Celtic Wedding Themes and Traditions

Celtic wedding themes and traditions are simple and meaningful and can be seen through out modern weddings still today. The Celtics belief in marriage was that two souls would join together so their strengths would be twice as great and hardships only half as hard. Marriage was an institution not to be entered into lightly. It was the union of two souls, two hearts and two minds.

The ceremony itself was a simple ritual called handfasting. The bride and groom would stand facing each other holding hands and they were bound by a ceremonial rope, cord or wrap. This is where the term ‘tying the knot’ comes from. Handfasting symbolized the unity of the couple.

The Celtic love knot popularly known as the eternity knot represents the union of two souls by interweaving two individual strands. They are commonly used in Celtic wedding rings which portray two unbroken loops that intertwine and are inseparable from each other. They also symbolize the never-ending cycle of life with their intricate and interwoven patterns that have no end or beginning.

Many customs are specific to local areas of Ireland and Scotland. Some Celtic wedding accessories have survived the times and are still used today, such as the Claddagh ring. This ring was named after one of Ireland’s oldest fishing villages and it has been in use in Ireland for several hundred years. The two hands clutching a heart are for friendship, the crown for loyalty or fidelity and the heart symbolizes love. The custom is that if you are single you wear the ring on the right hand facing out to symbolize your heart is open for love. You wear it facing in if you are spoken for. To show you are engaged, you wear the ring outward on the left hand. During the wedding ceremony, the ring is then turned inward to signify the final devotion of the heart in marriage. Even if you don’t use a Claddagh ring for Celtic wedding bands, the Irish Claddagh symbol can be incorporated into your wedding on invitations, accessories and even wedding favors.

Carrie

Reserving Hotel Rooms for Out of Town Wedding Guests

If you are planning a destination wedding, it’s a good idea to reserve a block of rooms with one or more nearby hotels. Most hotels will offer a group rate for weddings based on the percentage of blocks being reserved and if it's during a peak season . The hotel will give a code for your guests to use when calling to book their own room and typically require the reservation is made several weeks in advance.

You may include detailed information with hotel recommendations and costs on save the date magnets 12 to 6 months before your wedding.  Or once you receive the majority of RSVP’s included in your wedding invitations, reserve a block rooms for your guests and send informal cards with your recommended hotel accommodations.

My sister planned a beautiful winter wedding this past December and even though she did not have a lot of out of town guests, she did reserve a block of rooms at a near by hotel. I am glad she did because the weather forecast did not indicate 8 inches of lake effect snow that began to fall during the wedding ceremony. The block of rooms she reserved were quickly filled by the time the reception started.

Renee'

Hot Off The Press: Colorful Cupcake Boxes

After much ado, we are so excited to be able to introduce new colorful cupcake boxes to our line of personalized individual cupcake favor boxes.

These cupcake boxes are bright and bold ranging in colors like bermuda blue, lime green, hot pink, yellow, pink, and more.  They really add that vavoom, or 'je ne sais quoi' if you will, to your place settings and favor tables.  The boxes are a great alternative to traditional cake, making it easier to send guests home with dessert, budget your expenses, and eliminate left-overs.

From a construction standpoint, these cupcake boxes have both their advantages and disadvantages. 

Benefits

1) They have a glossy finish and are very lightweight.  Easy to assemble, the boxes are one-piece and pop right open.  2) They are made of high-quality paper stock, are grease resistant, and are FDA approved for food use.  3) They come in two sizes, standard and jumbo, for filling with regular cupcakes or extra large muffins.

Drawbacks

Be cautious when selecting your custom printing options.  When deciding on the printing color to go on your boxes, be sure to select a color that will contrast against the paper background.  We've noticed that the box color has a tendency to 'absorb' the color that is being printed.  i.e.  You do not want to print orange on a hot pink box because these colors are too close to each other in shade and hue.  The result will not be legible.  Instead, opt for white, black, blue, or purple as your imprint color.

To learn more, visit our website to view personalized individual cupcake favor boxes.  Happy Planning!

Allie

Blended Family Wedding Vows

Including your children in your wedding is the ideal way to reinforce positive feelings about your union and to form new bonds between your children and your new spouse. I myself am married for the second time and I know how hard it can be to make your children feel like a part of your special day. I have, in my years of experience come up with a few ideas of how to incorporate your children to make them feel included and special.

• Have your child play a role in the wedding, such as flowergirl, ringbearer, bridesmaid, usher, male attendant, best man or maid of honor.

• The actual wedding vows are also a way to include your children. You can ask the minister or officiant to add the children's name to the ceremony. By also pledging a vow to love and honor your stepchild, you will indeed make them feel like they are a special part of the day.

• Include your children in the receiving line so that you may be greeted by your guests as a new family instead of just a new couple.

• Sand ceremony kits are one of my favorite ideas for including the children. Using sand ceremony unity sets allows each person to pour a small amount of colored sand into a large cylinder. The mixing of the different colored sand represents the individuals becoming blended in their new lives together. You can even get each small cylinder engraved with your children’s names to give a personal touch.

I recently read a story online about a couple who after they read their vows to each other and exchanged rings, they presented each others children with a necklace that had a special medallion on it representing family. While giving each child the gift, they promised to love and cherish each child and to make a loving family together.

I am lucky to have a very special husband who told me that when he married me he also married my children. Including your children will make them feel important and let them know that marriage is not just about joining a husband and a wife, but it can also be about creating a new family!

Carrie

Personalized Can Koozies Make The Memory Of Your Wedding Day Last

I don't know about you but I love, love, love going to a wedding and receiving a favor that I can use over and over again.  The gesture really lets you know the bride and groom were thinking of you.

One of my absolute favorite favors to receive are can koozies.  They are just so darn fun and laidback.  Koozies are especially great for summer and spring weddings when the heat can get so sweltering that you know those babies will be used the minute your guests enter the door to your reception.

Personalized can koozies are a great way to make the memory of your wedding day last.  You can have a witty phrase, a monogram, or your names and wedding date printed on them in almost any color from the rainbow.  Every time your guests use their custom gift, you can be sure they will think of you and the fun they had on your big day.



Personalized Koozies from My Wedding Reception Ideas



Set your koozie favors out at each place setting for guests to grab up on their way into your reception.  Include a basket at the bar filled with any extra koozies you may have for guests to take.  For destination weddings, put a couple of your custom gifts into your out of town gift bags for your hotel guests.  Happy Planning!

Allie