Photo tile jewelry has become more and more popular recently.  After all, everyone loves having pictures of their loved ones, and putting those same pictures on jewelry is a legitimate way of showing them off to others without being too pushy.  I myself own several photo tile pendants with my grandchildren’s photos and I even have a photo tile keychain with my cat’s picture on it.  Although not too many people comment on my cat, my grandchildren always evoke dozens of admiring comments each time I wear the pendant (which is quite often!).

Wedding Favor Reflections has been selling photo tile jewelry for over a year now and we’ve seen this item go from a novel curiosity to one of our more popular and best selling items.  This is totally understandable.  It makes the perfect gift for Christmas, Mother’s Day, graduations, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and any other occasion where a personalized gift would be appreciated.

The cost of these unique pendants can run fairly high depending on who you purchase from.  It’s always best to shop around and look for testitmonials.  Not all photo tile jewelry is created equal.  We’re pleased to work together with an Ohio-based company called Milestones~n~Memories for our photo tile jewelry.  Every piece is handmade and great care is taken to make sure the customer is pleased with their purchase.  Customers are contacted throughout the creation process of their jewelry.  Proofs are sent in various shapes and nothing is made until the customer has given their final approval.  Even with this incredible one-on-one customer service, the price of these one-of-a-kind pieces is extremely reasonable. 

Purchasing photo tile jewelry as a gift for someone else does take a little planning.  Since they are handmade, it can take up to 2 - 3 weeks to receive your item depending on the time of year, but it is well worth the wait.  Photo tile jewelry is definitely gaining in popularity, and with very good reason.  I can’t think of another gift idea that brings as much joy to anyone who receives it!

The tradition of wearing a white wedding dress dates back to late 15th century France when Anne of Brittany first wore white for her marriage to Louis XII.  Queen Victoria also wore white for her marriage to her cousin, Albert of Saxe-Coburg in 1840. 

For common folk, buying a special dress to be married in was unusual and most women just wore what they considered to be their best dress.  The color was not important.  Later, during the depression, it became a common practice to make a nice white dress for your wedding, only to dye it another color in afterwards in order to get plenty of use from your investment.

Today, white is the color of choice, especially for a first time bride.  The color represents purity and innocence.  White is no longer unheard of for consecutive marriages, however most women still seem to prefer colors such as ivory in these cases.

Do you love the idea of a beach theme wedding and reception, but aren’t real crazy about taking a chance on the variables such as blistering temperatures, sky-high humidity and unexpected rainshowers?  Here’s an alternative that you may want to check into.

Consider holding your wedding and/or reception at an aquarium.  There are several aquariums around the country that have banquet rooms cozy enough for a party of 50 and large enough to accomodate up to 500 people.  Just a few of the states that have aquariums that cater to weddings and receptions are: Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee.  Do an online search in your particular area to see if there is an aquarium located near you.

Being located in Georgia, I’ve done a little checking with the Georgia Aquarium.  You can choose your own caterer or you can use the aquarium’s famous caterer, Wolfgang Puck.  Meals range from ‘coffee break’ type foods and hors d’oeuvres, to buffets and exotic sit-down dinners.  The prices, as  of the writing of this article, start at $5 per person and can go as high as $75 per person, so it’s fairly easy to fit into your budget and style.  Informal weddings, as well as extremely formal elegant weddings fit well into this aquarium’s atmosphere.

The best part of this type of beach theme wedding is the scenery.  Rooms are lined with gigantic windows peering into the aquarium itself.  Whales, sharks and other exotic aquatic animals happily join your celebration as they give an ever-changing backdrop to your reception room.  Plus, by holding your event at an aquarium, there’s no need to wait on warmer weather to be able to incorporate your beach theme.

As you know, theme weddings are a great way to plan a wedding and reception.  It gives you a ’springboard’ from which to start when deciding on the many details of a wedding.  One of the easiest and most versatile theme is the use of color.  You can choose one color or a color combination that you’re particularly fond of.

A color theme wedding doesn’t confine you to specific types of decorations, style of gowns, or menu selection.  But it will allow you to express your own individual unique personality in everything you plan.  As an example, let’s say you want to plan a wedding using the traditional white (bride) and black (groom) colors with a splash of red.

As I’ve said before, begin at the beginning.  Incorporate those colors, especially the red, into your wedding invitations.  A lovely red rose or heart would be a nice start.  HINT:  When ordering the invitations, don’t forget to also order matching thank you cards.  This continues the theme all the way to the end. 

