Photo courtesy of Storybook Wedding Photography

It’s getting close to “fireworks day” and it reminds me how much I like using sparklers for the first dance, last dance or the “Grand Exit” at weddings.

If you are having your wedding or reception in a city that allows fireworks, consider using sparklers to create an inexpensive “Wow Factor” for  your special day.

I asked Shandelle Wertz Girdley, owner of BuySparklers.com to share her best tips on how to use sparklers in a safe and fabulous way for weddings. Here are her words of wisdom:

“1 – Check with your venue first.
Please check with your venue coordinator to see if sparklers are permitted. Most locations won’t mind you using them outside, but it’s best to ask first!

2 – Buy quality metal wire sparklers.
Do not buy bamboo stick sparklers. Bamboo sparklers produce significantly more smoke and will ash off as they burn down the stick. They can be very messy and I don’t recommend them for formal occasions.

3 – Use helpers!
Coach a team of helpers to hand out and light sparklers. Give them BBQ lighters to light the first few sparklers. Then tell them to show people in the crowd how to dip unlit sparklers into lit sparklers. ALSO coach them to hold sparklers UP and AWAY.

4 – Create and control the moment.
If doing a “tunnel” of sparklers for the bride and groom to run under for their exit…keep the crowd a little more than an arm’s length away. It’s more for show than to literally make a tunnel. A wide tunnel also gives the bride & groom enough room to “dash” out without bending over. This will help you get great pictures.

5 – Consult your photographer.
Let your photographer know when and where you are using sparklers. They can be ready to capture the moment…or to stage a few pictures just before or just after the big exit.

6 – Dispose properly.
Use your team of helpers to make sure sparklers are properly disposed. The metal wires will be hot for a few minutes after burning. You should have metal buckets or trays nearby filled with water or sand so the wires can be discarded safely.”

Thanks Shandelle for offering your helpful hints plus (BIG PLUS!) many thanks for offering BridesKnowBest readers a 10% discount on BuySparklers.com for an entire (not including shipping) order. Be sure to use Coupon Code: “10Kathy” to get this great offer.

The BuySparklers website is filled with many types of sparklers, including heart shaped and extra long options. Shandelle mentioned to be sure to order early. Sparklers can only be shipped via Ground Services (because they are flammable, they can’t go on airplanes for overnight or expedited delivery), so don’t wait until the last minute!

With or without fireworks, let yourself “sparkle plenty” on your wedding day!

Top photo: courtesy of Storybook Wedding Photography

Middle photo: courtesy of Advance-Images Photography and BuySparklers.com

Jhordice and Mauricio Munoz’s wedding is a perfect example of the “WOW factor weddings” Laurie creates every weekend. This lavish October wedding had show-stopping entertainment.  Laurie hired 10 of the finest ballroom dancers in America, including some from the hit TV Show, Dancing with the Stars, to perform throughout the wedding reception. The jaw-dropping dancing inspired all the guests to try their own special dance moves, which might not have looked as perfect as the professionals, but definitely a sight to see!

And if this wasn’t enough fun for Jhordice and Mauricio’s  lucky, lucky, guests, a personalized version of the Newlywed Game, starring the brand new newlyweds, left everyone hysterically laughing. 

For more wedding eye candy, go to Laurie’s blog at Five Star Weddings & Events and Beautiful Day Photography’s website, who shared these beautiful photos with us.

and crushin’ on these pillows too!

and her flowers…

Mark Held of MARK'S GARDEN

If you ask who is the “Florist to the Stars,” the insiders would tell you it is MARK’S GARDEN in Sherman Oaks, California. The owners, Mark Held and Richard David, along with their premiere staff, created the floral designs for such notable weddings as Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom’s, Fergie and Josh Duhamel’s, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi’s, Kathryn Heigl and Josh Kelley’s and believe me, the list seems quite endless.  For two decades MARK’S GARDEN has been creating fairytale weddings for many lucky couples.

Mark and the rest of his talented team are currently preparing for several extravagant Valentine’s weddings and finishing their 17^th year planning the floral designs for the Academy Awards Governor’s ball. Held was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to speak with me and share his tips for brides planning their wedding flowers.

Here are Mark’s tips…

(1)  “Before you start looking at your flowers, you first need to be realistic and confront your budget. If you have a small budget but want to invite 300 people, you cannot expect to be able to spend a lot of money on flowers. If you want more flexibility with your limited dollars, think about having a smaller guest list and a more intimate wedding.

