It’s Friday and that means I found a video to share with you! This one displays a great choreographed wedding dance between the bridal party and the newlyweds. It definitely goes to show that putting in the effort and going all out pays off. Too many times have we seen wedding dances where some of the bridal party is not feeling it. All that means is that your dance ends up looking frumpy and dull. If you’re going to have a fun funky dance make sure the people involved are willing to make fools of themselves- that’s what weddings are about!
Simple rules of thumb:
1. Pick a well-known song. Recognizable for young and old.
2. Stick with playfully appropriate songs! No curse words or divorce songs!
3. Be romantic & funny. Gestures & Props help keep it light hearted.
4. Choreograph. To get everyone looking sharp and prepared.
5. Don’t forget to smile and have a good time, even if you fall !
How fun are birthday parties now that school is back in session? Tons of kids running around breaking all your dishes and spilling Kool-aid on the carpet. Do kids still drink Kool-aid anyways? Well, how about this for a birthday party theme: Carnival! This party totally works for boy or girl and you can sass it up by making it a costume party. Girls can wear fun bright colored tutus and boys can wear bright color jackets. Decorate your event with a fun candy bar and cupcakes. For a treat let your kids enjoy freshly popped popcorn with these popcorn boxes.
Retro Drinking Straws are the perfect compliment to sweet root beer floats. Offer Root Beer and Orange Soda for a fun alternative to the typical root beer float. Then mix and match with colorful vintage-style circus drinking straws! And give kids the option of taking their candy home in fun Polka Dot Cello Bags. Decorate your party with Polka Dot Big Balloons and Paper Flag Garlands for a fun carnival look! Create a fun polka dot Carnival theme complete with festive Cupcake Wrappers and colorful decorations. When you add costumes and a popcorn machine, this birthday is sure to be a hit! Don’t forget activities such as bean bag toss, face painting and ring toss!
Photo Courtesy of Etsy.com
Photo Courtesy of amypartyideas.blogspot.com
When I was younger we used to have school carnivals and parties for reading or fundraisers. Now, I’m not sure that local schools have the budget for parties like that anymore, but it’s a great way to encourage reading! There are a lot of ways involve kids in school and get their attention away from the television set. Organizing a fun carnival party would be a creative theme for the end of the year or as a fun reward for a classroom fundraiser. Maybe your local PTA would be interested in putting together a fundraiser to give back to the community and in return local businesses can donate food and fun prizes! Maybe cleaning up the local park could be a great activity and a perfect excuse for an outdoor neighborhood carnival! Decorate trees and park fences with colorful Decorative Paper Flags.
Did you know: according to census.gov, “Hispanics constituted 16.3 percent of the nation’s total population, making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest ethnic or race minority.” Last week, September 15th marked the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month. This year it lasts from September 15th to October 15th. The holiday honors our Nation’s Hispanic heritage, according to USA.gov. It is celebrated in September because “it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.” It is important to take time to recognize the contributions that the Hispanic community have given the United States. If you’re planning a celebration in your community here are some ideas for decorations.
In the Hispanic culture, bright colors are prominent in their decor and clothing. Decorating with bright colors is a great way to show their spirit and culture. Bright paper lanterns and colorful metal lanterns are great for party decorations. Try using Orange Paper Lanterns with Yellow Paper Lanterns. Alternate hanging Paper Tissue Garlands with colorful Paper Lanterns for an over the top look. Then decorate your paper tables with fun colorful metal lanterns and different spices and beers for a fun playful look. I love bright color decorations and these cute centerpiece lanterns are the perfect way to add a touch of color! Don’t forget to celebrate Hispanic heritage and culture, now through October 15th 2011!
There is an increase in the number of brides looking for DIY wedding ideas and ways to cut the budget. Luckily, we’re full of ideas. One of the most expensive costs of wedding supplies falls in the favors category. Add place settings and you have twice as many things to buy for guest tables. Try combining the two for a great way to save on your budget!
Plantable Seed Packets can be personalized with guests names. Place on a sheet of “grass” for a fun table setting.
These Mini Vase Place Holders can hold table flowers, guests names and be taken home as party favors! Triple threat!
Let your guests ring wedding bells with these 3-in-1 Bell Favors. Tie these place card holders with a coordinating ribbon and insert name tags for a 3 in 1 wedding favor!
Will a little creativity and careful penmanship, any wedding favor can double as a place card holder. Use any of our personalized favor labels or ribbon to complete the look. Sticking to your budget is easy when you find creative ways to combined place holders and favors. Looking for more ideas? Visit our Favor moodboard on Pinterest for creative ways to style and customize favors for your decor!
Looking for ways to trim your budget? Start with your wedding flowers. Mention the word “wedding” and florals can double in price. Avoid sticker shock by sticking to some easy guidelines. Whether you’re a DIY bride or having a florist plan your centerpieces, stick to these ideas and you can save major bucks on your floral arrangements. Keep in mind, table numbers can be spray painted or stenciled on to every type of vase. Floral arrangements don’t have to be as large if you distract the eye with funky table numbers or candles!
