Some brides know the exact style of wedding dress they want before they even start looking.  Others can’t decide until they’ve tried on every gown in the shop.  There is one thing that all brides have in common when it comes to their gown, however ~ no dress fits perfectly straight off the hangar.  Fittings are essential and you’ve got to leave plenty of time for those fittings to be done. 

Ideally, you should begin shopping for your dress no later than 1 year before the wedding, but 6 - 9 months will work if you’re diligent to keep on top of your fittings.  Once you’ve decided on your dress, you will be measured and your dress will be ordered.  It should be scheduled to be delivered within 3 - 6 months prior to the big day.  Be sure to call your bridal dress shop a month after your dress has been ordered to confirm the delivery day.  You may be able to set up an appointment for your first fitting at that time. 

At your first fitting appointment you’ll need to do several things.  Choose a veil and all your accessories if you haven’t already.  Your wedding shoes are necessary in order to hem your dress to the correct length.  You will also want to set up an appointment for your 2nd fitting.  Normally, the first 2 fittings are included in the price of the dress.  If you do require additional fittings, you may be charged a fee per fitting.  Be sure to ask about any additional fees when you order your dress.  Your final fitting should be scheduled no later than 1 month before your wedding.

You can have your dress pressed at this final fitting, however, I would recommend waiting to have your dress and veil pressed until a week before your wedding.  If you’re having a destination wedding, make arrangements with a bridal shop at your wedding location.  If you can find the same bridal vendor at that location, the pressing should be done at no additional charge. 

A little organization and ample time is all it takes to make that ‘perfect’ wedding dress fit perfectly.

Flowers play an important role in every wedding celebration.  From bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages to floral arrangements for the church, pews and reception tables, flowers are a decorating essential.  We all have our favorite flowers and colors, but in case you’re wondering what some of the more popular wedding flowers and their meanings are, here’s a short list:

Baby’s Breath ~ everlasting love
Calla Lily ~ magnificent beauty; elegance
Daisy ~ innocence; faith; simplicity
Gardenia ~ lovely; secret love
Ivy ~ love; fidelity; marriage
Lavender ~ devotion; loyalty
Lilac (purple) ~ first emotions of love
Lilac (white) ~ youthful innocence; purity; sweetness
Lily of the Valley ~ sweetness; humility
Orange Blossom ~ innocence; eternal love; wisdom
Orchids ~ love; magnificence; rare beauty                          
Rose (red) ~ love
Rose (orange) ~ desire
Rose (pink) ~ perfect happiness; simplicity; grace
Rose (white) ~ innocence; purity
Rose (yellow) ~ jealousy                                                                              
Stephanotis ~ happiness in marriage
Tulip (red) ~ declaration of love
Tulip (yellow) ~ hopeless love
Wisteria ~ I cling to you

This unity candle is not only beautiful, but easy and inexpensive to make.  Modify these simple directions to create your own unique one-of-a-kind unity candle set. 

Materials:

1 White metal candleholder (for 1 pillar and 2 taper candles)
1 Silk white rose and ivy candle ring, 3.75″
14 White oval lace appliques, 1.75″ x 2″ each
16″ White satin picot ribbon, 1/4″ wide
1-5/8 yds White sheer ribbon with satin stripes, 1.5″ wide
1 White pillar candle, 2.75″ diameter
2 White taper candles
2 White plastic doves, 1.25″ long
2 White plastic or silver metal wedding bells, 1″ diameter
White cloth-covered florist wire, wire cutters
Thick white craft glue, glue gun and glue sticks

Instructions:

With glue gun, glue pillar candle to center of metal candleholder.  In the same way, glue one taper candle into each candle cup.  Slip candle ring over pillar candle.

Using thick craft glue, glue lace appliques horizontally in three rows of 4 appliques each around pillar candle, beginning approximately 3″ from base of candle.  Glue one lace applique vertically to center front of each taper candle. 
* For a special touch, glue individual tiny pearls to the lace appliques.

Using satin stripe ribbon, make an eight-loop bow with 2″ - 3″ loops and 4″ tails; twist center of bow with wire to secure.  Cut ribbon ends at a slant.  Attach bow to front of candleholder, twisting wire ends around pillar candle base.  Trim excess wire.

Cut two 6″ lengths from florist wire; insert one length in loop at top of each bell.  Attach one wedding bell below each taper candle base, twisting wire around base.  Trim excess wire.

Cut white picot ribbon into two 8″ lengths.  With one length, tie a two-loop bow with 3/4″ loops around top of wedding bell; trim ribbon ends at a slant to desired length.  Repeat for second wedding bell.

