The Bride is Always Late: Irish Wedding Blog from WeddingDates.ie » Wedding Favours

DIY Wedding Love Notes

Ciara Crossan — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:11:41 +0000

I wrote before about a wedding that my friend attended that had personalized message in a bottle for each wedding guest, and today i stumbled on a great DIY project that encompasses that very idea!

From Amy over eatdrinkchic you can create these gorgeous Love Notes for guests, and get them to write their messages back to you too! She has created downloadable templates, that you can print out and use yourself, so you don’t even have to be that arty farty to pull this one off. Go check it out and download the templates here >>

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Beach-themed Wedding Favours

Ciara Crossan — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:08:20 +0000

This article comes from the good folks at beau-coup Wedding Favors where you can buy the prettiest wedding favours online as well as get fabulous ideas for your themed wedding! If you are planning a Summer 2011 Wedding then check out these great favour ideas for inspiration!

Summertime is a fabulous time to hold a beach wedding! No matter what type of beach you choose or the décor, you’ll definitely want to pick out the best wedding favors for the day.

If your wedding takes guests to a tropical location be sure to be prepared for the heat by providing your guests with personalized hand fans that can double as favors. Some parasols and flip flops can also go a long way in making your guests feel comfortable.

For the reception, consider using personalized sea shells in your décor. Not only do they make great beach wedding favors, but they are also perfect as place cards. As an alternate set up, you could fill some mini buckets with sand and then attach a tag with your guests’ names. The buckets can also hold a tea light candle atop the sand for a lovely and unique touch. For a colorful accent, hang some round paper lanterns over trees, wooden beams, and anywhere else you see fit.

Be sure to provide your guests with some more practical favors as well. Personalized water bottles are perfect to quench thirst and mini personalized sunscreen or hand sanitizer favors are also definite dos for any outdoor ceremony. For some added fun, hand out some wedding Frisbees—especially for the younger ones.

{Images from: Beau-coup Wedding Favors, Style Me Pretty, Polka Dot Bride}

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Welcome to our Wedding!

Ciara Crossan — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:45:28 +0000

Todays post comes from our guest blogger Annie Byrne, Wedding Planner from Aislinn Events:

Photo Credit: Kate Parker Weddings

I am currently thinking about welcome packs for out of town guests. This is a lovely thing to do especially if your guests are travelling. Imagine taking planes, trains and automobiles, arriving tired to your hotel and finding a beautiful well equipped welcome gift bag (or basket or box…) in your room from the bride & groom. Aaahhhhh.

Include information on the wedding activities – where to be and when. Local information from the tourist office. What about a postcard from the place where your wedding is being held? Bottles of water, mints, cookies, tea, dried fruits and nuts.
Or personalize more to the style of wedding. From champagne snipes to flip flops the possibilities are endless and will fit any budget.

Check your hotel to make sure they will put them in the bedrooms and also to make sure what you are putting in your welcome packs are not already in their rooms. Bottles of water, hand cream and the like are standard in the better hotels so put in something they will not have and also act as a souvenir.

I recommend bags or boxes as opposed to baskets and not only for the cost factor. Your guests may not want to drag an empty basket back home with them.

I really like these Gable boxes from boxandwrap.com. They come in all colours and will even put a logo or monogram on them. Or what about a plain brown? You can have a personalized rubber stamp or embosser (customrubberstampsonline.com, thestampmaker.com and even Vistaprint) made for the front then use the stamp in other areas for your wedding (napkin rings perhaps?). Tie any of them with a nice ribbon and Bob is your uncle – in fact Uncle Bob will love them too!

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Dessert Buffets and Sweet Tables

Ciara Crossan — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 08:30:51 +0000

I’m a bit up theh walls this week with the upcoming appearance on Dragons Den so, I asked Annie Byrne wedding planner extrodinaire from Aislinn Events to do a guest blog post and when she sent it over, I was drooling!

Your wedding cake will finish off your meal but why stop there? Display your cake on a beautifully decorated full dessert buffet for your guests to choose from after the meal. It is a great idea to get your guests up after the main course before they get too sluggish {although they are going for more food} and with a buffet it will get guests from different tables meeting and talking to one another when they might not otherwise.

If you think the dessert buffet is too much, how about a homemade Cookie Station? Or Sweets Table? This can double as your favors if you have nice bags for your guests to fill and seal with your own personalized labels {of course} to take home or nibble on later. I actually did a sweets display at my own wedding and it was a big hit! I chose various types of sweets from our childhood, put them in clear jars with scoops and our guests were delighted! They all began reminiscing about going to the shop for penny sweets as a kid. They all packed up what they could to take home when the evening came to a close.

There are actually companies in America that do these for a living and Amy Atlas is at the top of them. What a fun job! But you should be able to DIY it really. Theme it in with your wedding colors or style, get some clear glass jars and fill with your favs, use those cupcakes everyone loves, Dipped fruits, popcorn, the possibilities are endless!

All photos and designs by Links: Amy Atlas

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Do your bit for charidee..

