1.  Think first about your wedding site.  Choose a wedding site that can also accommodate your reception.  When looking for these venue sites consider ones that will be able to recycle glass, aluminum and other recyclable materials.

2.  Speaking of recycling, eliminate the need for waste and recycling by using rented linen napkins, tablecloths, chair covers, china and stemware.  Many venues have these available for use at their site.

3.  Flowers are a big part of your budget.  Ask you florist to use as many local and in-season flowers as possible.  This will eliminate the need to have your flowers imported from other countries.  If you can plan ahead, plant fall bulbs, sunflowers, mums or other flowers in your own backyard to be used in various arrangements. 

4.  Soy candles are made of biodegradeable soybean wax which is a renewable resource.  Look for a candle made of wax that is free from pesticides and herbicides.  Then use these candles at your ceremony, reception or for gifts and favors.

5.  The fifth way that you can have a greener wedding is by the choices that you make for your reception menu.  Choose a caterer and a menu where you will be serving local foods.  Choose fruits and vegetables that are in season, again eliminating the need for transport.    

As a bonus, plan on donating the floral arrangements to area nursing homes or hospitals.    Leftover food could be donated to local women’s shelters or food kitchens.

Having a green wedding doesn’t have to drastically change your wedding plans.   Start thinking of a few of the details and you will be on your way to greener wedding.

Do you have other green ideas?  Please share them here. 

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So, 12 months later, they re-inacted their wedding day by securing the hotel room, renting tuxedos, ordering flowers and had their wedding photos retaken.  This must have also included hiring a new photographer that could produce the pictures they lacked.   After all these additional expenses, they got all the pictures they wanted. 

It’s true that the photography portion of your wedding budget can seem significant.  But when you think about what you have left after the wedding, your photos will be priceless.  You will certainly treasure having quality photos, so choose wisely.   Here are some things to think about when chosing a photographer:

1. If their price is too good, remember you get what you pay for.
2. The great photographers book quickly.  Plan on booking at least 9 months to a year in advance of your wedding date, or sooner if you’re getting married during the busy season.
3. Get it in writing.   A contract protects you and the photographer and is essential when considering this day was not made to “do over”.
4. Review photographs that the person to photograph your wedding has previously taken.  As many photographers have employees or subcontractors, it is important to ensure you are looking at photos from the contracted photographer.
5. Be sure to agree on a list of poses.  This will ensure that the photographer gets all the shots you were expecting.
6. Finally, be on time on your wedding day.  This allows for a relaxed schedule and pictures that do not seem rushed.   Again, you don’t want to do it over, and allows your photographer to get the shots you want and even some additional candid shots.  These impromptu shots can be the ones you will treasure the most.

You may want to assign categories to evenly distribute the types of recipes that are brought.  This bride loved the gifts, but ended up with a lot of dessert recipes and ingredients.  She may have to host several parties to try out all her dessert recipes.

Another shower twist is to center around an alternate theme such as a home-improvements, outdoor barbeque, beach, gardening, lingerie, or holidays (that the couple will celebrate together). 

A shower could be all about pampering.   Have a spa party complete with a manicurist and a masseuse.   Take turns getting your nails done, and having a wonderful back massage.  

Another idea for the bride and groom who have everything they need is to host a charity shower.  This could be in the form of donating the money that would have been spent on a shower gift to a favorite charity or cause of the couple.   You could ask each guest to bring appropriate gifts for a local women’s shelter or other local worthy cause.

The bridal shower should be about getting together with friends and family and having fun before the big wedding day arrives.  The gifts should be thoughtful, useful and welcomed by the bride and groom.

Theme

Your candy buffet should reflect you — your personality and/or wedding theme.   You  can plan your candy around your wedding colors, wedding theme, favorite candy, retro candy or other interests.

Need some ideas of the types of candy you could use?  Here is a sampling:

• M&M’s in your theme colors, Jelly Bellys, colored mints, candy sticks in all flavors,
• Nostalgic:  Necco Wafers, Candy buttons, rock candy,  ribbon candy,  hard candy,  Bit-O-Honey,  Mary Jane, Red Hots,  Salt Water Taffy, Double Bubble, Retro lollipops, Good N Fruity, Gumballs
• Gummy Bears, Gummy Worms, Swedish Fish, Gummy ANYTHING
• Chocolate: foil covered choclates in any color and any shape, Hershey Kisses,  malt balls,  chocolate covered peanuts, chocolate covered almonds, choclate covered raisins.. well you get the picture.  Chocolate candy bars (full-size or minis)

How Much Candy?