(2)  The best way to save money on flowers and décor is to choose a venue that is already beautiful, that needs little enhancement. A beautiful garden, a panoramic view, a beautifully appointed room are all places where you don’t need to add too much to the scenery to have a beautiful wedding.

simone and martin Photography

(3) Everyone has a budget, even people who tell me they do not have a budget, have one. When you initiate a conversation with any of your vendors, be very upfront on what your budget is for their specific service. It is a waste of time for you or your vendors if you don’t do this. If they show you a proposal for something you cannot afford, you’ve just wasted your time and you haven’t seen what the vendor is capable of doing within your budget.

(4) Don’t skimp on your bridal bouquet. This is your day; you should get to have a beautiful bouquet to hold. However, don’t choose a bouquet that overpowers you or your dress. We want to see you first when you are walking down the aisle, not your bouquet. You are the star of the show. Brides come in every shape and size and your flowers need to honor that. You may see a bouquet in a magazine that you love, but it may take away from your own personal beauty. Make sure that you choose your dress first before you even begin a design conversation about your bouquet.

Gertrude & Mabel Photography

(5) Boutonnières are not corsages! I personally think men’s boutonnières should be simple and small. And bows on men’s boutonnières, I’m sorry, that is just one big no no to me.

(6) Don’t mix too many colors in your wedding flowers; it can really start looking like a circus. I think one or two colors are best. You can still make a bright and colorful statement with two great stand-out colors, but beyond that, it’s hard to successfully execute an elegant design.

(7) Bring tear sheets and pictures of wedding flowers you love and those you hate to your design consultation (mark appropriately so they know which you love and which you hate!). Bring material swatches of your bridesmaids’ dresses and your wedding dress (if you can get it). Bring pictures of all wedding party attire and your wedding and reception venue (if your florist is not familiar with the location(s)). The more information you give to your florist, the better they will be able to design something you will love.

Gertrude & Mabel Photography

(8) Be flexible with the type of flowers you want to use at your wedding. You may have one specific flower in mind but that flower may not hold up well in the heat of your outdoor wedding. Hopefully you are working with a floral designer that will educate you on what flowers will be the best for your special day given all the elements like the seasonal availability of flowers, the cost of the flowers (in terms of honoring your budget), and how that flower will hold up in your specific environment and in the overall look you want to achieve.

(9) Head wreaths are not a great idea for your tiny attendants. If your flower girl is under 5,  they will likely take it off as fast as their mother tries to put it back on again!  For flower girls under 3, consider giving them a very lightweight basket with a small arrangement in it instead of petals to throw. Heavy baskets get given to mothers to carry and petals often confuse little ones and rarely thrown, the way you want them to be thrown, when the flower girl is too young to understand.

(10) Most tall centerpieces are more expensive than low ones, so if you are trying to save money, either keep with all low ones or alternate them to save money – maybe 3 low centerpieces for every tall one.

Yitzhak Dalal, Dalal Photography

(11) Incorporating candles with your centerpieces can stretch your budget and creates a very romantic feel to your wedding. Inexpensive votive candles surrounding your centerpieces can enhance the overall look of any priced centerpiece.

(12) You can never go wrong with a clean classic look.

(13)  Make sure you are listening to your professional floral designer but also be sure that they are listening to you. My brides bring in some very fresh and wonderful ideas. If I were not listening to their creative ideas, I would lose the opportunity to design something truly personal and special for them. If your floral designer is not listening to you, find one that will. On the other hand, make sure you are listening to your designer’s wisdom as well. That is what you are paying for right?  Use the wealth of their experience to create the perfect look for you.”

Thank you Mark for sharing the wealth of your experience with us!

Mark’s aptly named book, Fabulous Parties, will be coming out in paperback in March.

Click here to be directed to MARK’S GARDEN’s website.

Travelin Joe Espresso Catering

At another wedding the big hit of the evening was an espresso catering cart that made the best mocha cappuccinos I had ever tasted. Guests thought the carmel lattes were amazing as well. I remember everyone dancing so much more than the usual wedding and then I realized that the quantity of caffeine that was being consumed was quite different than most weddings. I loved that they made yummy hot chocolates for the kiddos. We added a silver tray filled with Nona’s Biscotti and chocolate dipped strawberries to complete this special after dinner treat.

I have been a fan of slush machines for a long, long time. Renting a professional slush machine can allow you to make daiquiris, margaritas, bellinis, and so much more with or without alcohol. Slush machine rental companies have all the ingredients you’ll need to make a hit with your guests.

