

Cake Toppers

Wedding Planning: Letting Loved Ones Help

If you don't have the money or simply don't want to hire a wedding planner, then a DIY wedding is best for you. The only issue? If you aren't used to planning large events, such as weddings, you may end up feeling very frustrated. DIY weddings are also easier on the wallet, helping to save some cash for a honeymoon! 

How did I make my DIY wedding work? Well, luckily I have friends and family that actually wanted to help. I took them up on this offer, for sure! Here are some good ideas: 

Do you know of anybody musical? If you have a friend that can sing or play an instrument,  consider letting them do their thing while you walk down the aisle. Many brides pay hundreds of dollars for this! 

Do any of your friends have a garden? You can make your own floral arrangements, and they will mean so much more knowing that somebody that you love helped to make them! 

Any artistic friends? They can put their skills to the test by carving ice sculptures, pumpkins, design mason jars, the possibilities are endless!

If you have a friend that really wants to help, but doesn't exactly have anything to contribute, try assigning a task. For example, you can have somebody direct guests in the right direction for seating. Somebody can overlook the decorations to make sure that they look perfect. These types of things should be done and can help take a load of stress off of the bride! 

While you will be saving a ton of money, you will also be bonding with your friends and family members who will most likely be honored to take part in your wedding preparations! 

Weddingstar Wedding Supplies

Wedding Bouquet Jewelry

 

I have done a lot of research on the 2013 bridal trends – and the one trend that is standing out to me is wedding bouquet jewelry.

When a bride is thinking of her bouquet, she typically thinks of the flowers and the wedding colors. This goes for the actual brides bouquet, the flower girls bouquet or any of the bridesmaids.  I have learned, however, that if you want to take your bouquet up a notch, you might want to look into bouquet jewelry or brooches.  

Wedding Bouquet Jewelry is a fun way to add your own style to your bouquet, but it also helps the bouquet stand out in your photographs.

Brooches and buckles are one of the most common ways to add a little pizzaz to your bouquet. These are typically wrapped around the stem of your bouquet. Generally these are inexpensive – yet the impact that they make is massive.

Decorative picks or “needles” are a huge benefit to your bouquet because they take a simple flower, such as a rose, and transform it into a unique flower that makes a beautiful statement.

Lillian Rose Peacock Bouquet

Letting Your Guests Create Bridal Memories

 

If you’re planning a wedding on a budget, you might understand the stress that many brides feel. Let’s be honest: planning a wedding is expensive. When you think about the costs such as the dress, venue, food, décor, cake, etc. Then you have to factor in the outside resources such as limo services, rental companies, DJ’s, and even the photographer.

For my wedding, I cut costs when it came to the photographer. I did this for a reason. I knew that I have a very nice camera which takes high quality photos. Of course I wanted several pictures to put in frames, albums and give to family members. I was not about to compromise this. I just simply couldn’t afford a professional photographer (because I opted for the stretch Hummer limo, of course!).

So I gave my uncle my camera and appointed him the “camera man”. I also scattered beautiful disposable cameras around the tables for my guests to use. Guess what? I loved these candid pictures more than the actual wedding photos!

Once all of these were developed, after all of the wedding bliss, I gathered my closest friends and family members and we had a photo “viewing” with some wine and snacks. These small cameras were a great choice! I saved money and ended up getting some beautiful shots! The fact that they blended with my wedding theme were a bonus as well!

Weddingstar Disposable Camera

New! Customize Weddingstar Cake Toppers

 

Earlier this year, Weddingstar began customizing their cake toppers. Brides and grooms were able to customize by changing hair color and in some cases, even shoe color! This month, they have made a huge announcement! You can now customize skin tone also! 

This is a huge change in the wedding industry as brides have always been asking for cake toppers that match their own style. The following Cake Toppers now come in Fair, Medium and Dark skin tones:
 

• True Romance
• Playful Football Couple
• A Kiss and We're Off!
• A Cinderella Moment
• Motorcycle Get-Away Couple
• Cheeky Couple
• Kissing Couple
• Picture Perfect

Now that cake toppers can truly resemble the bride and groom, these wedding essentials can now become long-lasting keepsakes for years to come! 

Cake Toppers