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Wii want a Wii Wedding

August 31st, 2009

No, I didn’t *personally* have a Wii themed wedding, but I’m sure there’s a lot of couples out there who would love to!  I’ve recently been stumbling across various Wii themed things that would work really well at a wedding, and I thought I’d share them.

A few months ago, a friend of mine celebrated his birthday and his girlfriend organized a bakery to make a Wii cake – I thought “wow, that would make an awesome groom’s cake!”.

fd

Cool huh? This cake was baked by Tastefully Treated in South Riding, VA, who amazingly, had never seen a Wii remote before. (click image for bakery website)

CustomBobble.com can make Mii Bobble head cake-toppers in your likeness for $185

CustomBobble.com can make Mii Bobble head cake-toppers in your likeness for $185 (click the image to visit their site)

LayerCakeShop have many cute cookie cutters for only $2.50 each (they also have other great stuff!). You could make some home-baked mushroom shaped cookie favors for your guests with these.

LayerCakeShop have many cute cookie cutters for only $2.50 each (they also have other great stuff!). You could make some Mario inspired home-baked mushroom shaped cookie favors for your guests with these (click the image to visit their site).

OhILikeThat recently posted up these super cute DIY mushroom pencils - also a great favor idea, or could work as the guest book pens.

OhILikeThat recently posted up these super cute DIY mushroom pencils - also a great favor idea, or could work as the guest book pens. (click the image for instructions)

Are you thinking about having a Wii themed wedding? Have you seen anything else that could be used in a Wii themed wedding? I’d love to hear about it!

by auschick | posted in Cake, Design Ideas, Wedding Themes | 3 Comments »

Winners!

August 28th, 2009

Thank you to all who participated in our commenting contest. It was our first contest ever to encourage our audience to participate in discussion. We love your comments so please continue to share your thoughts, dreams, and suggestions.

Commenting Contest WinnerOur winners are:

Connie from Los Angeles, California

Robert from Reston, Virginia

Congratulations! You will receive your free t-shirt and water bottle soon.

by Christine | posted in News, Special Offers | 3 Comments »

Wedding Day Hair Worries

August 27th, 2009
Source: pleasedbride.com

Source: pleasedbride.com

Another popular topic with my girlfriends lately is wedding day hair and the lack of good photos online.   I haven’t been able to determine if there is maybe too many hair photos online or not enough since the majority of them are nothing even close to what I’m looking for my wedding day.   Although throughout my search I have noticed that I have had better luck finding hair I like on real brides as opposed to the professional hair galleries on many of the wedding websites!

Now this may come as quite a shock but I have actually never had my hair done before and kept it.  I had my hair done once for prom and I took it out as soon as I left since I hated it!   I have a very simple strapless, satin trumpet gown.  I have decided that since I can’t predict how my hair will want to act after an afternoon ceremony in the sun (hopefully) and lot’s of pictures and dancing that I will minimize the risk and put it all up.  Since I never like the way a hairstylists styles my hair when I leave the salon, I have decided to have a trial updo.   Does anyone have any tips they could offer when going to this?

Here are few I’m considering.

 

Source: www.wedding-dresses-gowns.com/wedding_updos.html

Source: www.wedding-dresses-gowns.com/wedding_updos.html

Source: veganbride.com/blog/tag/wedding-updos/

Source: veganbride.com/blog/tag/wedding-updos/

Source: itsajaimething.com

Source: itsajaimething.com

Has anyone had an experience with their own wedding hairstyle that they wish they had done differently?  Is anyone considering doing their own wedding day hair?

by Joleen | posted in Accessories, Beauty | 2 Comments »

Hello friends. Today is the last day of the commenting contest. Automatically enter yourself in the contest by commenting on a post until tonight midnight. Make sure to check the rules and stuff. We’ll pick the top female commenter and top male commenter to win a t-shirt and aluminum water bottle. The ladies below are showing the front and back of the ladies t-shirt while our male model is showing the front of the men’s t-shirt. Keep your eye on the prize!

