What a great New Jersey wedding Ceremony!

There are so many ways to weave a heart shaped motif through your wedding decor, but leaves may be one way that you haven’t thought about! There are many beautiful plants that have heart shaped leaves and there are so many ways to incorporate them into your plans (and feel their gentle loving touch on your budget)!   Groupings  of  colorful flowering plants with heart-leaved plants, like cyclamen, can certainly create a casual centerpiece for a pink or red themed wedding.  Beautiful African violets, with their rosettes of heart shaped leaves and purple blooms are perfect as well.  You might choose to add drapes of piggyback plant leaves, heart leaf philodendrons or satin pothos (with its dramatic silvery leaves) to your bouquet and your future husband’s boutonniere.  Each of those trailing plants could create a lovely foil  for your wedding aisle (and then be given to guests who have green thumbs!)    One of my cool clients outlined her New Jersey wedding ceremony (smooth, eh?)  gazebo with beautiful and abundant pots of philodendrons.  She spray painted  several leaves on each plant gold, and replaced the green plastic  pots with inexpensive terra cotta pots that she had  also sprayed gold, and stenciled the white aisle runner with gold hearts.  On the day of her wedding, we plucked some dark green, heart shaped leaves, scattered them over the runner, and the overall effect was amazing  (and cheap!) 

Is there a person alive who doesn’t love chocolate?  If there is, do we want to know them?  Do we want to invite them to our wedding?  I have to think about that, but going on the assumption that everyone loves chocolate, especially in cute little portions (that you can eat in multiples, lol), you will find the favors of your dreams at John Kelly Chocolates. What beauties these little jewels are!  The  core is a 2 ounce chunk of glorious truffle (which comes in twelve lucious flavors including cappuccino, mint, and raspberry), covered with semi sweet chocolate.  Their gift boxed favors can be tied with your choice of several different ribbon choices, and they can also personalize the ribbons for you; maybe with your favorite little saying. 

They also make their treats in larger sizes that are perfect to tuck into your hotel room gift baskets, and their gift towers would be an awesome and deliciuos gift for your  favorite attendants and New Jersey wedding officiant (smooth, eh?)

Twist my Limb  instead, at least if you’re looking for the most beautiful, eco-friendly collection of invitations, wedding accessories, thank you notes, and anything else paper you might covet for your wedding (or other special event)!  I read about this company, based in the Midwest, on a business blog that I subscribe to, and I was so taken with their story and their products, that I got right to bloggin’ (well, not right to it…I emailed a couple of couples along the way, lol….)

The story is a great one; a real odyssey that has evolved into this wonderful business (which is over 10 year old; way pre-dating the current green frenzy).   Sheryl Woodhouse-Keese  says that she started the company she found herself in the dubiously liberating position of being an unemployed environmentalist and former park ranger.  She was searching for a way to blend her artistic skills and her llove of nature, and found that Twisted Limb could become  the perfect venue to showcase her talents.  Her vision has become so successful that she now has a team of six (and you can virtually meet them on her website) that hand-creates the distinctive offerings on her site.

Just as “health” food isn’t all about sprouts and groats (what the hell is a groat anyway?), “re cycled” doesn’t mean brown.  Sheryl’s line is colorful, joyous and stylish. You’ll find way too much to love, and what a great problem to have!

Have you always dreamed of a destination wedding?  Shimmering sands, rippling turquoise waters, your closest friends and family, your amazing New Jersey Wedding Officiant (smooth, eh?)  Well, sharpen those pencils and get cracking; you too can be part of The Bailout..  Yes, thanks to a contest (The Bahamas Bridal Bailout) sponsored by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, you could write your way to free wedding at several properties, including this one; the SuperClub Breezes.  You can enter from March 20th through April 24th, telling your story in either an uploaded viedo or an essay with a photo.  From April 25th until May 17th, the public will vote on the entries, and the five couples will be picked to celebrate their wedding at one of several resorts.  How cool is that?  I’m seeing one of you, toting a suitcase filled with imprinted flipflops, hopping on that plane! 

