This was posted on NJWedding.com, a New Jersey Weding Planning Resource and I just had to share it with all of you here since it's a poem that I think should be read by anyone entering into marriage or are already married!

I love this centerpiece because of the dramatic effect of the black and red together. If you want to make this yourself,  I've listed all the items you'll need except for the floral foam and the white spray. If you are not sure how to start putting together the arrangement, the DIY video tutorial directly below is a fairly good guide.




100 Stems of Red Roses for $89.99



10 Black Ostrich Feather for $5




Black 4" Square Weighted Vases $4.95

Looking for a no fuss aisle runner for your ceremony? Then you should check out this one at save-on-crafts.com for $13.99. It's 100 feet long, 36 inches wide and will make an elegant entrance for your walk down the aisle. You can accent it by sprinkling 500 silk petals along sides that you'll find at efavormart.com for only $5.99.

One of the things my brides are asking continually..."Do you have any ideas to make just that extra difference?"  Considering the ideas, websites, blogs, and conversations at numerous Starbuck's that are out there, getting new ideas to give the personal twist to a wedding is becoming harder and harder for us planner girls!  However, I do have one or two still tucked in my sleeve that I'd be happy to share.

One bride and her husband met in English class in graduate school - both getting their Master's Degrees in Literature.  So, for her wedding, we took an aisle runner (you can find plastic runners at Michaels.com, HobbyLobby.com or any discount wedding supplier) and spread it completely out.  Then, with a thick-pointed gold paint marker and using a Carpenter's T -Square (i.e. LARGE RULER) we started a foot or so from the top and wrote some of their favorite poems by Browning, Shelley, Keats, etc. all the way down the length of the wedding runner.  Once we finished that, we went back to the top and wrote at the very beginning "These Are The Words That Led Me To You."  We hot-glued silk rose petals in strategic areas all over the runner, then rolled it carefully back up.  Before the wedding party walked the aisle, one of the ushers rolled it from the back to the altar, and she walked to her groom on the words of the greatest love poems ever.

Another bride had a severe allergy to flowers - of just about any kind.  But, of course, she wanted fresh for her wedding.  Isn't it always the way?  Who could blame her though?  So we had to get creative.  Realizing that our answer was outside in nature all along, we used a combination of some silks for the greenery we could not find seasonally, and made all the boutonnieres and bouquets completely of herbs, Eucalyptus, Ivy, Pampas Grass (yes, pampas grass), and Pussy Willows.  The herbs we put in small batches and wrapped with floral wrap, followed by a small ribbon, and used those as boutonnieres.  The groomsmen told me later that they were starving from smelling Oregano, Thyme and Basil!  We used the Pampas Grass by holding the bottom ends and wrapping them tightly with floral tape, then curved the leaves back down and wrapped them at the bottom as well, creating "loop-de-loops" with the leaves.  We then put in some Baby's Breath to fill in the holes, along with some different lengths of Pussy Willows and Eucalyptus.  We cascaded Ivy around the outside and down the sides, and finished it off with ribbons and pearls.  With 14 total attendants on both sides, we created bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres and the bride's bouquet for a whopping $175.00, including ribbon, floral foam, etc.  It was a very different, and very beautiful!

My last recommendation came from one bride and groom who had been "Sandbox Sweethearts," together since they were 18 months old! Their parents were best friends, and they just always seemed to "click."  For their reception centerpieces, the family had a TON of pictures of the two of them together growing up - literally - with each other.  So, we took the 8 1/2" x 11" Plexiglass sheet displays (from Staples, Office Depot, etc.) making sure they were the ones that didn't lean - you had to be able to see from both sides.  We glued dried flowers around the edges on both sides, then placed two copies of a picture (one on the front, one on the back) in the display and placed in the middle of the table on top of a mirror, which the reception site provided.  Surrounded it with glass tealights (20 for $5.00 at HobbyLobby.com) and glass gardening rocks in her wedding colors around the "frame."  Then, for the seating chart, we printed the name of the guest, and a small "thumbprint" of the photo on their table - they had to mingle to look at all the pictures to find their table.  This made for a wonderful evening of people getting to know each other who otherwise wouldn't have talked, and everyone got to see these two wonderful people in all the stages of their lives.

I hope maybe these have been an inspiration to some of you to think outside your box for things to make your day truly "your" day.  And if not, well, maybe it's at least been a good read!  Thanks!

Today my darling I celebrate our four year anniversary and as most of you lovely ladies already know, that means, in just one year, my hubby and I will renew our vows and have the wedding I have been planning for since the day we got married. We'll be having our ceremony at the Cumberland River since it's such a scenic area. Just a few family members will be present on that day but we are going to have the day video-graphed and then have it replayed at the beginning of our reception the following Saturday so that everyone there will feel as though they were a part of our vow renewal ceremony.

You see, we want the ceremony to be quiet and private...but for the reception we want the complete opposite and that is why we're deciding to do it this way. So our ceremony will be on Tuesday, March 15th with the reception on Saturday, March 19th. We are still looking for the perfect venue for the reception but we know with want it to be fun, fun, fun!

As we celebrate our four year anniversary, I am doubly excited knowing that in just one year from today I get to say my "I do's" all over again to a man I love even more today than I thought I possibly every could.

The photos I've added are of the riverside where we planned to have the ceremony but we will be taking photos taken all along the river and on the pedestrian overpass near-by... I am so excited!

You may know these flower balls as kissing balls or pomanders! I love how they look in outdoor weddings and it's an easy way to add decor to  the ceremony. Those I've added today are made with silk flowers and you can find them here  at Afloral.com starting at $5.99!



Here's an example of how one bride used them in her wedding and you can find more details about it here at livejournal.com!



You can also use pomanders in centerpieces, as bouquets and just about every part of your wedding.



photo credit www.picodesign.com

Ribbons you can find just in any fabric store, even at Walmart.com fairly cheap, but if you want to order online,  1 1/2 inch satin ribbons can be found here as cheap as $4.88 for 50 yards.




For thr front of the ribbon you can glue flower heads and other decorative pieces that's here on Save-on-Crafts.com. You can really make these lanterns even more than beautiful than you see in the picture above. So choose carefully, make it your own and have fun putting it all together.

Here are some of my favorite flower heads!

12 for $2.99



30 for $10.99




15 for $2.99

If you like the pew bow above then head over to  Efavormart.com where you'll find more than 60 different arrangements,all for $5.95! You get to choose the ribbon and flower colors, so that they'll match the whole theme of your wedding.

Pew clips are available there as well for $8.99 per dozen.

Many future brides are planning for their upcoming nuptials, trying to think of different ideas that would make their dream wedding come true! With outdoor weddings one of the hottest trends in 09’, many brides-to-be are opting to exchange their vows in the heart of the beautiful outdoors. I thought it would be a great idea to share a few if these chic outdoor reception concepts that will be perfect for your outdoor wedding.

I love this centerpiece for so many reasons and would be perfect for a modern wedding. I saw a similar centerpiece done for a wedding with a Heaven on Earth theme. The colors were just simply white on white with tons of candles but it was gorgeous.

You can use these as ceremony decor as well as table centerpieces if you choose. Just click on the prices below to find the items for you to do it yourself.

Million Star Baby's Breath -  20 Bunches $189.99