Invite Designer - Creative Wedding Planning & Ideas

Many couples are deciding on eco-friendly weddings. Some couples go all out and everything is eco-friendly, but the average couple cannot afford that. There are many ways to have an eco-friendly wedding without depleting the bank account.

When you hear “eco-wedding dresses,” you might picture wearing a makeshift gown made of newspaper. As funny as that image is, it’s not what eco-friendly is all about. Many brides are having their wedding dresses made with organic cotton or hemp. You can also borrow a friend’s or family’s wedding dress. This is a great way to “recycle,” as well as adding a sentimental and loving touch. If friends or family don’t have a wedding dress that’s in a style you like, or in your size, you can search out vintage shops. Since modern wedding dresses aren’t just in white, you have a wide variety of options to choose from. A vintage gown offers a uniqueness that you won’t find anywhere else, as well as being gentle to the earth. Remember that you can have alterations made to make sure the gown fits you.

Another way to recycle is wedding invitations. These can be made of recycled paper, using soy or vegetable based ink. To cut down on paper waste, there’s no need to put in the extra inserts with your invitations. If you’re looking to go a totally paperless route, eWedding is something to check out. You can upload your wedding invitation, directions, registry information, and more on their online invitation service. Your guests can RSVP through this service, which also saves paper.

When you think of eco-weddings, you may not realize that your rings can be earth friendly. Look for companies that do not use “blood diamonds.” You can also re-use some of your jewelry to create your wedding bands. Green Karat offers this service. Not only is this gentle to the earth, it’s also sentimental. As they state on their site: “The same people who attend your ceremony will have contributed gold to make the rings you will wear for the rest of your lives. Very romantic!” A unique twist to wedding bands can incorporate driftwood as Stephen Einhorn does. Other wooden rings use recycled wood through other sources.

You can also incorporate eco-friendly wedding decorations into your ceremony and reception. Flowers and bouquets can be made of dried flowers. Other decorations could include soy candles, plants from a nursery, and driftwood. The plants from the nursery can have a dual purpose: decorations and landscaping your new home.

The wedding reception food and cake can be made with ingredients from local farmers, including range free meat and crops untouched by pesticides. Having a buffet is better than a sit down dinner because guests will chose what they want; therefore, there’s less chance of food waste. If your reception includes alcoholic beverages, these drinks can come from a local vineyard and/or brewery.

You can purchase carbon offsets to offset your wedding’s carbon footprint.  We recommend Standard Carbon.

The beauty of an eco-friendly wedding is being able to choose which “going green” options you want for your wedding. Every little bit helps, and you’ll feel good starting your new life helping the earth.

Did you know that brides didn’t always wear white?  In fact, the white wedding dress is a relatively “new” tradition.  Here’s an old poem that mentioned the many colors of wedding dresses:

“Married in white, you will have chosen all right. Married in grey, you will go far away. Married in black, you will wish yourself back. Married in red, you’ll wish yourself dead. Married in blue, you will always be true. Married in pearl, you’ll live in a whirl. Married in green, ashamed to be seen, Married in yellow, ashamed of the fellow. Married in brown, you’ll live out of town. Married in pink, your spirits will sink.”

Sounds like white would be the best choice, huh?

It was actually Queen Victoria who bucked tradition and married in a white dress.  As I mentioned in our previous blog post, Queen Victoria also started a trend with the wedding cake.  Perhaps we should call her the Queen of Modern Weddings.  Before Queen Victoria’s white wedding dress, most brides wore their best dress and didn’t purchase a dress specifically for their special day.  If they came from the wealthier class, they were able to purchase a new dress for their wedding.  Since it wasn’t a wedding dress, per se, they were able to wear this dress at social events after their wedding ceremony.

It was actually unusual and rather brave for Queen Victoria to choose white for a wedding dress because white was a color that symbolized royal mourning.  She was not the first Queen to choose white as her wedding dress, however; Mary, Queen of Scots, wore a white wedding dress. 

So why did Queen Victoria choose white?  Many have suggested since the Victorian era was a bit restricted sexually, white symbolized purity to Queen Victoria.  At the time, though, the color blue symbolized purity.  In actuality, it’s reported that the queen had a lovely piece of white lace she wanted to wear at her wedding, and a white wedding dress best showed it off.    In addition, several years later, the famous fashion designer, Coco Chanel, designed a knee length white wedding dress in the 1920s.  Because of this, white became even more fashionable.  It was “the” color to get married in. 

Today’s bride incorporates her personality and favorite color into her wedding dress.  The latest styles feature shorter dresses in pink, blue, and muted pastels.  Since spring and summer are upon us, these new colors are perfect for the weather and the new seasons.  Fabrics are also going with the flow; sheer fabrics such as chiffon and Swiss Dot silk are showing up.  Gold and silver are also adorning many women who walk down the aisle.

The white wedding dress is a relatively modern tradition, thanks in large part to Queen Victoria.  Thanks in large part to modern brides feeling freer to buck tradition, more colors are walking down the aisle to the Wedding March.

The tradition of the wedding cake has been around for a long time.  As best we can tell, the first “wedding cake” appeared in early Roman times, but it wasn’t the sweet confection we think of today.  Rather, it was a thin loaf made of wheat, which symbolized fertility.  The bride and groom didn’t feed each other the wedding cake; instead, it was crumbled or dropped over the bride’s head, in the hopes that she would bear children.  Thankfully, it was a thin loaf!

