Fabric meets Wedding Invitations

Fabric isn't only popular on your wedding cake as I mentioned in my past posting Fabric-designed Wedding Cakes, but it is also popular with wedding invitations!

Fabric is a super cute way to wrap or frame invites in a unique style. Mixing textures and colours creates an amazing piece of art as your invite.

Super Sleeves

The patterned fabric trends has grown to be a huge favourite in the wedding decor world, and fabric sleeves for invitations are also gaining popularity.

Back It Up

Using fabric, or a fabric pattern for your invites is also a very interesting way to add texture to your invitations and announcements. Adding a splash of colours, and a different feel will surprise your guests as they open the envelopes.

Simple Elegance
To keep it simple, but add a splash of texture, try tying and/or wrapping up invitations with some fabric.

What you need to know about Wedding Cake

Whether your wedding is formal or casual, you need to know about certain wedding cake etiquettes. The cutting of the cake represents the first thing the brid and groom do together as a couple so it has significant meaning (who knew, right?!).

Showing off the cake
The cake should be placed as the centerpiece of the reception and is an important part of the reception decor. Preferable, the cake is placed on a table of its own in a prominent location for guests to admire - most often close to the head table. It can also be placed on a buffet table or the bridal table if space is limited. Place a decorated knife on the table for the cutting ceremony. This is a great way to incorporate family tradition, so ask if your parents or grandparents have a knife that has been passed down through the family and if you could borrow it for this momentous occasion.

Cutting it up
The cake should be cut right before dessert is served/brought out. Make sure to gather the guests so everyone can watch this special part of the reception. You and your significant other cut the first 2 slices with the groom placing his right hand over hers. The slice is placed on a plate and then you feed each other a piece of cake, with the groom typically offering the cake to his bride first. The catering staff will then cut the rest of the cake in the kitchen.

Anniversary tier
Many newlyweds choose to save the top tier of their cake to be frozen until their first anniversary. A better option is to get a small cake from your baker that is separately packaged which then can be frozen. This is much less money than saving the top tier and is better packaged for freezing. Another option is for your and your partner to return to the bakery on your first anniversary for a delicious treat that would be much more fresh and tasty.

Cariad Productions will make the same cake as your wedding, or another of your choice, for your 1st anniversary as a couple for free! Contact me today to order your custom made wedding cake, bridal shower cake, grooms cake or any other excuse you have for a sweet treat - cariadproductions@gmail.com.

Fun Favours of the Bride and Groom

What defines a wedding more than the happy couple themselves?! A wedding is the joining of two people, that is why many couples select bride and groom design wedding favours. It represents the two of you on your happy day.

The range of favours available goes from subtly elegant to a touch of fun. This gives you the ability to match the favour to the theme and colours of your wedding.

The happy couple in an embrace graces the top of a bell or the side of a candle. The bells work well as an alternative to clinking glasses to make the couple kiss, and a great take home favour afterwards as well.

The couple grace the top of a bookmark or spoon rest favour as well.

For a more modern touch, the bride and groom become items that can be given as couples or separately in a wine set or as placeholders. The placeholders play a wonderful double role working for you day of, and a great take-home gift for your guests.

For a more homemade style, consider adding bride and groom cookies to your favours. Not a baker? Why not just decorate some oreos then?! Not a cookie fan? How about chocolate covered strawberries?

The bride and groom make great adornments for coaster sets and photo album favours as well.

After dinner mints or candies presented in a bride or groom box are also very cute.

These gifts bring the happy couple together in a gift that your guests will truly enjoy. You can find a design that will match your wedding theme, the choice is totally yours as always!

For more favour ideas contact Bronwyn at cariadproductions@gmail.com!

Choosing the Colour Scheme for your Wedding

One of the most exciting parts of the wedding is choosing the colour scheme. The colour often represents the personality of the bride and groom, as well as sets the theme and tone of the wedding. Some colours indicate that the wedding has a more serious tone, while others indicate the wedding is a fun and very light-hearted event.

