DIY Vanilla Sugar Wedding Favor...

 

We saw this amazing DIY favor idea on kimbryphotography.com that looked easy to do.  We thought it would make a great favor for this time of year.  Something that your guests could use at home while sipping on a nice hot tea or coffee.  Take a look at the pictures and recipe below:

 

 

For this recipe you will need:

 

• Vanilla bean (any kind is fine)
• Sugar (I used white, but I think raw would be great as well)
• A large container
• Favor jars,pretty ribbons, custom tags
• Slice your vanilla bean down the center and scrape the tiny seeds out.
• Mix as much you can get out of your bean with sugar in a large container. Throw in the used bean for added flavor (just don't eat it :)
• Allow a week or so for the flavor/smells to blend

Now just divide in your pretty little jars and enjoy!

This was just a fabulous idea and super cute wrapping/tagging!  I say go out and get the items and start DIY'ing!

Bridesmaids Luncheon...

What is a bridesmaid's luncheon? This is a party thrown in honor of the bridesmaids and sometimes called a “bridal tea”. This is something generally hosted by the bride and her mother as a way of saying thank you for sharing in my big day. Usually this is when the bride presents the girls with thank you cards and gifts. This also gives the girls a chance to get to know one another incase they don’t already. Some out of town bridesmaids may have never met your cousins or best friend from high school.

Historically this was strictly an afternoon event given the day before the wedding, where all parties involved joined and had lunch and tea, thus the name “bridal tea”, which over the years became known as the “bridesmaids luncheon”. today however it can be given at any point day or night and as far ahead as you wish. Where to have this is entirely up to you and your budget. Keep in mind when planning how lavish or low key you want it to be, and where it would take place.

This luncheon could be as simple as a DIY mani/pedi party to a posh event at a ritzy hotel. No matter how much you spend or where you have it just remember its all in fun and for thanking those close to you!

Top 10 things you should know about bridal gown shopping...

We found this amazing article in the newest edition of Brides Magazine that we found to be an extremely helpful tool when shopping for your gown. Take a look at the top ten tips before you head out for a fun filled girl’s day out of bridal gown shopping!

1- A wedding gown is rarely made-to-measure, unless its custom made. In most cases, when a salon takes your measurements it’s so they can order the right size for you.

2-The difference between wedding gowns could be that one costs $500 and the other one may cost $1500 that could very well be the fabric, synthetic versus natural. Natural will always be more expensive.

3-The latest gown styles take about a year to get from the runway to you. Big name designers show their designs at New York Fashion Week every April and October, and those dresses are usually for sale in salons about 6 months later. Then it can take approximately 6-8 months to process your personal order.

4-Wear clean underwear, people will be seeing you semi-naked! (we got a laugh at that one!)

5-What is great about a trunk show? Most bridal salons don’t carry a designer’s entire collection, but at a trunk show, the entire collection is usually available to be touched and tried on. Often the designer sends a representative and on occasion the designer will come (which is really a rare treat). There are usually special events or deals when it comes to trunk shows so don’t hesitate to ask.

6-Most brides spend about 8-to10% of their wedding budgets on their total look (gown, shoes, headpiece, etc.) But that average accounts for a variety of real world scenarios, not all brides fit into that scenario it could be anywhere from 1-20% in all actuality.

7-The “deal” with samples. Bridal salons do not carry gowns in each size, instead they have a sample size. Within the gowns and designers that could range anywhere from a size 6 to a size 22. If you are looking for a specific size just ask.

8-Need a dress yesterday? We always have sample gowns that can be sold directly from the rack! You only need to find that one perfect gown and ask if you are able to purchase that particular one.

9-Shop by this rule: Nothing in fashion is out of fashion! Have an irrational fear of looking at your wedding portrait 20 years from now and asking…OMG what was I thinking? There are so many attributes about a wedding gown that are never going to disappear, and there are some silhouettes that are always going to be timeless…so if that is your fear…have no fear there is always something!

10-You should make an appointment! If you are shopping seriously and want proper attention making an appointment is a necessity at almost all salons these days. There are even salons that won’t even let you look around at things if you don’t have one.

DIY Hot Cocoa Favors...

We were over visiting one of our favorite wedding blogs "Style Me Pretty" and came accross this cute little DIY that would make a great holiday or Fall/Winter wedding favor. Below you will find the blog post we found and the instructions on how to make this:

  

Our next DIY project is so ridiculously cute, you are going to die. They were filled with homemade snowflake marshmallows and hot cocoa, then placed lovingly into the guests’ rooms as a sweet treat. So great!
 
Materials
Heavy Card Stock
Labels
Muslin Bags
Thread / Sewing Machine
Corner Punch Tool
Cellophane Envelopes
Resealable Glue Strips
Individual Hot Coco Packets
Recipe for Homemade Marshmallows

Instructions:
1. Print pattern onto a card stock and trim to 3.75 x 3″ then round the right side corners with a corner punch tool. (You could use any patterned paper for this project and just mount it to a card stock with spray mount.)
2. Print the smaller labels onto a card stock. I used a silver metallic to coordinate with our wedding colors. trim each one out using an x-acto knife and ruler. Then hole punch (only half) on either side for sewing.
3. Line up pieces of paper with the left edge of the muslin bag and sew with a coordinating thread color. I used my basic sewing machine to do the sewing and they turned out well.
4. For the note inside we printed a greeting onto the same silver card stock and rounded the edges with a corner punch tool.
5. The homemade snowflake marshmallows were made from a recipe found at marthastewart.com.
We packaged the marshmallows in cellophane envelopes with a re-sealable glue strip to maintain freshness. Add individual hot cocoa packets in similar colors to complete the gift!

As you can see this was a fabulous idea and we just couldn't resist sharing especially since the Fall is upon us and Winter is right behind!  Have wonderful Fall season!

125 Bridal Boutique