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29 Jun |
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5:13 pm Posted by Kristy |
Elegant Orchids Thank You by tumbalina
The obvious recipients of wedding thank you notes are your wedding party attendants and guests who bring or send wedding gifts. But you shouldn’t forget to put other names on your list who also deserve a special, hand-written thank you note for a special act or service during your wedding day. To keep things simple, we’ve organized who these people are into 3 categories. (Of course there may be more than three additional thank you notes!):
Wedding Ceremony Officiant
Traditionally, weddings of all faiths were conducted exclusively by a recognized member of the clergy, such as a minister, priest, rabbi, imam, etc. Today, in many states, anyone can apply for such authority, even if it’s only valid for one day. Whatever your faith tradition, don’t forget to send a hand-written thank you note to the person who conducts your wedding ceremony. While not exactly a paid service, there is no wedding without a ceremony! Be sure to make note of additional time spent with your officiant discussing marital issues, preparing your vows, and rehearsing.
Ceremonial Participants
While not strictly considered part of your wedding party, other special people often participate in your wedding in other ways, such as doing a reading, accompanying elderly guests, help with children, set up last minute decorations, etc.. These people deserve the same recognition you give your wedding party attendants, not least of which is a special thank you note (a gift may also be appropriate). Other ceremonial players to thank could include talent who volunteers who sing, play an instrument, or do anything extra special for or during your ceremony.
Transitional Helpers
The transition between ceremony and reception, especially if taking place in two separate locations, usually creates some sort of logistical issues. From transporting wedding party attendants and family members for pictures, ushering young children safely into prearranged childcare arrangements, or moving bags, gifts and other items to where they need to be, someone usually volunteers to these things if not already appointed. Take note and make a note….send these people special, handwritten wedding thank you notes as well.
You’ll find an extensive selection of gorgeous, original wedding thank you notes at www.LookLoveSend.com. All our wedding thank you cards can be coordinated with your favorite wedding invitation design and used on all your wedding stationery components, from save the date cards, wedding ceremony programs and much more.
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28 Jun |
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11:11 am Posted by Kristy |
Whether your are hosting a baby shower for a friend, or whether you yourself are the expecting mom and guest of honor, don’t forget about photographing this special event. In the flurry of mailing baby shower invitations and deciding the menu, delegate the important task of photography to someone reliable with a camera.
Brown Stripe Baby Shower by Amanda Zoss
It helps to provide a checklist of photos you want to have. Great photos of key moments and details from the shower can have a wonderful impact later on for both new parents and baby too. Babies become toddlers who love to thumb through pictures of how she (or he) came to be. Your baby shower celebration makes a great story to put in the baby book, right in between the ultrasound and birth announcement card!
Here’s an extensive list of possible things to plan to photograph, including some key shower moments to capture:
- Close-up of the baby shower invitations
- Close-up of the baby shower cake
- Expecting parents together (if possible)
- Baby shower host with expecting mom or couple
- Expecting mom or couple with guests (break this down however you like, among family and friends)
- Set-up of wrapped gifts
- Table setting
- Opening of gifts (mix close-in candids with group shots from a distance)
- Close-in of special gifts (e.g. detail such as engravings)
With all that and expecting mom has on her mind, getting great pictures at her baby shower is not likely one she can follow through on herself. Neither may she have the time (or energy) to create a photo book of the event. Her host can make a beautiful gift by doing this for her. In addition, she can use one of her favorite photos to personalize her baby shower thank you notes as well.
To find beautiful baby shower invitations with coordinating baby thank you notes, look at the fresh collections of adorable baby stationery at www.looklovesend.com. You can make baby shower invitations personalized with a photo if you desire, or just write the special wording you want to use. Invitations are printed on premium quality papers and come with coordinating envelopes, which can be lined with a coordinating pattern and printed with a return address for an additional charge.
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26 Jun |
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10:39 pm Posted by Kristy |
Clambake Party by Suzanne Cahill
Whether you’ve experienced torrential rains, 100 degree heat, wildfires or gale force winds this summer, one thing is certain: rising temperatures give way to some pretty wild weather. While this makes party planning a bit tricky, you can still manage to celebrate the seasonal bounty that is a mainstay along our coastlines: seafood.
