Why White? » Inspiration

Top 5 Ideas for Hen and Stag Parties

admin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:09:03 +0000

It seems that our brides are all insisting on their rightful passage into marital bliss by celebrating the end of singledom… and rightly so! Any excuse for a good party. After all the stresses associated with organising the 'most important day of your life', the Hen Party is most welcome.

Yes, the chance to chill out with your best friends and enjoy some quality time together is one to be embraced.

It's all good news… the choices are seemingly endless. Whether you girls are ready to chill, relax and make yourselves even more beautiful with some serious pampering, wish to try something completely new or just need to feed the adrenaline junkies, the options are vast.

Pampering- Well it's no surprise to see this featuring up there top of the list. Take time out to relax, you need to rejuvenate, look after your body inside and out. You'll be left feeling fully refreshed and ready to party! Because you're worth it.

Pole Dancing – A dance class that gets you girls to release your inner sassy, seductive self! This is your opportunity to master the most erotic form of dance and just imagine how you'll be able to impress those at home. Dancing with a pole is a modern and alternative fitness workout. So girls, cast away those inhibitions and you'll find yourselves breathless for more.

Cocktail Training – A dash of vodka, a twist of lime and a splash of … well whatever you fancy. Have loads of fun learning the technicalities of cocktail-making and cocktail tasting from the classic Champagne cocktail to the popular Cosmopolitan and Mojito. So, how about learning the art of mixing, blending, shaking and of course tasting! Cheers.

Bollywood – Transform into Bollywood beauties and revel in the glitz and glamour of this dance art form. You've loved the movies and admired the outfits and now you too can learn the classic moves interpreted into the modern music of Bollywood. Move over Shilpa Shetty the hen party girls are here.

Burlesque – Being raunchy with feather boas, letting go of your inhibitions and having a laugh all appeal to you hens. Thanks to Dita Von Teese burlesque has been successful in putting the tease back into striptease. Flash those suspenders, twirl that feather boa and finely tune your flirting skills.

Now it really wouldn't be fair to neglect your husband-to-be so we also asked Freedom to suggest their top 5 Stag Do activities.

Quad Bikes – If you're looking for an adrenaline rush, the opportunity to test your skills and the arena to show off your bravado: look no further than these four wheeled motorbikes. Promising you thrills, speed, rough terrain in this action packed adventure. Pull back the throttle, it's time to let rip!

Crazy Gang – The clues in the name, activities that add a twist to any stag weekend. A bumper package designed to satisfy that need for speed and release your competitive streak. Totally wacky, off the wall activities that will most certainly entertain you boys.

Rage Buggies – Custom-built, dune buggy, style vehicle. Rage buggies take excitement to a new level with better handling for faster and more controlled turns. The buggies have a great centre of balance, so you can experience the ultimate in off-roading. It's official, they are a complete riot.

Paintballing – Yes it's still so popular with the Stags. Use the natural cover, use your own survival instincts and use your gun to maximum damage. Hear that satisfying thwack and see the explosion of vivid colour as your shot finds its target.

Go Karting – This is a great activity for introducing the competitive element to your stag weekend, at a screaming pace and over a challenging course. Vying for pole position, adrenaline's pumping, as you race round the hair pin bends. The race to the chequered flag is on……Move over Lewis the no 1 podium spot is yours.

Of course it goes without saying that the Hens are equally up for these action packed activities, in fact Mike Wood of Freedom told us "Our Hens are now increasingly choosing what was once the Stag domain and we've seen a real rise in popularity of these 'boys toys' activities for our hen parties".

Thanks to Freedom Ltd for their top five hen night and stag night activities.

Relaxed rehearsal dinner

Why White — Tue, 25 May 2010 00:18:58 +0000

Your rehearsal dinner doesn’t have to be at a fancy restaurant where you have to try to remember which silverware to use and which glass is used for which drink. It’s the evening before your wedding—you want to simply enjoy your close family and friends and relax after all the preparations which have gone into planning your wedding. Don’t be afraid to try something not quite as traditional for your rehearsal dinner! You will be surprised how much more special and memorable the occasion is after all.

Choose activities and a setting which will best allow you to visit with your guests. Especially if your family and the groom’s don’t know each other well, it is a great opportunity to let others get to know each other better. As you will be busy greeting lots of people the next day at your wedding, be sure to take this dinner as a chance to spend precious time with those closest to you. Here too, be sure to let others know how grateful you both are for all the help and support they have been to you.

A few rehearsal dinner ideas for you to choose from.

