Top Five Wedding Registry Sites

December 17, 2013 Leave a Comment

With the holidays right around the corner, shopping is in full swing. We love the holiday season- the whimsical decor, the delicious foods, holiday cookies and treats, and of course all the shopping! Holiday shoppers are not the only ones looking for the most wanted gifts. Couples getting married are looking for amazing gifts for their wedding. So here are our top five places to register for your wedding:

  1. William Sonoma: If you are looking for exclusive top quality products, then you may want to choose to register with William Sonoma. They have everything for your home:-from kitchen, bath, and living room.  What’s really fun about registering with William Sonoma is that they offer a $10.00 discount on all cooking classes, so you can try out all your new tools! Sounds amazing right?
  2. Macy’s: From wedding day wardrobe to new home furniture, Macy’s has you covered. The perfect place to register for your gifts.  Not only do they have a wide range of your favorite brands, but you get a pretty sweet discount too. Yep, on many of their items, they offer discounts and also rewards on your Macy’s card. So if you are a Macy’s shopper, you may want to register here and get all the amazing benefits.
  3. Bloomingdales: If you love shopping at Bloomingdales and in love with their fabulous items, then you may want to consider registering for some great wedding gifts there. Bloomingdale’s registry is all about  exclusive invitations to VIP events, where you will have access to your own personal wedding consultant and be able to manage and update your registry online. As an added bonus, you’ll get a copy of The Little Registry Guide with loads of rich photos to give you some fantastic ideas for your home.
  4. Crate and Barrel: Tabletop to kitchen to furniture, Crate and Barrel offers everything you need for your home.Some great items for every occasion or function.  What is really cool and exclusive to Crate and Barrel is that they have partnered up with Paperless Post and offer free Save the Date announcements. So, one less thing you have to worry about during the wedding planning process. 
  5. Target: This is perfect for the couple who is a total Target lover. You can create a gift registry that truly reflects your style. Target has some pretty cute items for the home, bath, and kitchen. You can register for your favorite essentials with an added bonus of that style that you love so much from Target.

We have to mention that you do not have to be limited to one place to register for your wedding gifts.   Some couples opt to register at two places, as they have some of their favorite products at both. So do not worry about trying to choose just one place! Go ahead and choose more than one place, and have fun!

Happy Shopping!

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Five Tips for Thank You Notes

November 26, 2013 1 Comment

Tis the season to be thankful! Thank you notes have, sadly, become a lost art. There’s nothing like a hand-written thank you note to make your friends and family feel truly appreciated for their presence and/or presents. Thank you notes can be tricky though, especially if you’re exhausted from all the wedding mayhem. Here at Bridal Hot List, we’re suckers for sentimentality and we have a few tips to make your ‘thank you’s memorable as your ‘I do’s.

Have an Address Sheet

An organized bride is a prepared bride. Hang on to your addresses from your save the dates and invitations so you can use them for thank you notes. If you get any cards or packages in the mail from loved ones who couldn’t make the ceremony, hang on to the return addresses. If it helps, keep all the addresses stored in an excel sheet with the person’s name, then address, then what they gave (so you can thank them specifically for it!).

Personalize Everything

What makes for a well thought-out gift? Making it personal, and the same goes for thank you notes. Don’t be tempted by the easiness of buying a box of fifty generic ‘thank you’ notes and just signing them all before shipping them out. It may be tedious, but the effort will not go unnoticed. Be sure to thank the person specifically for whatever they got you. If they didn’t get you anything, thank them for showing their support and joining you in the celebration. You want to make sure your loved ones do feel like you appreciate them as much as you do.

Make it Fun

Keep it light! The formalities are over (for now). Get personalized cards made from the wedding that remind your loved ones immediately how much fun the wedding was. Including a group wedding picture or fun newlywed pictures is a cute way to personalize your thank you notes. If your style is more simplistic, opt for typography cards similar to your wedding invites. You can order personalized stamps with an image of the wedding if you want to do something subtle, or even add on to make it super personalized.

