Dogs and Weddings

For those who want to have their pooch be a part of the wedding, there are many doggie fashions available for your furry friend. And at Etsy.com, I even found a cute handmade doggie wedding cake topper (from mykonos) that is sure to make your guests smile. Doggie wedding attire includes tuxedos, wedding bows, ring pillows, and even wedding dresses.

As Pictured: Doggie Tuxedo from DoggieDesigner.com, Doggie Wedding Dress from Casual Canine at Amazon.com, Dog with Bow and Dog Wearing Ring Pillow from veryBESTweddings.com, Bride and Groom with Dog from ClintJCL's flickr photo gallery

Also - yesterday at Wedding Chicks, Jocey and Amy posted about 2 pet friendly wedding venues for your wedding.

And, for those of you in PA, there's Mr. O's Wedding Dog Training Program to get your dog trained to perform in your wedding. I never knew something like this existed, but maybe there's a dog wedding training program in your area?

A Wedding Gift to Last a Lifetime

Last week I received an email from Diana Grappasonno (the Bobo Junket™ artist) introducing herself to me and telling me a bit about the wedding paintings she creates. Her painting style is very unique and is categorized as representational, stylized, and sort of folk-artsy. Diana doesn't paint realistically - but I think that's what adds to the charm of her wedding paintings.

Diana's wedding paintings are wonderful as a gift for your spouse, as an anniversary gift, or instead of a kitchen item for the newlyweds, why not give the bride and groom a gift that will last a lifetime? Diana says it best, "a gift of art is an investment and will bring you years of enjoyment (instead of a single day)".

She is currently offering a commissioned wedding painting package for $695. It includes a personalized 22x28 inch contemporary representational / folk-artsy, acrylic and mixed media painting on a 3/4 inch thick gallery-wrapped canvas in a location or theme of your choice.

If the price is a bit steep for a wedding gift, why not go in with a few other family members or friends on the purchase? If choosing to use one of the online wedding registries available - you can easily add one of Diana's personalized wedding paintings to your registry list - gift givers can then make a partial contribution towards the total cost of the painting. Felicite.com is one such online registry site that has the great feature to share the cost of expensive gifts.

Lime Green Weddings

Ideas and Inspirations | Photos and Galleries
Spring is the perfect time to think about lime green in your color palette for either bridal showers or weddings. This color also works well for summer events and particularly for those held in an outdoor garden setting or a tropical location. Green is the color of nature and often associated with growth and harmony. Here I've put together some images with a green and white color scheme, but you can also use the lime color and carry it through in a citrus theme (maybe even introducing lemons mixed with limes). I particularly love seeing the actual lime fruit placed in glass jars or vases - stunning either by themselves or mixed in with a floral arrangement.

Invite your guests in style with the Spring Bliss Wedding Invitation from Invitation Consultants (currently part of the Celebrate Earth Sale running until May 15th)

The 1-800-FLOWERS® Margarita Bouquet® makes a creative centerpiece idea for bridal showers or as a gift for the bride and groom to congratulate them either on their engagement or marriage.

A favor idea is give your guests the Green Woven Favor Boxes and place a tin of Wedding Sprinkles (flower seeds) inside each one, both available from Beau-coup Wedding Favors.

And now you can Go Green with these eco-fashionable Bride and Bridal Party tank tops or tees, available in our wedding store. These tops are natural 100% organic ribbed cotton with emerald green crystals that read: Bride, Bridesmaid, Maid of Honor, or Matron of Honor and come complete with a soft organza butterfly pin.

Other Images and Resources:
Spring Fling Cake from Brides.com, Bride and her Wedding Party from Brides.com, Wedding Bouquet from Brides.com, Dessert of Kiwi-Lime Sorbet from Epicurious.com

New Wedding Favors in our Store

New products were added to our wedding store yesterday and include the cutest little embroidered felt favor bags - your guests will love these bags as they can easily be re-used. Styles include: a Wedding Couple, a Jewel of the Sea, Cherry Blossom, Love is in Bloom, and Asian Love. We also have 3 new cookie favors (2 of them shown in the above picture). The new cookies include Champagne Bottles, Cherry Blossom Fans, and Eiffel Towers. Each cookie favor is customized to your specifications with an inscription and/or colors to match your event.

A sweet gift idea for either your bridesmaids or those who helped you with your wedding planning is to package several Cherry Blossom Fan Cookie Favors inside of a Love Blossom Felt Favor Bag.

