» Wedding Ceremony

Deep rich colors in beautiful wedding floral design: chocolate flowers!

Tamara — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:58:30 +0000

When I was planning my wedding, I knew I wanted to incorporate a deep rich color in the beautiful wedding floral design of my event. I wanted everything to be clean and simple but rich and elegant at the same time. The flowers I chose were mini calla lillies and they were gorgeous! I carried a combination of white callas and (black) chocolate callas…yummy! The bouquet was wrapped with white material and gold cording which was held in place with pearl pins; nothing overwhelming – just simply organic. Hubby wore a chocolate calla boutonniere and the rest of the party all had pure white. We kept are centerpieces very simple with a variety of candles in containers wrapped with sage green ribbon but sprinkled burgundy rose petals across the table which added depth and romance to everyone’s dining experience.

God’s Garden Treasures, one of the floral artists exhibiting at this year’s East Valley Bridal Affair can offer ideas and inspiration to help those of us that tend to get stuck – simply because we don’t know our options. Here are a few suggestions from Karin’s blog:

So you like chocolate – the velvety, rich dark chocolate, and the milky, creamy chocolate? And you’re planning a birthday or anniversary celebration, or a wedding or event, and want to incorporate espresso, dark chocolate, latte, or mocha colors into the design?

There are chocolate flowers for you!

White Roses, Chocolate Dahlias, White Stephanotis and Schwarzwalder Calla Lilies

Chocolate Cosmos

Chocolate Calla Lilies

Other options are the new amnesia roses, the centers of black-eyed susans, echinacea/cone-flower, and sunflowers! (more pictures to come!)

Chocolates look great with pinks, or with tiffany blue, white, or the fall colors, too.

For more ideas and inspiration, join us at the 3rd annual East Valley Bridal Affair at the Windemere Conference Center in Mesa on October 4, 2009 from 11am to 4pm. You can speak face to face with representatives of God’s Garden Treasures, Y Knot Party Rentals, and Tyler’s Custom Designs to help you plan the look and design of your floral elements which represents you the best for your special day.

Phoenix’s Original East Valley Bridal Showcase

Local Brides. Local Experts. Experience the possibilities.

Come together with industry experts who will inspire you to create a day to always remember.

Free admission, prize giveaways, fashion shows, and entertainment.

Free Halloween Weddings

Laura — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:55:43 +0000

Checking out Weddingwire.com this morning (one of my favorite sites, and one I wish was around when I was a bride!), and saw this special being offered by Reverend Amy Miller and The Chapel at the Farm. Love Halloween and costumes? Then check out this offer as a great way to celebrate your big day.

Looking for other creative ideas to celebrate your wedding? Visit us October 4, 2009 at the East Valley Bridal Affair at the Windemere Conference Center 5750 E. Main Street in Mesa.

FREE CHAPEL WEDDINGS – LOOKING FOR COUPLES WITH A WICKED SENSE OF HUMOR

Hosted by Chapel At The Farm Wedding & Reception Venue

When: October 31, 2009; 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm (1 day event)
Where: Chapel At The Farm, 397 S. Gilbert Road, Gilbert, Arizona
Cost: FREE
Homepage: http://www.chapelatthefarm.com

Chapel at The Farm is offering FREE weddings Halloween Day….what’s the catch? Costumes are a must and no you can not dress as a bride and groom. You can invite up to 12 guests. This is going to be a fun, festive day, and a great way to remember your wedding. Perfect for the couple that needs to be legally married with a larger wedding at a later date. Also perfect for the couple that loves Halloween!

4 Pieces of Wedding Advice You Should Ignore

Laura — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:03:46 +0000

From weddingchannel.com

When you announce your engagement, the congratulatory messages will start to roll in — as will the loads of unsolicited planning advice. We asked real brides to share the worst advice they ever received. Here’s what they had to say about…

Paying for a Wedding

“An employee at the bank tried to get me to open up a credit card to pay for everything. Kicking off a marriage in debt isn’t really how I want to start things out.” –danadoll87

WeddingChannel.com Verdict: The key to pulling off your dream wedding and starting married life on the right foot is to set a realistic budget from the get-go. If you need to borrow money, be sure there’s a plan in place for how you’ll pay it back. Even if you do put wedding expenses on your credit card (some people do this just to keep track), you need to be able to pay it down. When it comes to weddings, budget and beauty aren’t one in the same. You can find most, if not all, of the details you want for a reasonable price if you do your research and are willing to comprise when needed (think: seasonal flowers versus exotic ones).

Picking a Venue

“My mom told me that I needed to have the wedding within 15 minutes from her house because she didn’t like to travel.” –scottishgirl

WeddingChannel.com Verdict: That may not be realistic! No one spot will be ideal for everyone on your guest list, but it’s not unheard of to want to pick a location that’s centrally located for friends and families on both sides. But focus your search on finding a venue that can comfortably accommodate all your guests and will match your wedding style. If you can find a place you like that fits the bill, it’s a win-win situation.