Ciara Crossan — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:30:37 +0000

We all know weddings are expensive business. Once they get into the planning, some people are shocked at how much things cost – stick the word “Wedding” onto something and you can nearly double the price! There are some things that are essential (dress, flowers etc) but you might consider many of the other components to be variable and you might cut them depending on budget or taste.

If you aren’t into the whole wedding favour concept, but do like the idea of doing something for charity with the money you would save, then why not consider a donation to a charity. The Irish Hospice Foundation do donations in lieu of wedding favours and provide the generous couple with some display items to place on the tables to let their guests know. Their mission is that no one should face death or bereavement without the appropriate care and support.

Their main focus is on working to ensure that everyone who requires it can have access to this care and support regardless of geography or diagnosis. Your support will help make it possible for our vital programmes to continue, including:-

Hospice Friendly Hospitals – our single biggest project which aims to bring hospice principles to hospital practice, which is where the majority of people in Ireland die each year. The first phase is operating initially in 42 hospitals throughout Ireland
Children’s Palliative Care programme – designed to address the needs of children with life limiting conditions and their families in the community. We are funding and increased number of children’s palliative care nurses
Night Nursing Service – for non-cancer patients in their homes, which is free of charge.
Extending Access Programme – concerned with extending access to hospice care for patients with conditions other than cancer who currently only account for around 5% of people benefiting from hospice care annually.
Education, Research and Information/Resource Centre – plays a leading role in the strategic development of palliative care education.

As a charity, they receive no statutory funding and rely on voluntary contributions to fund their work. A great cause!!

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For the Record…

Ciara Crossan — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:00:52 +0000

Apart from the weddingdates.ie blog, I also post photos of venues I visit and love quotes to my Tumblr blog, and I stumbled on this the other day and its such a great quirky idea, I just HAD to share it!

Have your wedding guests sign a record containing your first dance song with metallic permanent markers, and then frame it. Music lovers should definitely consider this idea.

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Straight from NYC! Wedding Trends for 2010

Ciara Crossan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:17:12 +0000

Last Sunday I was invited down to Adare Manor to their wedding fair to check out the property and see what the renowed 5 star property has to offer potential brides.

Let me tell you…ALOT! It was incredible to see a black carriage being pulled by 2 large black horses with the white feather plumes coming out of the top of their heads! The Manor itself is really spectacular, and the banqueting hall in particular would be amazing for a wedding ceremony. For parties up to 90 people they can set the room up with a long extended banquet table – spectacular!

They had invited wedding planner to the Stars Tatiana Byron to speak to the brides and grooms to be, about Wedding Trends for 2010. Diligent as I am, I scribbled notes for you guys so here we go!

A key piece of advice from Tatiana – Approach any decision for your wedding day with one thought in your mind: “How is this going to affect my wedding guests?” If you always consider your guests then you can’t go too far wrong with your decisions.

Top 10 Trends for 2010

#1 Personalization is key

Suggestions:

Custom designed monograms for the couple. This can be used throughout throughout the wedding day from lights on the dance floor, the aisle runner, invitations, cake toppers, menus….the list goes on!
Custom Wedding Songs. You tell the story and a musician creates a song, you can use for your first dance, for your wedding “music video” etc.
Get a characaturist to do a picture of you the couple which can be used on invitations, to display at the wedding etc. Black Eye Peas singer Fergie did this for her wedding!

#2 Wedding Colours

Suggestions:

Trend at the moment is anything but traditional, Vibrant colours such as oranges, yellows, hot pinks, greens etc.
Use colours as a common thread in your wedding – flowers, linens, invitations, table cloths etc.

#3 Themed Weddings

Suggestions:

French Opulence is popular for 2010. Think Chateau Versailles.
Word of caution. If you are going for a themed wedding, you have to embrace the theme throughout to be true to it and to create the atmosphere you are looking for. This will inevitably drive up the overall cost of your wedding.

#4 Eco Friendly Chic

“Green Factor” Suggestions:

Food and Flowers – grown within 100 mile radius, organic farming
Invitations – sustainable materials eg bamboo, plantable seeds, recycled paper etc. Katherine Heigl had an Eco Friendly Wedding.
Favours – homemade organic cookies, organic caramel apples, potted tulips, bamboo coaster & plants…these are a symbol of good luck!

#5 Signature Cocktails

Suggestons:

Serve your favourite cocktail & name it aafter the happy couple á la “Brangelina”
Cocktail menus can feature your monogram
Cocktails can be matched to your colour scheme, eg coloured liquers, sugar crystals on glass etc.

