Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Have an Earth-Friendly Wedding

A couple planning to get married may shy away from having an earth-friendly wedding because they think it means that they must hold their wedding in a meadow while barefoot and bedecked with flowers.

In reality, a wedding can be earth-friendly and still conform to your own personal style. The key is to make the right choices to reduce your ecological footprint while still remaining chic.

Wedding Dress

Most brides dream from the time that they are little girls about their wedding dress. If you open a bridal magazine, you will see that over half of the advertisements come from wedding dress manufacturers. However, a new wedding dress can seem wasteful. Not only is there spare fabric, but a bride will only use your dress once. If a bride’s mother has saved her dress to hand down, consider wearing it instead, or purchase a used dress from a resale shop.

Consider renting bridesmaid dresses and groomsmen’s tuxedos so that they can be re-used. Bridesmaid dresses may be different styles if they are in coordinating colors to match your wedding theme.

If the bride has her heart set on a new dress that is uniquely her, choose one made with sustainable fabrics like organic cotton or silk rather than synthetic material.

Venue

The venue is frequently the first major decision that a couple will make when planning their wedding. Some couples wait to set their date based on the availability of their desired location.

When it comes to ecological venues, outdoors is still the best choice. An indoor venue such as a country club, ballroom or a fancy resort will use electricity for air conditioning and lighting.

Stylish outdoor venues may include a tent set up on a special location such as the beach where you were engaged or a pavilion at a botanical garden. Alternately, a location such as a church with floor-to-ceiling windows can also provide natural light.

Locations such as an outdoor gazebo on the grounds of a hotel or a public park will have public facilities with modern conveniences such as running water so that your guests won’t feel like they are camping. At the same time you are allowing the sun to provide earth-friendly lighting.

If you feel that you must have your wedding at a resort, choose one that recycles and allows guests to re-use their towels to save on water and energy costs that come from washing linens.

Stationary

The invitation helps alert guests to the theme of your wedding while at the same time informs them of important details, such as the fact that a couple prefers donations to their favorite charity in lieu of gifts.

Some modern couples skip the invitations altogether and rely on the internet to invite their guests, either through eVites [double check that this is correct] or a wedding webpage. Avoid using email to announce your wedding. This form of everyday communication is not formal enough.

A few couples use the theme of their wedding to send unique gifts such as a tree seedling that guests can plant. If you choose a traditional invitation, choose recycled paper and opt for a single envelope rather than an interior and exterior envelope.

Favors

Although favors are considered a gift from the couple to their wedding party as a way of saying thank you for attending, most guests end up throwing their favors out. Edible favors with biodegradable packaging are one good way to ensure that favors don’t end up in landfills. Or you can skip the favor altogether and donate to a charity in your guest’s name.

Flowers

Exotic flowers are often grown using pesticides and shipped a long way to get to your wedding. Instead, choose locally grown flowers that are in season. Look for flowers that are VeriFlora-Certified. These flowers aren’t grown using harsh chemicals. Select potted plants for your centerpieces. Potted flowers can be replanted at a later date.

Food

Most wedding guests remember the food best from a wedding. Whether it is finger food or a four course meal, food is often the center of a reception. If your budget allows for it, you can choose pricier organic or vegan food. If your budget will not allow for this, you can select a locavore caterer. Locavores are people who use only ingredients produced locally. These ingredients use fewer resources to get from the source to your table, and may be fresher and better tasting.

If the idea of having a wedding that is completely earth-friendly seems too radical for you, you can still make one or two earth-friendly choices. Every little bit helps.

The Benefits of Hiring a Wedding Planner

At one time, wedding planners were used only by the wealthy, and by celebrities who wanted to create a lavish, memorable wedding. Today, wedding planners are often hired by ordinary couples who want help in creating their special day, on time and on budget. There are several reasons why hiring a wedding planner can be a good idea.

The main reason to hire a wedding planner is because co-ordinating all the details that go into a wedding can be extremely stressful. Most weddings require hundreds of hours of planning. It is not unusual for the bride and groom to be utterly exhausted by their wedding day. This keeps them from fully enjoying what should be one of the most special days of their lives. A wedding planner will take care of a lot of the most tedious details of planning, research, and negotiating, while leaving the couple free to enjoy themselves, knowing that everything is being expertly taken care of.

