Everyone knows that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but did you know:

  *  Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer in cancer deaths among women.
  *  An estimated 40,480 women will die from breast cancer in 2008.
  *  An estimated 450 men will die from breast cancer in 2008.
  *  One woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 3 minutes, and one woman
      will die of breast cancer every 13 minutes in the United States.

It is safe to say that nearly everyone has been touched by this deadly disease in one way or another.  We’ve either experienced it firsthand or know someone who has.  I and several members of my family have personally felt the effects of breast cancer.  This is why my company,Wedding Favor Reflections.com, donates 10% of the net proceeds from the sale of our Pink Ribbon favors and gifts to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation every year.

  *  The Breast Cancer Research Foundation has spent the past 15 years working diligently to increase awareness, research causes, prevention, and treatments in the hope of one day discovering a cure.   

Writing a simple note of thanks to someone who has taken the time to give you a gift is fairly easy.  You don’t need to be creative or witty, just sincere.  You can order pre-printed thank-you notes when you purchase your wedding invitations, but don’t let the printed ’sentiment’ inside take the place of a your handwritten thanks.  Thank-you notes should be written within a couple weeks of returning from your honeymoon and can contain as few as three sentences:

1)  Thank them for the gift.  Be sure to mention the specific item that you received from them, such as:  “I’m looking forward to putting some of our wedding photos in the heart-shaped photo coasters you gave us.”  If cash or a check was given, you can thank them for their ‘generous gift of money’.

2)  Tell one way in which the gift may be used, such as:  “I can’t wait to serve our first Thanksgiving turkey on the beautiful platter you gave us.”

3)  Express your gratitude for their presence at your wedding, or if they were unable to attend, their thoughtfulness in choosing their gift.

Everyone likes to receive a note of thanks after giving a gift.  It lets us know that it was indeed received and not lost somewhere along the way.  This is especially important if cash was given, or if the gift had to be sent through the mail.  It’s also nice to know that what we do is appreciated by those we do it for.

I remember, as a small child, feeling very sorry for myself when I had to sit down and begin the tedious job of writing thank-you notes everytime I had received a gift.  I was convinced it was an unnecessary ritual devised solely to eat away the time I could have been playing with my gift instead. 

For some, that attitude doesn’t change much when we grow up.  We all love to receive the gift, but writing the thank-you cards is another story.  I’m so glad that my mother took the time to explain just how much my gifts had cost.  Not just in money spent, but in the time it took to shop for, wrap, package and mail each gift.  I realized at an early age that writing a thank-you note was not merely a formality, but an expression of my appreciation for that cost.  I’ve tried to pass that same mindset onto my daughters, and they in turn, have passed it onto their children.  Now, as a gramma of 3, I love to receive those little hand-written notes in the mail.   

We all seem to be busier these days, but don’t forget the basics of good manners.  Everyone likes to know that their efforts are appreciated. 

HELPFUL TIP:  If you’ve been invited to a bridal shower or wedding, consider giving a gift of monogrammed note cards with pre-stamped envelopes.  It will make the bride’s job of writing thank-you’s a lot easier!

Every good wedding toast includes some borrowed wisdom in the form of a quote. Following are some famous and not-so-famous quotes that you may find helpful when composing your toast.

  *  My greatest wish for the two of you is that through the years your love for each
      other will so deepen and grow, that years from now you will look back on this
      day, your wedding day, as the day you loved each other the least.

   *  Here’s to the groom, a man who keeps his head though he loses his heart.

   *  May we all live to be present at their Golden Wedding.
       May your love be as endless as your wedding rings.

  *  Let us toast the health of the bride; Let us toast the health of the groom,
      Let us toast the person that tied; Let us toast every guest in the room.
 

  *  To the newlyweds: May “for better or worse” be far better than worse.

  *  “Here’s to marriage, that happy estate that resembles a pair of scissors:
      ’So joined that they cannot be separated, often moving in opposite directions, yet
      punishing anyone who comes between them.” ~ Sydney Smith

  *  It is written:  when children find true love, parents find true joy.  Here’s to your
      joy and ours, from this day forward.

  *  “Seek a happy marriage with wholeness of heart, but do not expect to reach the
      promised land without going through some wilderness together.” ~
      Charlie W. Shedd

  *  “Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward in the
      same direction.” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

  *  “There is nothing nobler or more admirable than when two people who see eye
      to eye keep house as man and wife, confounding their enemies and delighting
      their friends.” ~ Homer

  *  To the lamp of love - may it burn brightest in the darkest hours and never
      flicker in the winds of trial.

  *  “In our life there is a single color, as on an artist’s palette, which provides the
      meaning of life and art.  It is the color of love.” ~ Marc Chagall

  *  For better or for worse, but never for granted.

  *  “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress, working
      together is success.” ~ Henry Ford

  *  May you never forget what is worth remembering and never remember what
      is best forgotten.

