By Isla Wong (aka Kitty Kanzashi)

Wedding Gifts

In the ye old days, it was customary for wealthy brides to receive a trousseau on her wedding.  This contained all the clothes that the lady will need for her married life.

Then as the years rolled on this turned into household items which the couple need to set up home.

However nowadays many of us already have all the things we need therefore what should you ask your guest to give?

Honeymoon fund

Whether you are asking them to contribute to a specific element like the hotel or just a general pot of money this is a nice idea because it will give the guest a chance to contribute to a gift that will be enjoyed and provided many happy memories.

Charity donation

There is nothing like spreading your joy with other people so why not help others who are in need.  In these current economic time, charities are the hardest hit due to the lack of funding from governments so they need private donations more then ever.

Deposit for Future Home

We all wish the happy couple the best for the future and what could be better then giving them a hand in getting their first house!  With rising house prices (especially in the UK), it is getting harder and harder for first time buyer to build up the deposit that is necessary to secure a mortgage on a house so with the help of family and friends you could make their future a little bit easier.

Cash

This is the route I took and this caused a raised eyebrow from my mother in law since asking for money as a wedding gift is often considered vulgar.  However, it is traditional in many eastern cultures for money to be presented as a wedding gifts and since I am Chinese this seemed perfectly natural to me.  Now each culture has there own way of presenting the money to the couple, for the Chinese, it is presented in red envelope, just like the one above but it can also be included in the congratulation card as well.

Do you have any other ideas which might be an alternative to the traditional wedding list?  If you do then let us know in the comments!

The day after…

I can’t remember now if it was one or two days after my reception celebration, but I went mildly off the edge of sanity. It was a combination of a few things that set me off.

I found myself very hurt by the large number of “no-shows”. One of these people was someone that I considered a very best friend and though I had become accustom to her bailing on me, this time it hurt. I wanted to share this party with her. I wanted to treat her to a wonderful dinner. 
Then the finances of the whole thing hit me. My husband and I had carried the majority of the expenses for our celebration. The cost of this party hit me the day after and I realized we were never going to recoup it. (He had to sell his motorcycle to help pay for it. I still regret that very much.)
I think that more than anything though, it is so easy to fall into “The Blues” because you have been preparing for the event of your lifetime at a frenzied pace for a year or more and all of a sudden the sleepless nights come to a crashing halt, your days are no longer spent on the phone confirming details, there are no decisions to make about colors, flowers, no more shopping trips, no more bridal shows spent with friends.

I thought I was alone in how I reacted after my reception and felt very off balance until I saw it happen to a close friend of mine. It clicked – I was not alone and this was not uncommon. For her it happened during the latter part of the ceremony. She started balling her eyes out. She was so sad about not having our fun wedding preparation parties to bond over and was worried that we wouldn’t be getting together anymore. I am remorsed to say that she was right, we don’t find reasons to get together as often, but only because we have needed to make room for some of the other joys that our new adventure through life has brought us. I can honestly say that my affection for her has not changed. For this, I am glad. 

Prepare yourself and give yourself some breaks and a landing cushion. If I could go back and do it again the first thing I would do is read this and educate myself about how you may feel the day after. Then I would plan a couple of days after the reception with some fun and pampering to extend the end, thus slowing things down before it comes to a crashing halt. Finally, don’t do anything without thinking it through. I deleted all of my gift registries and made it impossible to receive the completion discount that many stores offer if you register with them. Ouch! That hurt.

This post courtesy of Dionne Simone

of My Smitten Boutique

Thanks to Adelalata of Polkadile for this beautiful desktop calendar!

(Did you know she is also the photographer for these beautiful creations?!)

By La Coco Rouge  

Now that Kate Middleton has taken the world by storm with her fabulous styled hats, I am asked less often “what is a fascinator?”

Fascinators and fascinator hats are setting a new trend for fashion on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.  Europeans have always had a special love for these dainty and bold headpieces and it looks as though the US is falling in line.

Mata Hari’s Daughter

There used to be a discernible difference between the term “cocktail hat” and “fascinator” but like all true melting pots the terms are merging to become one.  I rarely hear the term cocktail hat anymore and wonder if the term may be falling into disuse due to its upstart and trendy “new” cousin.

Today a fascinator and fascinator hat is attached to the hair via combs, pins, clips, headband or elastic.  If it requires fastening to stay on the head – chances are good it’s a fascinator.  If it has a brim or sidewalls it’s a hat.

DelightWorthyn  

Most fascinators and fascinator hats, not all, will start with a base of some kind and then other materials are added such as feathers, flowers, pearls, sequins, ribbons, brooches, etc.

It used to be that these were worn for formal occasions but today you can see them sold in stores as daily accessory wear.

These hairpiece accessories can be used to complement a fancy hairstyle or to dress up a simple and casual look.  Note that the more elaborate the headpiece the more attention will be focused on it so style light on the rest of the outfit and use accent pieces sparingly.

MoonshineBaby  

The flapper generation spawned a delicious flurry of headpieces and hair wear.  Their short hair styles and simply cut dress fashions encouraged elaborate hair accessories. 

Visit the team member shops of WedEclectic to find your own beauty for your upcoming wedding…or just for fun!

As a designer, to hear that your work has been featured somewhere; well, it’s the icing on the cake. Whether it’s traditional or non, exotic or more familiar, it doesn’t even matter; it’s simply delicious. And I love to share, so feast your eyes on this……

Maharani Weddings: Southern California Wedding Ceremony by Grand Design Photography

Rajeev and Shavreen

Her jewelry was made with stunning diamonds and rubies.

 There are so many special touches for this wedding; every detail is custom and personalized.

 And for my contribution…..

The memorial charm that dangles from her bouquet, in honor of her father, whom she lost 7 years ago.

If these exquisite images leave you wanting more, simply follow this link to Maharani Weddings to see the rest of this beautiful event: http://www.maharaniweddings.com/

Keri O’Hara

Owner/Artist

DelaneyJewelryDesigns.com

DJD@Q.com

I had some fun putting this dreamy treasury together. : )

ClayBouquetShop

Find unique wedding and everyday items from the WedEclectic Team. Just search for “WedEclectic” to explore the many possibilities! : )