Often times, the time of year and season will play a large part in the colour choice of the wedding. For instance, if the wedding takes place near Christmas, many brides will choose to go with a shade of red. When a bride chooses to have her wedding in the fall, she is likely to choose cool colours such as purples and dark blues. If the wedding is to take place during the spring months, many brides will choose very light pastels to coordinate with spring.

Although brides are becoming much more adventurous when choosing the colour scheme for their wedding, the current trends in wedding colours are lilacs, pale pinks, ivory, baby blue and gold. Brides are choosing colours that are both delicate and feminine.

One of the first big decisions as far as colour goes, is picking a colour for the bridesmaid dresses. Often times, this will set the stage for the rest of the wedding colours. After picking out the dress, the bridesmaids will then have their shoes dyed to match the colour of the dresses.

The bride will also want to coordinate the flowers of the wedding with the bridesmaid dresses. It is not vital that the flowers are the same colours of the dresses, but rather that they coordinate and compliment the bridesmaids' dresses.

Most brides will choose a white wedding cake, with accent colours that coordinate with the other colours of the wedding. Icing flowers as well as real and artificial flowers can be added to the cake in order to incorporate the colours of the wedding. Other small accents can be sued to coordinate with the colour scheme.

Some brides will choose to colour coordinate their invitations with the rest of the wedding. Invitations come in a variety of styles and colours and can be found just about anywhere. The invitations are generally the first glance will get into the colour scheme of the wedding. The invitation will give guests a sneak peak of the overall tone of the wedding. Therefore, it is important to carefully consider the style and colour of the invitations.

Personalizing your big day

There is no limit to what you can do on your wedding day. Outside of the actual legal or religious requirements, how you celebrate this momentous occasion is entirely up to you! It's becoming increasingly popular for brides and grooms to look for ways to make their wedding more personalized and unique. Adding some extra flair to the bridal party's ensemble or some decorative touches that mirror your personal taste is a great way to make even the largest wedding feel intimate.

In the past, adding a monogram to wedding items, including the cake, invitations, programs and favours, was a popular way to add that personal touch. This still holds true, and will never go out of style, however there are lots of new fun trends to add a more eccentric touch...

Coloured shoes - it's so fun to see a pair of re, blue, purple, green or pink shoes peeking out from under a wedding gown. It's sure to have your guests taking a second glance, and what bride doesn't want that?!



Photo booths - these have quickly risen in popularity and it's easy to see why. Put up some fun backdrops and leave some props for your guests. You can create a photobook of your favourite to share with everyone. Many companies will let you customize the print outs, so these can act as wedding favours as well - plus you get a disc of the photos to enjoy yourself.



Mismatched bridesmaid dresses - most bridesmaids appreciate being able to pick out a dress that best suits them. Giving them some flexibility is nice and lets them look and feel their best. You can assign them a colour, fabric, or palette to choose from when finding their dress.




Homemade favours - maybe you're a great cook, or you grow fruit in your garden. Why not give a little of yourself back to yoru guests by giving them a favour of your homemade jam or a pack of freshly baked cookies?

Photo guest books and frames - rather than the standard old guest book that will get lost in a closet, why not dress is up by putting your engagement photo in a frame with extra wide matting? Let your guests sign it and you can display it in your home. One big suggestion is to mark where the frame will cover, or display the photo for signing with the frame on and no glass, this way you are sure you get to see all the signatures in full. Another wonderful coffee table topper at your home is a personalized full guest book with pictures of you and your significant other surrounded by notes and signatures from your friends and family.

So what suits you best? How do you want to remember, or want your guests to remember, your special day? The options are endless, so let your creativity soar!

Trends in Engagement Rings

Pick up any wedding magazine and you're bombarded with extravagant design ideas for rings, the difference we are seeing is the trend toward fancy and more feminine styles. Even the ever popular sheath style has added a waistline. Curves are accentuated and ruffles, pleats, and flounces are everywhere. Plain is rare this year and engagement rings are following the trend.

