Wedding Favors for Children
Deciding to include children in your wedding or reception is a very personal decision. Some people feel very strongly that children are too disruptive at weddings while others love the idea of sharing their wedding day with children and welcome children to attend the wedding ceremony and reception. While deciding whether or not to invite children is a matter of personal opinion; if you do decide to invite children they should absolutely receive some sort of wedding favor. Some couples opt to give the children the same favor as the adults while other couples prefer to give the children a different favor which is more appropriate for their age. This article will provide some idea for giving wedding favors to children.
The first thing to consider when giving wedding favors for children is the age of the children involved and the type of favor which will be given to the adults. This is important because sometimes the favor you are planning to give to the adults would be greatly appreciated by children of all ages while other times the children would likely prefer to receive a more age appropriate wedding favor. For example if you are planning to give the adults an edible wedding favor such as candy or cookies most children would likely be happy to receive this type of favor. However, if you are planning to give the adults a favor such as wine charms you might want to select another favor for the children in attendance.
One great wedding favor idea for children is an activity packaged designed specifically for use as a wedding favor. These packages have items such as games, markers and other activities so children can use the favor at the wedding. This is an especially good idea for children who are too young to enjoy the music and dancing at the reception and who may become bored easily. This type of wedding favor will not only help to keep the children entertained during the wedding but will also be a nice gift for them to take home after the wedding.
Stuffed animals are another option for a wedding favor for children. You can purchase stuffed animals with a wedding related theme such as a bride and groom teddy bear which would be appropriate for a wedding favor. Another option is to seek out stuffed animals which match the theme of the wedding. For example you may give the children a teddy bear dressed for the beach at a beach themed wedding or a stuffed penguin dressed like Santa Claus for a Christmas wedding. Another option is to give each of the children a gift certificate to one of the popular stores where children can make their own stuffed animals. These stores allow children to select their own teddy bear and watch it be stuffed before their eyes. They can even select outfit for the bears or have sound chips inserted.
Still another option for giving wedding favors to children is to just give the children a small toy which is appropriate for their ages. These toys can be purchased at any store selling children’s toys rather than at distributors of wedding favors. If you know the children personally you can select toys which suit their interests. However, if you only know the age of the children who will be in attendance you can simply seek out toys which are appropriate for boys and girls of that age.
Finally, couples who are unsure of what type of wedding favor to give to children can always resort to an edible wedding favor. Even if the adults will not be given an edible favor, the couple may decide to give the children edible favors. Edible favors can range to photo cookies with a picture of the bride and the groom to candy bars with the couples name and the date of the wedding. The children in attendance are much more likely to be impressed with a wedding favor of cookies or candy than they will with the more sophisticated wedding favors the couple selects for the adults in attendance.
Dance Floor Activities
Dancing is an essential component at most wedding receptions. We look forward to the couple’s “first dance” and the bride’s special dance with her father. It’s also a place to get loose and funky, if you’re a guest or a member of the wedding party.
But what if the wedding planners decided to add some fun and surprise to the dance floor by adding fun activities there? This doesn’t mean a rousing version of the “Bunny Hop”, which, while maybe essential, is hardly unique.
There are, however, many fun games and activities you can add to your dance floor activities that are sure to be a hit.
Try a fun game of the “chicken dance”. Ok, so that doesn’t sound too original. But if most of your guests are just sitting at their tables, watching a few brave couples dancing, or just finishing their meals, you might want to get everyone up and having fun. Try this game.
The DJ announces a number. Everyone looks under his or her chair, where there is a number. Depending on the number of guests at the wedding, there might be only numbers “1″ and “2″ or more, up to 5.
So, say the DJ announces number “4″. Each person checks under their chair to see what their number is. These numbers can be written simply on a piece of masking tape and affixed to the underside of the chairs when the reception is being set up. Each “4″ in this scenario will head to the dance floor to do the chicken dance with the other “4s”. Not only does this get people out of their chairs and on to the dance floor, they get to know other wedding reception guests they might not otherwise know.
One dance floor activity that’s gaining popularity is to bring in a dance teacher for the wedding reception. As a kind of pre-dance activity, the teacher will quickly walk people through their paces on the dance floor, perhaps teaching a bit of the waltz or, for something completely different, a little bit of the tango, before the music officially begins and dancing commences.
