Merry Brides

Thermography Printing

QUICK TIP - Invitations

To save a ton of money on your invitations choose thermography printing instead of engraved printing. Both printing styles have raised lettering so your average guest will never even know the invitations aren't actually engraved.

How to Create Fruit Table Centerpieces

These simple centerpieces can be a perfect (and inexpensive) way to spice up the other floral centerpieces you may already have. Add them to your head tables or even the buffet or dessert tables for an extra splash of color, or nestle smaller flowers throughout the centerpiece (like in the middle photo).

All you'll need are some large glass vases or bowls and plenty of citrus (limes and lemons work best). When you're picking your fruit, make sure the skins look bright and unblemished. Wash them lightly to remove any small pieces of dirt, but don't scrub too hard or you'll remove the wax. That wax coating can help give them more of a sheen in the vase and will keep them looking brighter longer.

For an added twist, incorporate that lush citrus scent by zesting a few of the pieces on the sides that won't face outward. You'll need to do this pretty last minute, as that citrus scent won't last more than a few hours. You can also sprinkle the zest over the finished centerpiece for an added fresh smell.

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Dancing Down the Isle

When I first started watching this video I immediately thought they were going to ruin the wedding by dancing. However by the end of the video I realized I was smiling.

Like it or not, you have to give the bride and groom credit for originality and for keeping their guests entertained. :)

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Winter Theme Weddings – 27 Ways to Tie in the Season

Winter theme weddings can be uber chic and ethereal – an absolute wonderland, if you will. Read on for tips, ideas, and inspiration on planning a winter wedding.

Invitations & Stationery

Add a wintery motif – such as a snowflake or holly branch – to your stationery suite
Go white on white – and create a snowy first impression.
Add metallics – jazz it up with a hint of silver or gold.

Location

Think intimate and cozy – bed and breakfasts or inns complete with roaring fires and plush décor create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Bonus points if you can score a view overlooking a scenic winterscape.
Think elegant and grand – a formal hotel ballroom overlooking the city evokes a celebratory mood to match the holiday spirit.
Think seasonal activities – a ski lodge or mountain chalet guarantees a true winter experience and a nice getaway for your guests

Décor elements

Color palette – 1) new-fallen snow – use whites and creams accented with silver or gold. 2) winter sparkle – ice blue or navy accented with silver. 3) black tie – black is especially suited for a winter wedding when paired with white, silver or gold.
Go glam – deck your halls with crystal detailing for a sparkling winter effect – adorning linens and chair covers or sprinkled over table tops. The result is deliciously glam and oh so fab.
Liberal use of candle light – the glow will add warmth and elegance.
Holiday theme – decorate with potted evergreens, pine branches, wreathes, poinsettias, ornaments, bells, or twinkling white lights.

Flowers

Seasonal blooms – white stephanotis, poinsettia, holly, amaryllis, camellias, roses.
Added interest and texture – incorporate holiday greenery or tiny crystals into your arrangements
Creative bouquets – instead of flowers, carry tea lights, votive candles or cascading bells Tossing alternative – have your flower girl throw silver glitter or sprinkle fake snow.

Menu

Hearty dishes – serve heartier fare in sophisticated, creative ways – such as colorful butternut squash puree or warm pumpkin soup in ramekins or shot glasses.
Wintery beverages – warm guests with eggnog, spiced wine or mixed coffee drinks.

Cake

White on white – adorn an all white cake with marzipan snowflakes or swiss dots, or top with fresh white poinsettias or stephanotis
Get rich – serve a decadent chocolate cake or cheese cake with raspberry sauce/filling, and decorate with chocolate covered cherries or strawberries.
Top it off – use a decorative snow globe or snowflake as a seasonal topper

Attire

Rich fabrics – warm up to velvet, satin, brocade, and heavy silk
Add a layer – if your wedding dress is sleeveless or strapless, add a wrap, shrug or cape in white or in one of your wedding colors
Winter white – dress the wedding party, flower girl and ring bearer in winter white for a chic, clean look.
Black tie – formal attire at an elegant winter wedding is always a classic

