Creative Ideas to Perk Up Your Wedding

Traditions are fine until they get boring. Weddings can be generic and predictable. But why would you want your wedding to be ‘typical’ when it can be extravagant altogether – from the theme to wedding catering – ? ‘Extravagant’ doesn’t mean pricey in this context, but rather and exceptional and inimitable that makes your guests rave about your wedding days after it occurred.

Here are some fascinating, almost-quirky ideas to make your wedding the next talk of the town. And hey, some of the ideas are really eco-friendly! Of course, you don’t want your carbon footprints to add up, right?

1) Have your guests write their wishes and remarks on plates or tablecloths and used them during special occasions in the future like your first anniversary instead of the usual guest book.

2) Pick a particularly special start time of the wedding ceremony like 4:37 which is the exact time you said yes to his proposal.

3) Have your bridesmaids carry a special bouquet made from their most favorite native flowers and then combine all their favorite flowers into your own bouquet.

4) Mass transport your guests from the church to the reception such as through a hot air balloon ride or horse-drawn carriage, if logistically possible.

5) Create a custom ‘Welcome Bag’ stuffed with a guest’s favorites from mini bottles of bubbly or gift certificates to a local spa or shop.

6) Ask your florist to set up a DIY station with all the needed supplies like blooms, ribbons and pins and have your guests create their own corsage and boutonniere. Local blooms only.

7) Arrange a room for the kids complete with snacks, drinks, pillows, blankets, toys, etc., and of course a babysitter or two.

8) Set up a bubbly bar full of in-season fruit purees, citrus twists and even flavored ice cubes where your guests can customize their champagne before the toast.

9) Set up a video booth instead of a photo booth where the guests can record their messages and wishes to both of you.

10)  Revolutionize the reception with creative up-lighting such as falling snow or leaves, geometric patterns or pictures of you together to transform the plain walls into something worth-staring at.

11) Create a wedding website, regularly update the site including details of the planning and integrate some social media widgets on it so visitors can share, like or tweet the updates. What a great way to save papers and trees!

12) Organize a pre-wedding camp or field day for the entourage so they’d get acquainted with one another before the big day.

13)  Put a line that read ‘Wanna Dance? What Song?’ on the RSVP card and let them pick up to three songs.

14) Have your grandmothers as your flower girls or you may even have your grandfathers escort them.

15) Imitate your love story on the aisle runner where every guest can have a glimpse on how you two started dating.

16) Decorate the comfort rooms with your childhood photos and remember the wackier, the better.

17) Have your guests dive face-first on a foot-long ice cream parade in various flavors or banana split.

18) Have the guests leave a message for both of you and let them put it into your anniversary piñata.

19) Create countdown signs and post them on your official Facebook, Twitter or Instagram page daily. Again, cut down on paper usage!

20) Style the aisle runner with photos, texts, flowers or any objects that reflect both of your personalities instead of plain white or red carpet. DIY is great.

21) Imprint table numbers on jars or boxes containing your favorite snacks that can hold the guests until the arrival of the main course.

22) Provide the guests with markers and stamps and ask them to encircle a word in the dictionary that best describes you as newlyweds.

23) Give reception tables their own nicknames such as places you’ve visited together when you became a couple.

24) Order a wedding cake in multiple tiers with different flavors on each tier and have your guests take a piece of their preferred tier. Alternatively, have a fruit-bowl-like wedding cake!

25) Held a trivia quiz about the two of you and present the persons that give the right answers with a unique gift like a gardening kit.

26) Create a wedding video that spans from the preparation to the reception and beyond.

Some weddings can get pretty boring and predictable, but not yours. You can pick any of these enthralling wedding ideas. Whichever you choose though, remember that a wedding is all about creativity and individuality – two ingredients that make any wedding truly standout. 