Having a dance teacher do a bit of teaching not only livens up the reception right from the start, but it gets people out on the dance floor who might otherwise be too self-conscious normally to get out there and let it all hang out. And practically speaking, it will likely make the wedding guests feel more confident in their skills before the “official” dancing begins.
Another fun activity to get everyone on the dance floor, including even the most reticent, is something you can refer to as the “snowball” dance. This is a good way to jumpstart the dancing at the beginning of the evening.
Here’s how the “snowball” dance works. The wedding party, bride and groom included, will head to the dance floor for a fun dance. The music for this dance should be fast, something with a disco beat or a fast song that most people have at least a passing familiarity with. After a bit of wedding party dancing, the music stops. The female members of the wedding party move into the crowd and bring back one male each. The male members of the wedding party do the same, but they bring in female guests. The dancing then begins again. This is repeated until all the guests are dancing. It’s truly a snowball effect!
Wedding Favors Etiquette
Believe it or not there are actually certain rules of etiquette which apply to the act of giving wedding favors at your wedding reception. Although many of these rules are not as rigid as other types of etiquette it is important to realize there are some generally accepted principles which are associated with the distribution of wedding favors. These rules of etiquette include questions such as whether or not favors are necessary, whether or not favors should be given to children, how favors should be distributed and how much should be spent on wedding favors. This article will take a look at some of these rules of etiquette and will hopefully help the reader to understand a little more about the etiquette involved in giving wedding favors.
The question of whether or not wedding favors are necessary is certainly one question many couples have as they are planning their wedding day. The answer to this question is that wedding favors are not absolutely required but they are certainly expected. This means you do not have to give wedding favors but many of your guests will be expecting to receive one. Therefore not distributing favors is not recommended. This is because wedding favors are a way of thanking your guests for coming to your wedding and offering them a memento of the occasion. While you can certainly visit with each guest individually to express your thanks for their attendance this may not be possible if you are having a very large wedding. You may make an effort to visit with each guest but may simply run out of time. However, if you provide wedding favors your guests will know their attendance at the wedding was appreciated.
If you are including children in your wedding ceremony and reception you should definitely give some thought to giving wedding favors to the children. Traditionally, children at a wedding would receive the same favor as the adults. However, some couples may opt to give the children a favor which is more age appropriate. This can be difficult to do because in most cases favors are merely left on the table. If you only have one or two children in attendance you can simply place favors at each place setting and during the reception take some time to visit with the children and offer them the more age appropriate favor in addition to the one found at their place setting. However, if you plan on having a large number of children in attendance this technique can create a significant additional expense because each of the children will be receiving two favors. In this case you can place the favors with the place cards. This will help to ensure the children are all receiving the appropriate wedding favor.
Another concern couples often have regarding wedding favor etiquette is how the favors should be distributed. The easiest and most common way to distribute wedding favors is to place the favors at each place setting before the reception begins. In most catering halls the staff will be happy to put the favors out while they are setting the tables. However, if they are unable to do so, you can ask a friend or family member to visit the catering hall before the reception to take care of this detail. For guests who do not attend your wedding but send a gift in advance you might want to consider mailing a favor to them along with a thank you note to express your gratitude for their kindness.
Many couples are concerned with the cost of wedding favors. In fact one of the primary reasons many couples consider not giving wedding favors is they think it will be too costly. It is important to note that wedding favors do not have to be extravagant or expensive. A favor of a simple flower can be quite inexpensive and still shows your appreciation for your guests. Deciding how much to spend on wedding favors is mostly a matter of your personal budget. You should set a budget for wedding favors first and then begin shopping for favors which you think will be appropriate. This will allow you to seek out great deals and offer your guests the most appropriate wedding favor you can afford to give.
Naughty Bachelorette Party Games
If you are planning a bachelorette party and want to include some naughty games, the possibilities are endless. The games and activities can just barely stretch into the naughty category or they can be all-out embarrassing dirty games.
Before planning any of these games, make sure the bride is willing to play long with them and is outgoing enough for the “public naughty” games. You don’t want to put her on the spot or make her feel uncomfortable. However, if she’s game and willing, many of these games are very popular and extremely fun for girls who enjoy a good time.
First up is “Suck for a buck”. Buy a plain white T shirt and letter on it with fabric paint, “suck for a $”, attach Lifesavers candy to it and have the bride-to-be wear it. When you go out that evening, try to solicit men to suck the lifesavers off the T-shirt. At $1 a man, this is a nice way to pay for a few drinks while you’re out as well!
