Something we've seen at a few weddings this year are photobooks used a guestbooks.  These photobooks are compiled by the couple, featuring some of their favorite photos and plenty of space for guests to write on the pages.  One great place to create a custom photo album is Shutterfly.  You can upload your digital photos, or send them your film.  Then, you can design your album yourself, picking page layouts and which photos go on each page.  It's very simple, and makes a great keepsake (especially with all the good wishes from your wedding guests).  They variety of book types and colors, including wedding-specific styles, so be sure to look around a bit.

If you visit our shop, you can actually see one of these books.  We've been a Shutterfly customer for years, almost every photo you see in our albums was printed by Shutterfly.  Our albums are so heavily used that we recently made a special photobook featuring our favorite bouquets.  Not only do our bouquets look great, but we receive a number of compliments of how nice the book itself is.  The photo below is one of their samples, very similar to the one we created for our shop.

The bride's bouquet was made of gerbera daisies.  The bridesmaids bouquets were made from gerbera daisies.  The cake was decorated with gerbera daisies.  The centerpieces were made from gerbera daisies.  So, it was a natural that the seating chart would be made to resemble gerbera daisies.  We seee a lot of creative touches in the weddings we do, and this is one of the most creative and thematic seating charts we've seen.  Each table was numbered, and the table was the center of the "flower".  Each seat at the table was represented by an oval "petal" with the guest's name.  The chart was made on a large piece of poster board, and was mounted on an antique wood easel near the doors.  Very unique and quite distinctive!  This wedding was held at Springwood Conference Center.

(click for larger image)

We’ve seen more and more brides skip numbering their tables, and instead do something more creative to seat their guests.  This couple gets an A++ for effort. 

Our couple took their first names and last name, and created name poem, with a different word for each letter in their names.  As part of the garden theme for their reception, the letters were made from grapevine (grapevine letters can be found at most craft stores), and was hung above the guest book table.

For example, the I in the bride’s name stood for Inspire.

 

Seating cards were small topiaries in tiny flowerpots.

Table cards were hand made to match the other reception decorations.

 This is yet one more example of a creative way to number your tables at your wedding.  Touches such as this really personalize your wedding day, and help make your wedding memorable for your guests (as give your florist something to blog about).

If you’re having an outdoor wedding, one way to add a lot of decoration at a reasonable price is to use hanging baskets.  Early in the summer, retail baskets are usually small so they’ll last through the summer.  Late in the summer, you may have trouble finding baskets you like, and retail baskets may be strung out.  You could buy your own baskets at the beginning of the season, but then you’re left to care for a large number of hanging baskets—you’ll need to protect them from summer storms, water and fertilize them, and be sure to trim the plants as they grow so the baskets are lush and full for your wedding day.  That’s a lot of work if you don’t have the right facilities!

One option some local growers (such as Crighton’s Florist & Greenhouses in Prospect, PA) offer is to custom grow hanging baskets for your wedding.  Professional growers will keep your baskets safely in their greenhouses, using a proper water and fertilizer mix for lush growth.  Professional growers know how to trim back the vines and faded flowers (remember that each plant variety has a different flowering cycle) to ensure the plants are in fill bloom for your special day.  The baskets in the photo below are some of the 20 being grown for an August wedding at Butler Country Club.  These particular baskets will feature white petunias, white bacopa, sweet potato vine, as well as some other grasses and vines in a cocoa lined basket.  There is such a variety of colors of plants that can be used in hanging baskets that almost any color scheme could be matched or complemented.  Work with the grower early in your planning so ensure the best selection of plants and the timing of your baskets.

After your reception is over, the hanging baskets could be given away to your guests (as with centerpieces), or could be used as gifts for your bridal party and parents.

The unity candle is probably the best known symbol for a couple’s joining in marriage.  In a recent wedding that had a St. Patrick’s Day theme, our couple rang a porcelain bell (shown below) as part of their ceremony to signify their union.  As the program explained:

Ringing of the bell is a custom that is performed as part of this wedding ceremony.  The bell has been blessed and presented to the bride and groom by the pastor.  It is to be rung while they lovingly think of each other and of their future.  The tinkling sound is always to remind the couple of their wedding vows and conjure up joyous memories of their wedding day.

We weren’t around when the tradition started, but we have a sneaking suspicion the ringing of a wedding bell during the ceremony may have led to the the tradition of reception guests clinking their stemware with silverware or ringing small bells for the bride and groom to kiss.  If you’re interested in small bells for your reception, you’ll find them at http://www.bloomeryweddings.com/detail.asp?product_id=1971.

Our couple met two years ago at a St. Pattick’s Day party, hosted by mutual friends.  They re-met a year ago at a party hosted by the same friends, and began dating.  They were married yesterday, and the reception was imbued with a St.Patrick’s Day theme.

