Archive for July, 2008

So we all know that bridesmaids dresses can be hit or miss. Either they’re not the least bit stylish, or they’re a little bland. Here a few ways to get the most out of your used bridesmaid’s dress:

Customize It
Get out the shears, thread, and fabric. Customizing your bridesmaid’s dress can be simple and easy. If it’s a pale color with little flavor, spice it up by dying it or adding festive details. Adjust the sleeves, hemlines, or necklines to suit your own tastes. Add embellishments, jewels, pins, or other unique pieces to give your dress personality. If sewing isn’t your forte, take it to a tailor and brainstorm some ideas on how to save the dress. Perhaps it can stand alone or be turned into a simple skirt…the options are endless.

Resell It
Now you have some options. You can take the traditional route and use eBay or other auction sites, or you could consign it. While eBay gets your dress out to the masses, consigning betters your chances of getting it sold. When you consign a dress, the store will get a small percentage of the sale price while you get the rest. You may not make all your money back for what you paid for it, but at least it’s something.

Donate It
Local charities appreciate the rarity of formal wear. Thrift stores, women’s shelters, and prom dress drives are just some of the options that you have. Contact local organizations for more information regarding

Get Creative
Use the fabric from your dress to make Christmas tree skirts, pillows, quilts, blankets, doll clothing, or fancy hankies. You can also create handbags or skirts from your old bridesmaid’s dress. Just be creative with your design and you can’t go wrong. You’ll have a one of a kind piece that’s uniquely your own.

Do you invite your college roommate, who you had 4 years of crazy fun with but haven’t spoken to in two years, or your new friend from down the block that you’ve had a great time with…but have only known for the last few months? Or that guy friend you dated once, and now it’s purely platonic, but stilll….

Ah, the art of choosing wedding guests. We know it’s not an easy task – you have your parents and relatives pulling you in 20 different directions telling you that you absolutely must invite so and so, after all they’ve been a friend of the family since who knows when. But this is your wedding, and you can make it as large or small as you would like it to be. Here’s some tips to keep in mind when choosing the guest list:

1. Grab a piece of paper and a pen. Now think quick: write down the names of 20 friends or family members that you care about. Once you’re finished, take a look at the list – these are the people you definitely need at your wedding.

2. We’ve all had different chapters in our lives – high school, college, different jobs – you name it. When we think of all these chapters, we usually think of a handful of people who made them great. If you’re having a big wedding and you do keep in some contact with these people, we recommend inviting your friends who were closest to you during all the different stages in your life.

3. Family is important. We know everyone isn’t extremely tight with their family, and that’s okay. However, don’t let small grudges or typical family problems deter you from inviting your relatives. Remember, every family has some chaos in it, and you don’t want that to stop you from having a great time with them at your wedding.

It’s ultimately up to you to decide who you want at your wedding, and you’ll want to consult with your fiancee as well. Although the two of you may not be able to 100% agree on the guest list, it’s best that the both of you work on it together.

Enjoy your wedding planning!

We’re not saying you should turn into a bookworm over night, but you can rest much more easily at night by reading up on wedding planning tips and trips. At Products With Personality, we know finding the right information on wedding planning can be difficult and time consuming. The experts at PWP have put together a great list for brides-to-be:

The Top 5 Marital Must-Reads

1. Modern Bride Magazine – The title says it all. You are a modern bride-to-be, and this magazine is put together especially for you. It has tons of wedding tips and feature stories, as well as the popular column “Bride to Bride”, where actual brides answer bride-to-be’s questions. The column “4 Dresses under $900″ is also a great place to find low-cost, beautiful wedding dresses.

2. Brides Magazine – Targeted towards engaged women, it provides tips for creating a wedding that is unique for the bride and groom’s personality. It has tons of resources to keep brides in check, such as a wedding checklist, to-do lists, and timetables. Popular columns include “Bridesmaids Gifts Under $50″, “Etiquette Police Q&A”, and “Quick Fixes to Wedding Emergencies”.

3. The Knot: Ultimate Wedding Planner – When they say ultimate, they mean ultimate! This book is jam packed with wedding planning tips and money-saving ideas. It comes with answers to all the wedding questions you wanted to ask, as well as a gift log, budget log, and a phone tracker sheet.

4. Women’s Fiction Books – Heard of the term “chick lit”? “Chick lit” refers to fiction novels written primarily for women. We’re not talking trashy romance novels, we mean cute stories where the main character learns a lesson about love and life in about 200 pages. These books are great for adding a little humor and relaxation as you plan your wedding. You can find some great ideas for Chick Lit Books here. Consult with your local library or major bookstore to find out if they have any bookclubs you may want to join.

5. Blog.PWPOnline.com – Ok, we know, shameless self promotion, but we can’t help but plug our blog. We’re proud of our blog posts and feel they’re helpful for planning a wedding. We may be a wedding favors online store, but we strive to provide you with informative wedding planning articles so you can plan the wedding of your dreams!

Weddings and stress are nearly synonymous with each other. We’ve all seen that wonderful gem of a show Bridezillas, and shivered in terror, hoping we would never be like those stressed out girls. But alas, it’s time for our own wedding and we’re a little stressed about all the details. Before you panic, our dear bride-to-be, it’s important you take a few minutes to relax, and follow our steps to relaxation:

1. Spa Day – Imagine laying on a table while all your worries get massaged away….doesn’t that sound nice? We suggest booking a facial too to ward off any acne that might be brewing under your skin.

