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Many couples dote over which wedding invitations to choose to express the love they are feeling, but few couples know the history of the wedding invitations they are trying to choose. The wedding invitation was more a verbal communication rather than a physical one. When a couple was going to be married, a single person or several people were given the task to “invite” the most important guests. These wedding invitations were spoken and confirmed immediately. The bride’s parents, who most often paid for the wedding and after party, would take the list of acceptances into consideration when planning the event.

Weddings were much more formal in times when verbal communication was the only form of wedding invitation. Rarely did someone say no to an invitation when they were asked in person, so the guest list was chosen wisely and only the most influential people invited.

As history moved on, the wedding invitation took on a more physical form. Scrolls were created and handled with great care. These scrolls were given to families who were invited to the event. The RSVP would have to be hand written and delivered to the awaiting couple or parents of the bride. Again, the formality of the ceremony left few invitations unaccepted because anyone who was anyone in a given circle would surely be attending the wedding. The major change from verbal wedding invitation to written invitation came during the Age of Enlightenment. This is when the majority of people learned how to read before going off into the work force.

When written wedding invitations were introduced, the struggle to have the best, brightest and fanciest wedding invitations was also born. To this day, no matter how formal the wedding will be, the wedding invitations are selected with great care. The more original and spectacular the wedding invitation, the more likely the guest will be to confirm their attendance. (At least that is what the couple hopes!)

A lot of wedding advice column advocate giving up favors if you’re tight on your budget, but favor-less weddings have always been one of my pet peeves. Everyone loves getting a little gift—it is the same feeling of anticipation one has when the mail arrives and there is a pretty letter inside! Try and save at least $1 per person for favors—trust me, it will be worth it!

One of the biggest arguments against favors is that people leave them on the tables or throw them out when they get home. This is certainly true, I believe, with overdone items like plastic picture frames with the wedding couple’s name on them—for that matter, don’t personalize anything with your own names! Instead, here is one great tip for a favor that will never get left behind: Edible Favors.

Even if one of your guests doesn’t like the edible favor, another guest will certainly take two! Here are some great edible favor ideas:

1. Old fashioned swirl lollipops—Anything that reminds people of when they were young.

2. Anything homemade will be a sure hit and have people thanking you for putting your own time and personal touch into their favors. Simple oatmeal cookies are a great homemade favor idea. Give them in little organza or cellophane bags, which you can purchase cheaply on sites like ebay, etsy, or papermart.com.

3. Gourmet marshmallows in different flavors are unique, and people can trade flavors. Check out sites like plushpuffs.com or whimsyandspice.com.

4. Have a flavored popcorn bar, complete with little bags for guests to package their popcorn in.

5. I am a big fan of yummy sugary breakfast food favors, like scones or homemade brioche!

6. Who doesn’t love donuts? Go to your local Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme and order a ton in different flavors—then package them in beautiful boxes. Or, have a donut bar, where people can choose their own.

7. If you spent your summers growing up at the shore, choose beach foods like saltwater taffy, fudge or macaroons. Include a note with what the food means to you.

8. Visit mehlenbacherstaffy.com for beautiful handspun, old-fashioned taffy.

9. Candy apples will always be a big hit!

When a bride asks her friend or family member to attend the wedding as a bridesmaid, the first thought may be one of horror. Many people look at the bridesmaid duty as requiring them to wear a horrid dress with no style whatsoever. Bridesmaids dresses have come a long way and today represent beauty and elegance without taking away from the centerpiece of the wedding, the bride. Choosing a bridesmaid dress requires careful thought and a solid list of Dos and Dont’s.

DO:
• Ask the bridesmaids how they feel about color, style and length. They will be wearing the dress, not the bride.
• Choose a dress style that fits every body type. Not everyone will look great in a fitted gown or a bodice top. The A line tends to be the best selection.
• Choose different bridesmaid dress styles in the same color, if needed. If you must have a bodice on one of your bridesmaids, choose a different style for other women in the party.
• Pick bridesmaid dresses that match the formality of the wedding dress. If the bride is donning a traditional, formal gown. A sun dress would not be appropriate for the bridesmaids.

DONTs
• Never pick a gown that is very expensive. Remember, the bridesmaids will be the ones paying for the gowns.
• Choose revealing gowns if the bridesmaids are uncomfortable with this style. They need to be comfortable on the wedding day, as well.
• Select a color that is TOO off the wall. Color is a beautiful thing. The bridesmaid dress does not need to be neon orange or green.