Opt for Handwritten

When was the last time you got a handwritten note? Handwriting makes notes feel just that more special and personalized. If you don’t want your wrist to cramp up, you can opt to scan your handwriting in and turn it into a font online. Free online tools like MyScriptFont.com make this super easy. At the very least, make sure you and your partner both sign each card and write a quick ‘thank you’ or ‘love you’. If you have time, try to add something specific regarding the gift or your relationship. Inside jokes can go a long way.

Mail it Promptly

You deserve a break after planning the biggest day of your life, but it’s smart to send your ‘thank you’s as soon as possible. If you’re doing your honeymoon immediately after the ceremony, be sure to have your notes in the mail within two weeks of your return, preferably within one week. Your loved ones know that you want to enjoy your time as a newlywed, but it is simply good manners to thank people promptly.

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Five Ways to Surprise Your Groom

October 10, 2013 Leave a Comment

Your wedding day is a day that you and your groom will not soon forget. Add to the magic with a special surprise for your groom!

1. Send something to his room as he’s getting ready. Order from the concierge if you are staying at a hotel, or have a mutual friend do the honors of delivering a special treat to your groom on his wedding day. It can be a romantic note, a bottle of champagne, a case of beer, pizza, cufflinks, your panties (!), the list goes on….The unexpected gift will be a hint of spontaneous fun on a day that is planned down to every detail.

2. Take boudoir photos as you get ready. This tip should be filed under delayed gratification, but it’s totally worth the wait! Schedule extra time in your day for a session with your photographer to capture some intimate moments alone. Download boudoir photo poses from online and practice in front of a mirror to get your best angles. This is the prime time to show off some skin when you’re all made up & look and feel your best!

3. Write a toast/rap/poem/song for your groom. And share your art with him at the end of the night or the next morning! You’ll melt his heart with your creative ode. Afterwards, you can frame or scrapbook it with your favorite wedding photo of the two of you.

4. Buy him an over-the-top gift! Spoil your man with a splurge on something that he’s always wanted. This move will absolutely send him over the moon on your wedding day. A nice watch, golf clubs, or tech gadgets are some luxury items that have that ‘wow’ factor. Consider this gift as an investment, since quality products should last for years to come, and he can think of his awesome wife every time he uses his wedding gift!

5. Pull a prank on him. If you’re a practical joke-loving couple, the wedding day presents a myriad of opportunities to pull gags & pranks. Thoughtfully plot your devious plan, taking into account his level of comfort and style of humor. Get your bridal party involved in pulling the whopper of the century on him! Best of all, you’ll have it captured on film by your photographers! Just don’t ‘joke’ about leaving him stranded at the altar or you’ll be in trouble!

Choose a surprise that fits you as a couple, or if you’re super ambitious, take under all five surprises! He’ll be thanking his lucky stars he found such a fun, creative, witty lady!

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Top Five Fool Proof Wedding Favors

August 2, 2013 1 Comment

As a wedding guest, I am always curious as to see what the bride and groom have planned for their wedding favors. Will it be one more useless trinket holder for me to find some empty patch of bookshelf to store it away and gather dust? When planning your wedding favors, it can be tricky to discern what will be appreciated by your guests as cherished mementos from your wedding, and what favors will be added to their stockpile of knick knacks or even just tossed in the trashcan. Favors should be unique, thoughtful, and fit within your theme and budget; and, if it isn’t edible, it should be useful. As a general rule of thumb, think twice before you engrave your initials, names, and wedding date on every favor. No one really wants a picture frame or a wine glass with your initials emblazoned across the front (sorry). Also, it’s a good idea to stay away from favors that are strongly scented, such as candles and soaps—people can be sensitive to certain smells or just plain picky about the aroma of their home. Lastly, keep favors gender neutral; I’ve seen many a man go home with compacts and lip balms, only to mutter to themselves, “I guess I will give this to my girlfriend/wife/neighbor/coworker…”

To help kick start your brainstorming juices, we’ve made of list of our top five fool proof wedding favor ideas!