If the bride isn’t comfortable with the Lifesaver idea, have her wear a candy necklace or bracelet instead and have the men simply bite off a piece of the candy necklace/bracelet.
How about the game where you ask the guests which of them would like her virginity back? The women who say yes line up and are each given a maraschino cherry in a bowl. They are told they have to eat the cherry without using their hands. Doesn’t sound so hard, right? In fact, it gets a little tougher and messier when the host then adds a squirt of whipped cream to each bowl and the women have to find and fish out the cherry all without using their hands.
This activity isn’t quite so naughty, but it could be, depending on the bride’s expressions. As she opens her gifts, and this is assuming there are gifts at this bachelorette party, someone writes down all her expressions as she opens each gift. So there might be “oohs” and “aaahs” and “how cutes” coming from the bride. Once she is done opening gifts, someone says, “If we were outside (bride’s name) hotel room on her wedding night, this is what we’d hear” and you then list the various expressions and comments she made while opening her gifts.
Believe it or not, there are hundreds of products you can buy for steamy bachelorette parties. From fake penises to pin on pictures of hunks on the wall to portable stripper poles, it’s all out there. How about a penis piñata? You could make a game out of who gets to hit the piñata. Turn any drinking game into the piñata game. For example, if the guest would normally take a drink, instead they hit the penis piñata. You could fill the piñata with the always- popular candy, but you could also fill it with sex toys, just to add to the spiciness of the game.
If the bachelorette party is going to be held at a bar or somewhere other than home or in a hotel room, there are a myriad of activities you can come up with to entertain the girls. For example, create a series of challenges. One challenge might be to wander up to a man at a bar. If he were munching the bar-supplied nuts, the challenge would be to say, “Mmmmm. I love a man with salty nuts”.
Fun Wedding Photo Ideas
Pictures are an integral part of any wedding. Newlyweds are usually thrilled to get their pictures back from the photographer so they can relive their special day. But there are many special activities you can build into a wedding that involve photos.
One fun idea that many brides employ is to take photos of everyone as they arrive at the wedding, almost like you do at a high school prom or company Christmas party. You can provide a backdrop and couples can pose either for a paid photographer or for whoever happens to pick up the camera. These pictures can be taken with a Polaroid camera for instant fun or with a disposable camera. If you want slightly higher quality photos, go for a digital camera.
This can be an excellent way to keep guests busy and happy until the “official” reception begins with the arrival of the bride and groom.
As an extension of that idea, you can take instant photos and create scrapbook pages or memory book pages with the photos. There can be supplies on hand so guests can create pages on site, or pages can be pre-made and photos simply placed into the prepared spaces. If guests don’t want to create pages on site, or the bride doesn’t want this particular activity going on, the photos can be saved for later. As a gift for the bride and groom, someone can create memory books with these photos.
If Polaroid cameras are used, another option is to have the people in the photo sign the Polaroid photo and place that in a basket somewhere. The bride and groom will enjoy looking at the photos later.
While it’s not a particularly unique idea, many brides like to provide disposable cameras on each table at the reception so guests can capture candid shots of the reception and the table guests. These photos can be added to the newlyweds’ wedding album or they can be placed into a separate album showing the wedding from the guests’ perspective.
Another fun activity sure to be entertaining is to create a “silent photo guess” area. Here’s how this works: before the wedding, someone close to the bride and groom collects pictures of the bride and groom at various stages in life. The photos should depict the bride and groom doing things, not at Christmas or with their first birthday cake. In other words, the photos should include some action, but it shouldn’t be obvious in the picture what has taken place or where the person is.
Much like a silent auction, people will come along and look at the photos, then take a silent guess as to what the photos show. They can write their guess on a piece of paper and put it in a numbered basket that corresponds with the number on the photo. Reading these guesses during the reception is entertaining and sure to be amusing. The bride or groom can provide the real answers. This is a particularly fun activity at a relatively small, family wedding where the participants know the bride and groom very well.
If you want to provide an area for guests to have their photos taken but aren’t thrilled with the “prom night” idea, how about having a photo corner set up somewhere in the reception hall or facility. Here, the wedding photographer will take candid shots of wedding guests. They might be couples, but could also be entire families, friends having a good time, or the groom being carried on the shoulders of the best man. Whatever the pictures end up being, they provide a fun, “let it all hang out” area for the wedding guests and a surprise for the bride and groom. Since they will likely be busy with all the reception details and having the time of THEIR lives, they might appreciate knowing their guests had a pretty good time too, as evidenced in the photos.