The bridesmaids are more than just props in a wedding. They are women who want to feel just as beautiful on the wedding day as the bride. The choice of the right bridesmaid dress can make that happen.

Nowadays, couples who are planning their wedding strive to make the occasion more unique, whether through the wedding location and reception, wedding themes, or through wedding invitations. Due to the popularity of theme weddings, wedding invitations have become more creative as well.

Beach Weddings
There are many wedding invitation ideas for a beautiful beach wedding. Since beach wedding invitations allows you a wide range of creative options, you could end up spending more on postage if you really want to make your invitations more unique. Some of the ideas include placing the invites in a conch shell or attaching it to a piece of beautiful coral. Also the “message in a bottle” style is perfect for beach weddings, where you can roll the invitation like a scroll and place it inside a bottle with sand.

Outdoor or Garden Weddings
Garden weddings are popular during the summer or during the warmer months. Those who intend to host their wedding reception in a vineyard can opt to design their wedding invitation in a way that will remind people of vineyards and wine drinking. You can place your wedding invitations in small boxes that look like wine crates and add a small bottle of wine for the right creative effect.

Weddings in the city
Many couples choose to celebrate their big day where their family and friends are, and this means hosting the wedding within their city. Using various cityscapes as design will add a dash of metropolitan style into your wedding invitation. You can expound on the excellent qualities of the city you live in as well, whether you’re having your wedding in downtown New York or in beautiful San Francisco.

Your wedding invitations should reflect the general theme of your wedding too. Give your guests a good reason to be present at your wedding, and you can do this through your creative wedding invitations.

Once you start planning for your wedding, you will also need to take care of printing and sending out wedding invitations. Therefore, you should not be careless about sending the invitations to each one of your guests. Your wedding invitation is not merely a piece of paper where the particulars of your wedding are listed and enumerated. It is also important to send the invitations in the right way so that your invited guests will feel honored and excited to take part of the event.

Here are a few reminders when making and sending out your wedding invitation:

What You Should Do:

• When inviting guests with their respective dates, you also need to address the partners or dates of your guests in their complete names. It is more appropriate for you to find out the names of their dates so you can include them in the invitation.

• If you are inviting unmarried couples, you need to send wedding invitations separately. Also you have to send out separate invitations to children older than 18, no matter that they are still living with their parents.

• You need to state clearly the name of the state, the date, and the time

• You need to mail the invitations six weeks prior to the wedding date

• As for the wedding registry, you don’t need to mention them in the invitation, but by word only.

What You Should Not Do:

• You should refrain from using punctuation marks on the invitation
• If you are sending out invitations for singles, they should be addressed as “the Guest”
• For an event primarily organized only for adults, you should address the guests as “Mr. and Mrs.”
• You should print the wedding registry in your invitation
• Request people from your office as well as their dates to attend the reception.

Planning a wedding successfully is important, so you will have a memorable occasion to remember in the years to come.

Planning for a wedding dinner is one of the items in your List-To-Do. Of course you wouldn’t want to have a disorganized dinner where all your relatives and friends will be there to congratulate you.

So, here are some of the tips for you to prepare a great and wonderful wedding dinner.

1. Venue and Menu
First of all, finalize the number of guests who will be attending your dinner. If you have the number of guests who will be coming, it is easier for you to select a suitable room with sufficient number of tables needed. Besides that, this can help to avoid wastage especially on the food. As for the menu, you must make a good choice that suits everyone. If there’s any guest who is allergy to certain food, make sure they inform you so that you can prepare another dish for him/her.

2. Choose a theme
After that, choose a theme for your wedding. If you are looking for a romantic wedding theme, make sure you fill up the hall with flowers and laces. Or perhaps you can have some rose petals thrown along the pathway. If you are looking for cheerful wedding theme, make sure you decorate the table with bright colors table cloth and place a small pot of colorful flowers on it.

3. Lighting
For most of the wedding ceremonies, people prefer to have dim lighting for a romantic ambiance. You can suggest having candles on each table if you are afraid that it will be too dark when people are enjoying their food.

4. Montage
While enjoying the food, you can play some montages on the screen. You can show your wedding pictures or videos so that people will know how lovely you are together with your partner. Choose romantic and soft love songs while playing the montage.

Now that you have known all these tips, planning for a wedding dinner isn’t that difficult. So, start to do some surveys and browse through the websites to look for some ideas!