The Wedding Cake

“My mother-in-law said, ‘Don’t order a real cake. No one eats cake. Get a fake one instead.” –AmandaB

WeddingChannel.com Verdict: She may be half right. Here’s why: To keep costs down, a lot of couples will have their baker make fake tiers for every tier except the bottom one (this is real for the cake cutting). Then the caterers take the cake in the back after the cutting. While guests think this cake is being cut and served, they’re really eating less expensive sheet cake. (It’s a commonly used trick, we promise.) Depriving guests of cake altogether is a huge no-no, however. Your guests will be looking forward to that tasty wedding cake, trust us!

Prewedding Parties

“I was told, ‘It’s not polite to ask someone to throw you a bridal shower. Don’t worry about it. Someone will throw one for you.’ Yeah, I’m still waiting…” –Tonette

WeddingChannel.com Verdict: Yikes. Traditionally speaking, this responsibility falls on the maid of honor or the bride’s closest friends. If they’ve done their homework, they’ll know this. If you’re not comfortable saying something like, “You do know you’re in charge of throwing my bridal shower, right?” try something less direct like, “Is there any way I can help you kick off the shower plans?”

Photo: Anna Kuperberg Photography

Not Being Married by a Priest or Minister? A Judge is the Next Logical Choice.

Tamara — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 03:28:38 +0000

For people who aren’t going to have a priest or minister marry them, a Judge is the next logical choice. Depending on your preference, you can have a Judge come to your reception site or other location and perform your ceremony there. Or, you can accomplish the formal exchange of vows at your local Justice Court, leaving you more time and energy to focus on your reception and having fun with your guests.

Anyone who has been appointed as a Judge, Justice of the Peace or Judge Pro-Tempore (pro-tem judge) can perform weddings in the State of Arizona. Most Justice Courts do weddings, but call ahead to make sure. You can find phone numbers for all the Maricopa County Justice Courts here, and all the Pinal County Justice Courts here.

For your convenience, here’s a quick run-down of what you can expect at a Justice Court wedding.

You will need to get your marriage license ahead of time. Marriage licenses cost $72 and you can get one at the County Clerk’s Office – Maricopa County information is here, Pinal County information here
The County Clerk’s Offices and the Justice Courts can be miles apart, so make sure you give yourself enough time to get the license before you are supposed to be at the Justice Court.
Don’t fill anything out on the license until you are at the Court and have checked with the Staff or the Judge.
Generally, when the Bride signs the license, she uses her maiden name unless she’s already changed her name. Whatever your legal name is at the time of the ceremony – that’s the one you use. Changing your name isn’t too complicated, you can find more information here.
You will need to bring two adult (over 18) witnesses with you.
Do not expect anything fancy – I’ve seen weddings performed in the judge’s office, in less than a minute. It ain’t pretty, but it gets the job done! I try to be a bit more formal: I wear my robe, I do the wedding in the courtroom, and I have a ceremony that runs about 2-3 minutes. That’s just me, however!
If the ceremony is during business hours (M-F, 8 – 5), there is no charge and judges are not allowed to accept gratuities.
If the ceremony is after 5 pm at the Courthouse, Courts will generally charge around $60, but it varies so ask the Court staff when you call to make your appointment.
If your wedding is set after 5 pm, try to get to the Courthouse at least ten minutes before 5. The staff may have to type up paperwork for you before the actual ceremony begins. Also, keep in mind that Courthouse staff will be staying after hours (at no extra pay) until your ceremony is finished. They generally don’t mind doing weddings, but it doesn’t hurt if you are extra gracious and respectful!
No matter how great a person you are, the Court is still going to want you to pay with cash or a money order. Don’t show up with a personal check and expect to get married.
Remember, most Justice Courts are pretty busy, so the length and location of your ceremony is entirely up to the Court.

Of course you can also get a Judge to do an “off-site” wedding for you at your actual reception site or another location of your choosing. This requires a little advance preparation, some judges will want to meet with you at least once or twice before the wedding. Also, since it’s outside of the courthouse, you can expect to pay more, unless the Judge is a friend or acquaintance and willing to do it in exchange for a bigger piece of wedding cake. Or first shot at the buffet.

You can ask the Judge to use your vows, or just let them use theirs. If it means a lot to you, check first; I have very secular vows with no references to anything religious (one-size-fits-all vows), but some judges have more spiritual language in their vows. It all depends on your preference, and you can work with your Judge to figure out what you want in the vows.

All in all, getting married in front of a Judge is a quick and inexpensive way to get the formalities out of the way so you can concentrate on hosting a fabulous celebration!

Guest Blogger Delia Neal is a Pro-Tem Judge for Maricopa and Pinal Counties. You can read more from Delia in her blog at http://deliasez.wordpress.com/.

Images sourced from freedigitalphotos.net