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The other day, I answered a personalization question on a wedding forum. The couple were wondering what to put on the back of their brand-name soda bottle favors to make them personalized wedding favors (the front of the soda bottles are also personalized with a favorite photo of the couple.) Most of the answers were the typical “Thanks for sharing our day,” or simply “your names and wedding date.” Out of several suggestions, mine was chosen by the “asker” as the best one. Here’s why…

Follow the Favor

What do I mean by “follow the favor”? As I wrote in response, think of something short and relevant to the favor itself. For their soda-bottle favors, I offered these three personalization ideas:

• We’re Bubbling Over with Happiness!
• So Happy, We’re About to Pop!
• The Drinks Are On Us Today!

Sometimes it depends on the number of personalization lines or characters allowed. I recommended using something other than names and wedding date because 1) guests already know whom they’re celebrating and 2) the likelihood that guests will hold onto a sticky soda bottle as a memento is remote. Why not dazzle them with your wit instead?

More Personalization Messages!

To get your mind moving in this direction, I thought I’d give you some message ideas for a few different favor categories. Here goes:

Candles/Tea Light Holders—Our Love Shines Brighter Every Day; Love’s Glow is All Around You; We’re the Hottest Couple in Town!

Favor Boxes/Jars—It’s the Sweetest Day of Our Lives!, It’s a Treat to Have You With Us Today! Sweet Memories Especially for You.

Photo Frames—We’re Giving Marriage Our Best Shot!; Just How We Pictured This Day–With You!

Salt & Pepper Shakers—Thanks for Spicing Things Up Today!; Celebrating Our Seasons of Love!

Wine-Themed Favors—Thanks for The Vintage Memories!; Popping the Cork on a Happy Marriage!; We’re Drunk on Love!

Heart-Themed Favors—Two Hearts. One Love.; With Our Love and Heartfelt Thanks; A Day “Heart” to Forget!

Coasters—Happily Coasting Toward the Future!; The Drinks Are On Us Today!

Now you’ve got the hang of it! And I’ve decided to make  FREE PERSONALIZATION MESSAGES an ongoing offer. If you’re looking for a unique personalization message for your favors, let me know, and I’ll put my creativity to work for you! Have fun today!

Like any other kind of party, a bridal shower can be deadly boring—or a spirited, unforgettable bash! If your friends are like mine, they’d much prefer the latter. As the host, you’re in control. What’s the best way to up the ante on your party planning? I have the recipe, and here it is!

4 oz. Vodka
2 oz. Triple Sec
2 oz. Cranberry Juice
1 oz. Lime Juice
1 Orange Slice
A Twist of Lime

Shake vodka, triple sec, lime and cranberry juice vigorously in a shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass, garnish with a lime wedge on the rim, and serve.

That’s the basic recipe for a Cosmopolitan—one of the tastiest, little libations on the planet–and guaranteed to make those obligatory bridal shower games you’ll play ever so much more fun!

And since we’re here to talk about bridal shower favors, let’s see what favors are out there that will coordinate perfectly with a Cosmopolitan Bridal Bash! Here are my two favorites:

Every guest can go home with a bit of bright-pink beverage knowledge with the “Oh, So Cosmopolitan!” Reversible Recipe Coaster (left). Cute, right? On one side is the image of a glass filled to the brim with a tantalizing Cosmopolitan. Flip it over, and you’ve got the basic recipe for the luscious cosmo concoction. And on the right is a Cosmopolitan starter kit, so guests can continue the cosmo party when they get home. The “Bottoms Up!” Cosmopolitan Cocktail Mix comes adorably packaged (a great color scheme you might even consider for your event!) with a white-satin bow and a lime-slice accent.  Either one is a terrific way to fill your party with cheers!

AAAAAAI know. I know. When you think of portable potties (with names like Johnny on the Spot, Happy Can, Tanks A Lot, Drop Zone and a couple of portable toilet companies I thought might be too indelicate to mention here), you grimace, because the thought of using one sends shivers up your spine. Yet, when you’re at, say, a huge, festival-seating outdoor concert with 100,000 in attendance, you thank your lucky stars there are plenty of them on site, and you suffer the unpleasantness gladly.