A good wedding planner can save you money as well as time. It can be confusing and exhausting contacting dozens of vendors and comparing price quotes on all the different details that go into making up a wedding. A professional who has already co-ordinated hundreds of weddings successfully will be far more experienced in handling negotiations with potential vendors to get you the best price. She can also keep you from being harassed by aggressive vendors who want your business. She will know which vendors, venues, and photographers have good reputations, and which ones you should avoid.

Wouldn`t you rather wake up on your wedding day feeling relaxed and confident, instead of worrying about some detail that you may have overlooked in all the preparations? A good wedding co-ordinator will know exactly how to help you achieve the wedding of your dreams, within the budget you have available. Thousands of couples have already discovered that hiring a wedding planner makes it much easier to enjoy their big day; maybe you should hire a wedding planner too?

If you have a wedding coming up soon, you may have wondered if you should do all the planning yourself, or if you should hire a wedding planner. A good wedding planner is a professional who knows how to take care of all the little details so you can have the wedding you have always wanted. Learn how hiring a wedding planner can save you time and money, leaving you free to enjoy your big day.

Color Trends for Bridal Dresses in 2012

Wedding dresses for 2012 are making quite the splash this season with a virtual kaleidoscope of stunning shades. While many brides still prefer to maintain tradition with a beautiful white or cream-colored bridal gown, wedding dress color trends are breaking with tradition this season and offering anxious brides an assortment of lovely hues ranging from bright and beautiful crimson to lovely and soft lavender. Take a look at the sensational bridal dress color trends for 2012.

Crimson Creations—Create a vision of bold and beautiful loveliness with a stunning crimson bridal gown. This season’s selection of deep and passionate colors offers a creative alternative for the bride who throws caution to the wind and wants to break away from the tradition of the white wedding dress.

Lovely Lavender—The bride who chooses to array herself in a lavender wedding dress will no doubt be a vision of sweet loveliness. Breaking slightly with tradition, soft pastel colors offer a sense of soft romance.

Seafoam Green—An ideal choice for a “green” or beach wedding, seafoam green bridal gowns are quite the hit this year. The bride who desires to stay close to nature will love this year’s selection of seafoam green bridal gowns.

Deep Violet—Another choice for the bride with a bold spirit, deep violet wedding gowns are taking center stage this year with a wide assortment of styles and materials.

Sky Blue Sensation—Brides who adorn themselves in the colors of the sky will create quite the sensation this year. Sky blue bridal gowns portray a natural and sophisticated spirit.

Buy Wedding Dresses 2012

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Best Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals

It is that amazing time of the year again when all amazing things come at a cheap price. Some of my most favorite stores online are holding a Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotion deals. I am totally busy today going through all of them and getting my hands on the best buys. Use the given codes and embedded links below to get the best deals from these stores. There are some items in there which you would totally gel with your wedding (peacock-themed or otherwise). Happy shopping! :)

1. Layla Grace
Black Friday/Cyber Monday Deal - 15% off Entire Store (exclusions apply)
Start Date - 11/25/2011
End Date - 11/28/2011

2. Gifting Inc.
Black Friday/Cyber Monday Deal - $10 Off on Fresh Flowers & Gifts worth $59.99 or more. Flower delivery by Local Florist.
Start Date - 11/23/2011
End Date - 11/26/2011

3. A Gift Personalized
Black Friday/Cyber Monday Deal - Take 25% off everything and free shipping, no code needed.
Start Date - 11/25/2011
End Date - 11/28/2011

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Help Yourself - Make Peacock Rangoli Designs

It's Diwali time and yesterday I happened to see that a lot of people were actually looking out for cool peacock rangoli designs. I did feature some exquisite looking peacock rangoli designs in this post, but here I am going to feature some products which might be useful to you if you are looking forward to creating a peacock design from scratch.

For all those who are non-acquainted with Indian festivals -- Diwali is celebrated between mid-October and November and is popularly termed as 'festival of lights'. Rangoli or 'floor decorations' are popular during this season. You can get more information about Diwali from Wikipedia.