Planning a seafood party is an easy undertaking with some expense. Not everyone has wholesale seafood distribution connections, nor committed hunter-gatherers in the house (lobstermen, crabbers, clammers, etc.) In any case, here’s a look at some of the most well-known regional seafood-theme parties you can plan in your own backyard:
Clambake
The New England Clambake is actually a fire-pit traditionally carved out along a beach to steam any bounty from the sea–clams, mussels, lobster, crab–along with potatoes, carrots, onions and corn on the cob. While today you can easily find an online caterer who can deliver the whole thing to your front door, try your own with help from allrecipes.com, offering tips on ingredients and cooking methods done away from the beach.
Crawfish or Shrimp Boil
Whether low country or Gulf Coast, the seasonings and local supply inspire these type of seafood extravaganza. Like the clambake, the fun of the boil is the lack of table setting and utensils needed. Once seafood is boiled, it’s dumped over newspaper on a large table and everyone gathers round.
Grilled Oysters
Again the Gulf Coast inspires many recipes for this one, but grilled oysters are popular on both coasts and make a fantastic addition to any regular steak or burger grilling, turning your cookout into a seafood-fest of some kind! Try Emeril’s recipe here for an easy, make-ahead seasoned butter for your oysters.
CrabFeast
If you’re lucky enough to visit, live or just pass through the mid-Atlantic coast in late spring/early summer, you cannot miss the many ways you can have crab. The delectable soft-shell crab is a favorite, but it’s the blue crab that is is the crown jewel in this region and inspires a regional itinerary of festivals and parties. Try this at-home version of a crab feast as seen on the Today Show.
Get your bake, boil, fest or feast started with great-looking personalized party invitations from LookLoveSend.com. You’ll find a growing collection of energetic, thematic party invitations that you can quickly and easily personalize. All personalized party invitations are printed on premium quality papers and come with coordinating envelopes. Get started planning your seafood extravaganza before summertime slips away!
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25 Jun |
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3:32 pm Posted by Kristy |
Shopping online for wedding invitations today is easier, faster and more affordable than ever. But even with the ease of online shopping, the choosiest among us (and what bride do you know isn’t) still hesitates. We are naturally distrustful of how an image online will really look once it’s actually in our hands. With all the convenience of wedding invitation websites, many of us still need to touch and feel something as important as a wedding invitation. The good news is, the best online wedding invitation sources offer wedding invitation samples you can order for free.
 Is this the right green? ('Simple Frame' by Yana Beylinson) |
 Or is this more your green? ('Double Butterfly' by Suzanne Cahill) |
 Gorgeous typography in a neutral color ('Lux' by Yana Beylinson) |
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It’s a smart decision find a wedding invitation website that lets you try before you buy. Given the enormous selection in design styles, colors and paper choices available in online wedding invitations, we’ve got some tips to share with you for evaluating these wedding invitation samples.
The 4 C’s for Evaluating Wedding Invitation Samples
Shopping for wedding invitations can be a lot like diamond shopping. It’s not too much of a stretch to apply the same four C’s to measure the quality of a potential wedding invitation:
- Carat (okay, Card Stock) What we mean by “carat” in the case of wedding stationery is the “weight” of the invitation you hold in your hand. Does it feel substantial, distinctive from other mail, indicative of a special event?
- Color. Color could be the most important element you are going for when choosing online wedding invitations. Screen viewing is notorious for discrepancies in color, as too is the eye of the beholder (what is one bride’s magenta is another bride’s fushia!)
- Clarity. Aside from seeing intricate illustration and detailed graphics, you’ll want to look for clear, clean, crisp printing of all your information, especially personalized text and graphics. In addition, today’s designs use subtle color and pattern you could miss altogether when viewing online.
- Cut. Edges should be smooth and even, and show the thickness of the paper and card stock. You’ll know cheap paper when you see it–it has a flimsy, uneven feel that doesn’t stand up to the distinction you want for your wedding day.