I had the pleasure of meeting Kathy Valdez, the designer/owner of Concepts in Blooms,  at an ABC event this week, and I wanted to introduce her to you all.   If you’re planning a New Jersey Wedding (smooth, eh?) you’ll want to get to know her; she can help you create a wedding that is exactly what you envision.  Many of my couples think that hiring a planner is going to be an added expense that they can’t manage, but a savvy planner with good connections and experience can actually save you money, and make your wedding day much less stressful.        Kathy has been part of the event management industry for over a decade, and has designed events  throughout the United States and Europe with budgets ranging from $5,000 to over $1,000,000. Her commitment, attention to detail, and dedication are legendary, and led to her work decorating  the homes of several Major League Baseball players.   She has a beautiful website and a terrific blog, spotlighting some very neat vendors.  I think you’ll enjoy virtually meeting her and having her be part of your celebration.

Okay, so Aunt Mary, who gets crazy after her third martini can’t really sit with her ex husband, Ralph, who curses to much to seat with either your minister or your boss. What are you going to do with the kids, and those single people? Well, “Places Everyone” has the answer.

This nifty little item is the “Ultimate Seating Planner” that will take away your table assigning stress. It is not a computer program; it’s a kit with moveable pieces that represent your tables, chairs, musicians, even YOU! You can move your guests around, add or subtract tables, place your buffet tables and even give you and your partner a sweetheart table. With the selection of kits, you can accomodate up to 400 guests (and with their “Bark Mitzvah” kit, a special place for the pet of honor too!) The whole thing comes in a gold colored tube that you can use as a “time capsule” to store mementos from your wedding day. And it makes a wonderful shower gift!

If your wedding is this summer or during the holiday season, it’s just never too early to send out a ‘save the date’ card or email, which is sure to start a conversation between you and your invited friends and family. It will help your guests plan to join you, or let you know that they can’t. Having a grip on your estimated guestlist can help you with your budget and planning. Possibly you’ll have space for some of the friends you thought you couldn’t invite.

Guests who are coming to “destination” weddings (as in the Jersey shore in July), will also need to think about making reservations very early and maybe tacking on a couple of days to enjoy the setting. One of the coolest ideas ever is one I’ve snitched from one of my Christmas couples. They send out Christmas cards (Unicef ones, if I remember correctly)…in JULY as their date saves!

A Celtic Handfasting is a beautiful ceremony that can augment your vows and ring exchange. It was originated in the 1600′s, in Europe,  when very few weddings were being sanctified in the church. It was essentially, a commonlaw ritual, and it makes a beautiful contrast to the more formalized vows that are included in most modern ceremonies.

In the version that I have written , multiple colored cords, (some of which are embellished with beads, gemstones and charms), are draped over the couple’s hands as promises are read. Very often, a close friend. the couples’ children or one of the bridal party will assist in draping the cords; this is a great way to make them active participants.

Including distinctive and meaningful rituals like the handfasting is a way to truly make your ceremony a highly personal one. This ritual element  is one of my clients’ favorites. Thank you, Kris and Ashley, for this beautiful photo of your celebration!

What’s not to love!  A holiday that’s traditionally marked with chocolate, champagne, flowers, small fuzzy animals, and well, if you’re me….cheese. 

What can I tell ya….we all have our weaknesses….but even if you’re jaded and bored with the traditional ways that VD is celebrated, you can still take the opportunity to lavish smoochies and treats on those you love!  Your partner, your pets, your family; even that beautiful tree in the backyard.  As I say in my ring vows, “Love given freely comes back round and round again”.  (Now, you  might not be able to say that about chocolate, but it’s a nice thought, isn’t it……)

To enjoy the delights of Parcel, a delicious little shop filled with all kinds of fun things, not the least of which is their selection of custom invitations.  Around every corner is a charming discovery; antique ribbons, cool party favors, beautiful paper and sparkly candies. It’s a little vacation, right in Montclair.  Nancy Laboz, the created and talented wrangler of this design circus is happy to help you with design and advice.  You’ll have fun!