You may use these materials to draw/practice on peacock designs -

1. Peacock Engraving Board - Work on a preprinted design using this board! Pretty easy to use.




2. Peacock Feather Stencil - Reusable peacock feather stencils that can be used on a variety of surfaces -- including your floor surface! You can create an outline for a peacock feather easily using these stencils, and this ought to help you out when you are creating a peacock rangoli design.




3. Design book - Want to draw a peacock design from scratch without the help of any preprinted designs or stencils? 'Draw 50 Birds' can help you out!



The products above are only for amateurs who don't have a clue (like me) on how to create a decent looking peacock design. If you're an expert in drawing, you won't need the above products. Take a look at the following video. Look how the artist creates a beatiful peacock rangoli design -


You can get a Variety of Rangoli Colors from Amazon.

Happy Diwali!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Turquoise Shoes for Peacock Wedding Brides

Here are some stunning looking Turquoise shoes for a Peacock bride. I was having a look through Shoes.com and they seem to be having a promotion going on too. Now would be a right time to get your hands on some of these gorgeous turquoise colored products for a nice offer. If you want to be more creative, you can try attaching a couple of peacock feathers to them. Of course, they need to be properly glued so make sure you know how to do this properly. If not it can only get embarrassing when the peacock feathers and your shoes decide to part ways on your special day!


Note - This is specially for my blog readers - use Coupon Code FALL2011 to avail the 10% discount AND free shipping - in case you decide to purchase any of the shown items below from this blog. This offer is for a limited time (till end of November 2011) so even if you have a Peacock themed wedding planned sometime early next year, it would wise to purchase them at this time because of the cool discount available.

1. Paris Hilton Turquoise Shoes

These shoes are also available in a range of colors. But I chose Turquoise for obvious reasons ;)

There are more Paris Hilton Turquoise Shoes to choose from on the site. Check them out!


2. Ann Marino Isha Turquoise Sandals
These are really pretty and have a unique touch to them. The Turquoise colored bling straps will dress up your feet. You can get this pair from here.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Peacock Pendants for All Occasions

Interested in Peacock Pendants?

Check out this new page on Squidoo - Beautiful Peacock Pendants. The page includes pendants of the following metal types - Gold, Sterling Silver and Brass. Moreover, there are a number of necklaces which you can use as part of your everyday wear. Want to make your own peacock feather earrings, check out the video and items shown by the end of the page which will help you out in creating cost-effective feather earrings. Anyone will be able to do it!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Important Tips For Planning A Peacock Themed Wedding

Getting married is one of the most special times that one can experience. You want the entire event to be something that is very special. Not only that, you want this special occasion to be remembered for many years to come. One of the most popular things to consider is theme, and peacocks are popular. Here are some helpful tips for planning a peacock themed wedding.

Invitations

Invitations are an excellent way to start the planning process. This gives you an outline of what you want to happen. It also gives you the chance to express your theme. Many invitations will have a lovely feather of your favorite bird on the front. Perhaps you will want something with peacocks on the inside of the invitation. Choose your invitations carefully, as they will set the theme for the entire event.

The Internet is an excellent place to search for the perfect invitations. There is a wide selection of invitation services to choose from. Also, you may get the best prices this way, as you may not have to pay sales tax. When you have specific budget, every little thing counts, and if you can save money on invitations, you can use it somewhere else.

Choosing Colors

Colors are a not difficult to come up with for this kind of theme. Go with teal, bronze, gold, and especially plum purple. Make certain that the bridesmaids reflect one of your main colors, and this also goes for the groom. The bridal gown should also be in a main color. However, white will work, as it is neutral.

Deep Purple

If you look in the center of feathers from peacocks you will see a deep purple. Purple is excellent for your main color, and the color of the bridesmaids gowns. The wedding bouquet can be lovely purple flowers, like the hydrangea or the calla lily.

Accent the flowers with feathers that resemble peacocks. This will highlight your central theme. You also may wish to decorate the dinner area with dark purple.