LookLoveSend.com offers you up to six wedding invitation samples at no cost to you for a limited time. While you’ll enjoy high-resolution images and can easily click through different color options for the same design, an extensive selection of hundreds of original designs may be overwhelming at first. Pay only for shipping for your set of free wedding invitation samples. Be sure to view coordinating pieces for your selected design to determine whether you want another sample from the same design collection. Since it counts towards your set of six, you may want to choose a sample from another design to evaluate one of the four C’s in wedding stationery.
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23 Jun |
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11:33 pm Posted by Kristy |
Spoiler alert! This post is for the folks with a child age five and under only.
It’s a funny thing to envision your child at graduation…high school graduation, that is. It’s not a comfortable image mailing graduation party invitations. It’s funnier still if your child is only four years old. Or five or six, maybe. It’s kind of like when you tried to envision what they would look like back when they were only six months old, and yet, in the blink of an eye, there they are, age ten, stepping on up into fifth grade, or worse, seventeen, stepping on up into senior year, or even….college?
Even if your wallet is okay with college, your heart might not be quite ready. (Okay, yes, we know many of you whose hearts are ready and your wallets aren’t, bear with me please!) But regardless of your situation and circumstances, one truth remains: how do you express to your child the love and effort bestowed on their life?
A simply yet highly effective graduation gift given at their graduation party can tell the story. Start now, with your preschooler, by circulating a special story or book for your child’s teacher to sign with a brief note. It’s so effective to catch a teacher at their most sentimental. This is the moment when a teacher can best remember the quintessential thing about your child, and write it onto paper to remain for all time. Do it through a book that you ask the teacher to sign. There are several great books to choose from, with special message about growth and youthful optimism. Choose one, and get it into the teacher’s hands about a week before school ends each year. That way they won’t feel overwhelmed with your request among all the other obligations the end of the year typically brings.
Great Graduation Gift Books
This is the number one pick written by Dr. Suess that seems to attract so much attention. It’s symbolism and warning against a life of inaction and waiting is a powerful message for all ages.
The classic of classics. The tale of one man’s ( and a woman’s) adventure away from home and back. A standard against which any life might be measured. At least in symbolic terms.
This choice is a more direct type of life guide book. Find out exactly what beckons your skills and passions.
The key to this graduation gift is to keep it going year after year for the twelve years your child is in school. Oh what a special book it will be. Oh what special messages it will contain. Oh what special insights into your child’s early years it will behold. Start now and you’ll have a treasure your child will keep for life.
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21 Jun |
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12:28 am Posted by Kristy |
Do you feel the oppression out there? We are talking heat! Summer brings heat waves we can’t do much about. But if you happen to be planning a big event like your wedding or some other outdoor special celebration, you don’t want the merriment to come to a screeching halt. The punchbowl is a good summertime alternative to beer and wine when things get too hot.
If your party invitations are in the mail, and a heat wave looms, get out the punchbowl (or borrow one!) Thrift stores are a dependable source for finding this classic party serving piece. A recent, popular Babble post, 25 Totally Clever Summer Party Ideas, sparked some great ideas in serving and recipes.
Since alcohol is a prime perpetrator in dehydration, it makes sense to get more creative with how you serve it in more limiting ways (e.g. punch). You want to offer alternative choices to alcoholic beverages, such as slushies, popsicles, fruity waters, etc. Make simple things like water more appealing too. Use frozen fruit ice cubes, slice lemons and limes into glass water pitchers. Not only does this make water more appealing visually, but you avoid plastic water bottles that don’t do well in heat and don’t help the environment out any either.
3 Great Hot Weather Drink Ideas
Click on any of the links below for details on how to make these cool, refreshing summertime party beverages.
Southern Living has a knack for blending sophistication and fun. Just make sure the kids know not to grab these Prosecco-soaked grown-up pops. Better yet, have a kid-friendly version with lemon-lime soda!
Click on this Martha Stewart website (of course!), you’ll find instructions for carving your own watermelon punch bowl along with plenty of watermelon-inspired recipes to fill it!