Use these same colors in the wedding attire.  One of the most striking wedding party pictures I’ve ever seen was with the bride in white carrying a red bouquet and the bridesmaids in red carrying white bouquets.  

Extend the color theme to the reception featuring specialty drinks.    Talk with your caterer about creating drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, using fruits like strawberries or raspberries to give these specialty drinks the color of your theme.

Adorn the wedding party table and the reception tables with touches of red in the centerpieces and the wedding favors.  Make a request of the wedding party decorating committee that red and white be used when adorning the getaway car.   

Every bride wants to look her very best on her wedding day.  After all, it is the most special day of her life and there will be hundreds of pictures taken that will last a lifetime.  Chances are you’ve spent days, maybe even weeks and months searching for the perfect wedding dress and veil.  Don’t wait until the last minute to decide what hairstyle you’ll have and how your makeup will look.

As with every detail of your wedding, it’s best to have your makeup and hairstyle planned out well in advance.  If you’ll be fixing your face and hair yourself, you can practice with different looks at your leisure.  However, if you’re like most brides, and decide to get your ‘look’ professionally done, the sooner you start looking for your stylist, the better. 

Talk to friends and coworkers who have used this kind of service.  Visit the salons and talk to the stylists.  Don’t be afraid to ask for references and then call them to see what they liked or disliked about the stylist.

Some salons will offer a package where you can ‘practice’ on the first visit before deciding on a definite style and look.  Be sure to bring your veil with you so your stylist knows what they will be working with.  If your bridesmaids will be using the same salon, make it a girls’ night out and have fun with it. 

You may even want to check to see if your salon offers a complete wedding day package, which usually includes a total spa treatment the morning of your wedding, along with a manicure, pedicure, and a light snack, in addition to the makeup and hair styling.

If you have chosen to try to cut your wedding costs by creating some of your floral arrangements out of silk flowers yourself, congratulations!  Floral arranging is a lot of fun and you will be absolutely amazed at how much money you actually save. 

The best way to start is to look for a floral arrangement book.  These can be found in the wedding section of most craft stores.  You may need to purchase several books in order to find all the arrangements in the style you like.  First, look for a book that has a style of bridal bouquet that you like.  Remember you can substitute different types and colors of flowers to create your own unique bouquet; right now you’re just looking for a style you like.  These books will list all the materials you will need to make each arrangement and step-by-step directions.

You may want to start out small, making boutonnieres and corsages first.  These are very easy to make and take very little time.  If it all seems a little overwhelming to you, try creating a long stem floral arrangement for the bridesmaids instead of bouquets.  This is done by simply arranging 3 - 5 long stem flowers and tying them together with ribbon.

There are lots of benefits to using silk flowers for your wedding arrangements other than just the money you’ll save.  You never have to wait until a flower is in season or worry about working around holidays when florists may be out of a certain flower you want.  Silk flowers can be found in many more color shades to fit into your wedding color scheme, and best of all, they last forever.  So you can keep your wedding party table arrangment to use in the dining room of your new home. 

Creating a wedding with a theme makes the planning easier and tends to give the whole ceremony and reception a more polished look.  A theme can be anything you can imagine from destinations to hobbies to colors.

A theme should begin at the beginning ~ with the wedding invitations.  Springtime wedding invitations featuring pastel butterflies or wispy flowers would set a lovely romantic tone for the entire wedding.

If you’re having a destination wedding in Hawaii, choosing a beach theme would be perfect.  The idea brings to mind many images such as tiki huts, sandy beaches, seashells, palm trees, tropical sunsets and native Hawaiian-style music. 

Heritage theme weddings can incorporate long-lost traditions, special wedding vows, or symbolic gestures during the ceremony.  Continuing the theme into the reception would allow you to incorporate ethnic food, beverages, music and dancing.

Consider themes that incorporate mutual hobbies such as hot air ballooning, horseback riding, hiking, sports, cooking, etc.  Coffee or wine theme weddings are perfect for the couple who are connoisseurs of those particular beverages.  These themes also fit very well into the planning of the reception.  Other theme ideas include, hearts, swans, fairy tale, garden, colors, seasonal theme, a favorite movie, or flowers.

The trick to making a theme wedding work is to start with the invitations and run it throughout the ceremony and reception. 

I’ve found a few more international wedding customs that are quite interesting and may even make a wonderful addition to your heritage theme wedding.

Australia
It is traditional to give the bride and groom a marriage Bible as a wedding gift.  These Bibles are treasured family heirlooms and are often passed down from generation to generation.

