An authentic Italian Wedding on Sanibel Island

Never have I ever seen so much food. The menus for NYbride's wedding were looooong and fabulous. From the pre ceremony cocktail hour with seared tuna, fresh fruit kabobs and sangria -to the post ceremony cocktail hour with carving stations, lamb chops, and antipasta (and this is just the short list)- Sundial beach resorts chef outdid himself. Then we headed over to Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa where we had a 4 course meal followed by a dessert room. That's right- not a table, an entire room: Chocolate fondue station, cake,cookie & cupcake display, Nutella display, a candy station, and finally a sundae station. I can't wait to see the video AMCvideo got when we opened the doors to the room. The Nutella- it was the biggest jar we could find: 11 POUNDS! Each guest received a spoon on their seat that said, "We're nuts for each other and you'll think we're NUts when we TELLA you what this is for!" Joe & Lisa surprised their guests by rolling the Nutella out on a cart into the reception with the theme song from Willy Wonka playing. Then they fed each other with massive spoons. It was so fun!
Here are some outstanding photos from Jason Angelini. I "borrowed" them from his blog, which is so cool by the way- its written from his little boys point of view. For sure you should check it out!


The cupcake tower and NY Rangers grooms cake are from the amazing as usual Karen of Kakes by Karen. And the beautiful tropical centerpieces are from Floral Artistry.

Best favor : The girls are back!

The Girl Scouts that is! Last year I posted about using girl scout cookies as wedding favors. Well, we used them at 3 of our 17 weddings last year and they were hands down the fastest to leave the favor tables.
Side note: I prefer favor tables over placing them on dinner tables as I am not a fan of clutter. Also, favor tables make for another focal point opportunity in a blank space or a space taker in a too large room.
If you can't find a girl scout in your neck of the woods, send me an email. Our neighbor, little Amanda, will be more than happy to get you some!

Favors. Sometimes good, sometimes hideous junk I wish had never graced a table.

These mini Key Lime pies were the favor each guest received when reboarding Lady Chadwick. Captivapalooza brides welcome luncheon included a cruise Cabbage Key. As you might imagine, they were quite the hit!

Yesterday I spent some time on the phone with Lucky Bride talking about almost everything under the sun. Mostly because we have just a few weeks left and there's lots left to do. Also because she's just fun to talk to and if you caught my twitter yesterday, it was for sure a procrastination day.
Anyhoo...
So the topic of favors came up. I'm on the fence when it comes to favors. This is totally my personal opinion on them. Do you need them? Nope. Are they nice? Yes, they're nice, if they aren't, ummm, junk. Sorry, no other way to put it.

Here's the thing. If you can't eat it, or use it- don't do it. Put yourself in your guests shoes. Do you want a candle with somebody's name and wedding date on it? Are you seriously going to display that in your house? Doubt it. And if you're having a destination wedding- for goodness sakes remember your guests have to pack this stuff up and get it home.

I must confess, I did this at my wedding and looking back now, oh I am so embarrassed. I'd show you a picture of the tulle wrapped mini pot, but I can't bring myself to do it.

So if you do want to give your guest a favor, give them something they can eat right after the wedding (i.e. cookies, chocolate/candies, donuts, popcorn, coffee) or give them something they will use (i.e. beer/soda koozie, flip flops, stamped postcard & pen). Interactive favors are also great. They are truly my favorite because they create another active memory for the evening. Interactive favors are things like candy buffets, photobooths, donut stations, etc.
Have a cool favor idea? Click the comment link below and tell us all about it.

A favor idea I love..to eat.

Favors. Should be so simple, but they can be so hard! There are 5 trillion to choose from and it seems like they've all been done before. You want something different, but you don't want it to be, well, stupid. Here's my rule of thumb when it comes to favors. Only give what you would like to receive. Ask yourself, "Would I be happy if I got one of these?
I had an idea yesterday when Amanda-the-girl-scout came a knocking at my door. I gave her $3.50, and she gave me an entire box of my favorite cookies to eat at my leisure. Ok, so that's a slight lie. I bought 7 boxes. Anyway, can I just tell you how happy I would be of I went to a wedding and found a nicely wrapped box sitting on my chair? And then to open it later and see that I had Thin Mints to eat all the way home? And how happy would I be as a bride to know that my favor purchase also helped a great organization? Very happy!
I think its time for a Tagalong...or six.

Showcase #6 "Ummmm cookies...."

From: Michelle Tortuya of Charning Events

"Here is my favor entry for your showcase. I am in love with Cakesters by Oreo - soooo good. And i'm a number one fan of edible favors. To top it all off, I think the Black/White wedding color combo. is so elegant, and this treat would go so well with that scheme!"



So, I put two cakesters in a cellophane bag, wrapped with ribbon and a black/white tag with a monogram. Yummy!"