We’re featuring Paula Deen’s popular Lime Punch recipe, but there are so many versions of this punch. Orange, lime, raspberry sherbets are all delicious, and if you can’t decide, go with Rainbow sherbet! It’s up to you whether you add champagne or vodka for the adults.
For fun summertime party invitations online, LookLoveSend has highly original, fresh party designs you can customize. With a few clicks and some clever wording, you can have your party invitations shipped to you the next business day.
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20 Jun |
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7:50 am Posted by Kristy |
When your wedding day details are wrapping up and you’re within a week of the big event, take care of one more very important detail: your wedding day survival kit.
Batteries and duct tape aren’t part of this kind of survival kit. This is a bride’s kit for a in-case-of-a- health-comfort-or- beauty-emergency. There may be some differences in contents depending on your wedding season too. Personal tastes will influence certain decisions about what you choose, but below is a good starter list. Make sure you have access to your kit before and after your ceremony and throughout your reception. Carrying and stowing the survival kit is the perfect duty to give to your maid of honor.
Bride’s Wedding Day Survival Kit Contents
Place contents into a back-pack or small bag (waterproof if it’s raining). You can also find a ready-made customized kit already packaged up online. It’s not likely that all these items will fit into your wedding purse, but you may want to transfer a few of these items into your bridal purse for quick use during your reception.
- Breath mints (not chewing gum!)
- Pain reliever
- Safety pins
- Hand wipes (not sanitizer – it can stain)
- Hand moisturizer
- Clear band-aids in different sizes (include small square or round for foot blisters)
- Small sewing kit ( thread should probably be white)
- Compact mirror
- Lip-gloss and face powder (these may be better in your bridal purse)
- Nail file
- Travel hair spray (also works for wintertime static)
- Laundry spot treatment pen (Tide makes these)
One last item to consider putting in your survival kit could be a set of wedding thank you note cards. This kit will remain with you from reception to wedding night, and from there you can transfer it along with your honeymoon provisions. You may feel inspired to jot off a quick thank you note along the way to someone who has served you well during the day. But also, what better time to get a jump start on the many wedding thank you note cards you’ll need to write than during travel to your honeymoon destination!
You’ll find a gorgeous selection of wedding thank you note cards online at www.looklovesend.com. You can coordinate the design with custom wedding invitations. Customize your design with your own wording, font style and colors. All wedding thank you cards print on premium weight card stock and come with coordinating envelopes. Enter the monthly wedding invitation sweepstakes for the chance to win $500 towards your complete wedding invitation suite!
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18 Jun |
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11:04 pm Posted by Kristy |
Chevron Wedding by Amanda Zoss
If you aren’t having your wedding ceremony in a place of worship, or if you aren’t including a lot in the way of music, readings, or rituals, formal wedding ceremony programs may seem too weighty. In this case, you may want to consider printing programs for the wedding reception instead of traditional wedding ceremony programs. Wedding receptions can be as involved as the ceremony, sometimes more so. Identifying the order of events at your reception helps keep things moving, draw guests’ attention to important parts details, and even acknowledge certain people. You can even give recognition to some of your vendors, which is often of interest to guests.
Elements of a Wedding Reception Program
The most useful purpose for having wedding reception programs is to give guests an order of events that sets expectations and provides useful or interesting information, such as:
Location
Direct guests to the right spaces within your reception venue to enjoy cocktails, hear the string quartet, watch the cake cutting, etc.
Duration
Keep things moving along, especially if you don’t have a wedding MC. You don’t want guests to miss the cutting of the cake!
People
This ranges from identifying who is expected to give a toast (traditionally the father of bride) to the names of your wedding party to your band and caterer.