Favors

Sip it – give decorative tins or packets of hot cocoa mix
Let it snow – inside mini snow globes
Celebrate – with splits of champagne
Indulge a sweet tooth – decorate sugar cookies as snowflakes, bells, or another seasonal emblem

♥♥ Here are some cute Winter ideas I found online ♥♥

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Merry Brides Inspirations

Fabulous Glitter Monogram Cake Topper

What you’ll need:
- Hot glue gun
- spray adhesive
- small scissors
- glitter
- three pieces of cut wire in identical lengths
- (it needs to be thick enough gauge to stand up straight when placed in your cake)
- this template for your monogram letters printed on heavy card stock

Step 1: Print out your initials using this template
Step 2: Cut out the letters
Step 3: Spray your adhesive onto the letter
Step 4: Quickly sprinkle your glitter over the letter before the glue dries. Tap off any excess.
Step 5: Hot glue your wire to the back of your letter

When you are done, they are ready to stick into your cake. The beauty of the curly style font is that as you are cutting, it naturally creates dimension because of the tight curves.

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HOMEMADE WEDDING BOOKS

Gift these sweet homemade blank books to your weddings guests as mementos of the fun day. Total cost per book is less than .25 cents and they are super easy to make! Three cheers go out to Chelsea Fuss for assembling this innovative idea.

You will need:
Scissors
A sewing machine
A paper cutter
Muslin fabric
Graph paper
Parchment paper
A computer or typewriter
Fabric stiffener (iron on or spray works great and is available at most fabric stores)

Directions:

1. Iron or spray on the fabric stiffener to the muslin.
2. Cut out pieces 3″ tall and 5″ long.
3. Use a paper cutter to cut pieces of graph paper 3″ tall and 4.5″ long.
4. Cut a piece of parchment paper 3″ tall and 4.5″ long.
5. Type on a computer (in a typewriter font) or use a typewriter to type a thank you message to your guests.
6. Piece the book together: muslin, parchment paper, title page (with message), and graph paper pages.
7. Fold in half and press with an iron.
8. Sew down the center.
9. Display in a wooden box with a message.

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New Year Resolutions for the Bride-To-Be

Sorry I am about a week late but I wanted to take a chance to share good wishes and hopefully, some good advice. There are a lot of you newbie engaged ladies out there, and as you start a new year as the future Mrs. So-and-So, here are some Bridal solutions for you to consider adopting in 2011 to keep wedding planning FUN in those moments of STRESS. Congratulations!!!!!

1. Resolve to not lose sight of the Day After the Wedding. And I’m not talking about your post wedding brunch! You are marrying the most amazing guy person! You are lucky to have each other. After the cake is cut, the gifts are packed the the adorable favors taken home, you guys will have one another. So while the wedding is important, remember the next day is the real start of your new lives! If you keep that in mind, you’ll inevitably have MUCH more fun planning it all.

2. Resolve to be a gracious bride.
Oh, these people will MAKE YOUR CRAZY at times. Bridesmaids WILL be selfish at times and guests will sometimes pull some CRAZY, wacky stuff (what do you mean you want to bring your cousin and her 3 kids?????) BUUUUT, if you keep your head above the fray and remember to be GRACIOUS and thankful, your memories of your engagement will be MUCH sweeter. No one likes a Bridezilla, not even herself! (Seriously, I can’t tell you how many past bridezillas have called me months later to say “I’m not really like that!”)

3. Resolve to Compromise (Sometimes). It’s your day your way, but when arguments arise with Mom or In-laws or DH, sometimes its better (and easier) to stop, drop and roll. No, you don’t want to hire a band that your Mother-in-law loves or wear a dress just because your mom picked it out, but would it KILL you to have a menu card? Probably not. Would a monogrammed napkin totally ruin the aesthetic of your wedding? Not really. Don’t sweat the totally small stuff, and you’ll be able to put your foot down when it REALLY Matters.

4. Resolve to Trust your Team. Do your due diligence before you hire a vendor (Recommendations, ask around about them, look them up in magazines or online, check on insurance, etc) and then STOP DOUBTING them. If you have hired a true professional, they will care about doing an amazing job almost as much as you do. Energy, Negative, draining energy is constantly wasted Fretting over vendors who are already contracted. Remember, every vendor is a pro, but also a human, and negative questioning has never extracted top performance, in my experience.

