End of the Night Coffee Favor

Wedding Tip of the Day:

Coffee Fix!

Refuel your guests with some caffeine at the end of the night.  Purchase personalized travel coffee mugs (check promotional item websites for inexpensive versions like this one) and have your caterer set up a coffee bar.  Guests who are traveling far will really appreciate the caffeine fix and the travel mug acts as a great favor.

Cookie Buffet

Wedding Tip of the Day:

Cookie Buffet!

Consider a cookie buffet instead of a candy bar for your favor.  Set out a variety of cookies and have your caterer get small cartons of milk (like you got at recess in grade school). Get some paper straws (check here at Bake It Pretty) and cute little bags and labels so guests can pack up some cookies to take home.

Check out this fabulous cookie buffet from Rebecca Thus

Candle Escort Cards

Wedding Tip of the Day:

For a fun take on escort cards, print guests names and tables on vellum and wrap it around small tealight holders.  Use battery operated lights so nothing gets too hot for guests.  Once guests arrive at their table with their “placecards” the tealights will serve as candlelight around the table. 

A Backyard Affair

Real wedding feature:

A not so big backyard, a sunny day and a little help

equals a dream come true wedding for this couple!

In just a few weeks time, and with a little help from the girls over at It's All In The Details, this couple planned the ultimate backyard wedding!  

Anyone who has ever said you can't have a wedding with style in the backyard have not met the team over at It's All In The Details.  These ladies like a challenge and boy, did they deliver on this one! Transforming this backyard into a beautiful wedding ceremony site (and then reception! more on that later) was no small feat, and they surpassed even the bride's wildest expectations.

The house may have looked like every other on the block before the festivities, but take a peek at these photos from Jeffrey Vock to see what was hiding in the backyard as the festivities were about to begin...

Check out the happy bride getting ready in her fabulous custom sweatsuit

from In Style Before The Aisle.

The invitations and programs were also designed by It's All In The Details and had a lovebird motif. (Check out the adorable red birds just over the groom's shoulder...

LOVE that little detail).  

The love could be felt all around...from the groom's brother performing the ceremony to the thoughtfully written vows exchanged by the bride and groom, this was one happy couple!

While the wedding guests moved to the front porch for cocktail hour, the It's All In The Details team hurried to transform the backyard from the ceremony into the reception site.  Now, that takes some serious organization, not to mention audacity.  This kind of transformation in less than an hour?  If I had not witnessed it, I would swear it couldn't be done.  But, here are the pictures to prove that the reception was as elegant and beautiful as the ceremony. (Oh, and check out the gorgeous wedding guest tree from LoviDay Wedding Designs. What a great idea!  And the escort cards with the love birds...too cute!)

As the night wore on, the guests had a fabulous time.  I just love how the crystal curtain backdrop sparkled in the moonlight.  The couple put a new twist on the wine bottle favor (with the help of It's All In The Details) by creating a label with a wedding photo!! Talk about instant gratification.  But I guess given the amazing feats pulled off that day, anything is possible! 

   

Even the new Mr. and Mrs. were blown away by how elegant and stylish their little wedding in the backyard became.  And It's All In The Details, great job ladies!  What an amazing job.

Special thanks to Jeffrey Vock for his fabulous photos.

Style Me Pretty Magazine!

Wedding Tip of the Day:

Check out Style Me Pretty and their new digtal magazine for loads of ideas and inspiration.

Chic Affordable Centerpieces

Wedding Tip of the Day:

Don’t poo-poo more economical flower choices without considering all your options.  Some cheaper flowers when clustered together can have a chic look.  Carnations crammed in a low dish or used to create a pomander atop a candlestick can be very elegant without breaking the bank.

A little S'more for your guests

S'more Kit Favor

This week's favorite favor comes by way of this post from Lauren of Lauren Elise Crafted guest blogging at the Valley and Co. blog. And isn't it the cutest "kit"you have ever seen?

It's got everything your guest could need to make their s'more and would be a very easy DIY project.  All the necessary smore's ingredients along with a little candle and some matches, and all wrapped up in a neat little matchbox! Check out the blog here for all the details on how to make it and if you want to see some more great stuff check out Lauren's blog here.

Wedding Purse

Wedding tip of the Day

A Wedding Day Purse you will be proud to carry!

Want to honor your mom or grandmother by using their gown but want to wear your own? Consider having a small handbag made from the fabric/lace/appliqué of her gown.  Enlist the help of a crafty friend or seamstress, or DIY with mom as a good bonding experience.  The bag will be a treasure for years to come.  And it can double as your something old too.

Vintage brooch

Wedding Tip of the Day:

Use a vintage brooch or Grandma’s pin in your hair rather than buying a tiara or hairpin.

Don't Just Sit There

Wedding Tip of the Day:

Don’t just sit there!

Will you be sitting with your backs to your guests during your ceremony? Consider having the florist or a crafty friend decorate the back of your chairs so guests are not just faced with your back during the festivities.  Use small wreaths or a little garland to dress up the seats.  For a really fun touch, tie a wooden ampersand (&) between the two seats.

A Touching Momento

Wedding Tip of the Day

Honor a departed loved one by tying a locket or small photo charm to your bouquet.

Popcorn Buffet

Wedding Tip of the Day:

Popcorn Buffet!

Love the idea of a candy buffet without the cost? Why not a popcorn buffet? Look online for a variety of popcorn recipes get to poppin!  Provide guests with paper popcorn bags you can buy online.  

Guests will love this unique take on the popular treat buffet!

Find some great popcorn recipes here and here and here.

A new spin on the charitable donation

Favorite Favor of the Week:


Introducing our very first "Favorite Favor" of the week.  Each week we will spotlight a favor idea that we just love.  Something fresh, a new take on a modern tradition.  This week's favorite comes courtesy of The Flirty Guide and is such a cute take on the now standard "donation in lieu of a favor."  

The bride and groom selected three charities and then put out three containers and some colored tokens.  The sign instructed guests to put their token into the container for the charity they preferred.  The happy couple then made donations to all three charities in proportion to how many tokens were collected.  So simple! So clever! So cute!

To personalize this idea for your own wedding, you could get creative with the containers: a dog bowl for a donation to your local shelter, a piggy bank in the shape of a heard for The Heart Association.  Try including the token on your escort cards to liven them up and then guests can drop off their token on their way into the reception.  What a great way to donate to a worthy cause and enable your guests to feel included!

Wedding Crossword

Wedding tip of the day:

Having brunch the morning after the wedding? Nothing says brunch like the Sunday morning crossword!  Create a personalized crossword puzzle with details from your wedding to keep guests entertained throughout the morning, testing just how much they remember from the big day.  Check online to hire someone to design this or download a crossword creating program to DIY.  For an extra special touch, get some personalized pencils to go with the crossword. 

photo source: Martha Stewart Weddings

Wedding Tip of the Day

Create an inspiration board with pictures and images from website and magazines that convey the look you are going for. Check out Style Me Pretty or Polyvore for an easy way to create a digital inspiration board. Share it with vendors to help them create your vision. 

We're back!

Happy New Year!

We've been busy over here at In Style Before the Aisle and we are starting off Twenty-Eleven with a bang. We have added a few new items to the website and we are working hard on several more fabulous items soon to come.

In the meantime, check out our great new feature....Wedding Tip of the Day!  Some really great advice and inspiration for your big day.  Follow us on facebook and twitter to be up to the minute with tips.  And we will be posting them on the blog as well.

Stay tuned for lots more to come!