BRONZE BUDGET BRIDE

I love these Hand Engraved Glass Stones that can be use not just as beautiful place cards but they double as a memorable wedding favor for your guests as well. They are certainly something that wedding planner Jung Lee from TLC'S Wedded To Perfection would adore since in every episode she find a unique ways to display the escort "card" table.



The stones are available in different colors but the engraving is filled with either gold or silver for $4.00. The price is great when you think about all the work that's involved and if you want artwork added, you pay $1.00 more which would bring each favor / place card at $5.00 per stone. That may be outside the budget for a few of you but if you can afford it, these stones will certainly be wonderful for your guests and it's a piece of art that they can use for years to come.

You can find them HERE at ArtfulCelebrations Etsy shop! 

I made Smore's for my kids the first time on July 4th this year and they loved them of course. Who doesn't love Smore's with their chocolate, mushy, creamy, crunchy goodness. We did them a little different from the traditional way of roasting the marshmallow over and open flame but they were still delicious!

I came across this DIY Smore's Kit on Project Wedding and had to share this fab find with all of you because it's one of those gifts that there's no way your guests would go home without taking. To make it you'll need all the items listed below but  to save money on your kits, I would leave out the wire hangers to make them more budget friendly and stress free!


What you'll need:
1. Hershey's Chocolate Bars
2. Graham Crackers
3. Marshmallows
4. Wire Hangers
5. Cellophane Bags in 3 Sizes
6. Adhesive Paper and Cardstock
7. Labels and Instructions design
8. Kraft Box with Lid 4.75" x 6" x 2.5"
9. Tissue
10. Ribbon
11. Scissors
12. Wire Cutter

You can find all the instructions here to this fabulous favor idea on Project Wedding and I would love to see photos if you decide to make this for your wedding or as gift!

I love the recipes at this seddy5.typepad.com and I was inspired to share information about the Summer Dress Sugar Cookie recipe with you because of these amazing cookies that our DIY Diva bride Michelle posted last week.



Michelle is making these cookies for her bridal shower but they would make wonderful wedding favors too. She was kind enough to share her cookie recipe which I've posted below for you.

If you are interested in learning how to make Dress Sugar Cookies for an upcoming event, go here to seddy5.typepad.com for instructions on making these marshmallow fondant covered cookies yourself!

  

I am planning my wedding for next May.  I have seen a lot of different wedding favors offered on the internet and also in stores, but couldn't find one kind that really said "This is how people will remember sharing our day with us."  

  So I kept searching.  I found some really adorable mini donkey pinatas...They are too cute!  I found them at www.orientaltrading.com.  My fiancee is Mexican-American, so I thought that this was a cute way to be able to incorporate his heritage (which everyone teases him about...).  He is a sheriff's deputy and has been called out to translate in Spanish for all of the local agencies in our area.

   But, back to the donkeys...They are called Fiesta Donkeys.  I ordered a sample, to see if they were really what we were looking for.  They are so much more adorable in person than they are on the internet.  They are about 3" tall and about as long in the body.  They are brightly colored, and since we are planning a spring wedding, the colors work perfectly.  They are $7.99 for a dozen donkeys.

   They are unique and I really think everyone that is invited will think that they are fun and will remember sharing in our day with us every time they look at the Fiesta Donkeys.

I've been talking about making these for a while since I bought the supplies months ago. This past week-end I finally made about 60 shell candles that I intend to give as favors.



I got the kids involved and they helped pull the wicks from the candles after I removed them from the metal thins. We then placed the wicks carefully into the shells while waiting for the wax to melt.



To melt the wax, I filled a medium sized pot about half way to the top, put the wax inside an old ceramic mug, then place the mug inside the medium pot and put it on the stove to boil on medium-high heat.

After about five minutes past, the wax was all melted and it was then that I used an old ice cream scope to dip and pour the wax inside the shells.



I added a small amount of cinnamon to some of the wax and vanilla to other so that they'll have a comforting smell when lit.

I'll be making at least 120 more once I find more shells and this time I will use blue and green tea light candles so they'll have a more interesting look.

What do you think?

I've seen these White Wedding Favor Boxes in the party section of all the dollar stores I frequently visit. There are 12 in the pack and they are only $1.00. So 100 of these favor boxes would cost you less than $10.00 and that's including taxes. I wasn't sure how I would package my DIY Shell Candles but since I've found these the plan is to dress them up with ribbon and Peacock Feathers and they would be perfect.

I will share photos as soon as I create the first one which should be very soon! When all is said and done my favors including the boxes should still be under $25.



Remember, as a small budget bride you've got to keep your eyes open at all times while you're out there shopping because you never know where you'll find the next amazing deal.

