Generations of Love

A unique and personal way to incorporate family and friends into your wedding decor is to secretly collect wedding photos of close family/friends and decorate your guestbook or seating card table with the framed photos. If you have a savvy and quick photographer you may even be able to include a wedding photo of yourselves.

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Candy Buffets...Yes Please!

Candy buffets {or candy bars} are not new to the wedding scene, however, they are a wedding trend that provides pretty wedding decor, are fun for wedding guests, and may be a better use for your favor budget than typical wedding favors.

For those not familiar with candy buffets, it is a table with a spread of candy for your guests to scoop up into favor containers. As a wedding favor, edibles are much more likely to be used than tossed and the candy buffet allows guests to channel their inner kid in a candy store and score a bag full of their candy favorites.

Here is a little candy buffet inspiration that may put you in the mood to create your own wedding candy buffet.

{image source: Amy Atlas Events}

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Choreographed Wedding Dances

I LOVE to dance. It is my dream to be part of a flash mob. I adore the idea of choreographed wedding dances. Here are some choreographed wedding dances that may inspire you to create your own choreographed wedding dance, or you can just enjoy the creativity of these wedding dances.

This is still by far one of my favorite Wedding Processionals. I could never have gotten my wedding party {husband included} to do this. You can visit this couple's website, Jill and Kevin Wedding, and donate to stop domestic violence.



In this Wedding First Dance, the couple really knows how to dance. This isn't your typical choreographed first dance.



I LOVE Halloween, and I LOVE the Thriller {song and dance}. With Halloween approaching, what wedding would be complete without the Thriller.

Write a Great Thank-You Note

Writing wedding thank-you notes is an important aspect of the wedding process and should have just as much care put into them as the wedding day itself. Thank-you notes should be thoughtfully written and should show the same appreciation your guests gave to you by sharing in your special day.

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Here are some helpful tips for penning the ideal thank-you note so that your gratitude can be elegantly expressed.

• Thank you notes should be sent within 6-8 weeks of the date the gift was received.
• Direct the thank-you note to all  the gift-givers with the names you are accustomed to addressing them by.
• Always mention the item by name {keep detailed records}.
• State how you are using or plan to use the gift. If you receive a gift of money state how you plan to use it {e.g. for a down payment on a house or toward more dishes}.
• It's nice to suggest a future encounter with the gift-givers but only if it's realistic.
• Mention any special effort the guest went through for you {e.g. gave a toast or helped set-up}.
• If possible, refer to a specific conversation you had with the guest at the wedding.

Wedding Thank-You Note Examples

Dear Beth and Gordon,
Thank you so much for the beautiful holiday ornaments you gave us for our wedding. We are really looking forward to putting them on our tree this year, and are excited to have you over during the holidays to see how fabulous they look. Spending time with you at the wedding meant so much to us, and we appreciate you traveling to attend. Have a great time on your trip to Florida. We look forward to seeing the photos.
Love, Kathy and Ryan

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Cook,
Thank you so much for the generous gift of money you gave us for our wedding. We are so excited to put it towards a down-payment on a house. It meant the world to us that you were able to share in our special day. We truly appreciated your presence, and really enjoyed discussing our shared passion for vintage wine.
Thank you, Louise and Jay

Real Weddings: Rebecca and Matt

Introducing our first real wedding...Rebecca and Matt.  Rebecca and Matt chose to have a destination wedding and tie the knot in Las Vegas, NV in June 2011. The lovely couple then hosted a park reception with family and friends in their home state of WI in August. The results were creative, memorable, and inspirational.

Why did you decide to do a destination wedding? Why did you choose Vegas?
I always wanted to get married in Vegas. I have never been a traditional girl and I love the romantic idea of running away together! You can imagine my surprise when I found out my then boyfriend’s parents got married in Vegas!! I told him if you ever propose you better be ready to hop on a plane and head to Vegas ASAP! After he proposed, he went into details about the arrangements he started to make for us in Vegas.


Who was your photographer?
I can’t help but feel pretty lucky with the photographer we got. The company is called Cashman Photography and they have a contract with the Flamingo Hotel where we got married in Vegas. Our wedding package came with photos and we decided to upgrade to a private session around the gardens. It was the best decision we ever made!!!

If you get married in Vegas chances are you are going to save money if you go a typical Vegas route. Don’t skimp on the photos. I look at mine all the time. Vegas is a town built around the wedding business. If a photographer has a contract with a major hotel, chances are they are pretty good!


Favorite detail of your wedding ceremony?
My husband’s shoes. When I walked down the isle I wanted to see him, the man that I know and love. I didn’t want to see some polished up version that I wouldn’t recognize. My husband wore tan linen Nike’s that matched his linen outfit. It made me feel really relaxed.


Favorite detail of your wedding reception?
That has to be a toss up between the candy buffet and the flowers because they both turned out exactly how I pictured them. The candy buffet seemed to be a big hit and it was definitely worth the time I put into it! The flowers to me made it feel like we were celebrating something not just having a party. I wanted something pretty, but something that was rustic and county. They were perfect.

Who was your caterer?
Bubs Texas Barbeque from Big Bend. They were so great to us! Their food was exactly what we pictured for our park reception and their prices were great!


Bridal planning advice?
Don’t wait until the last minute. Planning your wedding should be fun. Make a list of everything you need to do and start early. Chip away at it slowly and it will all come together on your big day. It is YOUR big day. Do not let other people tell you how to do things and don’t worry about what other people think. The people who love you won’t care what you do for your wedding, they will just be happy that you are getting married.

{Image Source: Images are provided by and property of Rebecca and Matt.}