Big Fat Cake Tshirts

Big Fat Cake T-shirts

by Christine | posted in Miscellaneous, News, Special Offers | No Comments »

DIY: Gorgeous Return Addresses

August 24th, 2009

I’ve recently discovered how gorgeous embossing can be – not the sort that you use with a rubber stamp, ink, a heat gun and wonder, “why the HECK did I decide to do this on *all* my invitations and programs??” – but the sort that you use to cleanly make an imprint on paper.

Most recently, I was inspired by this technique when I picked up one of my coworkers books and saw that he’d embossed “from the library of…” into the first page – turns out he got it as a groomsman’s gift a few years back. (So they’re multipurpose – embossers make great gifts for your literary savvy attendants, as well as adding your name to an envelope!)

Paper Source sell embossers ($28.50) and various customizable plates ($31.50).  Here’s a picture of their embosser in action:

Paper Source Embosser

Envelope with embossed return address

The only downside in embossing your invitation envelopes is that if you use your maiden name (or just your own name), you may want to get a new one when you’re actually married.  Also, if you plan on changing addresses soon, you may not want to fork over the $35 for a new plate.  You could get around the name issue by using just your first names – as for the address issue – I’m just not sure on that one!

Now, if you like this look, but embossing’s not quite for you, Etsy Seller “Love to create stamps” sells customizable stamps that can be used for your return address.  I recently had a friend mail me a baby shower invitation (yes, now that I’m married, I get those instead of wedding invites ;-) ), and she used her custom stamp on all the envelopes.  I was totally in love (sadly, I remember more of how that stamp looked on the envelope, than what the actual invitation looked like!).

At $14.75, this custom monogram stamp is a steal!

At $14.75, this custom monogram stamp is a steal!

Ahh, it’s things like this that make me wish I had more things to send via snail mail!

by auschick | posted in Design Ideas | 5 Comments »

My Programs

August 23rd, 2009

My programs

My programs

We made our programs to match all the stationary in our wedding.  Our programs are an accordian-style design.  The covers were printed from the same paper used for the reception placecards (I will post about those next).  I fit two four-panel 5″ x 16 1/4″ inserts on an 11″ x 17″ piece of 24lb paper; they fit within a pair of 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ card stock covers.  We designed the insert with borders on each panel to make cropping easier. If you opt for a simpler design without borders, just place crop marks for cutting at the corners and along the center and make pairs of folding marks.

Instructions:

1. Print out covers on 8 1/2″ x 11″ card stock.  Print out inserts on 11″ x 17″ paper. Cut and crop all pieces.

2. Use a bone folder to score the fold lines.

3. Use an X-acto knife and ruler to cut as the borders or crop marks indicate.  Starting from the right edge, fold paper along the scored lines to create the accordians.

4. To attach the front cover, apply clear-drying glue stick  or double-sided tape to the back side of the insert’s first panel. (I used a double coated film from 3M). Center the inserts as best you can on the back of one of the covers; press into place.

5.  Apply glue or tape to the back side of the other panel, an align the corners of the two covers.  Place the folded programs under some heavy books, if a glue was used to adhere the covers.

Program insert

Program insert

Did you make your own programs or thinking about making them?  Share some of your program design ideas with me.

by Mel | posted in Ceremony, Design Ideas | 1 Comment »

