Wedding Ideas » After The Wedding

Thoughtful Ways To Thank Your Bridesmaids

Meranda — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:36:25 +0000

Bridesmaid Gift Ideas

A wedding is a very special, yet overwhelming event for everyone involved. From the bride and groom to the bridesmaids and groomsmen, everyone has their fair share of responsibility. Before or after a wedding, most brides like to thank their bridesmaids by giving them a special gift out of appreciation. If you are a bride and would like to know some thoughtful ways to thank your bridesmaids, check out the following ideas.

Give Them a Special, Unique Gift

To show your thanks, there are many great gift items you can give to your bridesmaids. If you would like to give something to your bridesmaids that will help them remember the special day, pretty picture frames featuring a photo of all of you together is a wonderful idea. Keep in mind that all the picture frames do not need to be the same. In fact, giving each bridesmaid a different, unique frame will show that you put some thought into it. Another great gift idea for your bridesmaids is anything monogrammed with their names. Whether it is stationery, hand towels, or photo albums, gifts that have been personalized for your bridesmaids are always a hit. High-quality bath and body products, candles, and jewelry are always great ideas for bridesmaids’ gifts as well. If you are having trouble deciding on a gift item for your bridesmaids, you can always choose to give them gift cards to their favorite stores. Although this is a bit less personal, they will still notice your appreciation.

Take Them Out to Dinner

Another thoughtful way to thank your bridesmaids is to take them all out to dinner at a nice restaurant. Not only will it be a yummy dining experience, but it will also be the perfect opportunity to relax and reflect on the big day you all participated in. If you are on a tight budget, you can always choose a restaurant that is moderately-priced. Your bridesmaids will not care how much dinner costs, as long as you make the effort to show your appreciation to them. If you choose the dinner route, you may still want to give them a small gift as a way of saying thanks. After dinner, go out for a few drinks and enjoy the time with your bridesmaids.

Send Them to the Spa

Giving your bridesmaids a trip to the spa is also a wonderful way to thank them. Give them a spa package that contains a massage, facial, and any other services you would like to include. Although this idea is a bit more expensive, your bridesmaids are sure to love every minute of it. Your gratitude will most definitely show through such an amazing gift. You can also set up a day where all of you attend the spa together. This will be more of a personal, special experience for everyone.

All of these ideas are thoughtful ways to thank your bridesmaids. No matter your budget, there is always something nice you can do to show your appreciation to them. By taking the time to show your thanks, your bridesmaids will feel great knowing they were a part of your special day.

Guest post from Bailey Harris. Bailey writes about insurance quotes for InsuranceQuotes.org.

Country Wedding Ideas

Meranda — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 22:05:59 +0000

Country Cottage Wedding Ideas- Floral Ideas Featured On The Eclectic Revisited Blog

Nothing screams country than distressed painted vases. Many of these vases can be painted to coordinate with the colors of your wedding. When painting metal, you want to use a oil paint for the bottom paint color. Ideally this look works the best when you can see two colors. You never want to distress showing the silver tin. Consider a gray, or a gray green, black or even a dark brown as the base color. Specialty paint stores like Benjamin Moore sell oil paint in satin in a wide range of colors which you can use as your base color. Flat oil paint is recommended, but satin works just as good. You need something that the top color will easily adhere to. Paint the top color and after it is dry, slightly distress the container using a sponge sander. Then as a final coat, you want to even out the flat look caused by distressing. Your top color should be either an eggshell, or a satin. Dip your paint brush into the paint, and wipe most of the paint of the brush with a paper towel, and slightly go over the entire vase. The top coat will even out many of the stokes that the sandpaper makes. You can also add a monogram with a stencil, or even table numbers on the vases.

French Florist Bucket Starting From $11.99

Galvanized Vase

Home Décor Classic Tin - Flower Vase

Coal Bin Flower Pot - Barn Roof

3 Garden Pots Safari Flower Tin Planters- $7 dollars for 3 containers which can be painted and distressed.

InterDesign Pail , White- This container simply could be spray painted white.

My Painted Waste Basket

Ikea used to sell toilet Paper holders in an aluminum finish. I had an old one, but my colors aren't really silver, so it has been sitting around my garage for the longest time. I primed it with an oil paint, and then finished it with a baby blue color. The blue and gold look terrific. I had a set of ornate over-sized vintage pulls which I spray painted gold, and I created two holes with my drill on the side of the container and added the hardware on the side of the container to add some extra details. I then used some lamp parts to create the extra long handle on the lid of the container, so it would be easy to grasp. The inside was left in the aluminum for easy washing.