My all time favorite alcohol-free wedding was a 50’s themed wedding that had a full Soda Bar staffed with a costumed “Soda Jerk” that made amazing phosphate drinks as well as the most delicious chocolate malts and strawberry shakes.

For a fall wedding what could be better than serving hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks? For a Winter Wonderland wedding serve hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows (so much better than the store-bought!) And for a spring or summer wedding, large glass containers of lemonade, sun tea and citrus infused water is simply perfect.

For some yummy recipes check out:

Zero-proof Cocktails by Liz Scott

The Ultimate Liquor-Free Drink Guide by Sharon Tyler Herbst

The Mocktail Bar Guide by Frank Thomas and Karen Lancaster Brown

8 Great Non-alcoholic Cocktails by Sandy Kendall

What non-alcoholic drinks have added a special touch to your celebrations? Please share your recipes and pictures!

If you are like me and look forward to sharing a little trinket with your guests, here are some “favorable” examples:

1. Marianne met her husband because they both purchased all the lemon drops out of their company’s (a trash collection service) vending machines. They began meeting at the vending machine and love bloomed. So for their wedding favors they placed a bag of lemon drops in little dump trucks. The best man mentioned the lemon drops love story in his toast, and everyone had fun having dump-truck races on the dance floor.

Joe and Jill are firefighters and did a very similar favor with mini fire trucks (they filled their trucks with personalized M&M’s). Creating a favor that is symbolic of your life together always adds a special touch to your celebration.

2. Ever since Tiger Woods came on the scene, golf- oriented favors have been very popular. Many Chocolate companies offer solid milk, dark, or white chocolate golf balls that they can package sitting on grass (artificial of course) in a beautiful truffle box or in iridescent cellophane packages. You can order personalized golf tees to place under the bow. Order plenty of golf tees and have the extra displayed in a glass brandy snifter for all the golf fanatics to grab a nice pocketful. The guys love this one!

3. Rosanne’s mom makes the best snicker doodle cookies in the whole world – that is a fact. So for Roseanne’s wedding, her mom made her delicious creations and placed them in clear cellophane bags tied with beautiful French ribbon. The note attached to the bag said “From our Family to yours, thank you for making our day so sweet!”

My family made homemade truffles and fudge for the favors at my wedding. We ordered boxes that said, “The Sweetest things in life are those you share with the ones you love. Thank you for sharing our Day.” All my friends told me that they ate all their treats on the way home. This wouldn’t be so shocking if it had been one or two truffles per guest. The truth is, it was a half-pound box of chocolates for each guest. Oy vey!

Frames can do double duty - hold your place cards and be your wedding favor

4) I love framing place cards in beautiful little frames so they serve two purposes (the favor and the place card). After the wedding I suggest that Newlyweds send a picture (included in the thank you card) from the wedding that will fit into the frames. Ask your photographer to be sure to get a picture of the two of you with every guest so this can be a very personal thank you gift.

Whatever you favor, enjoy!!!

Please share your ideas on great wedding favors.

Here are two on-line favor stores for inspiration:

Beau-coup

My Wedding Favors

Who sits where?

TopTablePlanner.com

Now for the scary part (if you are not already hyperventilating)… seat assignments!

Seat assignments can be a logistical and a psychological nightmare. Aunt Betty and Uncle Tom haven’t spoken to each other in 20 years and you are on your third stepfather and have invited them all to your wedding. Who you sit where can make or break a party.

Issues to keep in mind

1) Think of each dining table as a party within your party. Who is going to be an “Ambassador of Fun” at each table, who can make anybody feel special and who do you think will enjoy each other’s company? Who would be repulsed to sit by one of your other guests (do keep them as far away from each other as possible)?

2) Physical restrictions: Who has a cast on their leg or is wheelchair bound? Who needs to be placed where there is plenty of room because he is the size of a sumo wrestler? Absolutely think of the challenges that each of your guests may have and factor those in when assigning their seat. A table generally for 10 may have to be a table for 7 to accommodate some special needs. Be sure your event or site coordinator is alerted to those special needs.

3) Ego Placements – Are your Fiance’s divorced parents’ tables equally prominent? Will that matter to them? You don’t want a pouting new mama- in- law on your hands at your wedding. Whose ego needs to be assigned a special table?

