Unique, yet Inexpensive Wedding Favors

Wedding favors are a small, but important part of a wedding used to show your appreciation of your guests’ attendance while providing them with a small memento to remember your special day. Although it is ideal to have unique favors, they absolutely do not need to deplete your wallets. There are plenty of creative and personalized ideas that will cater to all styles and tastes while staying in budget. To start, homemade favors are a lot cheaper and can actually add an attractive personal touch. It is not as hard as you think to craft up your wedding favors and with the help of family and friends it can actually be quite inexpensive and fun! Here are a few ways to have both original, yet economical wedding favors.
Personalized Wedding Fortune Cookies: These sweet crispy treats with personalized messages inside can be enjoyed by your guests and kept as a memento. You can place out bowls around the reception filled with these favors or lay them out on the tables for each guest. To add an extra touch, you can place them inside mini Chinese takeout containers labeled with the guests’ names.Wedding Music CDs: These simple favors can easily be made and packaged with little time, money and effort. Both CDs and Jewel cases can be purchased for as low $1 a piece. With so many options for imagery, packaging, colors, fonts, and messages, you can truly custom make a personalized wedding favor CD that is as unique as your wedding. These favors will last a lifetime!
Seed Packet Wedding Favors: These ideas can not only be decorated but can also be both symbolic and functional. Simply tying on ribbon and a personalized tag can easily spruce up these favors. As these flowers are in bloom, the guests will remember your special day.
Jars full of dry layered ingredients for baked goods: These jars are easily and quickly put together and look creative as well! Not only does this serve as a creative favor, but a delicious treat for your guests as well!
Simple lottery tickets: These favors are both inexpensive and exciting! Placing these inside of envelopes can also double as a seating card as well! And who knows, one of your guests could strike it rich!
Candy Bar: Filling assorted tins, pails, or vases with festive candy makes a thoughtful and inexpensive gift for your guests. Nuts, chocolate, or cookies are some of the things you could fill them with. Placing down small bags for your guests to fill up is easy and fund for your guests!

Coaster Sets: You can find a variety of coaster sets in bulk online or at most wedding supply stores. These favors are both useful and in expensive!

Remember, wedding favors are a thoughtful memento for your guests which never have to be expensive. Besides these few ideas, there are many other creative ways to generate one-of-a-kind favors. Whether you decide to hand make your favors, or purchase them in bulk each guest will appreciate your thoughts of gratitude!

- Christine Norton

Happy Halloween!

The ladies of A'vie would like to wish you all a Happy Halloween!!
Let us know what your favorite Halloween costumes are!

An intern’s perspective on why to hire a wedding coordinator

I must admit that when I first started this internship I thought that wedding coordinators were kind of silly. I can definitely say that I was very mistaken. I wanted to try working in the industry to see if it was something that I would perhaps want to do in the future and if not I would be able to say that I tried it and ruled it out. These women are amazing at what they do. Their organizational skills, ability to remain calm in all situations, and ability to multitask just to name a few are phenomenal. In the short time that I have been here I have seen a bride go from a mad panic because the big day is almost here, on the verge of tears, to a huge smile because she is so in love! Even if you plan your whole wedding the ability to actually enjoy your day and not have to worry about how everything behind the scenes is going is well worth it. When it comes time for your wedding rehearsal and the big day your coordinator steps in and does what she is best at. She is there to keep you on schedule so that your day runs as smoothly as possible. If a problem were to arise you wouldn’t even know it because it would be dealt with before you even noticed the problem. It gives you the ability to truly enjoy your special day and enjoy the moment with the love of your life.

- Sammy

Bridesmaid Gifts: Creative Ideas
There is much more variety in bridesmaid gift options than ever before. Personalizing gifts with embroidery or monogramming is always a good choice and there are many options of gifts to personalize. A new trend is to get different gifts for each bridesmaid. If you one of your bridesmaids is gym rat, the embroidered yoga bag or gym duffel bag might be a more functional choice than a more traditional make-up bag. For the pet lover friend, the pet carrier would be a cute choice. If that’s not your style, but you want to break away from the more traditional gift choices such as a “bridesmaid” tank top or baseball cap, a spa pampering kit, or ceramic plate with friendship quote. There are even some sweet edible options. Below is a list of some unique gifts as well as some more traditional ones. For even more ideas you can visit these websites.

