Arkansas Wedding #2 - Natural Beauty Wedding (Blue and Green Wedding)

For this wedding, I want to high light the beauty of Nature. Arkansas has a lot of beautiful water falls worth seeing and a lot of natural beauty too. It is a great theme for a wedding there and is the perfect option for an outdoor wedding in the summer time.

The Flowers:
For this wedding and this theme a beautiful bouquet would include hydrangeas. They are beautiful and bright and available in both blue and green so they would mix perfectly in a bouquet. People are often hesitant to mix blue and green together but outside of clothing the "Blue and green must never be seen" rule does not apply.

Bouquet by Just Bloomed

The Dress:
For the theme of this wedding I want to focus on waterfalls and how they flow. The perfect dress to highlight this would be the Maggie Sottero's dress Claudia. The ruffles on the side mimic a waterfall, the way it cascades down. The dress is a Paris Chiffon gown with a glamorous Swarovski crystal ornamented waist.

Hair, Make up, Nail, Accessories:
For any wedding, going with the make up the bride is used to wearing is always a great choice. She knows what she likes and is used to it, so there is no worries about what the outcome will look like. For this wedding, all about Nature and Natural Beauty, a great way to go with with all natural make up and nails. The perfect hairstyle for this wedding would be curly. The curly will go well with the frills on the dress and will look like waves. Also adding a nice veil would be a great addition. Finally, a beautiful necklace for this state, like all the states would be the Arkansas State Pendant.

The Invitations:
The waterfall theme for this wedding is a little nontraditional so it is sometimes hard to find things to match it. In this case the invitation doesn't match the Thank You card or the reply card in colour but the theme is the same so they work. Sometimes this is a must for invitations because mixing and matching is the only way.

Waterfall Wedding RSVP

The Ceremony:
If a chapel wedding is what the bride and groom wants and amazing option would be Thorncrown Chapel. It is so beautiful and would be perfect for this wedding. The chapel is nestled in the Ozark Mountains near Eureka Springs, it is 48 feet tall and has 425 window in it. It is a beautiful place for any wedding, but for a wedding revolving around nature it is the best choice. It is the perfect place to take some wedding pictures.

Thorncrown Chapel

The Rings:
Rings never have to match the theme of a wedding. Whatever the couple likes is what they should choose. However sometimes it is nice to have a ring that reminds the couple of their big day. The Hammered Wedding Ring in 14K White Gold by Blue Nile would be a great one in this case. The look of the ring has the same look as the water reflecting shadows and light and would be a nice reminder of water and nature.

The Reception:
A beautiful place to have the reception for a wedding revolving around Natural Beauty would be Garvan Woodland Gardens. Garvan Woodland Gardens is the botanical garden of the University of Arkansas. They offer three reception venues, the Garvan Pavilion, the Dierks Promenade and the Magnolia Room at Pratt Welcome Center.

Garvan Pavilion

For the reception, the couple needs a guest book. Lately, the new in thing is unique guest books and a perfect option for this wedding would be an Engraving Signature Frame. The couple can choose any picture they want and the guests etch in their names. If possible finding one with a waterfall background would be the perfect thing. Also if the couple is having a site down meal, nice place card holders are Natural Rocks.

The Food: 
With Arkansas being a southern state the food their can be considered Southern Cuisine. In that case the perfect option for a meal would be a Fried Pork Chop, with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Steamed Green Beans. And the perfect dessert would be a Caramel - Apple Dump cake. Nice additions to this wedding would be a drink fountain (like punch or the couples very own signature drink) and a chocolate fountain that guests can dip fruits into.

The Cake:
For this wedding naturally the cake should have blue and green in it to match the theme. However, an even better way to match the theme is to have a water element to it. Cake designers have many different ways to add waterfalls to a cake it simply is finding what arrangement the couple likes. Nice cake for this wedding would be a Preacher Cake. It is kind of like a carrot cake except it focuses on pineapples but it is very heavy like the carrot cake and is topped with cream cheese frosting.

