By Jennifer Cox

Brides and grooms want their weddings to be memorable, and one way couples are adding that “ooh” and “ahh” factor to their special day is by releasing sky lanterns. A long-time tradition at Asian festivals for thousands of years, paper lanterns were used to celebrate the Chinese New Year and as a signaling device. Countless were launched to rid the people of their worries and to decorate the city’s sky with light. The flame would symbolize knowledge and wisdom.

There are several vendors who sell sky wish lanterns, which are now 100% biodegradable and come in a wide range of flame-resistant papers. They’re touted as being a calm, beautiful tradition as guests release their lanterns to light up the night sky. They can fly in the air for up to 20 minutes to more than 1,000 feet in altitude and will travel several miles in distance, after which the flame is supposed to blow out and gently float back down for a safe landing.

However, it’s precisely this lengthy trip that sky lanterns take that can make them potentially dangerous (very dangerous, in fact). They can’t be controlled once they’ve been released and they could drift into trees, building rooftops, fields, and other combustible materials while the heat source is still burning, which could create a significant fire hazard.The Saskatchewan government (The Office of the Fire Commissioner), for example, formally asked fire departments to caution members of their community about the potential fire risks of the flying lanterns.

So if you do decide to integrate a sky lantern release into your wedding, make sure you adhere to all safety warnings and proceed with extreme caution.

First Photo: Weddingo; Second Photo: Event Accomplished; Third Photo: Fireworks Arcade; Fourth Photo: Scissor Paper Stone; Fifth Photo: Chasing Rainbows Kissing Frogs

Jennifer Cox is a Montreal based freelance journalist who loves everything from weddings to foodie news, photography & candy!

Looking for some wedding send-off ideas? Something other than confetti and rose petals?

It was the against the rules of the church that Darin and I got married in to have confetti or rose petals thrown as a wedding send-off because of the mess. Your church or ceremony venue might have similar rules. If this is the case, here are some charming alternatives:

Wedding sparklers are fun and make for great photos. (I love this photo by kabloomstudios!) It would make a great painting!

Ribbon wands are another charming (and colorful) wedding send-off! 

Photo: Elizabeth Anne Designs

Photo: Style Me Pretty

Photo: pink posh

Bubbles are magical, and once again make for fabulous photos.

Photo: Red Lotus Photography

Photo: Caroline Ghetes

Check out this fancy bubble wand.

The vintage brooch bouquet is one of the latest trends in non-floral bouquets. A vintage brooch bouquet is a collection of ecletic vintage brooches assembled to take the form of a bouquet.

Not only are these brooch bouquets stunning, they make a fantastic keepsake from your wedding.

Kristin, who had an intimate wedding in Austin, Texas had a brooch bouquet at her wedding.

“I wanted a 50’s themed wedding and the brooch bouquet was perfect,” she says.

Kristin and her husband scoured second hand stores and antique stores in Michigan and Arizona for the brooches. Most cost between $2-$12 each. In total she spent $250 on brooches.

Amanda Heer at Fantasy Floral Design created the brooch bouquet (she added some of her brooches to the bouquet.) Total cost for the vintage brooch bouquet was $600.

What did she do with her bouquet after the wedding?

“I have it in a vase on my table,” she says.

Photos from Kristin and Patrick’s wedding photographed by Paige Newton Photography.

By Jennifer Cox

A recent trend in wedding ceremonies is the ringwarming ceremony. The idea is simple enough: have someone make an announcement prior to the start of the wedding to explain that the wedding bands will be passed around to each guest during the ceremony. Just prior to the ring exchange, guests are invited to hold the ring and to silently offer a blessing or wish for the newlyweds, then pass them on to next guest. Once everyone has had a turn, the rings are returned to the officiant for the ring exchange.

This modern tradition is much easier to pull off at smaller weddings; larger affairs increase the risk of having the ring dropped, lost or making the ceremony drag out too long.

If you’re worried about passing out your wedding bands and losing sight of them, you could ask someone if they would “administer” the process and supervise things so that nothing gets lost. Another great idea is to attach the rings to something, like a ringbearer bowl or even your ringbearer pillow, so something larger is being passed around.

The ringwarming tradition is a unique way to make your guests to feel close to you and also to feel like they are part of your ceremony. However, since this trend is fairly new and somewhat non-traditional, there’s a good chance not all of your guests will understand it. You might want to consider adding a blurb in your wedding program about how the ringwarming ceremony works and why it is important to you.

Read about this real wedding which had a ringwarming ceremony.

Photo One: Hazelnut Photography; Photo Two: Palomasnest

Jennifer Cox is a Montreal based freelance journalist who loves everything from weddings to foodie news, photography & candy!