Engagement Party Games
The engagement party is a time when the families of the couple will get to know one another. In some cases, this might be the first meeting between the two families or groups of friends and any icebreaker activity will be a welcome event.
In that light, whoever plans the engagement party (likely the bride’s family, but it can be the engaged couple or anyone else who wants to plan the party) should plan a few games and activities designed to help everyone get to know everyone else.
First up is a trivia game. Create a “Trivial Pursuit” type game with questions about the bride and groom’s lives. You might contain the questions to just facts and events relating to both the bride and groom (such as how long did it take her to say “yes” when he asked, where did he propose, where did they meet, etc), or you can include questions pertaining to their lives outside of each other and before they met each other. Not only can this be fun, but also it’s an entertaining way for people to get to know each other and the engaged couple better.
One popular icebreaker that’s used at corporate functions and company parties can also work really well at engagement parties. Tape a card to each person’s back and encourage him or her to work the room, mingle with everyone and particularly try to get to know someone they have never met before. Before moving on to someone else, be sure to make a comment about the person on the card on his or her back. Partiers write an impression of that person, such as “she seems sweet” or “he knows a lot about the weather”.
This icebreaker ends when the mingling session is over. The cards are then read one by one and people not only get to know each other better, but enjoy hearing all the comments people made about them. Try to ensure that comments are complimentary or somehow presented in a positive light. Hurtful comments, obviously, are not appropriate.
If this is truly the first time many of the guests have met, then another fun game involving the wearing of cards might be in order. In this game, each guest wears a card on their front that has their name on the front and a number on the back. They don’t share with anyone what their number is. Guests mingle and chat and get to know each other over the course of the evening.
Toward the end of the evening, the cards are flipped over and the number side is shown. Everyone gets a piece of paper and writes the numbers on the paper, then tries to correspond the name of someone with their number. This fun game can be hard for people who are bad with names, but it’s fun nonetheless.
For an activity that doesn’t put people on the spot quite so much, consider letting the already marrieds help out the to-be marrieds. Place two pieces of posterboard on the wall and mark them “advice from women” and “advice from men”. Now is the time to offer advice about wedding planning, not about being married. That advice can come later. Encourage guests to offer their own wedding planning advice. The advice from older people at the party could be decidedly different from the younger couples in the group, making for an enlightening group of comments.
Choosing Your Wedding Gown
The wedding ring is ready as well as the other things
needed in the ceremony. But how about your wedding gown?
Still haven’t made up your mind on what design you want?
Don’t fret because we’re here to help you with this
article.
Choosing a wedding gown is not an easy task for brides like
you. After all, you are the last to walk during the bridal
march and all eyes will be on you. So there’s the pressure
for you to shine. After all, this is something that doesn’t
happen to you everyday.
There are different places where you can get a wedding
gown. If you’re on a really tight budget, you can rent from
bridal shops and you can select among their collection. The
good thing about this is that it saves a lot of time
compared to having one made for you.
Another option is of course to have one specially made for
you. Most brides choose this option because, again, a
wedding is one special occasion where they need to shine.
By having a gown customized for you means that it will fit
you well and that you’ll have something that truly speaks
of your sense of style.
Regardless of where you will get your gown, it would be
good to do some research too. Look into wedding magazines
since they usually showcase different wedding gown designs.
These magazines can give you ideas on designs that will
perfectly fit you.
Choosing wedding attendants
When you are planning a wedding, one of the things
that you want to figure out is who you will want for
your attendants. If you have a lot of friends, it can
be difficult to figure out who you want to choose to
be in your wedding party. Here are some suggestions
for when you are selecting groomsmen or bridesmaids.
Bridesmaids -
One of the first things that should be taken into
consideration when you are choosing bridesmaids is
whether you or your fiance’ have a sister. If your
husband to be has a sister, it’s always a nice gesture
to ask her to be in the wedding party. Once you have
included your sister or your husband’s sister, then go
to your friends.
Groomsmen -
Just with bridesmaids, it’s a good idea to include
brothers of your bride to be when selecting your
ushers or groomsmen. Then you can choose which of your
friends to be in your bridal party.