Married Couples Tell All

August 23rd, 2009
Blog Post
Today on NBC4’s Today Show, Ann Curry covered a short piece on “Married Couple’s Tell All…” (link) where three married couples were asked to give their perspectives on questions couples face over the course of their marriage.
1. Banking: “Same or Separate Bank Accounts?”
What the psychologist “experts” say:
- Couples should have a joint account for household expenses
- Have separate accounts for “play money”
- Should already be underlying trust in the relationship
- If you have to worry about people spending their slush money, then there are bigger problems
- Keep separate financial identities
What the Big Fat Cake family has to say:
Christine/Scott
- Shared bank accounts
- Financial transparency
- Makes managing finances easier
- Large purchases are discussed first
2. Bathroom and Grooming: “Blushing in the Bathroom?”
What the psychologist “experts” say:
- Boundaries, expectations and privacy
- based on culture and personal history
- a negotiation
- negotiate the line and respect it
- different for everyone
- rules will come out during the course of marriage
- no need to layout all the rules before hand
- start with being polite and work your way
What the Big Fat Cake family has to say:
Christine/Scott
- Closed door
- Respect each other’s privacy in the bathroom, most of the time
3. Space: “Need Space?”
What the psychologist “experts” say:
- healthy to have time alone
- depends on the couple
- girls night out/guys night out
- creates conversation
- shouldn’t always be your idea, encourage each other to spend time on their own or with friends
What the Big Fat Cake family has to say:
Christine/Scott
- Spend a lot of time together
- Encourage each other to spend time with girlfriends or guy friends
- Important to have space to ourselves, but doesn’t happen often
What was their secret:
I always think about what he needs, I always think about what she needs

Last week on NBC4’s Today Show, Ann Curry covered a short piece on “Married Couples Tell All…” (if that link doesn’t work, check hulu) where three married couples were asked to give their perspectives on questions many married couples face over the course of their marriage. These questions are commonly asked but not everyone has the same answers. We also shared how the “experts” answered as well as our answers.

1. Banking: “Same or Separate Bank Accounts?”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tracy_olson/61056391/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tracy_olson/61056391/

What the Today Show psychologist “experts” say:

  • Couples should have a joint account for household expenses
  • Have separate accounts for “play money”
  • Should already be underlying trust in the relationship
  • If you have to worry about people spending their slush money, then there are bigger problems
  • Keep separate financial identities

What Christine/Scott has to say:

  • We chose to have shared bank accounts, have financial transparency
  • Having shared bank accounts also makes managing finances easier
  • Large purchases are discussed first, we set limits

2. Bathroom and Grooming: “Blushing in the Bathroom?”

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/files/images/0903-couple-bathroom-300.jpg

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/files/images/0903-couple-bathroom-300.jpg

What the Today Show psychologist “experts” say:

  • Negotiate boundaries, expectations and privacy
  • Negotiate the lines and respect it
  • Every couple is different
  • No need to define rules from the very beginning, they will develop during the course of marriage
  • Some suggest start with being polite and work your way

What Christine/Scott has to say:

  • We prefer closed doors except for hygiene at the sink
  • We respect each other’s privacy in the bathroom, most of the time

3. Space: “Need Space?”

http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/men-watching-tv-football-sandwiches.jpg

http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/men-watching-tv-football-sandwiches.jpg

What the Today Show psychologist “experts” say:

  • It is healthy to have time alone, but depends on the couple
  • Girls night out/guys night out should be encouraged
  • Having time along or with the girls or guys helps to create conversation between the couple
  • Shouldn’t always be your idea, encourage each other to spend time on their own or with friends

What Christine/Scott has to say:

  • We spend a lot of time together, by choice, with the occasional girls night out or guys night out
  • We encourage each other to spend time with the girlfriends or the guy friends
  • Important to have space to ourselves, but most of the time we are spending time together

It’s amazing how much you learn about your significant other after marriage and where you draw boundaries. How would you answer the questions above?