4) Good vibrations – make sure that you do not have your 96-year-old grandfather next to the DJ’s speakers. Most elderly guests’ ears may be sensitive to noise and won’t be able to hear anybody talk at their table if they are too close to the music.

5) Kid Friendly – Don’t put your cousin and her 3 children at the same table as someone who hates children. Do you want a kids’ table and then put their parents’ tables next to the kids’ table – sort of the “family friendly zone at your reception?”

So how do you make a physical plan of your table arrangements and seat assignments without needing tranquilizers? Do you need to get graph paper, crayons, or an architect involved???

There’s help!!!!! Several brilliant people have developed programs to help you with your seating arrangements. One web-based planner, Toptableplanner.com is worth taking a peek at. Their planner can help you make a layout and assign people to different tables. As importantly, it allows you to move people (and remove people) by just a drag and a drop. You can keep track of your RSVPs and guests’ meal choices and print your revised table plans, place cards and escort cards anywhere you have internet access (and of course a printer). It is a nice and easy planning tool and I believe can relieve so much of the anxiety you are feeling right now. It’s a $20 investment towards your sanity. There are other internet and software planning tools worthy of your evaluation (we’ll be looking at a few more in future posts), so do your homework and choose the best program for your needs.

Before you firm everything up though – be sure you are showing your plan to all the wedding vendors you are using. You want to be certain your layout fits into the room with all the decor and activities you have planned for your reception.

I could go on forever on this subject (I guess I actually have!) but for now – go jot down all the issues that you know you will need to take into consideration to make your room design and seating arrangements work for your celebration. And don’t forget to ask for help – there are a lot of professionals that can help you with these tasks – event coordinators, event designers, caterers, and party rental consultants are all people who work on room design and seating arrangement issues everyday.

Happy planning!

Emin Photography

Forgive me readers but this is long. Real long! I have separated this article in two posts. This is part one. Make sure to read both posts to get the full story. Here we goooooo…….

Although I happen to get one big buzz from planning special events, my least favorite part of party planning is deciding how the tables are laid out and who sits where. If you do not have an architect’s, interior decorator’s, sociologist’s, psychologist’s, caterer’s, entertainer’s and party planner’s mind all captured in your very own head, here is a little help for you:

Room layout/ Floorplan:

Hopefully you’ll have some professional guidance here.

* If you are having your celebration at a popular wedding location, their events coordinator will likely have very practical wisdom to share with you. Definitely ask if they have samples of different room layouts for you to take home and mull over. Ask the event coordinator which layout they think will work best with not only the amount of people you are having but the type of entertainment, activities, and decorations you have planned. If you are having a 16 piece orchestra they will need more room than a solo DJ. If you decide to bring in 22 lighted Christmas trees for your Winter Wonderland themed event, this is going to take more room than the two Ficus trees already there.

* Head table or no head table – Choosing if you want a Sweetheart table just for the two of you or if you want your entire wedding party sitting with you, is a huge issue to decide before you lay out the design of your room. If you hate people watching you eat or just not comfortable with being in the spotlight all night long, you just may choose to eliminate a head table all together. If that is your choice, make sure your table has “Hugs room” – so that people can comfortably come and extend their best wishes.

* Room design and table arrangements need to be a collaborative process with all professionals that will need some space during your wedding. Someone needs to call the DJ, orchestra, caterer, etc. and ask how much room their set-up takes and do they have any other special requirements for their installation. I remember one wedding I attended that the bride laid out her own space and put the DJ and the food buffet in a space where there was no electricity. This was not a good beginning of this poor bride’s wedding day!

* Make a list. Start writing down all the things you think you will need space for at your event. Do you want a dance floor, cake table, gift table, and hostess/guestbook/place-card table? List, list, list and share, share, share with everyone involved. My cousin forgot to place a cake table at her wedding, but then again she had forgotten to order the cake until two days before.

* How many guest tables you will need will be determined by so many factors. How many people do you want at each table? Does your location require a certain amount of guests at each table (some do for space and staff budgeting)? I like people to have lots of elbowroom so I like to see how the actual set-up will look like before I make my mind up. Take a look at how close the tables are placed near each other – is there room for people to get out of their chair without hitting the person sitting at the table in back of them? Ask your event site if you can come take a peek when they have set up for someone else’s event that would likely be similar to yours.

Stay tuned for part two – Who Sits Where?

