After all your attendants do to help you in planning and executing your wedding, you'll want to thank them with a special gift.  It can be a memento of your wedding day or an indulgent gift for them to enjoy.  It's usually given at the rehearsal dinner, the bridesmaid's luncheon, or at the bachelor or bachelorette party.

Some Suggestions for Her

• Jewelry, either for the wedding or after:
  • Small crystal bangle bracelets
  • Delicate necklace
  • Locket
  • Earrings
• A purse that either matches or coordinates with her gown:
  • Satin bag decorated with silk flowers
  • Small decorated evening bags on delicate chains
  • drawstring pouches
• Compacts
• Indulgent spa or beauty kits, containing loofahs, bath salts, creams, aromatherapy candles, body scrubs, etc.
• A beautiful jeweled frame to hold a picture of them decked out in the wedding day finery (and you've selected such great gowns that they look truly stunning!)
• Coffee or tea basket personalized with their favorite types of tea, coffee beans, syrups, biscotti or shortbread
• A striking journal to record their innermost thoughts
• A commemorative book of poems, sayings, or wisdom they will return to again and again for comfort and inspiration
• Scent, either in the form of elegant little sachets or cologne
• Cosmetic or toiletry bag
• Fine stationery
• A gift pertaining to a particular interest or hobby of hers:
  • Ballet tickets
  • a gift certificate at a cycle shop
  • tickets to an art museum
  • a spa day
• Payment for a portion of her bridesmaid dress
• Click here to view our selection of bridesmaids gifts

Some Uinsex Suggestions

• Day planner
• Luggage tags
• A truly stunning pen
• Sake cups
• Watch
• Espresso cups
• Business card holder

Some Suggestions for Him

• Leather travel, toiletry or shave kit
• A really great bottle of wine
• Cuff links
• Pocket watch
• Shaving brush and a fine shaving cream
• Martini shaker
• Bar accessories set, like a jigger, corkscrew, bottle opener, etc.
• Golf balls and tees
• Tickets to a hot sporting event or concert
• A nice poker chip and card set
• Aftershave
• Pilsner glasses
• Desk clock
• Small portable tool kit
• Pocket tool with many uses
• Grooming kit
• CDs
• Click here to view our selection of groomsman gifts

This is the fourth of our recurring series of planning advice and excerpts from Beverly Clark's "Planning a Wedding to Remember".  Visit frequently to make sure you don't miss a single one!

Reprinted by permission from Beverly Clark, "Planning a Wedding to Remember, 6th Edition", Wilshire Publications.  "Planning a Wedding to Remember" can be purchased by clicking this link.

(Note: If you haven't noticed, we've been moving stuff around on our wesbite a little.  As it turns out, this Featured Bouquet from October 2003 was a very popular page.  We hate to disappoint, so we're bringing it back.)

Wedding flowers from recent fall weddings have ranged from combinations of burgundy, cinnamon, gold and plum, to traditional white and ivory, as well as more unique oranges, peaches and greens.  But, the photo that caught our eye was one of our recent weddings using a brand new rose.  Perfect for this month, the rose is called "Halloween".  While not what most people would think of when they consider what color represents this late fall holiday, I think you'll agree that it is a beautiful shade of antique pink.  This works great against Sage Green, Ivory, Victorian Lilac, Ecru, Taupe, Platinum, Pewter, Rum Pink and more.  It is one of our new favorites!  The bouquet pictured is a classic hand-tied bouquet containing over 3 dozen Halloweeen roses.

As of Saturday, there's a new nephew around, and his daddy is already in the doghouse.  Mom and dad have a digital camera they have trouble getting to work correctly, so they borrowed grandma's digital camera to record the moments surrounding his birth.  The photos were saved to their laptop, and more photos were taken later.  These photos were also saved on the laptop, and this is where dad had some problems.  Grandma keeps removing the battery instead of the memory card, and so the camera always thinks it's New Year's Day.  The photos on a digital camera are named by date and photo number.  Since the camera always thinks it's New Year's, all the photos have the same name each time the card is formatted, and dad accidentally overwrote the photos of the birth with photos from later in the day.  This is heartbreaking for the parents, since all record of their first child's birth has been erased.  And this emphasizes an important point--through the course of your wedding, and even in the time afterwards, you are going to have a number of important moments you'll want to save.  It's important for the sake of posterity to make sure you have a camera that both of you are comfortable using, and both of you can take decent photographs with.