Glue one dove to front of each taper candle cup. 
* You can also glue white satin roses to the candle cup in place of the doves.

HINT:  If you can’t find a candle ring that you like, they’re easy to make.  Just use a white styrofoam ring, 3.75″ wide, and add your choice of silk flowers and greenery.  Cut the stems on each flower and greenery stem to approximately 2″.  Place hot glue on end of stem and push into styrofoam ring.  Keep adding foliage until you get the desired look.

Courtesy of Bridal Crafts Magazine 1997              

The wedding may be over, but those anniversaries come every year.  Wondering what to give that special couple?  Here’s a list of traditional anniversary gifts that may just come in handy.

YEAR                                   AMERICAN                                 MODERN                     

     1st                                        Paper                                             Clocks
     2nd                                       Cotton                                           Desk Items
     3rd                                        Leather                                         Leather
     4th                                        Linen, Silk                                    Clothing
     5th                                        Wood                                             Silverware
     6th                                         Iron                                              Wooden
     7th                                         Wool, Copper                               Wool, Copper
     8th                                         Bronze                                          Tourmaline
     9th                                         Pottery                                         China
    10th                                       Tin, Aluminum                              Diamond Jewelry   
    11th                                        Steel                                              Appliances
    12th                                        Silk                                                 Garnet
    13th                                        Lace                                               Lingerie
    14th                                        Ivory                                             Sculpture
    15th                                        Crystal                                           Crystal
    16th                                        Tungsten                                       Peridot   
    17th                                           —                                               Watches
    18th                                           —                                               Tanzanite
    19th                                           —                                                Aquamarine
    20th                                         China                                            Topaz, Diamond
    25th                                         Silver                                            Sterling Silver
    30th                                         Pearl                                             Amethyst
    35th                                         Coral, Jade                                   Jade, Agate
    40th                                         Ruby                                             Ruby
    45th                                         Sapphire                                       Sapphire
    50th                                        Gold                                               Gold
    55th                                        Emerald                                         Emerald
    60th                                        Diamond                                        Diamond
    70th                                       Platinum                                        Platinum
    75th                                        Diamond                                        Diamond 
    80th                                       Oak                                                Oak
    90th                                       Granite                                          Granite

When hosting an anniversary party, these gift ideas make for a great theme to plan around.  Be sure to include your decorations, anniversary favors, and color scheme within the same theme. 

Pew bows add an absolutely beautiful touch in any wedding celebration.  Their style is very versatile since they can be as simple or as elaborate as you prefer.  The result is the same ~ a festive welcome for all your wedding guests. 

Pew bows can be ordered through any florist, or they can be made by hand.  If you decide to have a florist create your bows, you’ll want to suggest they visit your church to see the pews they’ll be working with.  Most churches will allow the use of pew bows, but there may be some restrictions on attaching them, so be sure to check with your church. 

If you decide to make the pew bows yourself, there are several methods to choose from for attaching the bows.  The first, and the easiest, is a ready-made plastic bow clip that simply hangs over the side of the pew.  These can be purchased with a styrofoam disc included in the front of the clip to help make your assembling of the bow easier.  If the pew side is too thin, the bow may lean and fall off, so be sure to ’shim’ the bow clip so that the fit is snug.  You may also try making a clip out of heavy fabric-covered florist wire.  Some churches may only allow bows to be attached with masking tape or ribbon, so be sure to check this out before you start making your bows.

The placement of your pew bows is also an individual choice.  You may mark every pew, alternate rows, or just mark the first several rows on each side that are reserved for immediate family. 

Take some time to decide what kind of atmosphere you wish to project when guests enter the church, and then work that idea into your bows.  Make them solid white for an elegant formal look, or incorporate your wedding colors.  If you’re have a theme wedding, work that theme into the bows.  For example, imagine a winter theme wedding with the pews decorated with pale blue and white flowers and sparkling silver tinted ribbons.  With a little imagination, it’s fairly easy to create the ‘wedding of your dreams’.

There are five basic lengths of veils most often used for weddings.  Whichever style you choose, it should complement the style of your wedding gown.

They are:

Blusher Veil ~ very short, made long enough to just cover the face; can also be combined with a longer veil layer.

Shoulder Veil ~ worn with a short dress or informal gown or to emphasize detail on the back of the gown; can also be combined with a longer veil layer.

Waltz Veil ~ elbow length, worn with a short informal gown or for a formal daytime wedding.

Fingertip Veil ~between elbow length and floor length; worn with a long gown, for semi-formal or formal weddings.

Chapel Veil ~ floor length, worn with a long gown, for semi-formal or formal weddings.