5. Resolve to Stick to Your Schedule. I have to go to the gym 5 or 6 times a week not to act like a crazy Rhymes with Witch around the office. I know that about myself, so I have a schedule and I discipline myself to follow it. If you (or your planner) has set up a schedule for planning tasks and chores for your, STICK TO IT. It’s easy to let work and life derail you, but the more you spread out the TASKS of planning the wedding, the easier it is to NOT BE OVERWHELMED. Hire people in a timely manner, don’t drag out the process and stay on top of thank you notes and your registry. Work is very important, but you MUST prioritize your wedding as well.

6. Resolve to See the Big Picture. Read item 1, read Item 2 and combine. If you find yourself freaking out 6 months from now over a ribbon on a favor box, stop, walk around the block, or your desk, and ask yourself why? Maybe it’s not about the ribbon, and your annoyed that your fiance doesn’t care about the details you care about. Maybe you’re exhausted of making decisions. Maybe you need a little break. But remember, a ribbon is still a ribbon. It’s one tiny element that helps make the picture of your day: a painting stroke in the masterpiece of your wedding. It will not RUIN the image. Step back, see how great everything else is and move forward.

7. Resolve to Accept Possible Setbacks. Don’t take this as an omen, or as a “wait for shoe to drop”, please ladies, but sometimes there are random setbacks. I’ve had a wedding that needed to be relocated 8 weeks before the big day. Once, they put up a scaffold in front of a client’s venue the DAY before the wedding without anyone (even the venue) knowing. A friend’s MOH was put on bedrest and she wasn’t able to be at the wedding. They sound like horror stories, but ultimately, none of these things RUINED anyone’s wedding. And remember that, girls and boys. Sometimes, life’s complications sneak into wedding world. But they will not and cannot ruin your dream day!

8. Resolve to Do What You Can Afford. You aren’t going to win any awards by having the world’s largest wedding that you go into debt for. Assess what you can afford and commit yourself to having a reception that fits into that goal. Don’t be afraid to re-think what the wedding needs to be: maybe it’s a breakfast or brunch instead of dinner, or dessert reception with dancing.

9. Resolve to Celebrate who YOU guys both ARE. This doesn’t need to conflict with resolving to compromise, but listen, you only do this once…. If you guys are quirky, don’t be afraid to be QUIRKY. If you are formal, be FORMAL. Celebrate Culture, Celebrate Faith, Celebrate the things that made you love one another. If you are enjoying your party, so will your guests, so make it something you would love to attend. Resolve to have it be the kind of celebration that you guys would ACTUALLY host. If you would never have a sit down formal dinner, no one is telling you that you have to…. AND if you would NEVER have a low key cocktail party… well, consider cutting your guest list until you can have the kind of fabulous celebration you can swing…

10. Remember, PERSONAL is not generic and INSPIRING doesn’t mean replicating.Somewhere, personalizing a wedding (making it seem reflective of your personalities and unique to the two of you) got confused with slapping a monogram on anything that was imprintable and replicating every cute idea seen around the blogosphere. Use blogs to INSPIRE, but try, really try to make it personal. It will pay off. If you are doing a photo booth, what are props you could use say something about the two of you? Maybe a handle-bar moustache speaks volumes about the two of you, but maybe two hockey sticks might say even more.

Brides! Enjoy this special, magical time in your lives!!!! Enjoy this wonderful year where you wave your ring finger around and get constant manicures!!!! It’s special and FUN! Happy 2011! Looking forward to getting your questions this year!

Remember you can always email me at merrybrides@yahoo.com if you have any wedding planning dilemas.

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DIY Cozy Votive Yarn Candles

Try these modern but cozy votive holders for a winter wedding. They look beautiful and sculputural when illuminated.

Cost: approximately 50 cents a piece.