If you are thinking of buying a camera, make sure to spend time shopping around.  Spend time picking up each model available, making sure it's fairly intuitive to use the basic features, and that it's small enough to fit in a pocket or purse, but not so small as to get lost easily.  Have the sales person explain to you how the camera works, and if you're not finding what you want in the camera, don't make a rash decision into buying one.  Look at other models or even at other stores.  If you have a camera you're not pleased with, consider purchasing another one, making sure to look for different features than the ones that disappoint you in your current camera.  The good news is that very good cameras have become very cheap in recent years.  We purchased our camera few years ago for over $700.  A comparable model today would be about $150 today.  If you need convincing, remember that you'll probably have at least one bridal shower, a rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, perhaps bachelor and bachelorette parties (might be best not to have the camera at some of those), preparation on the day of, and then your honeymooon.  That's a lot of photo ops in a very short period of time.  Remember to take a lot of pictures of your flowers.  We're not just saying that because we're florists--people genuinely will want to see them, especially ones who were not a part of the festivities.  When it comes time to copy your photos to your computer, just to be safe, put each batch in different folders.

We have one source of ideas in our Creative Wedding Photo Ideas blog post.  These ideas came from Beverly Clark's "Planning A Wedding To Remember", an excellent planner packed full of information, which you can find at http://www.bloomeryweddings.com/detail.asp?product_id=15A6.

To answer this question as most brides want it answered, we'd have to suggest choosing your photographer carefully, and working with your photographer to plan your album.  Every wedding is so unique, even couples in the same ceremony and reception locations present different subjects, and good photographers can really bring out the uniqueness of each wedding.

A wedding photography description that is becomming popular is "photojournalism style".  Here in the Pittsburgh area we are graced with a number of outstanding photojournalism style wedding photographers.  You'll find several at most major wedding shows and in the major planning guides.  These photographers are talented, and can make the location and lighting seem as if they are part of the wedding, but their talents often come at a premium.  However, as their on-line portfolios and magazine ads display, your wedding will be photographed in a style that is very creative and unique.  For a time, Cal Landau's ad had the bride (in her dress with her bouquet) and groom (in his tux) zooming off on a motorcycle.  We were pleased to do the flowers for this wedding, and considering how the bouquet was transported, rather happy it made it to the reception.

Candid photos often capture the feelings of the day better than staged shots, so be sure to evaluate the photographer's portfolio for these.  Other considerations include the photographer's use of different angles, subtle lighting, and using formats such as black and white, color and sepia tones.

When you talk to prospective photographers, ask them about their style, candid photos, color format, etc.  It won't take more than a question or two to bring out a good photographer's passion for what he or she does.  That passion is what will make sure you have a creative wedding photo album, without you having to stage everything.  Let them know what you're looking for during the planning of your wedding, and on your wedding day, let it happen.

Looking for a wide selection of wedding accessories at great pricing?  Check out our home page at www.bloomeryweddings.com to see what's on sale this month.  You'll also find our wedding flower portfolio, with hundreds of bridal and bridesmaid bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres and centerpieces.

Every bride is so beautiful and radiant that she makes the moon and the stars weep with envy.  But just in case you want some reassurances, here are some surefire tips to guarantee your wedding day radiance.

The best way to beauty and good health is with preventive measures.  And yes, we've all heard them before but they bear repeating, especially because in the busy months ahead you'll no doubt be tempted to let some good habits slide.

Health Habits To Remember

• Eat well, and stick to complex carbohydrates and protein to give you lasting energy.

• Eat smaller meals, more often.

• Don't overdo the caffeine.

• Don't rely on sugar boosts to give you energy.

• Drink plenty of water.