The wedding cake has gone through many incarnations since then.  In the Middle Ages, it was customary for guests to bring little cakes to the wedding ceremony, which were then stacked on top of each other.  The bride and groom had to kiss over these stacked cakes.  If they were successful without any of the cakes falling, their marriage was sure to be a happy one.  These stacked cakes logically led to making tiers of frosted cakes, which resemble our modern day wedding cake.

Wedding cakes became extra fancy affairs, thanks in large part to Queen Victoria.  She ordered an extravagant wedding cake made to celebrate her union with Prince Albert.  Her wedding cake was reportedly nine feet wide, but the extravagance didn’t stop there; its cake topper was an ice sculpture featuring cupids.  Because of this, women wanted fancier cakes for their wedding, with cake toppers increasing in use.  Today, many wedding cake toppers are more than just the bride and groom staring straight ahead.  Some kiss, which sentimentally incorporates the tradition of luck for kissing over the Medieval stacked cakes.  Other cake toppers have figurines that more closely represent the happy couple - oftentimes depicting the couple and their hobbies.  For instance, if a bride and groom are avid tennis players, their cake toppers will sport figurines playing tennis.

The wedding cake is usually cut by the bride and groom with a special knife just for the occasion.  This symbolizes doing their first act together as a married couple.  Feeding the first bite to each other symbolizes the start of a new family life together, leaving behind their families of birth.  Many years ago, the bride had to serve wedding cake slices to everyone in the groom’s family; this symbolized how she would live a life of service and labor for the groom and his family. 

Another tradition had the bridesmaids taking a piece of the wedding cake or the groom’s cake home.  At night, the bridesmaids would sleep with their piece, and they would dream of her future husbands that night.  A tradition that is still popular today has the bride and groom freezing a portion of their wedding cake - usually the top tier - to eat at their one year anniversary or at the christening of their first child.

Wedding cakes have a long tradition, dating all the way back to early Roman times.  Luckily, we’ve come a long way since a thin loaf of wheat crumbled or dropped on a bride’s head.  Today’s wedding cakes combine modern creativity, personalization, and sentimental traditions.  Bon Appetit!

Alaska honeymoons offer rest and relaxation, as well as plenty of action. Many people travel there to experience nature’s beauty is such a large place. There are many beautiful parks in Alaska: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Denali National Park, to name a few. The Northern Lights are also a big draw and can be a very romantic and unique experience. People who have seen the aurora borealis in person say that pictures or videos just can’t compare to the majesty of seeing them in person. Before you go, make sure you read over the Northern Lights’ information and FAQs.Other activities include various day cruises and tours, even tours all the way up to remote Barrow. Barrow is the northernmost settlement in North America. Day tours here emphasize the traditional Eskimo customs and way of life. Dog sledding, eco-tours, and whale watching are also popular activites many Alaskan travelers want to experience.

There is quite a variety in lodging throughout all of Alaska. You’ll find your well known chain hotels, as well as inns, resorts, and bed and breakfasts. Since I think of inns and bed and breakfasts as more romantic than the mass produced franchise hotels, here are a couple romantic getaways perfect for a honeymoon. Juneau’s Alaska Wolf House Lodge is snug inside a cedar log home with open beams, skylights, and spectacular views of the sea and mountains. A professional chef is on the premises to make scrumptious breakfasts. King Salmon souffle, candied pecan waffles with cinnamon syrup, and Alaskan king crab quiche are just some of the menu’s temptations. While eating your breakfast overlooking the Gastineau Channel, you might even spot a whale or two. The Lodge also has a black bear they’ve nicknamed Molly, who lives behind the lodge on Mount Juneau. Because it’s so romantic and has a Jacuzzi for two, the Jack London Jacuzzi Suite is the choice of many honeymooners.

MSN named Pearson’s Pond Luxury Inn and Adventure Spa in Juneau #4 of the “World’s Most Romantic Hotel Destinations.” Located on a small lake and overlooking the Mendenhall Glacier, this cedar home offers rooms with sound proofing and fireplaces; some rooms have a Jacuzzi. The inn also offers concierge services to help you plan your day’s activities.

To learn more about an Alaska honeymoon, check out the Travel Alaska website for more details on what to do on your visit to Alaska.

We’re all looking for ways to save money, especially nowadays. If your wedding is coming up, don’t panic. There are many tips to help you plan your wedding on a budget.

I recently found Titanium-Jewelry, which sells wedding bands at a reasonable cost. Their titanium wedding bands are on sale for as little as $69. Lest you think you’ll have to compromise style for price, think again. The low cost wedding bands have a contemporary and almost forward looking style.

Other wedding on a budget tips consist of do it yourself projects. There are many do it yourself invitations and do it yourself wedding cakes. Kits are available for either one, helping to guide you in their creation. The current trend for wedding invitations makes room for your creativity. Non-traditional shapes and colors are popular among today’s brides. While ecru is still popular, bright colors, such as turquoise and lime, are going into those matching wedding invitation envelopes.

There are also do it yourself wedding decorations that can help you plan your wedding on a budget. Miniature vases, galvanized buckets, baskets, or other containers can be purchased at a discount store and, with a little creativity, no one will know how little you paid. You can decorate the vases with votives, dried or silk flowers and vines. The galvanized buckets can be filled with sand, shovels or other miniature beach toys for a summer wedding. Painted baskets look good with dried flowers for a nice spring or summer wedding. Mini framed pictures of the bride and groom scattered throughout the guest tables give a personal and inexpensive touch to the wedding decorations.

Additionally, you may be able to “haggle” with vendors and stores. As reported on Yahoo, Haggling in a weak economy is OK. So, with a little bargaining, creativity, and forethought, you can have a wonderful wedding on a budget!