TRADITIONS AND SUPERSTITIONS!

Weddings have been around for what seems like forever! Along with them have come many traditions and superstitions. Here are some I found to add a little fun to your day. Whether you want to follow them, or smile because of them, I thought it would be fun to share them.

Engagement

• A woman should not marry a man whose last name starts with the same letter as her last name.
• A woman should only ask a man to marry her during leap years, otherwise she risks a marriage that will not work out.
• The bride should not take off her engagement ring until the wedding day, otherwise it is bad luck.
• Engagement and wedding rings should be worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because that finger contains a vein that leads directly to the heart.

Wedding Day

• The bride should not see an open grave on her wedding day.
• If the bride cries on her wedding day, it’s a good sign – a sign that those will be the last tears she will shed during her entire marriage.
• If the groom drops the wedding ring during the ceremony, the marriage will be blessed with good luck.
• The vows should not be said after the hours of the day start rewinding, namely after 6 p.m.
• Saturday is the least happiest day to have a wedding.
• The groom should arrive at the church before the bride and should enter it with his right foot first.
• The flower girl announces the arrival of the bride with flowers as a symbol of fertility.
• If a younger sister gets married before her older sister, the older sister must dance barefoot at her younger sister’s wedding or she will never find a husband.
• It is good luck to get married on the day of the week on which the groom was born and even on his birthday.

Wedding Attire

• A bride should not make or even help make her own wedding dress
  
• Borrowing a wedding dress means good luck to who is borrowing and bad luck to who is lending.
• The bridesmaids’ role is to confuse the evil spirits, so that they don’t know who the bride is.
• Wearing pearls on a wedding day means tears of sadness will be shed for each pearl.
• The wedding veil protects the bride from evil spirits.
• If the bride rips her wedding dress during the wedding day, it means her marriage will end with a death.
• It is considered good luck if a bride finds a spider on her wedding dress on the day of the wedding.

Wedding Cake

• The bride and groom cut the first slice of cake together so as to assure a lifetime of sharing.
• The single women who attend the wedding should take a slice of wedding cakehome and place it under their pillow so as to dream with the man they will marry.

After the Wedding

• The first person to fall asleep on the wedding night will be the first to die.
• After the wedding and when entering her new home for the first time, the bride must not trip or fall, in order to assure a problem-free marriage. That is why it is tradition that the groom carry the bride over the threshold of the door of their new home after the wedding.
• Throwing rice, flowers or confetti at the bride and groom is a symbol of fertility.

ERIKA AND WILL

Congratulations to Erika and Will! You both looked amazing :)

A BIG thank you to a great team!

Thompson Studios Photography

The Higgins Brothers live music and MC for the day

The Lange Farm

DETAILS!

Mr. and Mrs. wedding cake forks will add an extra special touch to the first taste of cake.



Buy from:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/52133528/vintage-silverware-garden-markers-mr-and?ref=cat2__15

Favorite Florals

One of our favorite florists to work with is Jana Stall from

Events in Bloom!



Jana has an amazing eye for florals and the knowledge to make it all happen! I can't say enough great things about her and her work!
She is very enthusiastic about making your day look amazing and works miracles with her arrangements.



Events in Bloom
9637 Palm River Road
Tampa, FL 33619
813.857.9098

Ideas We LOVE!

Ceremony and Cocktail!

2 Dresses, 1 Wedding!

So many brides today are opting to have 2 dresses on their wedding day! I think this is a great idea for any bride! A bride may want to change dresses for several reasons!

1. Her ceremony dress is too restricting or cumbersome. For a bride that wants to dance the night away, but not sacrifice her dream couture dress, she might opt to have her amazing dress for the ceremony, and change into something that allows for a little more movement for her reception.

2. WOW! factor. Some brides just love the idea of surprising their guests and this is one way to do it.

3. Some couples just aren't done partying! I did have one couple who weren't ready to call it a night after the reception was over. The bride pulled out her second party dress for a night on the town with her new husband and friends!

4. Some brides don't want to risk getting the bottom of their dress dirty from the dance floor so they opt for the second dress to change in to.

Reception!

Secrets to a Fun Reception

The Knot has some great tips for a great reception!

1. Hire a Day-of Coordinator
You may have a ton of fun ideas for your reception lined up -- say, a rockin' entrance, an amazing band, and surprise late-night snacks -- but the truth is it's much harder than you'd think to keep each of those plans in check. If you already have an event planner, genius. If not, look into booking a day-of coordinator to oversee the details (trust us, it's worth it).

2. Order Good Food
Its important to be a great host and order food that your guests will appriciate. Many guest have traveled a long way and may contribute a significant amount to your honeymoon or future home. If you can't afford a quality sit-down dinner, consider a cocktail reception with passed hors d'oeuvres! But dont skimp on quality!

3. Keep the Toasts Short (And Prep Your Toasters)
When it comes to toasts, it's really all about quality over quantity. So direct anyone who is speaking in advance to keep their speeches to two minutes max and ask them to share any other long-drawn-out stories at a prewedding party like the rehearsal dinner.

4. Add a Lounge to Your Reception
If at all possible, create a lounge-like area in your reception space. Why? People can get antsy. Instead of having your guests sit around the same dinner tables all night, a change of environment will promote conversation and keep even your nondancing guests entertained. Look into renting or borrowing couches, chairs, and other pieces of furniture that you can then stage with pillows and votive candles in your wedding colors.

5. Have a Game Plan for Kids
To keep the little ones entertained throughout the night (and to give their parents an opportunity to hit the dance floor!), set up an area specifically for them. In a separate room, arrange for a babysitter who can set up movies for them to watch. Or designate a couple tables just for the kids and pack them with coloring books, crayons, and small toys.

6. If You've Hired a Band, Make Sure There's Good "Break" Music
We've all been to that wedding before: Just when the dance floor starts to get packed, the band takes a break and the party dies. Don't let that happen to you. When you hire your band, ask specifically about how they plan to handle breaks. Some bands will take them in shifts and split off into a smaller 2- or 3-piece bands. Others will turn on filler music. If yours is planning to use filler music, make sure you know what it will be!

May NACE metting!

I am now an annual NACE member of the Tampa Bay Chapter! Hooray! This months meeting was fabulously fun with amazing decor and delicious food! Our challenge this month? Create an amazing piece to strut down the runway with. The catch? We had to use linens and a few misc. crafty items left at our disposal!

Thank you to Booray Perry for some great pictures! Check him out at http://www.boorayperry.com/

For a list of all the other vendors that contributed this month you can check it out at http://www.fwnace.com/news.php