Weekly Wedding Tip

brought to you by bridalguide.com
Toss Bouquets
"Unless you don't mind sacrificing your beautiful bridal bouquet, you'll want to order a second one for tossing. Ask your florist to arrange a smaller bouquet, perhaps using inexpensive flowers, so you don't have to part with the original."

For my own wedding, my husband and I decided to forgo both the traditional bouquet and garter toss. But, I can definitely understand why you'd want a toss bouquet so you can keep your own bouquet as a momento of the special day. Will you be having a toss bouquet created for your wedding reception? You might even be able to find a florist that offers a complimentary toss bouquet as part of their wedding floral package.

Another twist to the bouquet toss that I think is so clever, would be to create multiple bouquets (maybe 5) for a "fortune bouquet toss". You could either have mini versions of your own bouquet or a breakaway bouquet. Each bouquet would include a tag with a fortune on it - this way you could invite all the female guests out to participate, not just the single ones.

A few other options for a toss bouquet:
- make a mini bouquet with silk flowers so the catcher can have a keepsake
- you might want to do something just for the kids and toss a stuffed animal
Do you have any other ideas?

To preserve your own bridal bouquet - you might consider either Florage or Heller and Reid.

Please look for a new wedding tip each week, courtesy of bridalguide.com. These tips will now be a regular feature of the blog.

Above Bridal Bouquets with corresponding Toss Bouquets from ProFlowers

Wedding Workout Tips

from Violet Zaki (trainer for www.exercisetv.tv)
Violet (a trainer with Exercise TV) has put together some bridal tips for our readers so you can achieve the best bridal body in time for your special day. Here's her top 5 tips:

TIP 1: Using a light to medium weight, hinge at your hips and extend your arms back, alongside of your torso. With your shoulders back and down and your abs in tight, bend and extend your elbows. Try 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions for sleek and sexy triceps.

TIP 2: Fuel Your body right to feel slim and trim on your big day. Save indulges like rich desserts and sweet, high-calorie cocktails for your honeymoon. Get wedding gown-ready by sticking with an array of fresh vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins. Eat your complex carbs - in the form of whole grains - early on in the day.

TIP 3: Give your posture a check up. Whether you’re walking, dancing or feeding your groom some wedding cake, sit tall by lengthening your spine up ward. Relax your shoulder blades back and down as you lift your heart. You'll radiate beauty, confidence and grace while looking pounds slimmer instantly.

TIP 4: Preparing for your big day is an opportunity to get into the best shape of your life. To do this, you have to eat. But, be a grazer. Try eating mini meals every 3-4 hours. This will help rev up your metabolism and keep your blood sugar leveled throughout the day, so you’ll never feel deprived or overeat.

TIP 5: Marriage is about commitment, so make a vow to your health and sanity by getting plenty of rest. Chronic stress and sleep deprivation can actually lead to weight gain, especially around your midsection. Try a yoga class, daily meditations or simply a relaxing bath to keep "Bridezilla" at bay.

ExerciseTV is a free, video-on-demand network dedicated to the hottest workouts, fitness trends and sports training from top instructors and trainers. With ExerciseTV users can workout on their schedule to hundreds of fat burning workouts like cardio, abs, yoga, dance and more. ExerciseTV is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on demand with digital cable and online at www.exercisetv.tv.

Martha Stewart Occasions™

Martha Stewart has just launched another new line, Martha Stewart Occasions™, as an extension to their current Martha Stewart Crafts collection. The new line of customizable products includes invitations, save-the-date cards, favors, decorations, and guest books. These items can be purchased online at MarthaStewartCrafts.com and at Michaels stores nationwide. The press material I received says the entire collection will be available in stores and online beginning May 23rd, but today I received an email saying the new line is now available.

You can design and print your materials easily from your home computer using the Print-It-Yourself templates at the Martha Stewart Crafts web site.

Below are some of the items you will find in the new Martha Stewart Occasions™ product line:
• Water Lily Themed Collection with invitations, favors boxes, place cards and guest book
• Mix-and-Match Invitations and Favors (Gilded Frame Invitation Suite coordinates with both the Flourish and Candy Favor Boxes)
• Seaside Themed Collection with favor boxes, coordinating embellishments, beverage labels, and a full invitation suite.
• Floral Cake Invitation Suite
• Paper Lanterns and Tissue Paper Pom-Pom Kits

All of the new designs are ultra stylish with affordable prices (ex. the seaside favor boxes with place card labels are only $19.99 for a 24 count). And another great thing is that all of the invitation suites include test sheets to help with the customized printing from your computer.