So now, it’s your wedding day—an elegant outdoor affair under a magnificent tent—and you can’t ignore the obvious. Your guests need somewhere to go. I’m here to tell you your guests can relieve themselves in relative refinement. You just need to shop around for a portable toilet rental company that has specially designed facilities for weddings and other upscale events. Talk about the ultimate in unique wedding favors for your guests! Though their name isn’t as, shall we say, creative as the ones mentioned above, Atlanta Water Closet has just the thing—a clean, comfy place to sit that doesn’t smell like–what you’d expect.  Now you can be sure your outdoor wedding has class, from beginning to end. Here are some photos:

When you see these limos, you’ll think “I gotta have THAT one!” Simple. Go to Favors in the City to save on unique wedding favors, so you can spend a little extra to get yourselves to the ceremony in super-sensationall style!

In this case, a picture is totally worth a thousand words, because you already know what the typical black or white stretch limo looks like. Since you don’t have to drive the limo to your wedding, you don’t need to know any of the particulars. It just needs to be the coolest car on the planet, and these six certainly qualify.

The limos, starting with the top photo, are an eco-friendly Toyota Prius, a Mini Cooper, a Chevrolet Corvette, a Volkswagen Beetle, a Ferrari and a Chrysler Prowler:

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Nice, huh! What a way to zoooooom with your groom!

“It” is getting into the Guinness Book of World Records, which is what Jill Stapleton might have accomplished when she got married to Chad Greenhill in Proctorville, OH this past Saturday. The previous world record for bridesmaids at one wedding was 90.

According to reports, Jill owns Jill’s Tumble World, a gymnastics and cheerleading studio, and she invited all her students to join in. She only asked that they wear purple or teal dresses, which are the gym’s colors.

If you want to see a video of the procession, cut and paste http://www.wsaz.com/charleston/headlines/96232559.html into your browser bar.

So I guess the Guiness World Record people have to decide whether 110+ pre-K, elementary school-age, preteen and teenage girls qualify as bridesmaids to validate the record, though I don’t think going for the record was actually part of Jill’s dream. I also wonder who paid for the flowers each girl carried, and the big question is—Did Jill get bridesmaid gifts for all 110+ “bridesmaids”? If you watch the video, you’ll notice there appear to be six or so legitimate bridesmaids in bridesmaid attire who followed the long stream of mini-bridesmaids. They probably got the good gifts, while the rest of the parade got…what? Power bars?

In the video, we never see where the gymnastic students go. Either they’re all standing up at the altar with her, or there’s a door at the other end through which they all filed out. Maybe they just sat down wherever. Regardless, I leave you with this question:  No doubt it was an adorable stunt, but should this be a Guinness world record? Why or why not?

Having been to my share of bar-hopping bachelorette parties, I know how much fun they can be—except for the designated driver (who, at an added expense, may be a limo or cab driver.) Unless one of the women on the guest list doesn’t have a taste for alcohol, there’s always one (the designated driver) who spends the evening on the outside looking in as the others make champagne toasts, sample martinis and get a little crazier than usual.

I’m here with another bachelorette party option that lets every guest have a good time, and they’ll all feel better when they leave than they do when they arrive. Arrive where, you ask? It could be your home or a plush hotel suite booked for the night—either way, it’s a safe place for the night (or day). And you might also wonder how you’ll leave feeling better than when you walked in. Simple…

Ahhhhhh-mazing!

Have a Spaaahhhhhhhhhhhh Party using a mobile spa service—the latest in luxury! Instead of having to travel to a spa, where you might be limited to what you can do in terms of food, drink and fun, you can have a mobile spa come to your home or some other location (like a hotel suite) where the food, drink and fun is all up to you! No one has to leave until the next morning, so you and the other guests can party as hard as you’d like without worrying about anyone’s ability to drive themselves home.

All Your Wants and “Kneads!”

Mobile spas offer virtually everything available at brick-and-mortar spas, including facials, skin treatments, massage, manicures, pedicures, and more. All you need to provide is the food, drink, bachelorette party or bridal shower favors and some music. The mobile spa comes to your location and transforms it into a lovely oasis of tranquility, pampering each and every guest, who can sip champagne and nibble on a decadent array of delights while she waits for her turn on the massage table. For anyone who overindulges, a plush chair or comfy bed is close at hand.

It’s a win-win for everyone, who goes home looking and feeling fabulous (unless she had one too many pomegranate mohitos…)

Did you know you can purchase one wedding favor from Favors in the City to see if you like it before you order dozens of them? This goes for bridal shower favors and baby shower favors, too!

Seeing—and Touching—Is Believing…

I don’t know about you, but I always like to see, touch and evaluate what I’m buying before I plunk down my money. Of course, that’s often virtually impossible when I buy online, which is a super way to get things that might not be readily available in brick-and-mortar stores in my area. For the most part, I like and keep what I get about 97% of the time. It’s the 3% that disappoint and need to be returned—a small hassle, wouldn’t you say? And you’re back to square one searching for the product you still want/need.