References: www.americanbridal.com, (pictures from)http://www.weddingstand.com/, http://www.verabradley.com/

Personal: Coin purse and compact with engraved initial Embroidered bathrobe, body wrap, or slippers
Totes, cosmetic bags, toiletry bags or duffle bags with first names or initials embroidered
Embroidered Yoga bag, gym bag, ladies golf bag, picnic basket, blankets, apron, beach towel, or pet carrier
Small evening clutch with first letter of name in Swarovski crystals
Embroidered backpacks and garment bags
Engraved Flask
Engraved perfume bottle (could fill with favorite perfume if known)
Engraved manicure kit
Glass coasters with etched initials
Embroidered jewelry roll
Engraved passport or wallet
Initial pendant silver or gold necklace
Embroidered photo book or journal
Engraved silver credit card case or silver eyeglasses case
Engraved silver keyrings
Engraved silver heart bracelets
Monogrammed travel mug or tumbler
Monogrammed bars of soap
Engraved makeup brush bag with brushes
Embroidered pajama bottoms in different prints
Custom handbags at 1154lillstudio.com
Monogrammed glass vase for bridesmaid bouquets
Personalized laminated wood martini sign (ex: “Kendall’s Martini Lounge”)
Personalized bridesmaid and jr. bridesmaid picture frames
Personalized koozie
Wine or martini glass set with first initial etched
Personalized charm bracelet

Miscellaneous:
“Bridesmaid” tank tops
Floral sushi kit
Spa pampering kit (scented lotion, face mask, foot scrub, aromatherapy candle, etc.)
Bridesmaid’s “survival kit”
Rhinestone studded baseball cap
Bridesmaid jewelry box filled with non tarnish cotton for the wedding day

Ceramic plate with quote

Edible:
“Will you be my bridesmaid?” cookie cards
Monogrammed, individually wrapped oreos
Wedding themed, frosted fortune cookies
Mini gumball dispenser
Coffee beans with personalized bag
Picture brownies with a white chocolate “frame”

Good Luck Marriages

Personalizing your wedding is among the newest trends, so why not personalize your bridal bouquet with a special good luck charm carrying you through to the next chapter of your life.
Lockets have long been used as keepsakes of those who you love and are close to you. Why not pick a couple in your family or your fiancé’s family that has had a happy and successful marriage and add their wedding picture to the locket. Ask your florist to incorporate the locket into your bridal bouquet as a good luck charm or your something old.
If there isn’t a special locket in your family, there are many vintage jewelry shops or eBay are great sources to find your very own. Start a new tradition as the Bride-to-Be!

- Christine Valdez

Planning a Wedding in a Bear Market?