Supplies:

simple glass votive holders

votive candles

yarn (we used cashmere which was just $2 for a roll at Michael’s)

double stick tape

scissors

1. Wrap double stick tape around votive holders. We used about 2 -3 rows per votive and spaced them out.

2. Stick the yarn vertically across the tape and then start wrapping it horizontally around the candle, leaving the long strand visible.

3. Keep wrapping yarn around the candle until it’s covered almost all the glass. The yarn shouldn’t be in rows, just wrap it haphazardly around the votive holder.

4. When you are done wrapping the yarn, take the end and tie it to the first piece. Trim the ends off and tuck the knot.

Tips/Mistakes:
Don’t make the rows of yarn too symmetrical or perfect it looks best when it’s a little messy!

♥ Recommended Online Sites ♥

Are you a DIY bride? Save big with American Bridal’s do-it-yourself must-haves, including favor boxes, personalized tags and ribbon, invitation kits and more.

DIY CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZLES

I love this project a lot. Probably too much. Chocolate covered pretzles are such yumminess, you can rest assured that your guests will definitely devour your hard work!

Materials ( from local grocer)

* 10 oz. bags of Pretzel Rods (plan to get about 20 per bag, which allows for broken/unusable ones)

* 12 oz. bag of Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips or melting bark (1 bag will cover three-fourths of about 40 pretzels)

* 12 oz. bag of Nestle white-chocolate chips

* Shortening

* wax paper

* Optional: sugar crystals, chopped nuts, flaked coconut, or sprinkles can be substituted to coordinate with your affair

Materials (from craft store like Michael’s)

* Wilton brand pretzel bags (20 cellophane bags per package – each bag can hold 2 pretzels)

* Fine-tipped plastic bottle (like the hair-dye bottles)

* Ribbon

* Scrapbooking paper for favor tags or use ready-made tags (If you make your own tags)

* hole-punch

* paper-cutter

* scissors

Notes and Instructions

I first used Microsoft Publisher to design and personalize the favor tags. I cut out the tags in a simple rectangular shape and affixed them to a solid paper for a visual border. (I’m sure there are fancier tags that could be made or purchased, but I am more tech-savvy than scrapbook-savvy. So, use your strengths when creating your DIY projects and your personality will show through.) I double hole-punched the tag to feed through my ribbon. These I made in advance and set aside. I wanted to wait until the last minute to create my edible favors and knew time would be valuable that week.

To melt the chocolates, I use a TALL coffee cup as this accommodates the depth needed to cover most of the pretzel. Pour your chips into the mug along with a tablespoon of shortening and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and continue to microwave in 30-second intervals until almost melted. (Be sure not to overheat as this will ruin the chocolate). I then put the mug in a pan of warm water to hold the chocolate temperature. The next step is to dunk your pretzel leaving just enough of a tip as an edible handle. If you are adding sprinkles, you will want to do this before the chocolate melts. If you want to drizzle white-chocolate as I did, go ahead and place your pretzel on wax paper to dry. Once all my pretzels were dunked, I melted my white-chocolate and poured into my drizzle bottle. Like a windshield wiper, move your bottle back and forth as you squeeze to make the drizzle lines. The more messy, the more gourmet they look.

Let pretzels dry overnight and place in your cellophane bags. Tie up the bags with your favor tags and wah la…your DIY favor javascript:void(0)becomes a yummy labor of love.

♥ If you don't have the resources to make your own favor tags you can purchase some cute Personalized tags online at The Knot.com

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How to Choose an Outdoor Wedding Tent Size - Size does matter

By Ashlee Williams

When choosing the size of your tent, the standard guidelines are:

Dinner reception with dancing: 15 to 16 square feet per person

Reception with no dancing: 10 square feet per person

Stand up cocktail party: 6 square feet per person

Seating for a ceremony: 7 square feet per person; plus space for aisles and alter.

TIP: Ask for ten-foot high sides versus 8-foot-high side. This will literally raise the roof and open up your space.

One of my favorite ways to do a tent is with a clear ceiling, made out of clear vinyl that makes the sky and your surroundings part of your decore. Clear tents make a tent not feel as closed in, and are perfect for outdoor weddings that take place among beautiful foliage, sunsets, or natural backdrops