Solitaire
Of course, the diamond solitaire ring with the elegance and simplicity will never go out of style, but even the plain bands are going fancy with different shapes. New and different deisgns are adding excitement to the choices you have this year.

Pave Bands

You will have a wide range of choices in the setting. Pave bands (as shown below) are so popular and designers are creating incredibly beautiful rings. The pave concept is to encircle the band with tiny diamons. This is a great way to get more dazzle without spending a lot of cash as smaller diamonds cost much less. Pave bands come in lots of different styles include split, twist, double or triple.

3 Stone Band

A popular style this year is the 3 stone band, the central diamon and 2 smaller diamons are cluster in the center of the band, you may choose from plain or pave bands in the 3 stone style, shown below.

Framed

To add even more bling to the ring, many designs this year feature a "diamond frame". Smaller diamonds completely frame the central diamond, check it out...

Adding Colour

Fancy coloured diamond rings continue to grow in popularity with many celebrity brides receiving yellow diamon, brown diamond and pink diamond engagement rings. Coloured diamons are in a class all by themselves and you need to research a little differently for these gems.

Antiques

For those that are looking for something different - why not got classic with an antique-style? There are a number of ways that you can get antique wedding rings - it doesn't have to be the traditional family heirloom that is passed down through generations. In fact, you can buy heirloom quality rings from estate sales, and some professional jewelers have actual antique rings in their inventory that were taken in as trade or through jewelry auctions.

Most couples that choose antique rings are conservative by nature and want a more traditional wedding. Of course, the quality of antique wedding rings are usually better than many found today. Stones were selected for higher perfection and metals were heavier by carat weight. Antique wedding rings can be a wise alternative to contemporary ring choices, and you can also make an investment that will appreciate if you are purchasing a real antique that has some rarity by the nature of the design and the quality of the stones.

Customize

Professional jewelers can design any kind of ring you want with any kind of metal or stones.

If you opt to have antique replica rings made, you will need to have some idea of the styles and stones you are looking for. A professional jeweler can give you ideas, and they can offer an array of metals, stones and settings that duplicate some of the qualitites of antique wedding rings.

You have a lot of choices for that perfect ring. So, enjoy the process as you plan the future with your bride-to-be.

What to do about your "do" on your wedding day

Your wedding is the one day you NEED your hair to look absolutely fabulous! It is important to have a bridal hairstyle done by an experienced hairstylist for the best results. Here are just a few things to consider...

1. Choose a Natural Bridal Hairstyle - don't go too crazy, choose something that compliments your natural hair type. While it is possible to get straight hair curly or vis versa, it is important to think about what will happen in the event of a bad hair day. Choosing a style which is suitable for your natural hair is ideal.

2. Up or Down - when trying to decide between an updo or downdo, it's best to think about what looks best on you. A popular bridal hairstyle trends is to wear half of the hair up, and the rest of it down. Experiment with up and down styles to see what looks best on you.

3. Weather - if the ceremony is going to be on a beach, there may be a lot of breeze, which could be troublesome if the hair is loose. If you are planning to get married during a humid time of the year, considering whether or not frizz will be a problem. An indoor ceremony may allow for more hairstyle options.

4. Accessories - think about the other accessories you are wearing that day. A tiara may not be the best option for a downdo hairstyle. Dangly chandelier earrings are more visible with your hair up. A flower worn on one side may look best when your hair is worn completely down or completely up.

5. Colour - consider what hair colour will be the most appropriate option for you. Many spring and summer brides opt to lighten their hair with highlights. There are also some brides who make the decision to avoid colour their hair, to ensure that the photographs feature an authentic colour for years to come. The right choice is ultimately up to you, but it is yet another consideration to make.


These are just a few wedding hairstyle tips that you should be thinking about .The most important thins if for you to choose a hairstyle that you like! With the services of an experienced hairstylist, almost any style can look beautfiul for your special day.