Best man/Maid of Honor -
This honor is usually saved for a sister or brother,
or a best friend if those getting married are only
children.
It can be difficult to try and figure out who it is
that you want to be in your wedding, especially if you
have a large group of friends.
If you don’t want to have a large wedding party, there
are other things that you an include your friends in
so that they are a part of your special day. So don’t
be concerned if you want to have a small wedding party
- there are always ways to help in a wedding.
Choosing a DJ for your Wedding Reception
Depending on what type of wedding reception you will
be having, you may be in need of a disc jockey so that
your guests can dance. As with a wedding photographer,
you are going to want to do some research and find the
disc jockey that will make your reception fun.
Ask friends and family – Friends and family who have
had a wedding will give you an honest opinion of the
disc jockey that they have used, so talking to them is
the first step that you should take.
If you have been to their weddings personally, you
will have had first hand experience. But there may
have been things that you weren’t aware of that
happened, so it’s always a good idea to ask them even
if you were there.
Do interviews – Talk to a few disc jockeys and tell
them when your wedding is. Let them know what kind of
music you want, and what your special dance songs are.
This will ensure that they have time to get it before
the big day if they don’t already have it.
You want to be sure that the person you choose as your
disc jockey is personable and will ensure that
everyone has a good time. They should have a lot of
personality and be able to get people dancing. Be sure
that you let them know exactly what kind of music you
want, so that they are prepared.
Seated Wedding Reception Games
Nothing is worse than having a wedding reception filled with seated guests who look tired and maybe a little bit bored. Maybe this wedding doesn’t feature a DJ and rockin’ music. Or maybe the crowd isn’t into that whole dancing thing.
What to do? It’s not that hard. There are a myriad of activities you can plan that will not only engage and entertain the guests, but also help them get to know each other and – most importantly – the bride and groom just a little bit better.
Here’s one that’s fun and might remind you just a little bit of a football game. Make a placard for each guest. On one side, letter “Bride” and on the other, “Groom”. Someone, and if you have a DJ it can be him or her, or the best man or maid of honor, asks a series of questions. They might be simple, like “who was born in New York City”? Or they might be more complicated, such as “who, at 6, broke their leg when they were playing with their German shepherd puppy”?
Guests don’t yell their answer, but rather show their placard, turning it to the “bride” side of they think the question pertains to the bride or to the “groom” side if it’s the opposite. The guests’ guesses can be revealing, but even more revealing, are the true answers. It’s a great, fun way for everyone to get to know a little more about the bride and groom.
One word of caution about the above activity: Keep ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends out of the questions and don’t ask anything that might be a little too revealing or too risqué. Remember, grandmothers and grandfathers and young children will likely be present!
If it’s too much work to create signs for each person, you can create just two and create two teams – a team of men and a team of women. Grouped together, the teams can work together to decide on the answer and answer as a group. This “men versus women” concept is always popular and sure to be fun for everyone.
One silly game that’s always a hit really puts the groom in the spotlight. How well does he know the feel and touch of his new wife? In this game, everyone finds out. You can do this several ways. You can enlist just the wedding party in this game, or as many of the wedding guests that want to participate.
Line each participant up and blindfold the groom. Put the bride somewhere in the mix, and send the groom on a hunt for his bride. The participants can either shake the groom’s hand or give him a kiss on the cheek. In some versions, he might feel their hair or their leg. The details are up to you.
Depending on how far you want to take this game, you can add a fun element to it that is sometimes popular. You have the groom feel the leg of each participant. The best man, or other male member of the wedding party, rolls up his pant leg, puts on a garter and has the groom feel that. The groom has to kiss whoever he thinks is his bride, while still blindfolded. Often, he ends up kissing a man.
For an activity that allows the guests to be audience members instead of participants, consider the game of “feed me”. In this game, the bride is seated and the groom is (again) blindfolded. He’s given a piece of food and then spun around a few times so he’s a little bit dizzy. Guided only by the helpful words of his new bride, he has to find her and get the piece of food into her mouth. Be sure to have the wedding party shadowing him so there are no accidents.
Once the groom has fed his new wife, the tables are turned and she is blindfolded and must find him.
A few notes about this activity: when feeding the bride, don’t use wedding cake or a piece of bread with dip. In other words, don’t use anything too messy. If the groom has a hard time finding her mouth, he might likely smear the food on the bride’s face and that is something that won’t make a bride – prettily made up just hours before – too happy.