#6 Dessert

Suggestions:

Cupcake displays very trendy in last year or so
Dessert Spreads and Candy “Bars”
- Gourmet chocolates
- Colourful and towerinig desserts
- Lollipop gardens
- mini cupcake towers v popular
Use your monogram on your cake
Personalised M&Ms with your initials (only costs about €150)

#7 Entertainment

Suggestions:

Non Traditional Performances
- Electric Concert Violinists
- Cirque style performers
- Stilt walkers escorting guests
Trend at the moment for “music videos” in weddings which is basically a 1.5 minute video/photo montage of the couple which can be put to music and shown at the wedding

#8 Bridal Fashion

Trends:

Bridal Fashion follows runways of Paris and Milan
Brides showing more skin
Mini dresses
Multiple gowns for the evening
Convertable dresses
Old Hollywood Glamour, think Grace Kelly
Romantic/Princess like gowns
Sheer fabrics & lace
Mismatched Bridal gowns
one gown, multiple looks
Alyssa Milano’s bridesmaids all looked different
Shop: Sydney, New York OR London; 2Birds Bridesmaid make 1bridesmaids dress for weddings which can be worn in 15 different styles! Something to suit all shapes and sizes and is sure to please your bridesmaids.

#9 Beauty & Accessories

Trends:

Hair down with simple headpiece á la Fergie
Birdcage Veils v popular
Statement Jewellry – beaded necklaces
Natural Make up
Loose cascading curls
Antique brooches used in hair

#10 New Things!

Wedding Websites so couples can share their planning process and journey with their family and friends eg. mywedding.com, projectwedding.com
- Can share updates on hotels, recreation activities, restaurants etc.
- Involve your guests in your wedding planning process
- If you are having a “destination wedding” then a wedding website is almost obligatory to keep people informed of the plan for the few days you are expecting them to travel for.
Blogging about your experience is also a growing trend amongst brides-to-be.
- Build a Bridal Community
Honour your heritage.
- If you have traditions in your family, your wedding is a lovely time to integrate them into your new family!
- Think about food inspired by your heritage, music etc etc.
Celebrities are a great source of inspiration.
Ultimately your wedding is about YOU!
Follow trends but always add the personal touch.

Tatiana also hosts New Yorks finest Luxury Bridal Show called the Wedding Salon so if you are living in NYC or planning to visit, I’m sure it would be WELL worth a look!

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Message In A Bottle

Ciara Crossan — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:04:44 +0000

One of my very dear friends recently travelled to Portugal for the wedding of her manager. It was an unusual wedding in that, the newlywed couple are both American, but the bride has lived and worked in Ireland for the past number of years but is now planning to relocate back to America after the wedding. Everybody had to travel to the wedding, from Ireland and the US and there was 37 of them together for a full week.

One of the most touching parts of the whole ceremony was that the bride made personalised wedding favours for all of the guests. Not any normal wedding favour, each guest had a Corona bottle waiting for them when they sat down for dinner, inside of which was a scroll with a personalised letter written to each and every one of them. I read my friends letter, and it brought a tear to my eye – not only was this a gorgeous gesture for all of the guests, for the Irish in the crowd, it was a goodbye note too.

I am always hammering on about making your day special and that its the unusual little touches that will stand out in peoples memory. I am sure that anyone who attended that wedding will cherish that letter forever.

Maybe not practical for a large Irish extravaganza but for a smaller, more intimate wedding I think it would be a beautiful thing to do. The bride typed up each letter on sandy coloured paper (for a homemade alternative, you could dye white paper with a wet teabag) and burned around the edges so it had an old-map effect. She then rolled up each scroll and placed inside the Corona bottle which had a sand & shells in the bottom of the bottle to weight it.

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Be My Cupcake?!

Ciara Crossan — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:30:55 +0000

As you all know I love cupcakes! So much so, I had them at our own launch party. So, when AnneMarie Kelleher contacted me about her new cupcake business, based in Cork and offered to bring me a box to trial…well, you can figure out the rest! [I did it for ye guys, I swear!]

ANYWAY – AnnMarie handmakes the cupcakes herself and specialises in the decoration…no request is too much for this lady as she really makes a personal effort to get what you want. She has some great ideas too as you’ll see from her sample gallery.

Very few places are specialised cupcake makers, so its great to talk to someone whose sole business is cupcakes and at a VERY reasonable price too!! AnnMaries cupcakes start at €1.50 per cake which is about as cheap as you will find anywhere. They come in boxes of 6 or 12, so why not contact her and order a box for the office as a trial?! Your co-workers will love you forever!

Delivery is free with orders over €30 in Cork City.

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Fly Me To The Moon! Spectacular Chinese Lanterns

Ciara Crossan — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:30:34 +0000

Recently came across a new irish website selling gifts and gadgets and their Flying Chinese Lanterns caught my eye, perfect for an outdoor/marquee wedding and what a great way to get your guests involved and send up a wish for your future wedded happiness!

The Chinese Lanterns will fly for up to 20 minutes and can rise over a mile in the sky – where they will still be visible all around. Traditionally used in Chinese and Thai celebrations, these are a beautiful and fascinating way to light up the sky – and (my favourite part) It was believed that wishes written on lanterns would rise up to the heavens and come true. :)

A quieter, gentler alternative to fireworks, flying lanterns are the safe, simple and perfect way to create an amazing visual display in the sky, a really memorable addition to any wedding. See below for a video of them being launched at a wedding.

If you want Flying Chinese Lanterns for your own wedding, check out GStore.ie – they will ship them anywhere in Ireland and go from €25.00 for a pack of 10 to €300.00 for 130 lanterns.

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