Use pictures as background on your table numbers

There are many ways to personalize a wedding. One very popular idea is to use pictures as part of your wedding décor. Most couples find that using pictures as focal points at their wedding and reception will not only make their “wedding-scape” truly one of a kind, but really helps break the ice between guests. Pictures bring back fond memories for guests to share with one another, relieving that awkward silence between people that only have the bride and groom as their common denominator. And the cherry on top of this idea? This couldn’t be a more budget friendly idea; you have the pictures and even if you buy new frames, you can use them for your home décor after the wedding. Personal, budget and green friendly; how much better can a decorating idea get? Here are a few ways to incorporate pictures in your celebration:

Show off your parents' cake cutting pictures on your cake table

Guest book – Instead of a traditional guest book, have your guests sign the matting that surrounds your engagement portrait.
Altar pictures- Place small pictures of your dearly departed, (or those who cannot attend your wedding), on the unity candle, communion or ceremony table.
Personal jewelry –A locket with your beloved’s picture in it is a nice accessory to wear when you say, “I do”.
Reception entrance – Display pictures at the entryway of your reception, either on stand-alone easels or on your placecard table.
Tabletop centerpieces – Set three or four pictures of various sizes on each dining table. Make sure you include baby pictures and those awkward pre-teen pix as well as recent couple shots of the two of you in the mix. Add votive candles and scatter flower petals, some decorative stones, crystals, or mirror discs around the pictures and you have yourself some great conversation pieces. People will walk around to see what pictures are featured at each table.
Head table –A framed picture of each attendant (hopefully you are in the picture with them as well) at their place-setting is a very special way to designate who sits where at the head table.
Cake table- Flank your wedding cake with pictures of your parents and grandparents cutting their wedding cake.
Entertainment – Many photographers and videographers have the ability to produce and present a video or slide show of your love story. If you or friends are on the creative side, try it DIY style and have your masterpiece shown at your reception.

Last but not least, be sure to include a picture from the wedding in your thank you cards. From beginning to the end, pictures can add so much to your wedding experience.

Question for our Experienced Brides: How did you use pictures in your wedding decor? Brides2Be want to know!

Walk into most any department in Wal-Mart and you can find something that may be useful for a bride and groom and generally speaking, you aren’t going to find it cheaper anywhere else. In their jewelry department you will find a few inexpensive engagement rings and wedding bands and a generous selection of accessories and gifts for an entire bridal party. Cubic Zirconia tennis bracelets, simple anklets, heart shaped and “Journey” necklaces with earrings to match, will accessorize bridesmaids well without emptying anyone’s piggy bank.

In the party section you will find several rows of typical wedding supplies for much lower prices than most specialty stores. A good assortment of Favor boxes at 50 for $12 can easily be filled with a sweet treat found in their candy department. Want the kiddies-at-heart to have bubbles? 100 Ring Bubble Wand Favors are only $15. For the computer savvy they have invitation kits at unbelievable prices and for the home bakers they have most anything you would need to make your own wedding cake or cupcake tower.

If you venture into departments not often thought of as wedding related, you will locate some great “finds” for a celebration. Do some price comparison and you may find that it is actually cheaper to buy whole sets of dinnerware than to rent them from a typical party rental company. On a recent visit to a Wal-Mart store, I found glass dinner plates for $1.50 each. The nice thing about purchasing instead of renting is you will have a large collection for all your future celebrations.

Decorating weddings with $5 vases, filling them with homegrown flowers and surrounding the vases with $1 votive candles can make for simple and inexpensive centerpieces. Purchasing a gazebo or an arbor in their garden department will allow you to reuse it in your own backyard after it has been the centerpiece of your ceremony. You can also get multi-use out of other special décor like lanterns, firepits or outdoor furniture that help create a very chic and contemporary styled wedding.

Right now, when the Christmas department is just being set up, it’s a great time to look at white lights to swag on your head and cake tables (underneath tulle or iridescent material). Or purchase Christmas ornaments and pile them in a crystal bowl for an easy centerpiece anytime of the year.

Don’t forget the personal health and hygiene departments to make “Wedding Day Emergency Kits.” Band-Aids, Tums, Aspirins, mouthwash, hairspray, deodorant, nail repair kits, Kleenex and smelling salts are just a few of the items key to a good emergency kit. Add energy bars, nuts and bottled water from the grocery section and stain removers from the laundry supplies and your kit will begin to look like a pro made it.

If your schedule is crazy and feet are sore, do some of your shopping on-line at www.walmart.com. By creatively thinking outside the box – you can come up with a Wal-Mart Wedding that won’t break the bank but can still be a very special celebration with all the trimmings!