There is no doubt that times are tuff, but people still need to get married. That is the beauty and a huge plus of the wedding industry, it’s RECESSION PROOF! This does not mean that people are going to spend money like they used to. So how do you have your dream wedding in a bad economy? Prioritize and Be Educated!
1. Speak with your fiancé about your personal finances. Figure out what debts can be paid off quickly and how to start consolidating credit cards, personal bank accounts, and student loans. I really recommend couples to buy Suze Orman’s book Young, Fabulous, and Broke. It’s a step by step teaching manual on how to get you debt free guided by your personal situation with aid from her online website tools. A must read! www.suzeorman.com
2. Speak with your fiancé and the financial support system for your wedding (those dishing out the money for your special day). Come up with a budget that is realistic to their financial situations and will be workable to create the day of your dreams.
3. Make a list of the top ten things you and your fiancé want to focus this budget to. According to www.theknot.com your budget should be allocated according to the following percentages:
Reception: 48%-50%
Ceremony: 2%-3%
Attire: 8%-10%
Flowers: 8%-10%
Entertainment/Music: 8%-10%
Photography/Videography: 10%-12%
Stationery: 2%-3%
Wedding Rings: 2%-3%
Parking/Transportation: 2%-3%
Gifts: 2%-3%
Miscellaneous: 8%
- To avoid stress, allot about 5% of your budget for a "just-in-case" fund.
- If you're paying for your honeymoon yourselves, remember to budget for that as well.
Of course these are recommended percentages. Figure out based on the city and state you live in, what things tend to run on the more expensive side and whether those things are important to you on a scale of 1-10.
4. Stick to your budget! Try, try, try to stick to your proposed budget. If something goes over in one arena, then cut costs in another. Remember, if it doesn’t turn out like you envisioned it 100%, but is still very nice, your guests are not going to know the difference.
5. Be a DIY Bride and Groom! Do It Yourself projects can be fun and time to bond with your future hubby. Why not spend some money buying fonts and cardstock to print out your own favor tags, invitations, or save-the-dates. You can save $100s doing many printed items yourself. Investing in a good color printer and software can be more profitable to you in the long run. You can knock out, seating charts, table numbers, menu cards, invitations, save-the-dates, favor tags, thank you cards, maps, programs, activities lists; the list goes on and on. Just images all the things you can save money on and do it while spending time with the one you love most. That sounds like a deal to me! I recommend The DIY Bride by Khris Cockman founder of www.DIYBride.com .
Control your guest list. Don’t feel like you have to invite everyone that you have ever known.
6. My personal rule is, if they haven’t spoken to you in the past two years, chances are you wouldn’t be speaking to them any time soon. Keeping your guest list under control will keep your cost down for the amount of money spent per person.
7. Have a clear vision. Have the vision you and your fiancé want from the start helps to avoid over spending on other items that might not make it to the end.
8. Having a $10, 000, $20,000, or even $50,000 wedding day budget doesn’t mean you have to spend it all. Be frugal, times call for it more then ever now. Try to under spend, trust me if will he a huge present to your parents and their bank account. Like Carrie Bradshaw said “I like the wedding get bigger then Big” Don’t focus on the nitty gritty, your wedding is going to be amazing whether you have chicken or filet mignon, or whether you had it at a five star hotel or not. No one will notice. Your guests are there to celebrate your marriage and new life.
9. Hiring a Planner? As a planner I believe the busiest of brides need someone there to guide them throughout the planning process, but unfortunately in times of hardship, family tends to step in to help with the planning process. This of course leaves planners without business. What many brides don’t know is many planners off a-la-carte services that you can pick and chose from depending on your wedding day needs. This will help cut costs of having a full time planner, but still gives you the piece of mind that your wedding day will turn out and run smoothly.
10. Make saving money a fun game. Making the process of saving money a game throughout the planning process makes it that much more fun! It will push you to go on the hunt to find the deals. Involve you bridesmaids on shopping trips to TJ Maxx, Marshalls, or Big Lots! to find all the frames you might need or decorative vases. There are so many accessories you can find at these discount department stores that it will satisfy your craving for a good deal and at the same time save you some money.

Christine Valdez

The "Tree"

You must read on to see what “tree and wedding” have in common with each other. We were at Christ Episcopal Church in Ponte Vedra and the TPC Sawgrass Club House in early August for Meghan Green and Ryan Fogg’s Wedding. What a great place to have a destination Wedding!
The day was gorgeous, especially after the down pour on Friday night before the rehearsal. Meghan and her BM’s got ready at the Ponte Vedra Inn (Wow, it was breathtaking). Their rooms were a sweet place to get ready in. All of the girls were dressed in matching pink sundresses. They toasted off the day with champagne and strawberries.
Meghan’s dress was specially made by Romona Keveza to fit her exactly. It fit PERFECTLY, I love when it does that; makes my job easier - I didn’t even have to use my Mary Poppin’s bag to get her into it! Later on though, my Mary Poppin’s bag became quite handy. Somehow Meghan’s dress got lipstick on it, so out came my bag of tricks. A little bit of baby powder and a shout wipe got out the stain. (FYI- Lipstick is waxy so you have to lift it up off the material with powder and wipe to clean it up with the shout wipe.)
The men were even getting ready early. Can you believe that? I jumped for joy. The men wore real bow ties (we even had to do a “tie teaching 101”- Erinn one of our interns downloaded it from You tube).
So, with their beautiful gowns they were off into the air conditioned trolley to transport them to the ceremony at Christ Episcopal Church. The church was beautiful in its own natural beauty. Stewart & Susan Powers were able to capture so many shots. The sun was pouring into the windows at just the right time and it all came together as a planners dream. After the ceremony all of the wedding party hopped onto the trolley where Susan Powers even dared to ride with them to the reception. She captured some great shots.
Now we get to the “tree”. Most of our readers have heard of Unforgettable Events . Dan & the Unforgettable Events crew “grew” this one right up. Yes, I said “grew”. In the reception we had the biggest and meanest, tree you’ve ever seen. The tree had leaves, twigs, flowers upon flowers, crystals (huge), & candles. The finishing touch was the grass around it. This was only what the Head table had. The other décor was stunning but that tree was the talk of the reception. Check out how Powers Photography was able to capture all the elements.
We had a FIVE tier Hummingbird (Bride’s favorite) cake just as the bride requested even down to the icing (Butter cream) of leaves and pearls. 100% of it was edible. We rolled the cake to the center of the dance floor (It was such a nice presentation having it there so all could see).
The reception kicked into high gear with the band “Flavor” from Atlanta. They were able to get the crowd moving. They learned some songs we wanted for the special dances (first dance). I loved how the band got into all the guests. The guests were into the band. I would encourage anyone thinking of a band to think of “Flavor". They really rocked the night away.
As a final farewell to the evening Meghan tossed her bouquet from the outside balcony to all the ladies below. What a send off. We wish to thank Meghan and Ryan for a great wedding. ~Angela