Potluck BBQ: Host a BBQ at a lake, a local park, or even your parents’ backyard. Supply the meat, condiments, and drinks, and ask family and friends to bring their favorite side dishes. Set up a volleyball/badminton net and have a fun game of guys against girls.
Bowling alley: If you both are bowlers, have your rehearsal dinner at a bowling alley. Take advantage of the food bar there, and strike up friendly competition between families. Be sure to reserve the number of lanes you will need for your evening.
Game night: Pick your favorite card or board games and host a game night a family member’s home or even at the location of your wedding ceremony to cut down on any extra traveling. Serve tasty finger foods.
Honeymoon location: Going somewhere exotic for your honeymoon? Plan your dinner theme around your destination. Hawaii? Provide leis for each guest, play Hawaiian music in the background, and cater special Hawaiian dishes. Mexico? Get a piñata, serve spicy Mexican food, and hire a Mariachi band to play.
Picnic: What’s more relaxing than a good, old fashioned picnic? Serve freshly cut watermelons and fried chicken on paper plates set on red and white tablecloths.
Bonfire: Sit on bales of hay and sit around a cozy bonfire. Let guests roast their own hotdogs, and later provide ingredients for s’mores. Have a musical guest bring his guitar for a sing along.

Wedding Thank You Cards!

Wedding Thank You Cards!

Why White — Wed, 19 May 2010 13:53:04 +0000

Photo Credit: SKRuck

After your wedding, it is essential to get your thank-you notes promptly written and sent out to all those who were involved in your wedding process, whether it was bridal showers, the rehearsal dinner, the wedding itself, or the wonderful mound of gifts you got to open. Taking time to write a thank-you is the least you can do in return for all the time and thoughtfulness the givers spent for you and your groom.

Wedding thank-you’s aren’t something you can put off: the year-long grace period doesn’t stand. Ideally, get them sent off within two weeks after getting back from your honeymoon, and no later than a month. However, don’t worry about writing thank-you’s on your honeymoon. Your honeymoon is a time for you two to relax together—you can start checking of your list of thank-you’s when you get back.

With the number of cards you have to write, it can seem to be a daunting task. But determine to write five a day, and you will be surprised how quickly you get through them! Include your hubby, too.

Remember your thank-you’s do not have to be perfectly formatted. What really matters is to make sure you sound genuinely appreciative. A trite note will only seem as if you were too unappreciative to take time to really think about what you were saying.

Specifically mention the gift and tell how you look forward to using it—or already have. If you returned the gift, simply express your thankfulness for their thoughtfulness. Be sure to write notes to those who helped you with all which was involved in your wedding. And thank those who attended.

Always handwrite your thank-you’s. E-cards, general thank-you’s on your website, or typed out cards do not cut it. Handwritten cards mean you took a personal effort in thanking them. Use black or blue ink, and write as legibly as possible.

Be sure to include your return address on the envelopes. This way the recipients now have your new address handy.

Try not to use many “I”’s in your note. Focus more on the person, using “you,” instead.

Read over your card before you send it off, checking for proper spelling and obvious grammar mistakes. To cut down on errors, consider typing out your note before handwriting it in your card.

If you have a wedding photo of you two as a couple, include copies in your card. However, if it will make you delay in sending notes out, forgo this. Send the pictures later or make them available online.

You can purchase cards which match your wedding theme. Often, when ordering your invitations, you can also buy your thank-you cards. Or stock up on appropriate cards from your local Dollar Tree as a budget saver.

Vintage Car Arrival

admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:04:26 +0000

Photo Credit: Flickr/LightHelper

What would be more perfect than arriving or leaving your wedding in a classic vintage car? It’s a special, fun touch to your wedding, whatever theme you have. And it is sure to turn heads at your wedding and provide photographic memories later.

Finding and booking your car may be a bit of a challenge, because many vintage wedding car rentals only offer a few cars. It is important, then, to start your research well in advance. Before booking the car, be sure to personally look at the car options. Make sure you know exactly what you’re getting. Once you find the perfect one, be sure to book it early!

Having a car rented from a vintage wedding car business will be chauffeured. Usually, they are smaller cars and won’t be able to hold all of your wedding company. However, there are some classic stretch limos which could. Or, if you are looking for a car just for you to arrive in or for your getaway car with the groom, the smaller classic cars will be perfect.

Perhaps, though, you won’t need to worry about securing a car far in advance. A friend or family member may already own the vehicle you’ve always dreamed of riding to—or from—your wedding in. Or your Grandpa may be a member of a classic car association and would know somebody who would rent you his car for your wedding. Explore all of your opportunities before settling on the car you want.

Photo Credit: Flickr/Bambibabe48

Most classic cars available for weddings are Rolls Royce, a Model A, or a Model T, though there are many more models to choose from, depending on where you shop. If you’re looking for a sportier car, consider a vintage Camaro, Corvette, or Mustang for a dashing getaway.

Besides being exciting for the arrival or getaway, classic cars make for fantastic photo opportunities, whether for the entire wedding party, just you, or the groom and you.

Wedding Umbrellas

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:23:51 +0000

Photo Credit: Flickr/ShooyDooby

Instead of the traditional flower bouquets, why not opt for a fun, colorful array of umbrellas to carry? Umbrellas come in multiple colors and styles for you to choose from. They are perfect for an upbeat alternative or for more practical reasons. If your wedding is held outside and the weather turns out to be less than what you had dreamed for, then umbrellas can save your wedding.