The Elite Peacock Wedding Invitations

Meranda — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 04:28:27 +0000

ELITE PEACOCK THANK YOU CARDS Menu

The first time I laid my eyes on the Elite Peacock Invitation set I loved it so much I considered it for my own stationary, (as I have been married for 5 happy years), as the colors and the overall presentation of these invitations are absolutely stunning. I originally found it on a website some time ago, and it didn't allow me to save the image, so I by passed it by until I ran into it again on ebay from an invitation seller called All About Divas. The set features a classic looking convex looking mirror, with a monogram in the center, accented with two lovely colorful peacock birds. A lion head is featured vertically centered, while a garland pulls the whole design together. The background has a lovely faint scroll design on a lovely creamy cream card.

The Elite Peacock Save The Date Cards

The first on the list is the The Elite Peacock Save the Date cards. These cards are custom made to order and are printed on heavy 80lb. card stock. They are approximately 4" x 5 1/4" in size and will come with white envelopes. You can arrange to have specific wording, and different text and color. All About Divas does carry these in postcard format as well. This beautiful design will set the stage for your guests to expect a classy event.

The Elite Peacock Invitations

The Elite Peacock Invitations are custom made to order. The invitations are printed on heavy 80lb. card stock, and are approximately 5" X 7" in size and come with matching RSVP reception cards. Included with the RSVP reception cards, you also get white envelopes. All About Divas doesn't charge extra for the inner envelopes like a lot of other sellers do. If you are after specific wording, they can accommodate you.

The Elite Peacock Ceremony Wedding Programs

Next, we have the wedding ceremony wedding programs, which are also made to custom made to order and are printed on heavy 80lb. cardstock. The programs are approximately 4 1/4" X 5 1/2"" in size (folded size), and are a booklet style. Specific wording can be arranged, as well as text and color. The Elite Peacock Ceremony Wedding Programs are sold for $24.99 in quantities of 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200. The starting price is for $24.99 for 25.

The Elite Peacock Wedding Menus

The Elite Peacock menus describe what your guests come to enjoy- The food!! These menus are custom made to order and are printed on heavy 80lb. card stock. The programs are approximately 5" X 7" in size, one sided. Specific color, text and font can be customized. The The Elite Peacock Wedding Menus are sold in quantities of 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200. The starting price is $17.99 for 25.

The Elite Peacock Table Numbers

Finally we have The Elite Peacock Table Numbers. The table settings numbers #1-12 can be purchased for $8.99, table numbers #1- 24 for 16.99, and #1-36 for $25.99. These table number cards are printed on one side and are approximately 4" x 5-1/2" in size. The cards are printed on a high photo quality printer, and on white heavy 80lb. card stock. If you are wanting specific wording that you would rather use, it can be arranged as well as the style of the font and font color.

The Elite Peacock Table Numbers

Last but not least is the thank you cards. If you are anything like me, you may want to order these cards alone with your personal Initials on the front instead of Thank you. These cards are so beautiful that you may want to use them as your personal stationary. These cards are custom made to order and are printed on heavy 80lb. cardstock. They are approximately 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" (foldable cards, size is after card has been folded) in size and will come with white envelopes. These are sold for $24.99 in quantities of 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200.

Marriage Advice

Meranda — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:17:15 +0000

Wedding Ideas- Anne Heche is featured here in a stunning fushia gown

#10530 Rosettes One Shoulder Chiffon Pageant Occasion Evening Prom Dress

#1613 Indigo Blue Taffeta Satin One Shoulder Prom Pageant Evening Long Gown Dress

#7716 One Shoulder Chiffon Homecoming Bridesmaids Party Dress

BCBGMAXAZRIA Ultramarine Drape Maxi Dress

BCBGMAXAZRIA Women's Mariko Dress

Chiffon One Shoulder Long Gown with Floral Embellishment

Jovani 111144

Tony Bowls TBE21037 Strapless Strech Taffeta Mermaid Gown

Your wedding day is not an end - it is the beginning of a whole new life. Building a marriage is not easy, but if you are willing to really work at it, the end result can be absolutely amazing.

As you get prepared for your big day, we would encourage you to think about how you will develop your marriage in the months and years after the wedding.

The following are ten principles that we have seen succeed in our own experience, and if you will put them into practice we believe that you will be completely thrilled with the results.....