Out with the old, in with the new!

If you want to add personality and charm to your wedding, then using unique touches are the way to go! We worked a wedding a few weeks ago where we put personalized monograms on the entrance doors to the reception. This little detail was easy, memorable, and fresh! Another wedding added an amazing personal touch to their wedding by instead of having a normal sign in book and then favors for the guests, they had a silhouette artist come and cut out pictures of people’s profile. The guests received one picture for themselves as a favor from the wedding and the bride and groom also received the same picture with a personal note written by the guest specially for them. You might even consider donating to a particular organization that is close to your heart, and let your wedding make a difference. Instead of receiving gifts or instead of giving favors, give that money as a donation to that organization. There are numerous ways that your wedding can stand out, you just need to find something unique that expresses you and your wedding in the light you want to be remembered!

-Fallon

Kim and Scott tie the knot! (I had to go with the rhyme on this one..)

These are some pictures from Kim and Scott's wedding on October 4th taken with our own camera. Celebrations did all of the decor and the catering. Party Time provided us with the tent and the lovely chandelier! The cake was done by the fabulous Danette Drageset (and trust me it tasted as good as it looked!) Kim and Scott had there wedding on their property out in Alachua- it was a great location with the Ceremony taking place in front of a lake. Its so quiet out there , all you could hear (until guests arrived..) was the fountain in the lake. Hopefully we will get some more pictures from the wedding from their photographer Christina Karst of Karst Duo Photography. Enjoy!

Jennifer and Mike's Wedding

On the morning of September 21st we had the pleasure of joining Jennifer Huntsman and Mike Friedman as they declared their love for each other and became united in marriage. The ceremony was held at the Baughman Center on the University of Florida campus. After some fear about the early morning weather, the skies cleared just in time for guests to start arriving. The rest of the day was one of the most beautiful that Gainesville has seen this fall!

The ceremony was very elegant and meaningful. The Bride and Groom made sure to incorporate their families. The Chuppah in the ceremony was built by the Groom’s father and the veil used to cover the Chuppah was the mother of the brides wedding veil- very simple touches but just so beautiful. The photographer, Jason Angelini made sure not

to miss a moment on this very special day for Mike and Jenn. The happiness in the room could be felt by all.

The morning ceremony was followed by a delicious brunch at the Historic Thomas Center catered by Terranova. The centerpieces were a collaboration- flowers were brought in by The Plant Shoppe while bonsai trees were grown by the father of the groom for this special day. This combination made for the perfect centerpieces! The newlyweds made their grand entrance and were greeted by all of their family and friends.

Everyone immediately began to munch on delicious quiche, exquisite tea sandwiches, fresh fruit, and a variety of other items. The fun immediately followed with an afternoon full of dancing. One of our favorite moments was the Horah dance. Take a moment and look at the great pictures that Jason took of Jenn in mid-air!

This lovely couple came up with a very innovative party favor. They actually had a silhouette artist come in and cut silhouettes of each guest. One was stamped with the bride and grooms name and wedding date and given to the guest to take home while the other copy will be made into a guest book- what a neat idea!

We wish Mike and Jenn Friedman much happiness in their life together! They were such a fun and special couple!