Final Thoughts

When you are planning a peacock themed wedding, your invitations are a good place to start. Make sure that invitations include your theme. Your main color may be best served with a deep or plum purple. Do not forget to use your four main color selections of bronze, teal, gold, and bronze. Check to be sure that the bride looks fine in these colors, or consider another theme. Purple is a good selection for bridesmaids, and for table cloths.

For more tips on planning a peacock wedding theme and other aspects of your wedding visit my blog Wedding Colors Today.

- Charissa Bear (Under Creative Commons License: Attribution No Derivatives)

Bird and Peacock Pendant Necklace


A cute necklace which can be purchased from Amazon. A nice gift to give to your best friend or someone special. It has a small bird and a peacock feather pendant. A nice design which I liked.

Get more info on Lucky Brand "Best Friend Necks" Bird And Peacock Pendant Necklace.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Rhinestone Peacock Earrings

Peacock Earrings

I stumbled upon this Asian fashion store online called Asoya and I was pretty impressed by the Rhinestone Peacock earrings they had at the store. It's priced around $8. Click here to view the product page and to see more pictures.


Monday, August 1, 2011

Beautiful Peacock Pendant


This is a really cute design which can be purchased from Pictures of Gold. Available in Sterling Silver, Yellow Gold Plated, 10K Gold and 14K Gold. The item can have an engraved special message or names/dates/monogram.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Stunning White Wedding Dress With Peacock Designs

Finding a white wedding dress with peacock designs is not so easy. I happened to stumble upon this particular wedding dress which suits a peacock themed wedding to a T. I'm not exactly sure where you can order this dress from, but you can see the complete range of photographs from here. Photographs have been taken by a famous photographer named Celal Bayak. You shouldn't miss out on seeing the pictures. They are gorgeous!


3 Tiered Peacock and Peahen Wedding Cake

A really romantic three tiered peacock wedding cake. Beautiful Indian jewelry is adorned on top of the Peahen's head. You can see more details of this peacock wedding cake from PinkCakeBox. Also check out the video below to get a more detailed view of the stunning peacock wedding cake.


Thursday, June 16, 2011

Peacock Wedding Almonds

I had already mentioned in a post before about how edible favors will make great parting gifts for your guests. Almonds make great wedding favors. They are a variety of colors available. I have published a new Squidoo page which contains a variety of absolutely delicious wedding chocolate almonds that you and your guests will love. The good thing about these almonds is that they can even be used as birthday favors.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Jewelry That Will Look Good For A Peacock Themed Wedding


Here are some of the items I came across online today and I felt the colors will look apt for a peacock themed wedding. Contrasting colors are a big hit when it comes to weddings. A splash of blue, purple or gold on your jewelry will work wonders and add an extra zeal to your total look on your wedding day.

Drops of Jupiter Aqua Gold Earrings


Drops of Jupiter earrings are made with 14 k gold filled wires. These earrings were seen on Good Housekeeping May 2011 Edition! Available here.

Kendra Scott Jeanine Earrings



Kendra Scott is famous for her modern jewelry which have frequently been showcased on magazines like In Style and O Magazine. These set of earrings contain stones in Blue quartz, Pink quartz and green Jade. Available here.

Kendra Scott Bracelet

Also part of Kendra Scott Collection. Available here.

Shiva Aqua Ruby Earrings

These earrings have almost a peacock shape, don't you think? Has Indian ruby glass and aqua beads. Available here.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

A Peacock Figurine Decor Fan


This will be a fun addition to any peacock wedding decor. Not just meant as a wedding decor, this beautiful peacock figurine decor fan can be used absolutely anywhere -- be it your living room, bathroom, bedroom.

One Of A Kind Peacock Bouquet


Not always do I come across a peacock styled bouquet that captures my attention. Believe me, I am very choosy when it comes to picking items and if I didn't like this particular bouquet which one would I like? Jillians One Of A Kind Macey Peacock Bouquet lives up to its name. It is unique, colorful with peacock color tints. The good thing is that you can get it customized according to your wedding theme colors. The picture shows the colors which are most suitable for a peacock theme, but you can even include colors of purple or gold if you wish -- it is your choice.