Image credits: KarenHarveycox.com | JoannaFassinger.com | GreenWeddingShoes.com | UnitedWithLove.com | InspiredBride.net | Blog.TheKnot.com | OneWed.com | Bride.net | WeddingPaperDivas.com

And the Green Wedding of the Year Awards Goes to... Brangelina!

We can only envy Angie since she didn’t stress herself out in preparing her wedding. Unlike most of the brides-to-be here in the Philippines, we think A LOT whether to hire a catering service in Manila or a catering Alabang; whether to have the wedding rites at Our Lady of Remedies, San Agustin Church or Binondo Church; whether to have the reception at Palaciode Maynila, Kaisa Heritage Center or The Atrium at Bulwagang Recoletos and more.

Leave it to Brangelina (Brad Pitt + Angelina Jolie) for having such a small yet ‘grand’ wedding! Well, it is not the Hollywood ‘grand’ that we are talking about with A-listers on the guest list, but just the grandness of how everything was put together. Indeed, it deserves the ‘Green Wedding of the Year Award’ if there is such a thing. Everyone’s talking about it soon after everyone learned the two are dating, but the wedding is not your traditional wedding. In fact, it will never be ordinary. Below are the details.

The flowers

There were no floral arrangements although there were pink oleander bloom petals which the flower girls threw in just before Angie walk down the aisle.

Angelina carried an informal bouquet made from wild flowers freshly picked out of the garden. Her bouquet includes sweetly scented white valerian. The bouquet also has oleander leaves.

The gown

Created by Luigi Massi of Atelier Versace, Angie has a very distinctive concept in her mind. She wanted her wedding gown to be a reflection of her family that she had already built with Brad long before their special day. The hand-designed antique lace and silk gown and veil became a huge canvas that showcased the creativity of her kids. Pictures of zebras, drum kits and Eiffel tower were featured on the gown.

Her something borrowed was a small gold locket with her mom’s pic on it.

As for Brad, he wore a suit straight from his closet. Yes, it is not even new. He also borrowed a tie from one of his sons since he forgot to pack one for him.

As for the kids, the four boys donned cream linen black suits. Shiloh wore shorts and a hat. Zahara wore an Adama Kebe-designed outfit while Vivienne wore a little white dress she has been seen on a couple of times before the wedding day.

The party

The bridal party is rather small. Their eldest sons Maddox and Pax walked with Angeline side-by-side down the aisle. Zahara and Vivienne were the flower girls. Knox and Shiloh were the ring bearers. If you are asking, yes, it happened. One of the ring bearers accidentally dropped the wedding ring on the floor.

The ring

Jeweler Robert Procop, who designed the couple’s engagement ring, also designed the wedding bands. The 16-carat emerald-cut diamond ring worth $500,000 was created based on Brad’s designs with distinctive facets and elongated shapes complete with a galaxy of smaller graduated stones.

A long-time friend and collaborator, Procop only sources his gold, platinum and gemstones from conflict-free areas specifically from Kimberley Process Certification Scheme-compliant countries.

It took one year to finish the ring. The media dubbed the ring as the diamond ring that launched a thousand tabloid covers!

The church

Angie and Brad wed at a chapel at Chateau Miraval, an eco-friendly estate owned by the couple found in an ancient village in Correns, France. Correns is regarded as the very first organic village in the country.

Angie entered the chapel to the tune of Brad and their children’s and the guests humming of ‘Here Comes the Bride.’ The wedding march was played on the newlywed’s way out.

The vows

Their six children helped in writing their respective wedding vows. They enlisted their help to ensure that all the words are extra special and personal.

The reception

The 1,000-acre estate features a lake, lush forestry, olive trees and vineyards. It is also equipped with an indoor pool, gyms and a spa. This is the same house where Brad proposed to Angelina in March 2012.

The food

There were only a total of 23 people present at the über-intimate wedding. Angie had her actor brother, James Haven and the rest were from Brad’s side. The guests were served with home-cooked meals. The delicious menu used only the freshest, locally-grown ingredients such as sea bass. They drank wine prepared at Brad’s personal vineyard.

