Even before getting engaged… I knew that my favors would be home made by my dad. He makes wine as his “retirement hobby” and surprisingly, it is quite good considering that it comes out of a basement in Pennsylvania.

I love the homemade feel of it and it is something meaningful to both Mr. Poinsettia and I. Before the ring was on the finger, I had asked my dad to begin making the vino. We are having two varietals a Gewürztraminer and a blackberry Merlot. (I salivate as I write this!) The Gewurz is completed and ready for bottling…the Merlot is following behind closely.

Gewurz is actually one of the few wines that pairs well with Asian food, this would be perfect if we were doing a Filipino reception…but Poinsettia Dude didn’t care to make it cultural. Now, don’t get me wrong… I will request some Palabok…. YUM!

So now we need to pick bottles and labels. Our struggle is this: One 375 ml bottle per couple or one per single? Or..

www.homebrewery.com

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It has been my goal to make my wedding memorable for all involved. I’d like to say unique but so far, none of my ideas are earth shattering and new! When I asked my bridal party to be a part of the party, I enlisted the help of a custom card and gift maker: Sugar & Spice Signature Cards to help me put together something fun, unique and representative of “me”. I decided that $25 per gift would be the budget and we came in right at that.

My gifts included: a mug for each girl, a candle, a hand written card with mementos of our friendship, some Hershey’s Kisses, greeting cards and a ring pop!

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If I were to have a flower girl in my wedding…this would have to be one of their outfits! I am loving the tutu look for ME…and even more so for a little girl. My niece will turn one just about two weeks after our wedding and I would love to see her in one of these tutus.  They are hand made and range in price from $25-$60 for a custom color.

These are all from the Etsy seller, bbstutus

This will be difficult without seeing my dress…but, unfortunately, I can’t post it. My fiancé follows all of my blogs. Yea, it is sweet of him but not when I want to show you the dress!

Anyway, think: Retro Glam. Marilyn Monroe, Rat Pack, etc. There is some jeweled detail on the dress… I am looking for a large cuff bracelet or several bangle bracelets in a jeweled pattern of squares, rectangles, triangles, ovals, you name it.  For my earrings, same jewels but a drop earring, nothing round or hoop-ish.

This is my jewelry inspiration from Haute Bride:

What fabulous jewelry ideas have you found?

Whenever I receive wedding invitations, two things come to mind: I can’t wait to see the bride in her dress and I can’t wait for the cake! Some people will probably be more eager to have the free food and drinks…but hey… what can you do?!?

From SweetThings Blog

Cake tasting was the one thing that I looked forward to the most in wedding planning. I pictured plates full of sweet, sugary goodness and I wanted to taste every cake in town! Well, timing and this little thing called Diabetes really didn’t allow for all of that cake tasting to happen. So, we selected our baker and went to two tastings with them.

It was important for us to have a cake that was both visually appealing and appealing to the taste buds. I wanted to capture each dessert craving with each succulent layer.

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As you faithful followers know, I am constantly searching to find something unique for my wedding. When I say “unique” I understand that while it may be exclusive to my wedding, it will be new, unique and exciting to my guests. They don’t search wedding forum sites and read blog posts like us brides do, so they may not know about the candy buffet, the photo booth or my latest obsession…the ice bar/sculpture.

Bar from Snazzy Jazzy

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A wedding is one of the few times in your life when you can go overboard on anything and everything. Think about it: What other occasion would you have for buying one of these:

Or one of these…

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Instead of posting about something great that I found and how to use it, I will be looking to you, dear readers. Several months back, this item was posted on a website and, if I remember correctly, it was suggested for use as a modern unity candle.

Double Pique Candle hand made by designer Studio Glithero

A traditional unity candle unites two flames into one, symbolizing two individuals coming together as “one” through marriage. Although, even after we are married, I will still be individual at things like using the restroom and waxing my eyebrows and coloring my hair. Yes honey, I wake up this outstanding!

So, if I were to incorporate this into a ceremony, how would I do it? It is one candle with two flames. Can the mothers light it? Then, how would Sir Poinsettia and I light our candle? Help!

This is such a cute idea! I’ve never been to a shower where there was a guest book. A recipe book? Yes. But not a fun, interactive guest book. As I plan a wedding but prepare for a marriage, one of the things we always ask other couples is, “How do you do it?” “What makes it work?” I love getting advice from other couples, whether it is how to stay together, how to resolve a conflict or how to give each other the space that we need, it is all important.

Courtesy of The Guestbook Store

This book is a great way to remember who your guests were, have a memento from them long after the day and a reminder of where you’ve been and how to get where you are going! The website walks you through the design:

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There are so many ways to personalize your wedding. One idea that I love, lately, is a coffee/espresso bar. While at a large Italian wedding, they had an espresso cart, but I think that a lovely way to give a late night send off or and early morning treat to your guests is an all you can drink coffee bar!

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