By Jennifer Cox

Smaller weddings make ambitious projects more doable since there are less people to accommodate. One way to really wow your guests is to offer one or more beverage bars. You can set something up for just about any type of drink – coffee and/or tea, sweet treats like floats or milkshakes, juice bars, and even grown-up concoctions including martini bars.

The most important thing to remember when setting up a beverage bar is to include enough different options so that it’s fun - but not so many that it’s overwhelming. More simple set-ups can be self-serve, like coffee and tea bars. Display drink-appropriate glasses at the head of the table and then spread out ingredients in order.

Coffee urns for differently-flavoured cafes and boiling water with bowls of tea bags should be first as well as fancier coffees, like espresso and lattes. Put out cream(s), sugar(s) (fancy sugar cubes are always fun), fancy liqueurs and even flavoured syrups, and then toppers like freshly-whipped cream and fancy shakers filled with cocoa, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Small bowls of garnishes that include cinnamon sticks and shaved chocolate add a nice touch.

More complicated beverage bars for indulgences like floats and milkshakes are manned better by a professional. Different flavours of soda and ice cream can be dolled out by a hired bartender to alleviate messes and confusion. Also be sure to offer seltzer water, whipped cream, sprinkles, syrups, cherries, and vintage striped bendy straws.

Cocktail bars are a whole other project and something that would also be better handled by an actual bartender. If you’re putting out a martini bar, offer up a variety of garnishes like olives, pearl onions, orange and lemon slices, lychees, carved radishes, and even edible flowers. Have your bartender create a signature martini for extra pizazz. Get personalized cocktail napkins too.

Cheers!

First Photo: Drink Eat Love; Second Photo: Eat Drink Chic; Third Photo: Love, Honor and Cherish; Forth Photo: Cafe Party; Fifth Photo: Sculpted Iceworks; Sixth Photo: The Vegas Wedding Planner

Jennifer Cox is a Montreal based freelance journalist who loves everything from weddings to foodie news, photography & candy!

I recently read an article in MacLean’s Magazine about designer donuts. They’re one of the hottest trends in desserts, and they’re starting to show up on wedding dessert tables instead of cupcakes and macarons.

Who doesn’t love a good donut? And if you’ve ever experienced a homemade donut made to perfection, then you wouldn’t scoff at the idea of having them at your wedding.

I still remember (with great fondness!) the homemade glazed donuts I got at a little hotel in Gatlinburg, Tennessee when I was a kid. Every morning for the entire week that we vacationed there, there would be a knock at the door and a kind soul bearing freshly squeezed orange juice, hot chocolate and warm, melt-in-your-mouth homemade donuts would magically appear. It’s one of my fondest memories of Tennessee!

If you dared to serve donuts at your wedding, what kind would you serve?

Photo One: The Village Voice; Photo Two: Lunch.com (Maple Glazed Bacon Apple Donut)

Tired of vintage mason jars, chandeliers hanging from trees, bunting strung over vintage tablecloths and old typewiters? Looking for some fresh outdoor wedding ideas?

I pulled together some images that might just inspire you to create a wedding that is entirely unique!

Ever heard of glamping? I didn’t until I saw this photo on Giver’s Log. Amazing.

What about these whimsical swings hanging from the trees instead of chandeliers?

Chill in this old school caravan on your wedding day. (If you live in the UK you can rent it.)

Or get married here at Isaih Zabar’s Magic Garden in Philadelphia. They do host weddings!

Dangling flowers are one of the latest trends in wedding decor. I have no idea how well they stand up to the heat in a summer wedding, but what a great look! Here are some of my favorite images of dangling flowers.

Photo 1 collage: Olivia Leigh Photography; Photo 2: Geoff White; Photo 3: Heide Museum of Modern Art; Photo 4: Pretty Chicky; Photo 5: Sweet Paul; Photo 6: Intimate Weddings; Photo 7: Intimate Weddings; Photo 8: Givers Log

I love fresh ideas, like this one by UK photographer Lucy Martin. Lucy created something called roundography.

For this shot, Lucy arranged wedding guests in a circle and with her camera, she circled around once and took photos of all the guests.

See more photos of this creative technique here.

Found via Yay, I do!

I have only recently discovered the baby’s breath bouquet, and I love what I see!

When it’s come to wedding flowers, baby’s breath might just be the new carnation. Like carnations, baby’s breath is not exactly glamorous. In fact, it has a reputation for being a cheapo filler flower. But en masse – wonderful!

To me, a bouquet of baby’s breath reminds me of gentle snowflakes or delicate lace. Perfect for a wedding!

If you’d like to learn how make a baby’s breath bouquet, check out this tutorial over at Real Simple.

Meantime, feast your eyes on these lovely creations!

Photo One: Pacific Weddings; Photo Two: Megan Hobson; Photo Three: Hanssie Trainor; Photo Four: The Sweetest Occasion; Photo Five: Real Simple