Beautiful Wedding Cakes

The Centerpieces:
When using flowers as the centerpieces, it is important that the flowers match the theme and or the bride's bouquet in some way. For this wedding, the blue and green colours would be perfectly fine and the bride's bouquet flowers make beautiful centerpieces also. In this case, I used the Hydrangea for the bouquet so blue and green hydrangeas would be perfect.

Blue Hydrangeas

The Guest Favours:
With going green being so popular now, there are a lot of environment friendly guest favours out there. Those would be nice options for this wedding, also a great option for this theme would be wooden or bamboo themed favours. Also a great idea would be to give Spiced Trunk Cookies, these cookies look like real wood and they can be carved into to say anything.

Thank You Cards:
Thank you cards are always a nice thing to send out after a wedding, they are thoughtful and unspokenly traditional. Usually in the thank you card the couple writes about the gift they got from the person and how great it was to celebrate with them.

Waterfall Wedding

Things to See:
Arkansas is a beautiful state and there is so many amazing things to see and do. There are a number of State ad National Park to see like the Ozark-St.Francis National Park, the Pea Ridge National Military Park, the Hot Springs National Park, the Mammoth Spring State Park, the Mount Magazine State Park, and the Pinnacle Mountain State Park.

Buffalo River National Park

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia, to east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida. Florida is the 22nd most extensive, the 4th most populous and the 8th most densely populated of the 50 United States. The capital is Tallahassee, the largest city is Jacksonville, and the largest metropolitan area is the Miami metropolitan area (Florida).

Florida is know as the sunshine state, and for that reason one of the wedding will revolve around the bright yellow of the sun. The second wedding will be centered around a Harry Potter themed because of Universal Orlando's Harry Potter Village. 

Arkansas Wedding #1 - Nature's Beauty (Wood/Brown and Green) Wedding

Arkansas is one of the few states that is visited more for the scenery than for the landmarks. It has beautiful greenery, cliffs and rivers to see and they all make perfect backdrops for an outdoor wedding.

The Flowers:
When people think of flowers, it is very rare that they think of browns and greens. But Sometimes they can make beautiful arrangements when set with the right flowers. The bouquet below, is not actually brown and green but the burgundy looks very natural and in the same colour family as the brown. If the bride wants and can find a brown flower she likes, certainly it can be substituted. Getting colours to offset and work together is key, the red here works well with the bright green and it is complete with the white. Too many dark colours wouldn't work as well or be as nice and white is always a great way to tie things together.

Burgundy and Green Cymbidiums with White Calla Lilies 

The Dress:
Sometimes when buying a wedding dress the thing to keep in mind is any white dress will do. Just because the dress is called a "Cocktail Dress" or a "Prom Dress" or a "Homecoming Dress" does not mean that it can't be a wedding dress. The whole point of the dress is to find something the bride loves and feels beautiful in, and what the dress is called or who makes it doesn't matter.
A great dress for this wedding, especially if it is taking place outside in the summer heat, would be a Princess Square Neckline Knee-Length Chiffon Homecoming Dress (like the one below).

The Shoes:
Beautiful options for shoes would be the Jen + Kim's Luna. The shoes are available in 5 different colours but white would work perfect for this wedding. They are nice high heeled sandals that work with the short dress, they are fancy and yet simple just like the dress.

Hair, Make up, Nail, Accessories:
For any wedding, going with the make up the bride is used to wearing is always a great choice. She knows what she likes and is used to it, so there is no worries about what the outcome will look like. For this wedding, all about Nature and Natural Beauty, a great way to go with with all natural make up and nails. Finally, a beautiful necklace for this state, like all the states would be the Arkansas State Pendant.

The Groom:
Lime green for this wedding would work really great, especially with green invitations. Green works well with a white suit but it really pops with a black one. Black shoes naturally with a black suit and white shoes with a white suit.

The Invitations:
Save the Date cards are not needed but sometimes a good idea. These would be specifically for guests that have to come in from out of town or out of state or out of country even. They are a nice heads up so that they can book the time off or make arrangements. A great option for this wedding would be the Green Wood Grain Save the Date Card. It doesn't have to match the invitations, but it matches the theme. The perfect invitations for this wedding have to be Wood Themed Invitations. They look amazing and they are perfect or the theme.