From : Danielle at Oh Happy Blog! (One of my favorite reads by the way)

"A friend of mine was having a bridal shower earlier this month. Many of the members of her bridal party are mothers or well into their marital bliss... as she is the baby in her family. She wanted to share in this special occasion with EVERYONE and didn't want to leave any of her loved ones out due to their lack of a babysitter... so she asked if I would come in and save the day. She was having a "Midsummers Night" theme to her wedding and so we created this "fairy tea" tablescape for the younger guests to indulge on cookies and punch at the shower...



We went wild at the local JUSTICE for GIRLS and Target- buying dress-up jewelry and lipglosses... the overall result was so positive - the bridal party was able to relax and enjoy themselves without the worry of rushing home to relieve the sitter... I suppose that I chose to share this because too often I am confronted with brides that do not take the demands of parenthood into account... if it is known that children will be a part of the wedding- be sure to put aside funds to keep them busy ... this will ensure that your guests stay well into the evening and enjoy themselves to the fullest."

Wondering what to put in the welcome bags?

A wedding planner friend of mine asked the other day about what I put in welcome bags. I've never put 2 of the same together. Just as each wedding is unique, so are the bags. First of all, I don't always use a bag. Sometimes we use a box, sometimes a basket, even a bath robe we used once (it looked really neat).

There are a few staples that go inside:
Bottled Water, Map, Brochures, and guest itinerary

Then there are the things that are unique to your wedding. Here are some of my favorites:
Stewart sodas or those fancy lemonades- can't remember the name, wine & opener (or a champagne split) with 2 glasses, pashminas, parasols, flip flops, beach towels, koozies, regional magazines, sunscreen wipes, chips/pretzels/popcorn, local food goodies, candy, cookies (photo cookies are huge hits), battery powered fans, off! wipes, pre-stamped postcards & pens, room key chains (those kind that go on your wrist), drink tickets (pina colada by the pool?),spa gift certificates, scented candles, cd's of your favorite songs, robe & slippers...

I could go on, but this is a good start right? Oh- and don't go thinking you need to put all this in there! The most important thing is that your guest who is spending 2 days travelling and maybe $1000 or more to attend your celebration feels welcomed. Put in what you like and what your budget affords you. These gifts can range from $7 to $175 each, depending on how lavish you want to get.

Quick tip: If you can attach a personal note to each bag- it speaks volumes. And its a task you can start as soon as the RSVP comes in. Also, if you do a welcome bag for each guest, a favor a the reception is certainly not necessary.

There is generous, and then there is over doing it.

I met with a potential client yesterday who has fantastic ideas for her wedding. It will be a beach wedding, so she wants to have parasols to shade the guests, program fans to cool the guests, and flip flops to keep their feet cool and comfy. Of course, there will also be welcome bags for all the out of town guests, which will include a custom photo cookie. And at the reception, a photobooth so everyone can take a picture home.Then at the end of the night, while everyone is out on the dancefloor, each place setting will be replaced with a mini wedding cake. I love all these things, every last one. So we talk about all the great things we have planned and then she says,

"So what should we do for the favor?"

Nothing. Absolutely nothing is my answer. I understand wanting to give your guests gifts. Me, I'm a big HUGE fan of giving gifts. But there comes a point where enough is enough. So with that said, think before every purchase. You don't want your guests to leave your reception with a shopping bag. Unless of course its a cool monogrammed one from Red Envelope. Just kidding!

Aren't you excited I finally figured out how to make these photo boards? Thank you to some fantabulous direction at Style Me Pretty. Seriously, I love her blog.

Custom Weddings

You all know that I am all about everything being custom. Every wedding is without a doubt different, but making that extra effort to be unique is what makes each wedding unforgettable. Lucky for us the next issue of Martha Stewart Weddings is focusing on customizing your weddings! I can't wait to get my hands on it of course. It will be on newsstands Monday.
This favor is one of my favorites ever. If you have time, you can make them yourself. Or, bring the photo to your local baker and ask for a quote- you might be surprised how inexpensive they can be. To customize them, order extra monogram stickers or seals with your wedding invitations and place them on the top of the box to secure the ribbon.

Cookies for Comments!

"So excited!" Ok, well, maybe I do get excited about alot of things. But today I am really very excited because I just got my 1st batch of Weddings by Socialites Cookies! After 5 years, I really needed a change. So last month I unveiled the new logo. And I have to admit, I love the new look. But I want to know what you think too. SO- if you send me a comment, I will send you a cookie! Make sure your email address is good so that I can email you for your mail address.
I also want to say thank you to Chris Ketchum at Masons Bakery for making these cookies for me. The cookies actually make fabo wedding favors (that's how I found them of course). For my last wedding the couple had 4 different photos made into cookies and gave each guest a set. Their guests just loved them- especially when they found themselves on a cookie!
If you want to get some photo cookies, contact Chris at Masons , and tell him Kelly sent ya.