  *  “I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt,
       but only more love.” ~ Mother Teresa

  *  To keep your marriage brimming, with love in the wedding cup, whenever
      you’re wrong, admit it; whenever you’re right, shut up.” ~ Ogden Nash

  *  “The man who puts into the marriage only half of what he owns will get that 
      out.” ~ Ronald Reagan

  *  “A good marriage is the union of two good forgivers.” ~ Ruth Bell Graham

  *  “There are three things that last: faith, hope and love, and the greatest of 
       these is love.” ~ I Corinthians 13:13

Many times wedding gifts and cards are sent to the bride and groom before the wedding day, however, there are always some that like to bring their presents to the reception.  You should make sure your reception hall provides a nicely decorated table for any gifts that your guests may bring.

Packages are easily kept track of due to their size, but cards can sometimes fall off and may become lost.  It’s a good idea to provide a safe container to hold the cards, especially since most of the time these cards contain gifts cards or cash.

When my oldest daughter became engaged, we searched for a pattern to make a card holder that was pretty as well as practical.  We found this ‘Church Card Holder’ that not only holds tons of cards, but also added to the decoration of the reception gift table.  It did take some time to make, however, I’ve been able to use it for several weddings as well as a few bridal showers that I’ve hosted.

As the groom, it is customary to show your appreciation to your Best Man, groomsmen and ushers with a gift.  Like the job of bridesmaid, being a groomsmen does require a fair amount of commitment and expense, so a show of gratitude is appropriate. 

Some grooms like to give their attendants something that will be used during the ceremony such as a tie tac or cuff-links.  Others may like the idea of giving a more practical gift.  Gifts like Leatherman® tools or Victorinox Swiss Army® Knives are practical and can often be personalized. 

After deciding on what you’ll give to your groomsmen, plan a special guys’ night out to present them with their gifts.  It may be more convenient to just hand everyone their thank-you gift at your bachelor’s party, but this really isn’t appropriate since others will be in attendance besides your groomsmen.  Set aside a day or evening and plan a special activity ~ golfing, camping, watching football, whatever everyone enjoys.  Make the presentation of their gifts as memorable as the gift itself.

Many brides like to give a gift to their Maid of Honor and bridesmaids that they will be able to use during the ceremony and long afterward as well.  My daughters purchased matching necklace and earring sets for their bridesmaids.  This not only guaranteed that everyone’s jewelry accessories would match, but it helped curb the cost that their attendants had to incur. 

You may want to help your bridesmaids with the cost of their dresses, especially if you’ve chosen some more elaborate and expensive gowns for the ceremony.

Another idea is to have pictures of you and your bridesmaids made into individual custom photo tile pendants.  Of course, they wouldn’t be worn during the ceremony, but they would certainly become treasured keepsakes of your friendship.  This idea will take some time and planning, but it’s not a complicated process and well worth the smiles they will receive.

Whatever you decide to do, be sure to set aside a special time to present them with their gift.  Make it a girls’ night out or ‘thank-you party’, or have a special luncheon at a coffee & pastry shop.  Spend an hour getting your nails done or have a relaxing massage at a day spa.  The important thing is to show your bridesmaids just how much they are loved and appreciated.

Wedding Favor Reflections is proud of the quality of wedding favors that we carry.  We offer only Kate Aspen wedding favors due to their incredibly high industry standard and their excellent reputation for keeping that standard.  That reputation is well deserved; now more than ever! 

Several of our favors have become famous even in Hollywood!  Our ‘Something Blue’ Candlein Pearlized Gift Box with Satin Printed Ribbon has shown up in several notable places.  The first was at Arthur’s wedding in the series finale of the King of Queens which aired on May 14, 2007.  This particular favor also made an appearance in the movie Made of Honor in May of 2008.

The Beautifully Beaded Photo Frame and Place Card Holder has also made a guest appearance in the wedding reception scene of the 20th Century Fox movie 27 Dresses starring Katherine Heigl.

If you’ve enlisted the help of bridesmaids, it is generally considered appropriate to give them a gift at the end of the wedding that signifies your appreciation. They’ve put a lot of time and effort into the wedding, and it’s nice to acknowledge that with a small token.

But what you get and how much you spend is really up to you. If your budget does not allow for lavish gifts, that’s okay. As with any gift, it’s the thought that counts. So just make sure your bridesmaid gifts are thoughtful.

While many brides get matching gifts for their bridesmaids, that doesn’t have to be the model. Personalized gifts do require more time and attention, so figure out if your schedule can fit that kind of gift.

And remember, if you’re simply too swamped during the wedding planning process, it is okay to distribute gifts after the wedding. Just don’t wait too long, and always let your bridesmaids know their gifts are on the way.

There are a lot of traditions surrounding weddings that are pretty strange when you really stop to think about them—tossing the bouquet, saving the wedding cake, having a best man, the bride wearing white. Still, every one of those traditions has its own unique history behind it.

Then there’s the tradition of the wedding favor. This one actually makes quite a bit of logical sense, though. Your guests came to the wedding in order to show their support of the union at hand—that and to get a free meal. But regardless of their intentions, the wedding favor is a great opportunity to show those guests that you appreciate the effort they expended.

So as a bride and groom, try to make the wedding favor something meaningful and useful. I recently received a stainless steel heart shaped wine stopper at a wine-themed wedding. It was elegant, beautiful, and best of all, practical. I use it every time I have a half-finished bottle of wine I’d like to save. It’s a nice reminder of the lovely wedding, and it doesn’t sit unused in my drawer.