• Exercise daily.  Remember that any exercise is a great way to rid your body of stress.  Better yet, consider signing up, perhaps as a couple, for a good yoga class to help you deal with the ongoing happy stress of planning your wedding.

• Try to get regular sleep.

• Don't overdo the alcohol at your pre-wedding parties.

This is part of our monthly series of planning advice and excerpts from Beverly Clark's "Planning a Wedding to Remember".  Visit frequently or subscribe to our blog to make sure you don't miss a single one!

Reprinted by permission from Beverly Clark, "Planning a Wedding to Remember, 6th Edition", Wilshire Publications.  "Planning a Wedding to Remember" can be purchased by clicking this link.

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.

June's bouquet of the month is the one carried by Sister #3 (click for the full story).

This stylish hand-tied bouquet featured light blue delphinium, white mini calla lilies, white roses, white agapanthus, limonium and greenery.  The stems were wrapped with light blue satin ribbon with a row of pearl-headed pins (not seen in the photo).  Average price $150-$175.  This is bouquet BW329.

The Fall/Winter 2005 issue of The Knot Weddings: Pittsburgh features a wedding we were pleased to be a part of.  You'll find the happy couple, Angelina and Michael, on page 46.  Photographer Mike Bordo did an excellent job shooting in the Morning Glory Inn, and we're happy to see the photographs featured the flowers so nicely, too!  There's a gorgeous close-up of Angelina's bouquet on page 48, and the rose petal path was made from several hundred roses.  It was a really windy day, and the Morning Glory Inn staff had to wait until the very last minute to make the path--you can see them doing so at http://www.bordo.com/angelina.html (near the middle of the page).  Usually we'd handle the path, but on such a windy day, we had to ask them to handle this.  Also, check out the floral swag on the garden arch behind the couple on page 46.  It's mounted about 10-11 feet off the ground, and consisted of calla lilies, dendrobium orchids, roses and other flowers with bountiful ferns and greenery.  It was a very large piece, and quite heavy due to the amount of wet floral foam we had to use.  We were rather nervous when getting that up on the garden arch.  There are two smaller ones on either side of the arch, which you can kind of see on page 49.  We have a couple color photos as well in our portfolios at the shop--stop by during regular business hours and you can look through them.

Congratulations to Angelina and Michael on your wedding, and for being one of "16 Amazing Pittsburgh Real Weddings".  Thanks for making us a part of your special day.

P.S. You'll find our ad on page 80.

What do Dorothy's ruby red slippers, Rockefeller Center's Christmas Tree, and a Marilyn Monroe dress have in common with your wedding?  Swarovski crystals!

Man-made crystals have been produced from melted quartz, lead, calcium and a few other ingredients for centuries.  In 1892, Daniel Swarovski invented a machine that could cut crystals that resembled faceted diamonds; in years to come, Swarovski became a favorite supplier for Coco Chanel and Christian Dior.  Swarovski crystals have adorned Dorothy's slippers in "The Wizard of Oz", the dress Marilyn Monroe wore when she sang "Happy Birthday Mr. President" to President Kennedy, and the star atop the Rockefeller Center tree was created by Swarovski.

Swarovski, now led by Daniel's great-great-granddaughter, continues to court desginers, including Beverly Clark and Cathy's Concepts.  Several of the collections we carry from Beverly Clark and Cathy's Concepts are adorned with Swarovski crystals.  These collections include:

Beverly Clark	Cathy's Concepts
Celebrity Monte Carlo Regalia Venetian	Champagne Starlight Sparkling Entwined

There are a few items not associated with collections that are also decorated with Swarovski crystals.  You can click here to view all items adorned with Swarovski crystals.

As you sparkle down the aisle on your big day, remember you're in good company.

				Receive 15% off on all toasting flutes and cake servers during the month of July at www.bloomeryweddings.com! Browse for Flutes > Browse for Servers > Browse Closeout Items, 40% off! > Visit our blog for wedding tips and advice!	Silver Vine Goblets by Beverly Clark Collection
			©2005 The Bloomery, Butler, Pennsylvania