by Scott | posted in Relationships | 1 Comment »

presents

Favors Por Favor? Wedding Favor Ideas for 2009 and Beyond

by Naomi Vail

Decisions decisions! Yep, there are a lot of them to make when planning a wedding and it’s often the smallest details that herald the greatest of indecision. Magnolias or Gardenias? Lanterns or candles? Sage or olive? Fondant or buttercream? It’s enough to drive a girl mad! Of all the deliberations I hear as a wedding planner, one of the most common is “what do I get for wedding favors?”
My only advice on this topic is, pick something that your guests will actually want. Too many times I’ve seen wasted favors left on reception tables at the end of the night because honestly, who wants a plastic bride & groom figurine that says “George & Sally’s Wedding.” A favor that someone really wants can fall in to 3 categories: 1) Edible Favors – candy, chocolates and other goodies are rarely turned down and are often consumed before the night is over. 2) Practical Favors – items that have a specific utility other than nostalgia. 3) Favors that are so gosh darn cute or unique, you’ll likely see them perched on the mantels or coffee tables of your guests long after the honeymoon is over.
As the 2009 wedding season peaks, I thought I’d share some fresh new items I’ve seen this year that might spark some ideas.
Edible Favors:
If the idea of jordan almonds in a gift box seems a little too “last year… and the year before,” I introduce to you sheer bakery bliss! These beautiful designer cookies offer an upscale twist on the traditional wedding confection, as they come in delicious flavors such as orange vanilla spice with fondant icing, dusted with a gold sugar luster. Some bakers will even design them to match your cake!
Practical Favors:
The fun thing about practical favors is you can cater them to your own specific theme, personality, occupation, interests or style. Bottle stoppers and bottle openers are perfect for a vineyard wedding. Do you and your fiancee love to cook? Give your guests heart-shaped measuring spoons. Monogram birdseed favors are perfect for, well… anyone. Vegas wedding? Why not give personalized playing cards? There are countless ways to thank your guests; don’t let them forget where they got it!
Wow Favors:
These incredibly life-like tarts have a mouth-watering, jaw-dropping effect. But don’t bite in! The meticulously hand-crafted, all-natural soaps are made with mango butter, shea butter, liquid goat’s milk and vegetable oils. While they might fall into the “practical favors” category, I’d be hard pressed to find someone who has washed their hands with these little works of art!
Whatever your tastes and budget are, there’s a favor out there for you. These wedding favors and more can all be found at Moments of Elegance.com
About Naomi:
Naomi has spent the past 11 years working in numerous aspects of the wedding industry including photography, videography, invitation design, wedding planning and most recently wedding blogging! She’s spent most of her career in beautiful Lake Tahoe with a short stint on California’s northern redwood coast. Naomi is currently engaged and is extremely excited to finally plan her own wedding with her fiance Tim.

Decisions decisions! Yep, there are a lot of them to make when planning a wedding and it’s often the smallest details that herald the greatest of indecision. Magnolias or Gardenias? Lanterns or candles? Sage or olive? Fondant or buttercream? It’s enough to drive a girl mad! Of all the deliberations I hear as a wedding planner, one of the most common is “what do I get for wedding favors?”

My only advice on this topic is, pick something that your guests will actually want. Too many times I’ve seen wasted favors left on reception tables at the end of the night because honestly, who wants a plastic bride & groom figurine that says “George & Sally’s Wedding.” A favor that someone really wants can fall in to 3 categories: 1) Edible Favors – candy, chocolates and other goodies are rarely turned down and are often consumed before the night is over. 2) Practical Favors – items that have a specific utility other than nostalgia. 3) Favors that are so gosh darn cute or unique, you’ll likely see them perched on the mantels or coffee tables of your guests long after the honeymoon is over.

As the 2009 wedding season peaks, I thought I’d share some fresh new items I’ve seen this year that might spark some ideas.

Edible Favors
If the idea of jordan almonds in a gift box seems a little too “last year… and the year before,” I introduce to you sheer bakery bliss! These beautiful designer cookies offer an upscale twist on the traditional wedding confection, as they come in delicious flavors such as orange vanilla spice with fondant icing, dusted with a gold sugar luster. Some bakers will even design them to match your cake!

Edible Favors

Edible Favors

Practical Favors
The fun thing about practical favors is you can cater them to your own specific theme, personality, occupation, interests or style. Bottle stoppers and bottle openers are perfect for a vineyard wedding. Do you and your fiancee love to cook? Give your guests heart-shaped measuring spoons. Monogram birdseed favors are perfect for, well… anyone. Vegas wedding? Why not give personalized playing cards? There are countless ways to thank your guests; don’t let them forget where they got it!

