Ten Fabulous Ways to Indulge the Bride after the Wedding

I am reading The Bridesmaid Guide: Etiquette, Parties and Being Fabulous by Kate Chynoweth and I wanted to share with you some great ways to indulge the bride!

• Make a grand gesture to celebrate the couple’s commitment by planting a tree in their back yard the night before or after the wedding.
• Collect the disposable cameras from the reception tables and develop the film.
• Before the bride leaves the reception, give her a honeymoon kit stuffed with sunscreen, sunglasses, a great book for the plane, and blank journal in which to record her adventures.  Toss in those hilarious Polaroids you took at the rehearsal dinner.
• Organize an intimate post-reception gathering where everyone can kick off their shoes and toast the newlyweds one more time before hitting the hay.
• Leave a basket of treats on their dining room table the night before they return from their trip, to cushion their return to reality.  If you’ve forgotten to get their keys, leave a pretty bouquet and a Welcome Home card on their doorstep.
• Several months after the wedding, organize a girls’ night to revisit the bridal shower scrapbook, pore over the wedding photographs and reminisce about all the fun.
• Schedule a group manicure and pedicure with the girls to help her stave off the inevitable post-wedding depression after she gets back from the honeymoon.
• Give the couple theater, ballet, or concert tickets for an evening about a month after the wedding.  This give the couple a chance to dress up and go out on a date while they are still broke from the wedding, overwhelmed with unpacking and starting back to work.
• Offer to be the bride’s special helper at the reception after she and the groom depart, and collect the cake topper, the top tier of the wedding cake, the guest book, extra flowers, and the gifts, and transport them to a designated place.  The best man or the bride’s father will be in charge of tipping the musicians and caterers but you should add your enthusiastic thanks.
• If the couple isn’t leaving for their honeymoon immediately, decorate their bedroom or hotel room.  They’ll be thrilled after the long wedding day to find their wedding night chamber filled with a chilled bottle of champagne, fragrant flowers, a book of love poems, and a small portable stereo playing their favorite music.

Happy Planning!

Deb Merriner, Splash Consultant

5 Ideas for a Summer Wedding

Here are 5 quick ideas for a fun Summer themed wedding or event!

• Take advantage of the weather and have an outdoor wedding! We highly recommend having a tent set up to protect you and your guests in the chance of high temperatures or rain.
• Dress your tables with lightweight linens such as cotton and linen.  One of our favorite vendors in the area is gala cloths. 
• Decorate with Fruit: Lemons, limes and oranges can make gorgeous and inexpensive centerpieces!
• Nothing says a day at the beach more than bridesmaids in Lilly Pulitzer dresses or groomsmen in khakis and Vineyard Vines ties.
• Keep your guests cool; make sure when the temperature rises to have water easily accessible.  Chinese fans make great favors that can also keep you cool!

Happy Planning!

Julie Daniel, Splash Consultant