Photo Courtesy of heatherspriggs.com
1. Mix and match costs. If you’re stuck on having expensive flowers, try off-setting the cost with affordable vases and table number signs. Try using milk bottles, Galvanized Buckets, watering cans or Mismatched Vases for a unique affordable look.
Photo Courtesy of ohhellologan.com
2. A big fan of peonies or hydrangeas? Use pricier flowers as “focal” flowers instead of full blooms. By using a few as accent pieces you can make one bouquet of peonies work for multiple tables. If you don’t want o have a lot of filler, try having a few blooms of your favorite flower in a larger vase. Accent with floating candles or Floralytes and water pearls. The display will be simple and dramatic without having a full bloom.
Photo Courtesy of blog.weddzilla.com
3. Don’t be afraid of filler. Queen’s Anne, Baby’s Breath and greenery are all ways to fill your bouquets without breaking the bank. All three are great for looks and won’t hurt your bottom line. Consider adding Acrylic Beaded Accents to your arrangements to make them unique without extra filler.
Photo Courtesy of Style Me Pretty
4. Think sustainability. As we’ve previously blogged about, planted centerpieces are a great way to avoid extra costs. You can plant them in Colorful Baskets, Small Vases or Wood Boxes depending on your decor and colors. Grass is making a popular eco-friendly centerpiece comeback, along with herbs. A benefit of herbs? They smell lovely in your bouquet and floral arrangements. Ask your florist if she can incorporate Lavender into your bouquet for a fresh smell down the aisle. Then you can easily plant Lavender centerpieces for an affordable take home gift. Tag the bottom of the centerpiece with a number and then have guests check under their plate for who gets to take the flowers home!
Photo Courtesy of twotwenty-one.com
5. Nix the flowers. I know it seems absolutely sacrilegious to not have flower centerpieces but they can be a heavy expense. Consider instead, having artificial silk flowers. Today it’s easy to find bouquets that look like real flowers but you can incorporate into your home decor afterwards. You won’t have to dry them and keep them pristine because artificial flowers are sturdier and last longer than a day.
Carving pumpkins and hanging spiderweb is only part of the fun of Halloween. Throwing scary parties and haunted houses are much more fun! Especially when you have all the right decorations for putting together an impressive shindig. There are dozens of ways to use decorations for Halloween decor that can be recycled later for different occasions. Take these Decorative Paper Flags for example:
Using a black sharpie market and stencils you can write messages on top of the flags. Because they have color on both sides you will still be able to reuse the unmarked side for other future events! Decorate with marker, fabric or paint to spell out “Trick or Treat” or “Spooky”. The orange flags can be used for Halloween decorations to create a look like this:
Photo Courtesy of deckthehalls-christmas.blogspot.com
Another great reusable look? Use White Paper Lanterns to create a spider display for a frightful Halloween decoration that will show off your creepy crawly side. You can applique spiders on with tacky putty so that they can still be pulled off afterwards. Or use Orange Paper Lanterns for a mock pumpkin look. Use black sharpie to draw on your faces instead of carving pumpkins and making a mess! Use paper taped to the lanterns in order to reuse them later.
Photo Courtesy of familyfun.go.com
Photo Courtesy of Parents.com
Take a look at our “Howlin’ for Halloween” pinboard on Pinterest for more ideas on how to decoration for Halloween! Stay tuned for more ideas over the next couple weeks! Halloween is coming up fast and we have everything you need to create the perfect spooky bash!
We’re moving our Friday Video up to Thursday this week because Whitney premieres tonight on NBC. We recently found this little clip on YouTube about weddings and etiquette. Is this you at a wedding?
We just wanted to remind you that, unless you’re the bride or well, a guest at Kim K’s nuptials, you can’t wear white to a wedding! Sorry, we know it seems like the perfect event to wear a bright festively white dress for but it’s an etiquette no-no. Nevertheless, do you have any of those great tell-all-only-if-you-are-anonymous stories involving weddings? Share them with us on our Facebook page and remember to watch Whitney and her great advice on NBC Thursdays!
So you’re into baking and love DIY weddings? Well, creating do it yourself wedding favors just got a little bit easier. With a wide variety of favor boxes, favor bags and jars available; preparing your own edible favors is simple! There are many different ways to personalize your favors to avoid the hum-drum Jordan Almonds that have been traditional favors.0
Did you and your fiance share a first date at a cupcake shop? Try displaying a fun festive cupcake bar where guests can pick and choose their toppings! Then send them home with their delicious treats in a cupcake box. Don’t forget to wrap your cupcake in a cupcake wrapper for a unique way to coordinate color schemes with your wedding or event colors.