Seasonal Wedding Favors

To ensure that your wedding favors are useful to your guests, keep in mind the time of year that you are having your wedding. Sunglasses are a fun and fashionable favor for summer weddings, while chapstick or ornaments are great for the winter months. I have recently fallen in love with wildflower papers—these papers will plant beautiful spring flowers, giving your guests a colorful reminder of your wedding.

 

Source: http://www.botanicalpaperworks.com/

Source: http://www.botanicalpaperworks.com/

 

Food, Nom Nom

If I have to see another tiny pail filled with pastel almonds I will scream. Just because your wedding favor is food doesn’t mean that it can’t also be thoughtful or creative. Gifting your guests something that is local or unique to your town or heritage is always appreciated, such as local honey, preserves, hot sauce, or olive oil. Do you have a favorite family dessert or dish? Package the dry ingredients and attach the recipe. Bonus points for you if you include a vegan or gluten-free option!

Source: inspiringpretty.com

Source: inspiringpretty.com

 

 

Giftable Decorations

If you are struggling to find ways to decorate the tables at your reception, allow your wedding favors to do the job. Succulents in teacups and small flowerpots, as well as vintage picture frames, can serve as table place markers. Personalized miniature flower vases can hold flower arrangements for your table, while also working as a gift for your guests to enjoy at home.

Source: http://www.frolic-blog.com/

Source: http://www.frolic-blog.com/

Wedding Appropriate

Wedding favors that can be used while at the reception are always fun because of their instant gratification factor. A tub filled with flip flops in a variety of sizes are welcome to any guest who wants to kick off their uncomfortable formal shoes and boogie on the dance floor. Classy hangover kits are humorous, and more often that not, incredibly appreciated the morning after! Journals, luggage tags, and reusable nylon bags are great for destination weddings, but can continue to be used and enjoyed at home.

Helping Others

A surefire way to make sure your wedding favor is useful and appreciated is to make a charity donation on behalf of your guest. A simple card with a personal note explaining to your guests that a donation has been made, along with a description of the charity and its work, is a gift that is more meaningful and long lasting than treats or bottle openers or tiny boxes.

Source: http://blog.myjeanm.com/

Source: http://blog.myjeanm.com/

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The Perfect Groom’s Gift

July 19, 2013 1 Comment

It’s not always easy to find the perfect gift for a man, and that’s mostly because they are not likely to go around dropping hints as to what they want.  So when it’s time to shop for a wedding gift for your future husband, it is up to you to search your memories and use your powers of deduction to come up with something spectacular. Here are a five great ideas to help you choose the perfect gift.

A Little Something Special. It’s natural for us women to appreciate the small details in life.  Show your groom that you want your wedding celebration to be a fun, light-hearted experience by surprising him and his groomsmen with a bottle of his favorite alcohol before the wedding.  Make it a bottle he doesn’t have often and can enjoy a pre-wedding toast with his friends.  Only give him one bottle to share, enough for one drink each…just to be safe.

Something for the wedding. The night before the wedding present the groom with something to rock on the wedding day. Give him a watch that you’ve had engraved with a message from your heart. Not only will it be personalized from you but it will symbolize the start of a new time in your lives.

Another great option for the wedding day is a pair of awesome cuff links.  You can have them personalized with his initials or you can go outside of the box and get him something that will really represent his personality.  Check out these handmade sterling silver cuff links by King Baby Studio.   He’ll appreciate adding this little bit of personalzation to his tux.

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Something for the Honeymoon. The honeymoon is the perfect opportunity to show your new husband just how much you really know him by arranging a special excursion for the two of you. If your husband likes hiking, snorkeling, touring, dining, etc. take the time to plan a special event just for him.  This is perfect if he enjoys the outdoors and will be a memorable bonding experience for the two of you.