Regardless of your wedding colors, the theme or even the venue, a wedding has more meaning to you, your partner and your guests if you give it a personal touch. You can do this in many ways but with Favors By Dorinda you can make a bold statement about who you are as a couple by giving your guests delicious, personalized candy with wrappers that feature you and your groom. Can you imagine how impressed your guests would be to see you and your new hubby on your wedding favors!

Nothing says personalized better that your photograph and along with that you can add a thank you note, your favorite quote or even a line from "your" special song. It's your choice since you get up to five (5) lines to say whatever you want to make that favor all about the two of you.



If you'd rather go with something just a tad simpler there's many more to choose from including this set of personalized, mini chocolate bars which I must admit is my personal favorite.



So you see... you don't have to have a large budget to do what the Platinum Brides are doing. All you have to do is head on over to FavorsByDorinda.com, place an order today and you too can have custom favors that you know your guests will enjoy!

Evidently long ago across The Pond, someone in Italy or France decided that it was a great idea to give guests at weddings or birthdays (or funerals, who knows) a crystal box with something delectable inside.  Supposedly, a wedding was considered a lucky event back then; however, I would've thought a bath would rank higher on the list.  A bonbonniere (translate to the 21st century - bon-bon) was a way for the bride and groom to "share" this luck or blessing with their guests.  And therefore, another tradition which costs the bride money and goes into the trash was born.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not completely against favors.  In fact, I think when they are done right, they can add an additional element to the wedding that makes it that much more memorable for everyone.  But let's be honest; how many of you still have any of the "favors" you've received at other people's weddings?  Or better still, how many of you can remember what they were (without sniggering to your girlfriends about how awful they were)?  I received a beautiful silver frame with a picture of the bride and groom in it once; considering I was a date of a friend and had no clue who these people were, I was perfectly happy to remove their picture and use the frame for the next two months until the silver rubbed off and the plastic stand broke.  But it got me thinking - how much did that poor girl spend for these frames as a token of their special day that went to people they didn't know, or worse, were thrown in the trash?

I can't tell you how many plastic swans, tiny champagne glasses and cheesy heart-shaped banks I've broken or given to my friends' children.  As I was cleaning up the bubbles that burst in the back of the car where the small bottle was thrown after the last wedding I attended, I realized: these things are supposed to have meaning.  So, let's put the meaning back into them!

Granted, they shouldn't be something that is obscure about the couple that absolutely no one but their therapist would know what it meant, but it should be something that those who know them well will say, Yeah, that's 'them.'  My husband and I were married the day before St. Patrick's Day.  Mike is 100% Irish - only a second generation American; both sets of grandparents found their way via boat from Ireland to America back in the 30's.  My family is also Irish, having been here since the 1790's.  It is something that is very important to me, and everyone who knows me knows that about us.  So, instead of favors, I walked around the reception after dinner with a pot of "gold" and passed out gold-foil covered chocolate coins to everyone; sharing our "treasure" with everyone. 

One bride on whose wedding I'm working absolutely dies for chocolate; and her fiance is the same way about peanut butter.  Enter the Oreo Truffle and Nutter Butter Truffle.  I know our fearless leader, Carla, is making the Oreo Truffle for her guests; I took it one step further and made a truffle from Nutter Butters with the same recipe.  The Oreo is covered in white chocolate (for the bride) and the Nutter Butter is covered in semi-sweet (for the groom).  These are small little treats that are delicious, eye-catching, and CHEAP.  One package of cookies and one package of cream cheese will set you back about $5.00 and makes approximately 42-46 1-inch truffles each.  And who doesn't love chocolate and peanut butter together?



Does the bride love butterflies and everyone knows it? Butterflies can be cut from patterned cardstock and attached to a small clothespin with a magnet on the back; use it to clip the place card to the glass at their seat and it can go on the fridge when they get home.  Where did he propose to you?  A rose garden?  Give people flower seeds with their name attached as place cards.   Another bride and groom gave away small books of poetry because they met in British Lit class in graduate school.  We are die-hard Yankees fans; needless to say, my husband's groom's cake was a big baseball.  But are you really into a particular team or sport?  Do you have a pastime you love more than anything to do together - hiking?  Antiquing?  Do you both love Japanese food?  How about chopsticks with a tag on them?  Do you adore Paris?  Make Eiffel Tower cookies and ice the outline only, placing them at each place setting.  The point is, these are the things that make you who you are together - draw on them.

Granted, not a whole lot of examples in this article, but definitely some food for thought.  The Italians use sugar-coated almonds, called 'confetti' as their main gift.  The sugar on top of the bitter almonds is a parallel to the bitterness and sweetness of life and marriage.  An appropriate sentiment, I think.  Just remember: the money you are spending is hard to come by, and your day is precious to you, so make everything about it as memorable to everyone else.  It'll be worth it.