Usually, the disappointment is in quality. It looked so good on TV/my computer screen/in the newspaper or magazine ad. Up close and personal—not so much. And when it comes to something uniquely important, like, oh, I don’t know, let’s say wedding favors, I would want to make absolutely sure I’m 100% thrilled with everything about it before I give it to even one guest.

Sample an Example of Your Favorite Favor!

With their no minimums* policy, Favors in the City lets you purchase single samples of one or several favors so you can get the full effect of each favor and make sure it’s the one for that once-in-a-lifetime day you’re planning. When a company is confident of their product quality, sending you a sample shouldn’t be a problem. You’ll be charged the unit price of the product sample(s) plus shipping and handling. Once you place your final order, Favors in the City refunds your original shipping cost. Meanwhile, you can sit back and relax, knowing that, when your wedding favors will arrive, they’ll be exactly what you envisioned!

Just another favor to you from Favors in the City! Gotta love ‘em!

* Except on personalized items, edible favors or items sold in a set.

Catering expert, Cheryl Kahn-Bracco, director of  Catering for the Glazier Group (a Manhattan event management company,) gave some insight on what’s right now and what’s so five minutes ago in a recent post on MitzvahMarket.com. Cheryl has “extensive experience in hospitality” and oversees unique events for clients at Bridgewaters, Twenty Four Fifth in NYC and The Beach Resort in Key West, FL.

Let’s take a look at what’s cooking in the catering world this season!

RIGHT NOW: Fried Chicken  SO FIVE MINUTES AGO: Sliders

RIGHT NOW: Gluten-Free Foods  SO FIVE MINUTES AGO: Nut-Free Foods

RIGHT NOW: Organic, Sustainable Local Foods  SO FIVE MINUTES AGO: Processed, Frozen or Imported Food

RIGHT NOW: St~ Germain Cocktails  SO FIVE MINUTES AGO: Cosmopolitans

RIGHT NOW: Short Ribs  SO FIVE MINUTES AGO: Rack of Lamb

RIGHT NOW: Lounge Seating  SO FIVE MINUTES AGO: Assigned Seating

RIGHT NOW: Email RSVP  SO FIVE MINUTES AGO: Response Cards Sent Via Email

RIGHT NOW: Woopie Pies  SO FIVE MINUTES AGO: Chocolate Fountains

RIGHT NOW: Root Beer Floats  SO FIVE MINUTES AGO: Frozen Daiquiris

Okay. Let’s talk about the questions you have, which are probably the same things I wondered about.  We’ll start with a recipe for the St. Germain Cocktail. St~Germain is a liqueur made from hand-picked elderflower blossoms, and this recipe is from the St~Germain web site:

2 parts Champagne* or Dry White Wine** 1 ½ parts St-Germain 2 parts Sparkling Water or Club Soda
Method: Stir ingredients in a tall ice-filled Collins glass, mixing completely. Think of Paris circa 1947. Garnish with a lemon twist.Variation: Think of Sarte circa 1947. Be the lemon twist. * Or Sparkling Wine, Prosecco or Cava ** Preferably Sauvignon Blanc

My next question was about  “lounge seating.” Rental companies can drop off and pick up lounge-style set-ups to match your color scheme. These lounges create comfortable, intimate groupings throughout your reception venue, making your event sophisticated and laid-back at the same time. It’s a great look you’ll probably have to pay more for. Here are a few photos I got from Google that give you a pretty good idea of the concept:

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Last one–whoopie pies (also called a gob, black-and-white, bob, or “BFO” for Big Fat Oreo.) A Whoopie Pie is a baked good made of two round mound-shaped pieces of chocolate cake with a sweet, creamy frosting sandwiched between them. Well, I’m on board. Here’s what they look like:

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As always, use what works for you and leave the rest–although I don’t think many of us would leave those Whoopie Cakes behind.

First, let me wish you all a terrifically Happy Valentine’s Day! If you’re planning a wedding, you’re already having a fabulous Valentine’s Day. WhooHooo!

As a blogger, I’m always interested in what’s happening on other blogs. I checked out the Luxury Weddings blog for the affluent bride, because they just came out with their top wedding trends and forecast for this year’s luxury weddings. While top-of-the-line wedding planning might be beyond your budget, there are certainly some elements you can easily incorporate into your plans without turning your pockets inside out. All it takes is some research and creativity.