Instead of dragging all your plans into a last-minute indoor location, provide a variety of umbrellas for your guests to sit under. Umbrellas can be found in different sizes, made for one person to three or four people, varying the number of umbrellas you need to provide. At the end of the ceremony, they can also be the favors your guests can take home.

If rain is in the forecast as your wedding gets closer, purchase umbrellas ahead of time, being sure to keep the tags on them. If your day ends up being wonderful, then return the umbrellas with the tags still on and no money is lost. If it does rain, though, you’re prepared!

Photo Credit: Photobucket/Lishak2002

According to you wedding theme, choose an umbrella style you and your bridesmaids will carry which best coordinates. A more vintage style wedding? Consider umbrellas made of wood or with delicate designs. A more contemporary wedding? Choose bright, bold colors with a more traditional umbrella design. Have your bridesmaids pick the ones they like most and let them keep the umbrellas as your gift to them.

Whether it’s raining out or not, umbrellas work as creative photo opportunities. From goofy and lighthearted to coquettish and demure, they provide the ideal prop for an array of unique photos which will be sure to provide wonderful memories for years to come.

Photo Credit: Flickr/Photosavvy

Wedding Dress Trends 2010

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:28:27 +0000

2010—it’s a new year and a new decade with many new styles and an almost anything-goes look for wedding gowns, giving you the bride unlimited style choices to find the dress which makes you look the very best for your wedding.

While wedding dresses can be as untraditional as you like, traditional is still very in. Go with the full, ballroom look for a totally romantic appeal. (View large pictures on Confetti.co.uk)

Or pull out the glam and go for a Hollywood 50s style wedding gown, which is coming back in full force this year. Wanting a shorter dress length? Tea length is in. (View larger image on Bridal Boulevard)

And while strapless is still the most popular gown style, asymmetrical is making a big break, too, where you have a strap on one shoulder or carry the asymmetrical look down to a slanted hemline.

With the many styles of wedding dresses open to you, you have the options to pick dresses which suit your shape the best. So don’t go for one type of dress just because you think it’s the most popular for the year. Consider your body type. Are you curvy? Slim? More on the plump side? Hate your thighs? Boast well-toned arms? Find a dress that covers up what you hate and flatters what you love. For instance, ball gown dresses help hide the legs you might not be too proud of. They also help create the illusion of more shape. (View large images on Bridal Boulevard)

Asymmetrical dresses flatter toned arms and shoulders. The 50s dresses emphasize defined waists with the buckled or knotted belts. Pleats add texture and draw attention to your better body attributes and away from the less flattering. (View larger images on Confetti)

Strapless may be the dominant style, but that doesn’t mean brides who are more self-conscience or are having their weddings in chillier months don’t have to completely check them off their lists. Jackets are back. Any material, any length. Fur, silk, tulle, sheer, feathers, lace. Three-quarter, long, short, capped. Boleros, caplets. Pick your favorite style and your favorite material and pair it up with your dress choice. (View large images on stylish bridal)

Illusion necklines are in, including sheer material which can be added to strapless gowns for more coverage or a unique flare.

Wanting to make a dress all your own? Look for a simplistic dress and build your own by adding jewels, beads, ribbons, lace, or color. Floral embellishments on dresses are especially good for outdoor and backyard weddings.

Tulle is definitely in this season. (View large pictures at Bridal Boulevard)

It creates full skirts or can be knotted around the waist or on one-shoulder gowns for texture and accents. One-shoulder gowns look dramatic with details to the strap, such as using sheer material or adding silk flowers, a bow, or feathers. (View larger images on Bridal Boulevard)

Bows, whether stiff or droopy, add a girly, whimsical look to a gown. Add them at the waist, the back, the side.

Or add sparkle and shin to your dress! This can be done with shiny material, as with the whole dress,or just in a ribbon or bow. Add sparkling beads or wear striking jewelry.

Pastels are blooming in dresses now. Soft greens, pinks, and yellows add a subtle but cheerful color to the wedding. Pull out the dress color by adding vivid highlights to bouquets for splashes of color.

The tea length dress is definitely for the trendy bride.

Add a stunning pair of shoes to complete your look. Consider wearing a longer dress for the wedding and converting to tea length for the reception.

Tired of the veil? Headpieces are just as versatile as the dresses now. A birdcage veil may go perfectly with your style. Pile the hat up high and add just a hint of veil over your eyes.

Or go with a simple clip or feather in you hair. For a more naturalistic look, wear a woodsy crown decorated with ivy, flowers, or even butterflies.

Choosing the bridesmaid dresses is a snap now. Pick out the color and formality level you want the bridesmaid dresses to be and then let your bridesmaids pick whatever dress they want from a designer they like. Or, pick the dress designer, color, and fabric and let your bridesmaids go from there. Letting them pick gives you less to worry about in your wedding day preparation, as well as gives your bridesmaids the chance to pick out dresses they could continue wearing after the wedding.

JV2P8BBT3G8S