Something for the House. After the wedding and honeymoon festivities have subsided, you and your husband will begin building your life as newlyweds. To help kick start the process, give him something for the house. Tools are great for the inevitable home improvements or if your man is into landscaping, surprise him with the necessary tools, and maybe even a starter plant/tree that will grow along with your relationship.

Something for life. Here is your chance to give him something really special, something he will treasure for years to come. Think back on your time as a couple and create a memory book for him with pictures of events that lead up to your wedding day. Give it to him the night before your wedding so he has something that will make him even more excited to take the next step with you.

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Personal Bridal Journals

November 27, 2012 Leave a Comment

Planning a wedding is one of the biggest and most important events of your life. It can take up to a year to plan a wedding and within that time, there are many appointments, tasks, and notes to keep track of. How do you keep all this information in one place and stay organized?  Sticky notes? Writing reminders on your forehead or on your hands? Those can all work,  however how about if you can have a personalized way of keeping everything in one place and be stylish all at the same time? Would that not be fabulous? Erika Bowers at Erika’s Elegance shares what she creates for brides. She designs personal journals which are all custom made to order. All designs are made with:

  • Thick Pearlized Luxury Paper for Cover
  • Pages are made of a 70 lb. linen paper with no watermark, very good quality.
  • Each page is customized with a tagline
  • Journal’s can come adorned with either high quality crystals or genuine Swarovski Crystals
  • A soft thin black padded backing.
Each journal also includes:
  • Pages for top vendor numbers at glance (At a glance the bride can quickly find phone numbers of her baker, photographer, wedding planner, etc)
  • 12 month, 9 month, 6 month, 4 month, 3 month, 2 month, 1 month, 2 weeks, and wedding day checklist

Now you can keep all your important appointments and notes in a journal that has been made just for you! How wonderful is that? So planning can be easy and fun while keeping in style.

 

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Wedding Gift Registry for the Modern Bride

November 21, 2012 Leave a Comment

Looking to do something cool and easy for your gift registry? You do not have to register just for towels and sheets, you can register for room service while you are on your honeymoon. How cool is that? This is perfect for the couple who may already have all their home goods and like to have cash or other fun gifts to enjoy instead.

Wed & Wish is a wedding and honeymoon registry service dedicated to couples who do not need physical gifts and can receive cash gifts instead. This allows couples to get what they really want and need.  Imagine the swimming with the dolphins excursion already paid for when you are on your honeymoon or maybe you want to upgrade to a suite when you check in to your hotel. All paid for, so you can really enjoy your honeymoon as a married couple. How nice would that be? Now there are other wedding gift registry websites that provide similar services, however here are some ways that Wed&Wish stands out:

  • Sign up is free and transaction fees are the lowest on the market
  • A private and secure payment platform powered by PayPal
  • Modern and sophisticated design with no adverts and international accessibility
  • Gift tracking system with guest information for thank you’s
  • Complimentary web address so guests can visit the couple’s registry directly
Check out Wed&Wish today to get started! It is easy and fun!

 

Wed&Wish is used and recommended by hundreds of couples worldwide, is accredited by the Better Business Bureau.

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Personal Bridesmaid Gifts

October 16, 2012 2 Comments
Looking for the perfect bridesmaid gift? Want to give something unique and personal with a little twist and sparkle? York Design Company has the perfect gift for you! They have these incredible needlepoint cuff bracelets which are amazing! These bracelets are flexible wrist cuffs with needlepoint embroidered designs, backed on the inside with genuine cowhide leather.
Brides want to give their bridesmaids something special and personal for their special day. More and more brides are giving needlepoint cuff bracelets to their bridesmaids. Why? Well, because these bracelets can be customized with the wedding colors, the bridesmaid’s favorite colors, personal designs, or monograms for each bridesmaid! Laura DiLibero, owner of York Design Company told us that we work hard to give our customers exactly what they envision!
Check out these super cute designs!
Perfect for a navy blue and pink wedding. This one is so stylish!
Look how cute this one is! I love the nail polish design.
Give your bridesmaids something stylish, chic, and personal!
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