#1) Forgiveness

This is one of the biggest problems that couples have in our society today. They either don't know how to forgive or they refuse to forgive. When you refuse to forgive your spouse, you put a barrier between the two of you. And usually it doesn't even start with something huge. Usually a few small things are left unforgiven, and resentment builds up, and then a few more are added to it, and eventually a mountain of unforgiveness exists between the husband and wife and they feel miles apart.

This is absolutely one of the most important keys to any marriage. This is a key reason why so many people go from relationship to relationship or from marriage to marriage. Everything starts out great, but as soon as something goes wrong or someone is offended the person who won't forgive shuts down and eventually moves on. And you know what? None of us are perfect. All of us will let our partner down eventually. So we MUST learn how to forgive.

Don't let small offenses build into a mountain of bitterness in your marriage. Learn the freedom and intimacy that only forgiveness can bring.

#2) Learn how to say "I'm sorry"

This goes closely along with forgiveness. There are many people in our society today that are so proud that they can never say that they are sorry.

Do you know how hard it is to live with someone who will never admit that they are wrong?

Being able to take responsibility for your actions is a sign of maturity. It also makes it much easier for the other person to be able to forgive you.

The reality is that we will all offend our spouses at some point, and being able to say "I'm sorry" will go a long way towards repairing any damage that has been done.

#3) Turn away from lustful images

This is a big one especially for husbands. Your wives DO notice when you take a peek at an attractive woman or when you stare at lustful scenes on the television.

One huge thing you can do to make your spouse feel valued is to turn away when a lustful image comes on the television or movie screen or to even turn the television off when it crosses the line.

By taking the active step of turning away from lustful things it will make your spouse feel great, and it will send a signal that you are vigilant about protecting your marriage.

#4) Don't make a habit of talking badly about your spouse to others

This is a big one especially for wives. There is a tendency for women to get together and gossip about everything that is wrong with their husbands.

Or it is even worse when a husband or wife openly talks badly about their partner in public where the other partner can hear it. What it communicates to the other partner is that you have ZERO respect for that other person and that you do not value them at all.

So tackle your disagreements and issues in private. Airing them in public or to your friends does incredible damage.

#5) Put the needs of your spouse ahead of your own

This goes completely counter to how most people in our society think. Most people enter into marriages for what THEY can get out of it.

So when one of the partners starts feeling like they aren't getting what they want out of the marriage, what happens? They get angry, they shut down or they might leave.

But what do we find in great marriages?

What we find is each partner puts the needs and desires of the other person ahead of their own. When each person makes it their goal to serve the other, then the needs of both people get met. In fact, some of the most beautiful and most romantic stories in history are about one spouse who is willing to sacrifice everything for the good of the other spouse.

#6) Never ever threaten the relationship

If you want a healthy relationship, you must never, ever, ever threaten the relationship. If you say something like "If you do that again I'll start thinking about a divorce".....even if it is in jest.....then you are taking a sledgehammer to your marriage.

Any statement that threatens your relationship is likely to cause incredible fear and panic in your partner even if you do not realize it. It sends them the message that you are already thinking about ending the relationship. Instead what you should do is to communicate to your spouse that you consider marriage to be for life, and that you are committed to this relationship for life no matter what. That type of commitment will do much to strengthen a marriage.

#7) Give your spouse at least one compliment every day

There are some married people, particularly women, who go YEARS without hearing their spouse say something truly nice about them. There are some married people who would do just about anything to hear some words of approval from the one they love.

So take this advice and give your spouse at least one sincere compliment every day. By doing so you will build that other person up and help them to become the person that they are supposed to be.

The reality is that we all need more vitamin "E".....if we do not receive encouragement from your spouse, then where in this dark, cold world are we supposed to get it?

#8) Do all the important things together

Increasingly I hear of married people attending important events alone, and I have even heard of couples taking "separate vacations".

That is a recipe for disaster. Your spouse is supposed to be your best friend. Encourage that by always doing all the important things together.

#9) Pray together EVERY night

Some of you may find this one strange. But ask anyone who does it. It works wonders for a marriage.

It is really hard to stay angry with each other or to have unresolved issues when you humble yourselves together in prayer each night before you go to bed. Trust me, just try it.

#10) Say to your spouse "I love you" at least once every day

Life goes by so quickly. Take the time to reaffirm your love every day. Some couples are so out of practice that they don't say it at all anymore.

Never let it get old. Each day tell your spouse that you love them. Life is too short not to.

Too many marriages go downhill and eventually fail after the hope and the promise of the wedding day. Marriage is not easy. But if you will work hard and put solid principles to work in your relationship, then you will have a great chance for a lifetime of joy.