Courtesy of Bridal Crafts Magazine 1997

The tradition of the bridal bouquet probably gets its roots from Ancient Greece and Rome.  It was common then to decorate their athletic champions with laurels of flowers and greenery.  These same type of garlands would be worn by the bride and groom in their marriage ceremonies to symbolize fertility.   Later, in addition to wearing flowers in the bride’s hair, she would also carry a bouquet of different plants, usually herbs.  This was thought to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck.

The Victorians were the ones to give different meanings to different flowers and different flower colors, ranging from hatred and unrequited love to innocence and purity.  Bride’s then had to put more thought into the flowers they carried on their wedding day.  Today, as always, roses and calla lilies are a safe bridal favorite.

Tossing the bouquet is another bridal tradition we all enjoy.  The bride gathers all the unmarried women in attendance and throws the bouquet backwards over her head.  The woman that catches it is said to be the next to be married. 

The wedding cake has been a traditional focal point of weddings throughout history.  In Ancient Rome the wedding cake was actually a plain flat cake made from barley or wheat which would be broken over the bride’s head to symbolize fertility.  Any small pieces or crumbs that fell would be collected by the wedding guests as tokens of good luck.  Later, the custom was to stack several cakes on top of each other and have the bride and groom kiss over the cakes without toppling them over.  Over time, this became the layered wedding cake that we have today.

It was also traditional for the newlyweds to cut the cake together symbolizing their unity.  Feeding each other pieces of the wedding cake, another tradition with Roman roots, was believed to create a ‘bond’ between the bride and groom.  Today, it symbolizes the ‘two becoming one’, promising to nurture and edify one another on a daily basis. 

Throwing rice at the newlyweds as they leave the reception is a wedding tradition that we all love and enjoy.  No one knows exactly when or where it originated, but it may date back to early Rome or Egypt.  It was meant to bring the couple good luck, prosperity and children.  Rice is most popular in America, but many countries and civilizations have used other foods such as grains, figs, or raisins.  The food symbolized plentiful harvests, whereas the grains were a sign of fertility.

Recently, rice has gained an undeserved reputation for being harmful to birds, so the use of birdseed was introduced.  Even though scientists have proven that rice is not only safe, but that birds eat rice in the wild, the popularity of birdseed continues.  Traditional brides may still insist on rice, however, due to its rich symbolism and affordability.  Just be sure to check any rules your reception site may have regarding the throwing of rice, as many sites no longer allow it.

Today there are no hard-fast rules as far as what to throw at the newly married couple.  Manufacturers have come up with alternatives to traditional rice such as heart-shaped ‘wedding rice’, biodegradable wedding confetti, and bubbles.  Some brides may even prefer their guests throw rose petals, flowers or fall leaves.  Although these newer ideas may lack the original symbolism of rice, they can still signify the ’showering’ of best wishes on the bride and groom.

Games are a fun addition to any bridal shower, but coming up with new games can be quite a challenge.  Here are a few ideas for bridal showers, however with a few adjustments, they can also be used for couple’s showers, anniversary parties, or even baby showers:

♥  Wedding Memory Game ~ Place 15 or so wedding-related items on a table & cover with a sheet until the game begins.  Remove the sheet for 15 - 20 seconds & then recover the items.  Give your guests 1 minute to write down as many of the items as they remember.  Items may include:  garter, wedding rice, corsage, bridal hankie, wedding invitation, bridal shower favor, engagement ring, wedding napkin, etc.  Whoever remembers the most items, WINS.

♥  Wedding Word Scramble ~ Think of approximately 10-15 wedding-related words and mix up the letters.  Give your guests 1 minute to unscramble the letters.  Whoever correctly figures out the most words, WINS.

♥  Chocolate Wishes ~ Purchase a large decorative clear glass container & fill with the bride’s favorite small chocolate candies (chocolate kisses work great).  Be sure to count & write down how many candies are in the jar before the shower begins.  Set the container in the center of the room & have guests write down their guess as to how many candies are in the jar.  Whoever guesses closest to the correct number, WINS.

♥  Communication Game ~ This works especially well for a couple’s shower.  Have two guests sit back to back in chairs.  Give one person a blank piece of paper & a pencil  Give the other person a hand-drawn picture (this could be of a house, bird, flower, animal, etc.)  The person with the picture must describe as best they can how to draw their picture.  Using only their verbal instructions, the other person must try to duplicate the picture on their piece of paper.  No peeking!  The best duplication, WINS.

Don’t forget prizes for the shower games.  Individual wedding favors make excellent and unique prizes.  I like to purchase two prizes for each game - one for the winner and one for the bride.  That way the bride always wins!