So when choosing your candy, how much do you need?  The answer depends on several  things.  Are you going to have the candy available during your entire reception or is it going to be available later in your event?  Is it designed to be consumed along with the cake or dessert bar or should it be packaged by your guest as a wedding favor to be taken along with them?   

• Some rules of thumb:  Buy according to how you want the display to look and not how many guests you will have.
• Choose 7-10 types of candy and then purchase 15-20 pounds of each.  This will ensure that your candy buffet table looks full and well-stocked.

Display Containers

After you know how much candy you will use, you need to decide on the containers.  Loose candy can be placed in large glass containers.  Wrapped candy can be displayed directly on the table or in baskets or other containers.   Don’t forget the scoops to allow your guests to get those M&M’s or Jelly Belly’s.

Candy Bags or Containers

You will need to have something available for your guests to put their candy in if they are going to save it for later or take it home with them.    Consider providing favor boxes or  bags with twist ties, even cute little Chinese takeout containers.

Putting it all together

You will need your containers, scoops, favor bags, and other display items you may want to use to dress up your table.  Consider different sizes and kinds of containers, and displaying them on different levels.  Don’t forget special labels for the types of candy and a sign telling your guests what to do.   Also you can use ribbons, flowers, greenery - the sky’s the limit.  Make sure you have someone designated to restock the containers as needed.

Anything else?  Shop locally at your grocery store in the bulk section or at your warehouse store.   If you shop online, be sure to order early enough to avoid shipping during hot summer weather.   You may find a specialty candy store who will take care of all the details.  Want to tone it down a bit?  Consider having this at your engagement party, rehearsal dinner, or shower.�

Cake Flavors

The choices here could be endless.  It’s more than just plain white — there are yellow, yellow marble, white, white marble, chocolate, Red Velvet, plain pound, lemon pound,  cream cheese pound.    Consider having two flavors to please any picky guests.

Cake Filling

The cake is usually two layers with a standard icing between these layers.   Instead of the icing, you can choose fruit jams, liqueurs, custards, or mousses.   The flavors of these fillings include raspberry, strawberry, orange, lemon, lime, mango, coffee, mocha,  chai, cappuccino, ginger, coconut, peppermint, chocolate mint, or caramel, to name a few.  Just keep in mind, that unless you want to eat a lot of cake after your honeymoon, your favorite flavor may not be appealing to everyone coming to your wedding.

The Icing

The icing can be the traditional buttercream, whipped cream, or meringue icing.  Rolled  fondant cakes are becoming popular.  The fondant icing is rolled out and then draped on the cake to provide a smooth looking finish.   While this option looks wonderful, ask for a sample of this cake before ordering this pricey alternative.  The flavor may not be what you are looking for. 

Traditionally, the icing is white, but brides are also choosing to match their wedding colors and themes, or going with an ivory color.   An option is to choose the base color to be white, and have it decorated in other colors.

The Decoration

It used to be that the cake was topped with miniature bride and groom.   The options have broadened to using fresh flowers, themed toppers to match your wedding them, monogrammed cake topper, or even a topper that matches the couple’s interests.

The Construction

Most wedding cakes are stacked with each layer getting smaller, building a tower.   There are so many variations to this.  The traditional shape is round, but some could be hexagon, or square.  Square cakes can be arranged with the edges altered, giving a contemporary look.  You could have the base layer square, with the other layers as round.   Columns between the layers are an option, but not used as much.

Some are forgoing the layers and using individual cakes on pretty cake stands.  Or have cupcakes arranged on a cupcake tower.  Adorn them with flowers, greenery, bows and it will be pretty as a button.

Some bakers are creating individual cakes.  As this trend has been used in many famous weddings and is more labor intensive, be prepared to pay more for this.

Cinderella
I’d like to introduce you to a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that began playing on our local Christian radio station this year. I think it would make a wonderful song for you to dance with your father.
“Cinderella” starts with a young girl dancing with her Daddy. The song then chronicles her wanting to dance with Dad as she prepares for the prom, then as she plans for her wedding. The chorus is so sweet:

So I will dance with Cinderella while she is here in my arms
‘Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella, I don’t want to miss even one song
‘Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight and she’ll be gone

Other Songs

If you want some other ideas, here are some popular songs:

• Because You Loved Me” by  Celine Dion
• “Butterfly Kisses” by  Bob Carlisle
• “Daddy’s Hands” by  Holly Dunn
• “Daddy’s Girl” by Peter Cetera
• “Daddy’s Little Girl” by Al Martino
• Daughter of Mine” by  John McDermott
• “Have I Told You Lately”  by Rod Stewart
• “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder
• “My Girl” by  Temptations
• “My Special Angel” by  Bobby Helms
• “The Way We Were” by Barbra Streisand
• “The Way You Look Tonight” by  Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett
• “Through the Years” by Kenny Rogers
• “Times of Your Life” by  Green Day
• “Unforgettable” by Natalie Cole
• “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong
• “Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler
• “Wonderful Tonight” by  Eric Clapton
• “You are the Sunshine of My Life” by Stevie Wonder 
• “You’re the Inspiration” by  Chicago

Do you have another song you are looking forward to dancing to?   I’d love to hear what you are going to use for your father dance.

Many companies that rent a photobooth include delivery, setup, and a member of their staff present to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Think you only have one choice (probably black?) Well, you should be able to choose backdrops, and curtain colors, personalize the prints, and choose a print layout (2″x7″ strips and 4″x6″ grids). Many companies will post your pictures on the web for your guests to view and download.

Need to find a local vendor to find more information about renting a photobooth?  Contact FestiveFotoBooths at www.festivefotobooths.com.  They service the greater Philadelphia area including Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

But before you make this decision, consider a few things.

• Will your ceremony venue allow pets?   Outdoor ceremonies will be more open to allowing your pet, so just to be safe, ask first.
• Will you be photographing your pet?  Photographers are great with pets.  Ask yours if they’ve ever photographed a pet with the wedding party before.
• Be sure to have a handler on the big day.  You will be very busy and it’s a good idea to have someone dedicated to taking care of your pet’s needs and making sure he is safe.
• If your pet is going to be in the ceremony, consider having them escorted down the aisle or even transported down the aisle in a wagon.
• Do you want to dress up your pet?  Will they tolerate being in their outfit for the length of your wedding?
• Assess your pet’s temperament.  Will your pet be able to handle larger crowds?  Are they trained not to jump on people?  If you don’t think they’d be comfortable around the whole wedding scene, consider just having them a part of a few pictures.

So, you’ve decided that your dog is going to walk down the aisle before you as your flower girl?  Would you still like flower petals scattered before you walk down to meet your groom?  Sheryl Bass, vice-president of Pawsitively Purrfect Products, LLC solved this problem for her wedding and created a product and a business that is remarkable.  The “Pet Petal Pullcart” is a lightweight removable cart attaching to a pet’s shoulder harness and, when pulled, distributes flower petals.  The cart itself weighs less than two pounds. It can be painted white with opalescent glitter and may include custom labeling of bride and groom’s names on a “bumper sticker,” upon request.   It is made according to your pet’s measurements.  View the video of  the “Pet Petal Pullcart”.  Sheryl warns that if you fear being overshadowed by your pet, you may want to reconsider.  However, using the Pet Petal Pullcart will provide unique, memorable highlights of your wedding.

Your wedding is your day and you want to have everyone near you that you love.  When this includes your pet, consider all the aspects of having your dog or other animal near you on this special day.

Rice has been said to be harmful to birds when left on the sidewalk and driveways.  In actuality, this is a myth according to this website.  However, because of this reason, couples began opting to throw birdseed. 

Other options:

• Bubbles
• Butterflies
• Doves
• Balloons
• Rose Petals or other petals
• Ringing mini-bells

Recently, I attended a wedding where we threw candy at the bride and groom.   We tossed white, candy sprinkles at the couple as they exited the church.  It was an alternative that I had never seen.  If you want to save time as Sara & Adam did by NOT creating individual pouches of rice, seed or candy, just hand each guest a small cup and allow them to fill their own with a scoop from a large container as they exit the church or facility.

To be on the safe side,  consult the church or facility beforehand to determine if they have any rules about throwing rice, seed or candy.  If this is not allowed, consider one of the choices that will not leave traces on the sidewalk.

Botanical Paperworks offers paper that blooms into flowers.  The paper contains wildflower seeds that will grow when planted.  They offer wedding favors like the Love Tag Seeded Favor and placecard.  You select the color for the favor and an ink color for the text printed on placecard.   The placard can be printed with any text.  This would be an attractive placard on the table or memento from your wedding.

The also offer plantable wedding cake favors.  These favors have a wedding cake that can be planted and remembered in the coming months.  This favor might also be ideal for wedding showers, or wedding anniversary parties.   The card can be printed with any message you want and placed at the reception tables.    Browse the Botanical Paperworks site for these favors and more to add a touch of green to your wedding day.