Meanwhile, here are some 2010 wedding trends for couples whose cup runneth over with cash…

Gowns

There’s a return to “timeless romanticism” by top couture wedding gown designers this year, with collections that feature intricate lace, metallic fabrics, elaborate flower appliques, billowing ruffled tiers and all-over beaded embellishments. Also hot this year is the “daring” asymmetrical, one-shoulder necklines instead of strapless gowns.

Invitations

Sea and nature-inspired custom wedding invitations and hand-illustrated wedding invitations are big for couples planning a destination wedding. Also popular are couture wedding invitations that use luxury design elements and printing techniques like letterpress, foil stamping, embossing, Swarovski crystals, luxury embellishments, silk boxes, engraving, offset, digital and thermography (heating traditional wet ink with a powder compound to create printing that rises off the paper to simulate the refined look of engraving.)

Color Palettes

Wedding guests will see varying shades of violet, rose, blues and greens to mirror the more popular palette for wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses.

Custom Wedding Cakes

Custom wedding cakes will tower to new heights. Fondant masterpieces like the one on the right will make  triple-layered cakes a thing of the past.

Eco-Friendly Weddings

A popular way to go these days regardless of budget, the upscale eco-friendly wedding eliminates elaborate table arrangements in favor of miniature fruit or ornamental trees, live topiaries and herb baskets ready for easy transplant into a garden after the wedding.

Focus on Favors

Edible favors continue to gain in popularity—personalized and delectable dark chocolates, candies and exotic fruits thank guests with something tasty and often too beautiful to eat, like “The Perfect Pear” Gourmet Brownie Pops edible wedding favor on the right.

Concern for Humanity

Here’s a trend couples in every tax bracket can incorporate into their wedding plans. It’s simply “giving back on your wedding day and paying forward to those who are desperately in need.” Donate leftover food and delicacies from your wedding reception to homeless shelters and give your floral arrangements to area hospices, nursing homes and hospitals after your celebration so they can continue to bring joy, happiness and a smile into someone’s life.

Live Event Painting

Okay. This is pretty cool. Affluent brides are commissioning artists to create a live painting on canvas of their luxury wedding event as it unfolds, providing unique entertainment for their wedding guests. Most live event artists will gladly travel to your wedding destination anywhere in the world. Prices range from $1000 to $2,500 and up, depending on timing, location and duration, plus travel expenses. Pricey, yes, but what a unique keepsake!

Tired of the same old gathering of family and friends?  Stir up some fun with a cocktail party!  Whether you’re planning an engagement party or looking to jump start the bachelor party, a cocktail party is a fun way to celebrate.  And, the best part is, you don’t have to be an expert party planner to make it happen like a pro.  It’s festive, it’s fun and it’s easy–with these tips:

Don’t go broke on the bar: Trying to stock the bar for every drink imaginable could be a disaster, unless you’re loaded with cash.  Instead, pick 3-4 drinks that you know will be hit with your friends and purchase the alcohol for those.  Allow for three drinks per person and keep in mind that a each 750 ml bottle will make about 15 cocktails.  Complete the bar with a good selection of beer, wine and even non-alcoholic drinks for those who might not want the cocktails.

Create a signature drink: This is a fun way to personalize your party.  Guests can sip the night away on a matrimonial martini or a cocktail named after something special for the couple, like the wedding theme if you’re having a beach wedding or the place where you met or proposed.  A signature drink can help tell your story and is a great conversation starter.

Choose a theme: Everyone knows that party planning is a whole lot easier when elements are held to a central theme.  For a cocktail party, choose a tropical theme with beachy drinks, a regional theme with local beers and unique cocktails or a martini theme with all sorts of martinis, and then mix in some unique party favors that accent the theme.

If you’re going with a martini theme, you might consider this martini salt and pepper shaker as a practical favor that reminds your guests of your totally fab party.  With a classic olive on top, it makes a realistic first impression.  Or, help guests keep the party going with cocktail mix favors.  Whether you choose a Cosmopolitan, Margarita or some other drink mix, it will be easy for guests to make their own drinks when they get home.

Designate a bartender. Because you’re the host/hostess, you’ll have plenty to do mingling and making sure your guests are having a good time.  Whether it’s a large or a small gathering, leave the bartending to Uncle Bob or a friend who knows their way around the bar, or hire a professional.

Don’t forget the food! Balancing the beverages with some light hors d’ oeuvres will help make sure that no one gets inebriated.  Consider meats, cheese, fruits and veggies.  Depending on the type of event, you can fancy up some favorites or go exotic, if you dare.

Bottoms up!