Monday, June 6, 2011

The Peacock Wedding Forum

If you are interested in sharing your thoughts and views on anything peacock-wedding related, then you can do so now at the Peacock Wedding Forum! Share your experiences, pictures and more in this forum... and have fun! It's pretty much new so I would encourage all of you who visit this blog on a regular basis to share your thoughts and experience on anything peacock-wedding related so that others can also benefit from it.

... And yes, don't forget to have fun while you're at it! Enjoy.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Best Peacock Rangoli (Floor Decoration)

Today, I am really excited to bring to you a set of peacock floor decorations. If you are going for an Indian themed wedding, why not have such a beautiful design on the floor? This decor could be a center of attraction in your wedding ceremony. Many people draw floral designs and patterns on the floor in front of their houses in India. These drawings or "Rangoli" are said to invite prosperity and happiness into a house.

Presenting some of the beautiful Peacock rangoli designs -


You can get more details and related pics from Flickr page of sratsthgin

Another beautiful peacock floor decoration -


You can find this photo on Slices of Light's Flickr Page

You can see a lot more designs from Flickr.

So how do you make such 'Rangolis'? You might need a bit of practice but you can make them more easily with the help of Rangoli stencils. You need to use high quality rangoli colors in order to make the floor decoration stand out. If you need any help in learning how to do a rangoli, you can get this step-by-step instruction book.

Friday, June 3, 2011

An Exclusive Peacock Boutonniere - Limited Supply





This Navy Blue Peacock Feather boutonniere is selling like hot cakes. It has an exclusive and unique design and comes in a gorgeous navy Blue color. The peacock boutonniere is of limited supply though so you might want to get your hands on them soon enough.


Decorate Your Peacock Cake With The Help Of Peacock Cutters

The above designs on the cake have been done with the help of Orchard Lace Leaf Cutter Set.

A Stunning Peacock Cake


Doesn't this cake look absolutely gorgeous? Find more details about this peacock wedding cake from Wedding By Color.

Yummy Peacock Salad!


This peacock salad looks wonderful, right? It suits a peacock theme perfectly. If you want to know how to make it, head over to Grand Pain in My Pocket.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

David's Bridal $1000 Giveaway

David's Bridal requires no introduction. The online portal is famous for its renowned wedding dresses and mostly its regular giveaway offers including a huge diamond giveaway (*drool*). It's that time of the year again when David's Bridal is giving out stuff worth $1000. You will even get a stunning wedding dress for FREE! All brides-to-be need to try out their luck because you get $1000 worth of stuff here by David's Bridal.

Please note that this offer is only valid for the United States.

Registration and entering the giveaway contest is absolutely FREE! So why not try out your luck now??

A Beautiful Thai Peacock Wedding Dress


Look at the peacock design on the dress! The Thai wedding dress is apt for those who are looking forward to organizing an Asian themed wedding. It will make a unique bridesmaid dress -- but it doesn't come cheap. You will find this Thai Wedding Dress at Asian Culture Shop.

Gold Peacock Wedding Invitations

Here are a new set of wedding invitations I came across. Simply loved the design! I have included the entire set of invitations including RSVP and Save The Date.



Save The Date Card Available Here!



Wedding Announcement Card Available Here!



RSVP Gold Invitation Available Here!



Gold Peacock Wedding Invitation Available Here!

Peacock Feather Wedding Favors - Magnets


Here are some really cute peacock feather magnets which I found at Etsy. Very affordable and looks great too.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

The Kim Kardashian Ring On Sale!


As all of you know, Kim Kardashian just got engaged recently to her boyfriend Kris Humphries. The engagement ring she adorns is really gorgeous! Of course, not everyone will be able to afford the 20 carat ring but you can always opt for a cheaper version.

If you are looking for a Kim Kardashian ring, you might want to check this page out which offers not only the Kim Kardashian ring but also her sister Khloe's ring for a nice discount. They are pretty much identical to the originals except that the size is smaller and the price is cheaper!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

A Vibrant Peacock Wedding Table Setting


I found this peacock wedding table at FlowerExplosion and I have to say it's a beautiful setting. The colors are vibrant and complement a peacock wedding theme. Apart from the table setting, you can even choose a variety of tinted flowers that go fabulously well with peacock themed wedding. Go check it out now!


Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Beautiful Bouquets You Can You Use For Your Peacock Wedding

What are weddings without flowers? Peacock weddings too need beautiful flowers. You can add a special touch to these flowers by using peacock feathers.






Now all you need is to insert a number of peacock feathers in them and you are all set to rock your peacock wedding!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Edible Peacock Wedding Favors

I was thinking about decorating the Royal blue favor box with peacock feathers to go with a peacock themed wedding. If you are going to include edibles in the favor box, might as well select them in such a way that they complement your peacock themed wedding. Select the best quality, and since you are going to be purchasing a lot -- take a good look at the price too. Is it affordable?

Here are some of the best edible peacock wedding favors which I found online. They are great to look at, yummy to the core and are available for a discount!

1. Edible Almonds





Edible Almonds make great favors for traditional weddings because they symbolize fertility, prosperity and happiness. I selected this particular powdered blue one for the peacock themed wedding. They are available in other colors like White and Pink though.

2. Personalized Peacock Candies

Did you know you can create personalized M&M wedding candies? You can imprint a small image on it or text if you like. You can try imprinting a small peacock image on a light colored background to go with your wedding theme.

3. Peacock Cookies

If you like the peacock design on your cookies, then try this one out. If you are just looking for a cookie pop with a peacock feather design on its wrap then try this one out.

If you don't have much space in your favor box, then you might as well opt for this miniature blue wedding cake cookie.

4. Peacock Chocolate Bars



Almost everyone loves chocolate bars -- so if you want your guests to indulge in chocolatey goodness after your wedding and at the same time remember your beautiful peacock-themed wedding then peacock chocolate bars are for you! This peacock chocolate bar is peanut free and hence suitable to sensitive people too.






Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Live Peacock In A Wedding!

This is the first time that I am witnessing a live peacock at a wedding. So beautiful! Check one of the pictures out with the beautiful peacock in the backdrop -

This image is from Powell Pictures. You can check out the entire Peacock Wedding post at the blog to see more pictures, venue and vendor details -- you'll absolutely love them!

Peacock Cupcake Tower

This cupcake tower has been created by Sam from Cakes and Cupcakes from Sam fame. Looks neat right? I love the way how the cupcakes have been arranged with the special peacock touch right at the top.

Maybe you can create your own peacock cupcake tower by using Royal-Blue cupcake paper cups if you are on a tight budget and top everything off with some quality peacock feathers.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

The All New Wedding Boutique With Gorgeous Items!

I just started my own wedding boutique! As you know, there are tons of wedding sites out there, so how can you select the best of the lot. This thought resulted in the creation of a wedding boutique online which will help you to see wedding products from various wedding sites.

On Gracia Ann, I make it simpler for you by collecting together gorgeous wedding items for you from around the World Wide Web. You will find everything you need there. Once you like an item, all you need is to click on the 'Buy Now' button to be redirected to the actual wedding site which offers that particular product. Furthermore, I have even listed the latest wedding deals and coupons so that you don't have to miss another wedding offer ever again!

How Is Gracia Ann Different From Other Wedding Boutiques -

1. Bringing together 1000s of products from different online wedding sites to a single place.

2. Featured listings updated everyday! You can see bestselling items this way.

3. No ugly ads - Your shopping is kept simple and hassle-free without any pop-ups or ads.

4. The layout is simple and easy to browse.

5. Various categories along with an effective 'search' option to make your search for wedding items quick and simple.

Ok, enough of all the blabbering. I would love you to visit my Gracia Ann Wedding Boutique and recommend it to others too who are on the lookout for a site which offers the best wedding supplies collected from around the Web. You will even find some Peacock Wedding Supplies there!

Happy Wedding!

Friday, April 29, 2011

Prince William and Kate Middleton's Wedding Pictures!

I know these pictures are nothing related to a Peacock themed wedding, but the excitement is such that I couldn't stay away from posting the wedding pictures! Kate Middleton was adorning an Alexander McQueen wedding dress designed by Sarah Burton. Presenting some of the royal wedding pictures of Prince William and now officially "Princess Catherine".