Finland
Long ago, during the wedding ceremony, a crown of gold was placed upon the bride’s head.  Once the ceremony was over, the bride was blindfolded and all the unmarried females would gather around her.  The bride would then move around blindly until she chose someone to pass the gold crown to.  This person was believed to be the next to be married.

Ireland
New Year’ Day is considered to be the luckiest day to be married on.  The couple may receive a horseshoe to hand in their new home for good luck.  The horseshoe should always be hung with the open side up so none of the luck spills out.  The Claddagh ring is the traditional wedding ring.  It bears a symbol containing a heart, crown and hands which stand for love, loyalty and friendship.

Japan
Japanese weddings are known to be some of the most extravagant wedding ceremonies.  During the ceremony, the bride and groom take nine sips of sake (a traditional rice wine).  The couple is considered to be married after the first sip.  It is common for the bride to change clothing three to four times during the ceremony.  Guests not only enjoy delicious food and wonderful entertainment, they are also given extravagant wedding favors that may be valued up to half of the price of the wedding gifts given to the couple.

Romania
A common tradition here is for the guests to shower nuts and candy on the bride and groom as a symbol of prosperity.

Sweden
The bride will carry a bouquet of fragrant herbs in hopes of keeping away trolls.  Even the groom would have thyme sewn into his wedding attire.

United States
Long ago, the newlyweds would receive a drink consisting of hot spiced milk and brew instead of wedding gifts.  It was believed to provide the couple with stamina for the wedding night.  A common pre-Civil War belief among African-American brides was that Tuesdays and Wednesdays were the best days on which to marry.  It was thought to ensure a long and happy married life together.

Here’s a few more wedding customs from around the world that you may like to work into your heritage theme wedding celebration.

Bermuda
After the wedding, the newlyweds plant a tree to symbolize their marriage and growing love.

England
On their way to the church, the bride and her maids of honor travel on a path of strewn flower petals to symbolize a smooth and happy journey through life.  Bells chime as the couple enters the church and again as they leave.  Bells were believed to ward off evil spirits.

Germany
Here both the bride and the groom wear engagement bands before the wedding.  During the ceremony, the groom kneels on the hem of the bride’s wedding gown to signify his authority over her.  The bride then steps on the groom’s foot in order to set him straight.

India
Puffed rice, a symbol of fertility and luck, is prepared by the families of both the bride and the groom.  The brother of the groom showers the couple with flower petals after the ceremony.  Another unique tradition is to use henna dye to paint designs on the hands of the bride and groom.  Then the newlyweds leave their handprints on the outside door of their home for good luck.

Philippines
The couple is joined together by a white silk cord during the ceremony.  The bride’s family is not expected to pay for the wedding, however, they do provide the couple with a cash dowry.  The groom’s family customarily pays for all wedding expenses including giving the bride a gift of old coins which symbolize prosperity.

Spain
The groom wears a hand-embroidered shirt on his wedding day that has been made for him by the bride.  The bride adorns herself in orange blossoms and a mantilla, a lace veil covering.  Unlike in America, both the bride and groom wear their wedding rings on their right hands.

If you’ve chosen a heritage theme for your wedding, here are some more international wedding customs you may want to incorporate into your ceremony or reception.

Africa
Wedding customs can vary with each tribe, but a some African wedding ceremonies can include joining the couple together by the wrists with plaited grass. 

China
Red is the color of love in China and therefore is used a great deal in wedding ceremonies.  A red ribbon, which symbolizes unity, is used to tie together a goblet of honey and a goblet of wine.  The bride and groom take a sip from each goblet.  This gesture denotes their union of love.  The wedding reception may include unique food items such as bear nose.

France
A two-handled cup made of silver called the ‘coupe de marriage’ is used by the bride and groom for the first toast.  The cup is then passed through the family to future couples.

Holland
The bride and groom will attend a prewedding party given by their families.  They sit under an awning made of evergreen, which symbolizes everlasting love, and ‘hold court’.  Guests are to approach the couple while in their ‘court’ and extend their wishes for happiness.

Lithuania
Gifts that have a special meaning regarding the elements of marriage are given to the bride and groom by their parents.  These gifts include bread, which stands for work, salt, which stands for tears, and wine, which stands for joy.

Russia
Here’s a custom not too many couples will opt for.  It seems that there are parts of Russia where the wedding guest is not required to bring a gift to the wedding.  Instead, all non-family guests receive a gift! 

Wales
The bride gives all of her attendants a gift of myrtle, an evergreen plant with white or pink flowers and dark berries.  It is said that the blooming of the flowers predicts another wedding.