The cake

Pax baked the wedding cake with the help of some of his friends. It was baked on the premise itself.

Brangelina decided to tie the knot in what we call a categorically understated, super relaxed ceremony. This is not what everybody expects, but it only shows how committed the two to their advocacies. To sum it up: The global eco-village community will never forget August 23!

Source: Ecouterre | Glamour Magazine UK | US Magazine Weekly | Global Cool

Finding Eco-Friendly Wedding Gowns

If you are planning a green wedding in Manila, Philippines, the catering and venue are the very last thing that you should stress yourself with. There are hundreds of catering providers locally. Hizon’s Catering, which is the best wedding caterer in the Philippines, for instance, can match events with ideal venues whether it’d be a catering in Manila or nearby provinces and whether it will be an all-organic feast or not. Hizon’s is accredited to over 250 world-class venues.

What you should stress yourself about is your wedding gown. In the US, the choices of eco-friendly wedding gown designers are limited. What more in the Philippines?

The dilemma

We are talking about green weddings here, and one aspect of such is reducing the price and buying an item that can be recycled or reused. Regardless though, every bride wants to look ravishing on her wedding day. This means finding the best gown that fits your earth-friendly lifestyle.

There are many international designers, but again their costs may be too high for a green wedding. There are also local designers who cater to your requirements, but be reminded that they do not specialize in green wedding gowns. If you are going to have the gown made from scratch, be prepared financially since the cost may go up to $2,000 or even more.

Fundamentally, you can always buy online such as from Etsy although you must have a way to take a ‘good look’ at it somehow to establish the fit otherwise you have to return and have the wedding gown shipped in the Philippines again, a costly process definitely.

The solutions

All brides have their own styles, and some have their own eco-style to look for. If you are from another part of the world, the best way to ensure you can wear an eco-couture wedding gown is to buy abroad and hand-carry or have it shipped here.

There are eco-couture designers who consistently launch their collections of eco-friendly wedding gowns. Also, designers such as Chris Kole, Adele Wechsler, Justin Alexander, Katherine Feiel, Tara Lynn, Pure Magnolia and Wai Ching also accommodate custom wedding gown. Most of the designers also offer wedding gowns for as low as $100. Some even rent brand new wedding dresses.  

The wedding gowns are local and handmade. The environmentally-friendliest wedding gowns are made from organic hemp or silk, organic cotton, bamboo silk, vegetable dyed silks and with organic design elements. Some designers use vintage or remnant fabrics for their individually hand-cut gowns.

Some of the designers also offer alterations of used wedding gowns. If designer prices, which can go anywhere $500 to $3,000, are not in your scheme of things, you can start the search through prowling the local thrift stores or consignment shops. Just remember when buying vintage dresses, it is wise to go for bigger dresses than smaller ones if you want it altered. Alterations are usually around $40 to $60.

After the wedding, if you want to repurpose your wedding gown, you can donate it to Brides Against Breast Cancer or I Do Foundation. The foundation will sell or auction your gown, and the proceeds will go straight to the foundation’s advocacy funds.

Further, the search for your green wedding attire doesn’t stop at finding the perfect wedding gown. Of course, you also need to find the right pair of shoes to go with your dress. Some options for eco-worthy wedding shoes are Moshops, Beyond Skin and Olsen Haus. The shoes and sandals are perfect for any wedding. The best part is the shoes can be used over and over on various occasions.

Sometimes, weddings are not about where you want to marry, but more about how you want your wedding to be remembered. Not all couples-to-be are bold enough to have their weddings as earth-friendly as they want it to be. Unfortunately, you need to bring with you your organic wedding gown to the Philippines if you want to marry here since the choices of eco-designers are limited. Anyhow, bringing your gown or having it shipped here in the Philippines is easy-peasy.