Practical Favors

Practical Favors

Wow Favors
These incredibly life-like tarts have a mouth-watering, jaw-dropping effect. But don’t bite in! The meticulously hand-crafted, all-natural soaps are made with mango butter, shea butter, liquid goat’s milk and vegetable oils. While they might fall into the “practical favors” category, I’d be hard pressed to find someone who has washed their hands with these little works of art!

Wow Favors

Wow Favors

Whatever your tastes and budget are, there’s a favor out there for you. These wedding favors and more can all be found at Moments of Elegance.com

About Our Guest Blogger
Naomi has spent the past 11 years working in numerous aspects of the wedding industry including photography, videography, invitation design, wedding planning and most recently wedding blogging! She’s spent most of her career in beautiful Lake Tahoe with a short stint on California’s northern redwood coast. Naomi is currently engaged and is extremely excited to finally plan her own wedding with her fiance Tim.

by Guest Blogger | posted in Favors | 8 Comments »

Source: http://dynimg.rte.ie/00026828-270.jpg

Source: http://dynimg.rte.ie/00026828-270.jpg

One of my biggest worries for my upcoming wedding day was probably not the typical stress point of a bride. Being larger then normal on top I was really concerned about finding a strapless bra for my dress. Now often times you can find a dress that has a corset back and you could possibly avoid even having to wear a bra at all! (Although that will never be me) In my search of great bra I googled and googled and actually ended up ordering a several “highly reviewed” bra’s from around the world. After paying ridiculous costs in shipping I came to find the BEST store for a bra in Vienna, VA! Trousseau.

At this point I’m a regular at Trousseau and love all the sales associates. They are all extremely helpful and will measure you and help get you into the best bra for you. Now in search of a strapless, they had far more bra’s to choose from then any department or lingerie store I had visited. They have the largest selection of sizes ranging from 30AA to 56K. My other favorite feature of the store besides the selection, and the service is that each bra can be tailored for free! For instance, you find the perfect push up strapless but the back of your gown is extra low, trousseau will lower the back for you at no extra charge. Also if you have a slight difference of size, they will tailor the cup to account for any differential. Now be prepared to spend slightly more on a bra then you usually would. I noticed the strapless bra’s were about average compared to most other stores but the lingerie or everyday bra’s were a little bit more then I usually pay. Although in my opinion a great bra is priceless=) The store also offers a variety of bridal accessories including veils, headpieces, invitations, bridal lingerie, bridal jewelry, purses and oddly enough… truffles. I also purchased my veil here. Since I wasn’t quite sure I was going to wear a veil, I did not want to spend the exorbitant costs of a veil I had been quoted at some of the boutiques I visited and the nice part was that the sales associate who helped me with all my purchases actually hand made the veil herself. I tried to use referrals or family businesses for my vendors so this was one more personal touch.

Similar to my veil!

Similar to my veil!

Source: http://whatabridewants.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/_1432-358-1Hnp.15681710_std.jpg

Source: http://whatabridewants.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/_1432-358-1Hnp.15681710_std.jpg

by Joleen | posted in Accessories, Attire | 1 Comment »

Male Banding

August 18th, 2009

This topic has been covered somewhat before in Mel’s post about wedding rings, but I’m here to give you the guy’s perspective, and my own experience.

The missus-to-be is in Taiwan for vacation, and part of her trip includes shopping for our wedding bands.  The characteristics of the ring I want for myself include: not overly designed, not too fancy looking/shiny, not too bulky or heavy, and not too expensive (I’m cheap).

Here are the options I’m considering now. Which one would you get for your guy, if any?

Platinum

Platinum

Platinum also

Platinum also

Titanium

Titanium

by David | posted in Accessories | 11 Comments »

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