Fall Inspiration: Favors

Picking favors can be a really challenging task, especially while on a budget.  It's important to find something that fits with your wedding theme, your personal style, and pleases your guests.  Given that I'm planning a December wedding, I have plenty of winter favors to share with you, but I decided to save those for later as winter is (thankfully) still a few months away.  Thus, I decided to continue with my fall posts and share some great Etsy autumn favors with you guys. 

If you're going for a green wedding, the first favor is just for you.  These eco-friendly leaf coasters, made of recycled water bottles, are perfect for guests to use during the wedding and to take home!  Or, use these painted pumpkin clothespins as place card holders or table number holders and have them double as favors.  Another great idea is to package up anything your heart desires in one of these fantastic fall foliage sparkle boxes.  For romantic lighting, decorate your tables with these gorgeous natural leaf luminaries, one for each guest to keep.  For a bookish couple, share your passion with your guests by giving them adorable handcrafted fall bookmarks.  Finally, if food favors are more your style, feed your guests some yummy fall spice cupcakes or gourmet pumpkin pie marshmallows!

Vendor I Heart: Dottie Lovely

There are so many great vendors out there that one of the hardest jobs for a bride-to-be is choosing the one that fits her needs.  For even the most savvy brides, it can still feel impossible to even know where to start.  My mother always told me that when feeling overwhelmed, it's best to just pick one small thing and begin.  If you try to focus on the big picture, you can easily get lost or misguided.  Her wisdom inspired me to do the same while planning my own wedding.  Hence the genesis of my Featured Vendor series.  I plan to bring you fresh, inspirational and affordable vendors, one at a time, to help you plan your big day!

I'm proud that my first post in this series is by a vendor that I chose to make my wedding cake. Dottie Lovely (The Cake Lady) is based in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts.  Here's what I love about Ms. Lovely: first and foremost, her cakes are not only beautiful and unique, but taste absolutely delicious.  I think that it's easy for brides to get caught up in the aesthetic appeal of their cake, and forget that their guests have to eat and enjoy it! The second great thing about her is her affordability.  For no extra charge, Dottie will make each layer of the cake a different flavor, and decorations are included in the price. There are no hidden costs, unlike with many bakers! Additionally, she only charges a $10 delivery fee, while most vendors on Cape Cod charge $50.  Lastly, Ms. Lovely is the perfect name for her, she's the sweet grandmother every bride wishes she had!

Fall Inspiration

I live in the middle of the city, which offers many wonderful advantages, but one downside is that I don't normally get away often to appreciate the beauty of nature.  This weekend, however, I took a drive through the country to visit my fiance, who was out of town for work.  Along the way, I passed a pumpkin patch.  Other than reminding me of fond childhood memories of fall and Halloween, I was really struck by the beauty and richness of the orange pumpkins.  Orange has always been one of my least favorite colors, so I never considered using it for my own wedding colors (plus I'm getting married in the winter, so it would not really be appropriate).  But after feeling inspired by the beauty of this wonderful fall color, I decided to make an inspiration board with pumpkins as my theme.  Now that it's complete, I'm starting to feel jealous of fall brides!

Candy Bar?

I have a question for all you brides out there. How do you feel about a candy bar? I personally think candy bars are a cute, fun, and inexpensive alternative to the traditional pastry/dessert table. Plus they are great for children. I especially like how this one, featured on Brides.com, fits with a wedding theme, which was an all white wedding (this would be perfect for my winter wedding theme as well!). But aside from all that, I'm not sure if the candy bar is actually worth it. Since it's wedding season, I have been to numerous weddings lately, and I find that with all the appetizers, multi-course dinner, wedding cake, and cocktails, I'm usually stuffed and do not eat from dessert or candy displays.  I fear having a candy bar at my own wedding if most of the candy will not be eaten by the guests. Sure, it is a great alternative to a dessert table, but it's also a waste of money if no one eats it. What do you think, yay or nay?