Honeymoon Heaven

Every last penny is spent on lavish venues, hand-tied bouquets, opulent dress fabrics, extravagant menus, state of the art discos, novel favours and award-winning photographers. But, when it comes to splashing out on the holiday of a lifetime - your first as man and wife packed with lots of guilt free indulgences - why do you feel the need to compromise?! It seems as though wedding guests are treated like royalty leaving the happy couple to start their married life as paupers. There’s plenty of time for being penniless later - like when you’ve got 6 kids to feed and a hefty mortgage!
The honeymoon
is such a vital part of a wedding celebration and the perfect end to all the excitement and build up of the big day. But, it’s also the start of something special. It’s the beginning of your marriage and therefore should be marked with a wonderful holiday. Saving money by not having a proper honeymoon will always be regretted. Make cutbacks everywhere else - give your guests chicken rather than caviar and they probably won’t even notice - but don’t scrimp on the holiday! Pack your groom off to the nearest travel agents and make sure you both get the honeymoon you deserve. You can then buy your ‘Just Married’ Rhinestone Bikini and relish every moment of twinkling by the sea!

By Emily Tanner

Great Chocolate Wedding Favors Ideas

One of the most important steps to planning any part of your wedding is knowing the theme and style of your wedding beforehand. This will help guide you in making decisions about how you will make your chocolate wedding favors

The Chocolate It is important to make some basic decisions early on, like the type of chocolate that you want in your wedding favor. You will have to choose from milk chocolate, dark chocolate and semi sweet chocolate. Typically one of the most elegant chocolate wedding favor gifts that you can give consists of a few carefully selected chocolate truffles. If this is the case

it is very easy to get the truffles in many different types of chocolates and a variety is a great way to go.

The Container The container is almost as important as the actual chocolates. What container you use will depend on the type of wedding you are having. For example if your wedding theme was a beach theme then a gold leafed or embossed box of chocolates might look out of place. So you will want to pick a container that matches the style and theme of your wedding. One very fun thing to use is a clear container. This shows off the beauty of the truffles inside.

The Label One popular trend that has been growing quickly among wedding gift favors is personalized wedding tags. You can easily print these at home on your computer. Your wedding guests will just fall in love with the favor if you get their name on the tag. You can also insert a little personality into the wedding labels for example a quote.

Some Guidelines Remember that with chocolate if you want to be very elegant then less is truly more. Instead of going with the bulk mentality use a few carefully selected or created chocolates that can be arranged beautifully. This type of wedding favor gift will just exude class. The chocolate is honestly more elegant and classy then a small box of tiny chocolate truffles very delicately arranges.

The most important part of creating incredible chocolate wedding favors is to have a plan and get started on it as far ahead as possible. Trying to make chocolate wedding favor gifts the last minute is a recipe for disaster. So plan ahead, get started early and follow the advice above and you will have one spectacular chocolate wedding favor.

by Sam Smith

Are Seating Assignments at Wedding Receptions Necessary?

Now you may have heard several terms when speaking of seating arrangements. Place cards, table cards and escort cards often are used interchangeably, but in fact, there are differences among the three. If your having designated seating, you'll need all three types.

Escort Cards: Let each guest know which table they are assigned to. These are commonly found on a table near the entrance of your reception room. Often these cards are tucked into a small envelope with your guests' name written on the outside. Tent cards can also be used for this. Another alternative is a seating chart that often is framed

and displayed outside the reception area.

Whether you prefer escort cards or a seating chart is a matter of personal preference. Escort cards can be changed up to the last minute, whereas a seating chart may need to be printed days or weeks in advance.

Escort or seating charts usually display the guests' names in alphabetical order. The most formal way to write your escort or seating arrangements is: Mr. and Mrs. John Smith. This is the same as how the guests were addressed on the formal invitation envelope. The informal alternative is simply Mary and John Smith. If a husband and wife have different names, the wife's name usually gets listed first. If someone brings a guest, you can list both names on one card, or use two separate cards. If you choose one card for both names, the woman's name usually gets listed first, though many people will put the invited guest's name first, even if it is a man.

Table Cards: A table card is just that, a card that is prominently displayed on the table and identifies the table, usually with a number. An alternative to numbers is naming tables. You could name them after favorite flowers, places, love songs, or anything that is meaningful to you.

Place Cards: A place card is put at a specific seat; write the guest's name on both sides of the card so everyone knows whom their tablemates are. It can be formal such as a white or ecru card, or something festive and informal such as a place card inserted into a decorative holder.

How to write your guests' names on place cards: Formally, the name is written: Mr. Smith, if there are two Mr.Smiths at the table than the first name is used, i.e. Mr. John Smith. In an informal approach, you can use either John Smith or simply, John. The last name would be required if there are more than one of that name at the table.

Some popular choices to seat guests at tables are:

* Couples that come together are seated together

* Couples that come together are seated at the same table but not next to each other. In this case guests alternate male / female seating.

* At a round table, the best seat is that which is facing the honored guest(s)

Escort cards, table cards and place cards all serve a necessary function. They help your guests find their seats and they take pressure off of guests who may not know each other. For wedding couples on a budget, these needed wedding accessories are not necessarily expensive, escort cards can range from just a few cents each to several dollars depending on how elaborate you wish them to be. Your reception hall may provide table cards and stands, and place cards can be used for the most formal affairs. Additionally, if you're looking for a multipurpose wedding favor, there are numerous decorative and themed holders and frames that can serve a duel purpose: displaying escort or place cards, while guests can take them home as a souvenir.

By Erica Tevis