Brilliant! Cakes with Bling!

The bride’s aunt owns a antique jewelry store. She offered these beautiful pieces for the Cake! They look great. A You-nique way to jazzy up your cake without relying on flowers. Lovin-it!

PYT – Pretty You-nique Tablecards!!

These awesome Michael Jackson Table Cards mad for great pictures and conversation. The bride and groom also had a Michael Jackson Impersonator perform after dinner. Great fun!

The King of Pop – The Groom’s favorite performer.

Zella MIMosa- Your Family “Love” Tree

Making It Meanigful:

A nice way to honor your elders and share their love story with your guests is to have a “Love” Tree at your guestbook or registration table.

Gather old photos of your parents, grandparents, great grandparents when they were young and in love.

Then write a little story about how they met and what they were doing at your age. Hearing special stories about your parents and grandparents is a great way to connect with them!  Not only will they relive some fond moments, but you will have a better understanding of who they are, and you will also have a deeper appreciation of their marriage.

If your parents are divorced, you can either write about your biological parents, or them with their new husbands/wives (or both, depending on the atmosphere). My parents divorced quite young, but they have both shared their love stories with me, as well as their newer journey with their current partners. Each story has it’s own value and wisdom in guiding me through marriage. Plus seeing your grandma in her wedding outfit is super cool!

Love These Rings – Great Bridesmaids Gifts

I usually am not the one posting pretty things, but I saw these and I love them. Me Want!

I think these could be really nice Bridesmaids Gifts. They are Ariella Rings, and there’s a big variety to choose from. Here are a few “white and gold” ones.

Check out Nordstrom to see all of their line – lots of different colors and unique styles.

Zella Loves Kettle Corn

Addictive, delicious and fun, Kettle Corn is a unique treat for your guests. I found these on WeddingStar.com.

 

I could totally see these at a dramatic 20’s themed or rockabilly barbecue, even a wine country picnic or garden wedding.

Zella MIMosa – Making it Meaningful

Tip #1 for Making it Meaningful

This is a no brainer: it’s easy, it’s super impressive and it’s FREE!!

Although it is one of the most simple ways to make your wedding day meaningful, many couples do not take the opportunity to toast their parents and their guests. I expect better from a Zella! Preparing and offering a meaningful toast is a great way to melt your parents hearts and dazzle your guests. Regardless of your relationship with your families, you and your partner should publicly acknowledge them and give them props for getting you to where you are today.

So what do you need to do, and how do you do it?

Read on...

Enjoy Each Day to the Big Day

“I’ve never done this much work and not been paid for it!”

We’ve heard that a lot.

Putting together your wedding will take a lot of research, decision making, negotiation and financing. It can be very overwhelming, and most brides had no idea what they’re getting into before getting engaged!

Many brides say it is like having a part time job on top of their full time careers or school schedules. Many weekends, evenings and–let’s be honest–extended lunch hours (haha) will be spent surfing the web, flipping through guides, making calls and meeting with vendors.

So how does a Zella keep it all together and enjoy the process?

You have to keep it all in perspective and you gotta feel the love. The 6-18 months ahead of you will be some of the most exciting and trying times you’ve ever experienced. On one hand, you are planning a big party: it’s a big deal, right? Keep it in perspective: it is a one night affair. No one will starve if you serve the beef medium rare even though they prefer well done. No one will perish if they don’t get a favor, and I promise you: no one will notice if the caterer forgot to set out the menus.

On the other hand, you are planning a gathering of the most important people in your life to witness the one of the biggest commitments and transformations of your life.  So it is a big deal, right?! It is a big deal. The many emotions involved with choosing your life partner and fusing your families together can make the decision making process cloudy. All of a sudden, the decision of vanilla cake with raspberry cream vs. chocolate cake with truffle fudge feels like choosing which of your limbs to chop off (which do you use more often? Your right arm or your left leg?!). Whenever you find yourself with an axe in hand, contemplating crutches or a claw, you gotta STOP. Breathe and remind yourself of the love that brought you to this place. Everyone around you loves you and supports you. Even if that means they’re yakking your ear off about not wanting to have a peach colored tulle archway at the entrance of the ballroom (After all, Michaels Arts & Crafts is having a sale on tulle by the yard and peach was your favorite color when you were 12!).

If you can Enjoy Each Day of the process (or at least most of them!), you will Enjoy the Big Day.