How about if your man is into spicy flavors? Create a fun mixed nuts bar with different types of spicy flavors: Chili, Wasabi and Chipotle are great options! Let your guests mix their own combinations to fill their take home favor bags. You can do this with healthy trail mix as well. My mister really likes dried fruit and yogurt dipped pretzels so surprising him with a trail mix bar is just part of the fun of do-it-yourself wedding ideas!
Photo Courtesy of www.betsywhite.com/
I really love the idea of taking small cookies or macaroons and filling mini favor boxes with them. Then you complete the look with small cartons of milk. Fill a jar full of paper drinking straws and voila you have a fun playful dessert bar that doesn’t include little signs or lots of sugar loaded treats.
Photo Courtesy Of thecakeblog.com
A lot of our brides are using dessert bars and creating “Love Is Sweet” signs to invite guests to join in the love. Plus, today’s economy bodes well to DIY wedding projects and these are a great party idea to bring all your bridesmaids together. Hungarian tradition is that the brides family brings desserts and cookies to the wedding reception as a sign of support and love. This is a great tradition to bring back! Include your friends and family when planning your dessert stand- invite them to give you the recipe and share their favorites with you in preparation for having your own kitchen and family “soon”!
I have a special spot for DIY brides because I personally know how much planning and crafting goes into a wedding if you’re a do it yourself bride. Every little detail has to be glued, taped and pined perfectly or it might come undone on the big day. DIY centerpieces are some of the hardest obstacles because you have to create dozens of versions of the same decor. Well, I’m happy to say your decorations just got a little easier. Check out our new products for DIY wedding decor!
This whole look is doable with our DIY products. Our Manzanita branches come in a variety of colors and can be inserted into any of our special Wooden Boxes for a creative centerpiece. My favorite part about this look is the Decorative Trim around the outside of the box. Available in three different designs, these Decorative Trims can be hot glued or sewn to any vase or box for a glam accent.
Recently, one of our favorite event planners Panache Event Group used our Rhinestone Ribbon Wrap to accent centerpiece vases and candles for a stylish white on white look. In addition to a great review, Stacey sent along these photos:
Our exclusive Rhinestone Ribbon Wrap can be cut down to any width and length to decorate your centerpiece vases, candles or jars. I love how Stacey used lace and Rhinestone Wrap to create a white look. This can be recreated with any wedding colors. You can use this look with our Manzanita Branches and Wood Boxes as well. Be sure to check out Stacey’s kind review of our Rhinestone Ribbon Wrap on their website!
Are you looking for inspiration for a beach wedding? I know, around here we’re transitioning out of Summer and into Fall but it’s a good idea to start now if you’re planning for a summer 2012 wedding. I have the perfect idea for decorating an outdoor area or beach alter. How chic and creative would it be to decorate your special ceremony site with these Driftwood Garland? You can easily drape your ceremony alter with these garland or Seashell Garland. If you follow our blog regularly you might remember our inspiration moodboard we did a couple months back featuring our Driftwood Garland. I’ve found more ways to decorate with it and tell me what you think!
Beach Wedding Photography courtesy of beachbutlerz.wordpress.com and aperfectcelebration.com.
If you’re a DIY bride, you might enjoy creating your own Driftwood centerpieces. Simply use Driftwood and your flower arrangements to create a beachy theme centerpiece display. Combine tall vases and floating candles to add light and height to your arrangement. I love these color scheme because you can use it to create a summer beach wedding or a breezy Cape Cod nautical theme. Continue your beach wedding theme by decoupaging driftwood pieces to our brand new Large Block Letters.
Want to incorporate more seashells? Try our Driftwood Garland & Seashell Cluster. This hanging garlands can easily be draped on the back of your bride and groom chair or along your aisle for aisle markers. How cute would these be with white small flowers? Combined with our Raffia Fans for guests to fan themselves from the heat of your love! Need more inspiration? Take a look at our Pinterest “Beach Wedding” Pinboard and be sure to follow us for new beachy products!
Saima Jamil Ashraf is one of the newest bloggers to join the Koyal team. Writer, journalist and editor, part-time blogger, full-time mom, and year-round enthusiast for all things wedding, Saima loves creating fabulous new themes and inspirations for the Koyal blog. With a degree in English and another in Media & Culture, and several years' experience as Editor for a leading women's magazine, Saima finds that writing online combines her need for expression with her joy in everything glamorous and romantic. "It's impossible not to get swept up in the world of color, vibrancy and sheer beauty of weddings... am I the only one who feels like doing it all over again - and again!?" she says.
Claire Martine is the newest member of the Koyal team. As a recent college graduate, she brings a degree in business management to our team. A current bride-to-be herself, Claire brings a fresh perspective you can relate to. Whether it’s picking out flowers or reception decorations, you’ll be along for her adventure! “There are so many options out there; creative possibilities are endless for today’s bride.” Claire loves everything vintage, DIY and garden fresh. “I look forward to blogging and sharing my ideas with our brides.” Stay tuned for her unique wedding ideas and ways to help you create your own dream wedding.
Photo Courtesy of ohhellologan.com