Events
In keeping with a typical wedding reception, your reception programs may include all or some of the following:
- Receiving line (include the names of those who will be in the receiving line to help guests out)
- Cocktail hour & entertainment
- Announcing of the wedding party
- First Dance and Father-Daughter/Mother-Son dances (include the names of your songs)
- Toasts
- Seating for dinner
- Dessert & cake cutting
- Bouquet Toss
- Departure
For a look at different styles and layouts for wedding programs–ceremony or reception–visit www.LookLoveSend.com. As one of the best wedding invitation websites, LookLoveSend makes it easy for you to customize your wedding ceremony programs with the wording you want all online. LookLoveSend’s professional in-house customer service and graphic design will help you with any special requirements. All wedding program designs are printed on heavy-weight card stock and will ship the next business day following placement of your order.
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17 Jun |
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11:55 am Posted by Nicola |
Happy Father’s Day from the team at LookLoveSend! As daughters celebrate their fathers today, we thought we’d reflect on the special father-daughter wedding traditions of ‘giving away the bride’ and the ‘father-daughter dance’. Do you plan to include these traditions in the program of events for your wedding?
- Walking his daughter down the aisle is an anticipated and memorable moment for many dads; in fact many ceremony programs specifically differentiate the bride’s entrance from the rest of the wedding party processional. Popular songs are Pachabel’s Canon in D, Clarke’s Trumpet Voluntary, and of course 101 different arrangements of ‘Here Comes the Bride’. But if you’re looking to sample some other appropriate but original options, checkout myweddingmusic.com.
However; as today’s weddings are becoming more and more personalized by modern couples, it is increasingly common to see the bride making her entrance in other special ways. Brides with cordially re-married parents may be accompanied by both father and step-father in a touching show of family unity. Older brides with a deceased father may choose to walk down the aisle with her mother or close male relative. And for second marriages embracing step-children it is a beautiful gesture for the children to accompany the bride and groom at the altar.
The father-daughter dance is also not the traditional waltz it used to be. We’ve all seen the sensational hip-hop numbers rehearsed for hours and immortalized on YouTube. But for every over-the-top father-daughter dance there is the bride who simply chooses not to include a spotlight father-daughter dance in her reception plan of events. The mother-son dance has become just as commonplace as the father-daughter dance, and some couples just opt for a single ‘wedding party’ dance before opening up the dance floor to all guests.
Bottom line: it’s your wedding so do as you want. Whether you waltz, boogie, shuffle from side to side, or don’t even have a spotlight dance, be sure to discuss your plans and priorities well-ahead of time with family for a harmonious and memorable day. For top designer programs and coordinating wedding invitation elements, shop the growing selection of quality cards at LookLoveSend.com. Enter our monthly sweepstakes below for a chance to with $500 off your wedding stationery!
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15 Jun |
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11:08 pm Posted by Kristy |
If it hasn’t already occurred in your town, the last day of school is around the corner for many kids. As they hop off their buses for the last time, burst in through your door and throw backpacks on the floor, are you ready for the onslaught of end-of-year art work?
Maybe the pile of work shows up at your house before the last day. But no matter, when it comes, you need to have a system. It helps to have some system for dealing with all the papers, something along the lines of:
- Toss It
- File It
- Frame it
But what about art pieces that are an odd shape, extra large, or three-dimensional?
Stash Away Your Artwork for Photo Christmas Cards
One great way to preserve these pieces is to photograph them. Develop your photos and place them in a special art album labelled by child, year and grade. You can hang onto these albums for your own sake, give them to your children, or choose one or two favorite pieces of art to use in photo Christmas cards later on in the year.
If you think your kids have brought home some artwork you can use for your photo Christmas cards, set them aside in a box so you can add more artwork that will come when school starts up again in the fall. You may be able to create a collage of photos with multiple pieces, or use more than one photo if you find a photo Christmas card design with multiple photo spaces.
You can start shopping now for great photo Christmas cards to get an idea of design styles and colors. The Christmas and holiday collections at www.looklovesend.com are packed with original designs created by a team of artists who are regularly adding new designs. All photo Christmas cards are printed on your choice of a matte or photo-gloss paper, and you can customize text and choose flat or folded cards. If you have concerns about how your artwork photo will print on a photo Christmas card, don’t hesitate to contact customer service toll-free during regular business hours or through online chat.