2. Take A Walk – What’s better than taking a relaxing stroll around the neighborhood, or even around a state park near where you live? Walking combines both exercise and a peaceful setting.

3. Pets – You know that little kid feeling you have when you pet your favorite pooch or kitty? Feel like you’ve taken years off your life by spending some time with a dog or cat near you!

4. Laughing with Friends – Laughter is an amazing emotion – it can lift us out of depression and serves as a pillow for our tears. Our friends often get us laughing, so spend a night out with your friends and get those laughs (and stress relief) going!

5. Mini Vacation – Ok, you don’t want to go on your honeymoon before the wedding even starts, so plan a small weekend trip away with your friends or your partner for some quality time and much-needed relaxation.

We all know that life is in the details – getting married, having a baby, enjoying your career – the details of life are the most important. The same goes for your wedding. The smallest details can go a long way! That’s why we’re big supporters of Wedding Favor Packaging. It’s great that you have beautiful wedding favors, but be sure that their presentation is equally beautiful. Some ideas include:

• Wedding mints are a simple, classic wedding favor, and presenting them to your guests in wedding mint tins adds that little extra detail to your wedding.
• Say thank you to your guests for attending by including “thank you” wedding favor cards on each wedding favor. Your guests will feel appreciated!
• Favor bags add class and personality to your wedding favors, and you can add anything you’d like to them!

If you’re cutting corners on the details due to cost concerns, don’t worry – there’s tons of low price wedding favor packaging out there – you can find wedding mint tins under $1, and wedding favor bags are around $1.08 each!

Admit it: planning a wedding is stressful, and many brides don’t have the extra cash to hire a wedding planner. Wedding forums and blogs like ours are here to help you navigate through this wonderful (and somewhat chaotic!) time in your life. At Products With Personality, we’re a fan of OneWed.com – they have tons of great wedding ideas that have been tested by brides. Bond with fellow brides in the Wedding Forum – share your happiness, frustration, and look for some wedding ideas!

You can also look for great wedding dresses, hairstyles, and articles on nearly every aspect of wedding planning. Take a deep breath and start planning your wedding with the help of OneWed.com!

We all want our wedding to be as special and unique as possible. And so did groom Shishir Mishra, India, who opted against the traditional walk down the aisle and instead chose to…parachute in!

In “Groom Creates Stir By Wedding ‘Drop In’”, BBC News reports that Mishra parachuted from a helicopter 7,000 feet up and landed near his future bride’s home. The bride, Sweta Prusty, was quite surprised to see her husband hovering in the air above her, but noted, “Not for a moment was I afraid…I knew he would pull it off without any hitch.”

Whether it be skydiving into your wedding or choosing unique wedding favors, we recommend adding your own special touch to your wedding day. Do you love all things eco-friendly? Try to make your wedding as environmentally friendly as possible, and give your guests flower seed wedding favors!

If you’re the skydiving type, by all means go for it! What better way to celebrate a day when you already feel like you’re walking on air!

At Products With Personality, we always looking for new ways to make brides’ lives easier, and that includes giving you the inside tips on beautiful, discount wedding favors! We’re rolling out Favors Friday, where every Friday we give our readers the inside info on a discount wedding favor!

Favors Friday, July 11, 2008

Silver Matte Place Card Frame – $0.85 Each! Only 25 remaining!

• Beautiful Polished Silver Frame
• Silver Trim on each side
• Includes an elegant place card with space to fill in the guest’s name and table number

Enjoy!

Wedding dresses are expensive, and sure, using our mom’s old wedding dress sounds cute and traditional…but those poufy sleeves and frilly lace may not be the sleek style you had in mind! Well then, let’s introduce you to OnceWed.com

You only wear your wedding dress once, so brides are listing their beautiful new or gently worn wedding dress on the site and giving you the opportunity to look amazing in it, too…for half the price! There’s tons of listings with a great deal of information about the dress and pictures so you know exactly what you’re getting.

Besides taking a look at these elegant and now affordable gowns, these gowns tell a story too. For instance, the very sleek Alfred Angelo Wedding Dress, says “New, never worn wedding dress. No alterations have been made. No sad story, just an indecisive bride. After I purchased it, I fell in love with another dress”.

These dresses all have personality, just like a certain type of products…with personality! Save money on the entire wedding with OnceWed.com wedding dresses and wedding favors from PWP!

For the nature-loving couple, your wedding day is just another day to celebrate your passion for keeping the earth green and clean. While all the plane and car travel will add to the carbon footprint, there are steps you can take to keep the ceremony and reception green. Here are some tips for creating an ecologically sound wedding celebration:

Location:

• Have an outdoor wedding to celebrate your love of nature.
• Have the ceremony and the reception at the same location to save on gas and extra car pollution.

Dress:

• Buy a vintage dress and tuxedo.
• Purchase a dress that is more likely to be worn again.

Invitations:

• E-mail invitations.
• If you prefer the traditional route, buy 100% recycled invitations.
• Use reply postcards, instead forgoing the extra paper.
• Create a website with details, directions, hotel information, etc.

Flowers:

• Choose a florist who uses flowers from local or organic farms.
• Use potted plants as centerpieces that can then be given to guests to enjoy at home.

Wedding Favors have gone green too. Top off your eco-friendly celebration with:

• Personalized seed favors
• Topiary Photo Holder/Place Card Holder
• Donate to your favorite environmental organization on behalf of each guest.

Your wedding is the perfect time to turn your guests onto thinking green. When they see how simple it is to make just a few small changes to help the environment, they’ll become more ecologically friendly thanks to you!