Since both have travelled to the Emerald Isle, they decided to name their tables after some of their favorite cities.  Instead of seating cards, our couple made shamrock lollipops, and directed guests to their proper tables with labels on the lollipops.

Fortunately, lollipops (sugar or chocoalte) are very easy to make, and molds are available in almost every imaginable theme.  Your local bake shop will have a decent selection, and can probably provide you with recipes to use.

We saw a great idea for a fall wedding today.  Our bride used candied apples as both the seating cards and the favors.  At the entrance of the hall, a table filled with hundreds of candied applies, individually wrapped and labelled, greeted the guests.  On each label was the guest's name and table placement.  What a perfect idea for a fall wedding!

In our area, candied apples are an art unto themselves, and many candy stores and bakeries offer these treats, often dipped in multiple layers of caramel, chocolate, or white chocolate and coated with sugared cinnamon, crushed nuts, or more!

If you're in the Butler or north Pittsburgh area, and not of the candied apple making variety, call out friends at Barkus Chocolates.  Their Butler store is 724-282-3006, and their Cranberry store is 724-776-3060.  Candied apples are seasonal, but they make fantastic ones.

One of the weddings from this past weekend was held in a rustic barn, overlooking green fields and lush woods beyond.  Part of the decoration in the barn is an antique buggy, which our bride turned into a candy counter of sorts.  Placed on the buggy were a number of antique-style containers of red candies, including licorice, gum drops, lolipops and jawbreakers (maybe gumballs--we didn't try any).  A little sign invited guests to partake, saying "Love is dandy, enjoy some candy".  The style of containers and buggy fit the setting well, but this could be done in a plethora of ways, using different containers depending on the style of your individual wedding.  We weren't around to see, but we're sure this was a hit with the kids.

At one recent wedding, the bride and groom added some conversation starters to their place settings.  At each setting were two printed papers, antiqued and mounted on cardstock.  One of the cards featured "Love Quotes", a collection of quotes from their favorite songs, poems, stories and movies.  This turned out to be a real conversation starter while guests were enjoying the cookie table before the reception.  One good reference is to search Bartlett's Familiar Quotations at www.bartleby.com.  Use the thesaurus there and search quotations for a variety of words related to love.

The other paper featured a list of "On This Day In History"--significant events that occured on the wedding date throughout history, with the very last entry being the couples wedding!  On this particular date, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean (here's hoping the marriage turns out better than Amelia's flying career).  One excellent reference is the Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org).  You can enter the month and day of your wedidng, and it will return a list of significat events on that date.  For instance, on our anniversary, Disneyland opened in Anaheim (1955).

Clarification: We were married on the same day, but several decades after Disneyland opened.

Many couples choose to create a seating chart, traditionally numbering tables and having place cards with the guest's name and table number on the cards.  We've seen couples opting for more personal and creative ways of associating guests with tables.  One couple named every table for something significant in their favorite TV shows and movies.  Guests were seated in "Ten Forward" or "Rick's Cafe Americain".  Instead of place cards, the couple made CDs of their favorite songs, and placed the guest's name and table on the CD cover.  At each table was a brief story about what that table was named for, and why that was significant in the couple's life.

Tonight's couple named every table for a word they felt played a part in a good marriage.  Guests were seated at tables named "Honesty", "Faithfulness", "Passion", etc.   Each table sign was beautifully written in large calligraphy on a small piece of white parchment, and pasted onto a piece of cardstock matching the wedding's colors and folded like a tent.  Instead of place cards, the couple had an attractive sign printed on foam core, listing the guests and their table.

What you choose to do should reflect how you want your reception to be remembered.  Keep in mind that the seating arrangement is your guest's first impression of your reception, and you don't want to mix a wacky table scheme with formal reception.

Here's a neat idea to keep the children attending your wedding busy...a childrens' activity table!  At a recent wedding, our bride (an event planner by trade) set up a children's activity table in the corner of the reception hall.  There were coloring books, crayons, chinese yo-yos, and other activities for the kids to play with.  More than enough to keep the kids entertained until the hokey-pokey was danced.

We have a couple of items that are great for an activity table.  One is a wedding coloring book, a 32 page coloring book and activity that includes 4 crayons (you may want to have a few more crayons on hand to keep the peace).  Another fun idea is a flowergirl candy necklace kit.  Little girls love to create their own jewelry, but love to eat it even more!

Even though we've been a part of hundreds and hundreds of weddings, our brides still find creative ideas we haven't seen before.  Today was another one of those days.  At the reception hall, a table was set up next to the guest card table.  On this table were three vases, labelled "First Anniversary", "Fifth Anniversary" and "Tenth Anniversary", and several piles of notepapers and pens.  Guests were invited to write messages to the bride and groom, and place them in the vases.  On the appropriate anniversary, the couple would open and read the notes, as a memory of their special day.  What a neat way to remember your wedding!