The Ceremony:
With this wedding highlighting the beauty of the state, it's just common sense to have an outdoor wedding to display the natural beauty of the state. The perfect option for this wedding and this theme would be An Enchanted Evening, Wedding Venue and Luxury Cabin. For an outdoor ceremony, they offer a beautiful site with the Pinnacle Mountain and Lake Maumelle in the background. It is also a great place for an outdoor wedding because if it does ran, they have a luxury cabin with enough space to hold all the guests.

Ceremony Site

The Rings:
Wedding rings don't usually match the theme of the wedding, and they don't need to. But sometimes it is something the bride and groom like to go with. In this case a green ring would be an option and Jade or Emerald is a nice alternative to a diamond.

Angelina D'Andrea 10k Yellow Gold Peridot and Jade Ring

The Reception:
When getting married, convenience is a huge factor. Guests don't want to have to pull out a map and drive a million miles to get from ceremony to reception. This is especially true about out of town guests or if they places are far apart. In a small town where everyone knows where they are going and how to get there and its a 15 minute drive, it's not a real inconvenience to have the reception and ceremony separate. An Enchanted Evening, offers a beautiful set up for a reception also and it's convenient for everyone.

An Enchanted Evening

For the reception, the perfect alternative to a guest book would be a simple piece of wood, vanished or stained, painted with the bride and grooms name. Leaving a sharpie and the guests can sign it, seal it once the ceremony is over and it is a beautiful keepsake and it is perfect for the theme of the wedding.

For the table numbers and the place cards, anything with a woodgrain look to it would be perfect. And as place card holders, there are a few different options for a nature themed card holder, the best ones would be Tree Slices or Pinecones. Sometimes things are simple enough to without having to buy them.

The Food:
Arkansas is home to some good "Down South Cooking". First at most wedding there are hor d'oeuvres served or finger foods. This is usually served while the couple is taking pictures or while they are mingling before super (this part is usually if the reception and ceremony is in the same venue and the couple doesn't have a big entrance planned). The perfect food for this would be Deep Fried Pickles, Bacon Wrapped Meatballs and for something a little lighter Endive Cups with Crispy Prosciutto (or bacon) and Arugula. For this wedding, a sit down meal of Twice-Fried Chicken would be perfect and pleasing to mostly everyone. Chicken is usually a safe bet for weddings and the only option the couple has to give (if any) is white or dark meat. To go with the chicken, the perfect Arkansas combo would be Potato Salad, Cornbread, Purple Hull Peas and a nice Iced Tea would be a great alternative to wine. To finish the meal off a nice slice of Pecan Pie would be the perfect thing.

Traditional Arkansas Cuisine

The Cake:
A great option for this wedding would be a Carrot Cake or Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.  Carrot Cake is a nice comfort food, and that's what southern food is, good comfort food so anything like a carrot cake would be a good option for a cake. The frosting can also be decorated into a look that matches the wedding theme. The perfect serving set for this wedding would be the Country Chic set. Any couple figure would be a perfect alternative for the top of the cake instead of a nature inspired topper (like below). A nice option would be the "'Tie'ing the Knot" Couple.

Birch Bark

The Centerpieces:
With the theme being nature, anything would be a perfect centerpiece. Logs with holes for tealight candles on top, with the couples named in graved would be a good choice, or flower arrangements or even bamboo shoots in a vase. Anything nature related would be perfectly fine.

The Guest Favours:
With going green being so popular now, there are a lot of environment friendly guest favours out there. Those would be nice options for this wedding, also a great option for this theme would be wooden or bamboo themed favours. Also a great idea would be to give Spiced Trunk Cookies, these cookies look like real wood and they can be carved into to say anything.

Tastefully Yours

 Thank You Cards:
Thank you cards don't have to match the invitations at all. Some couples choose to send a simple note, some choose to sent picture with a thank you note on the back (either from their wedding or their honeymoon), and some choose just to match the theme. The below thank you card is a mix of both. It is down so it does match the theme of the wedding and it is a nice picture card.

Things to See:
Arkansas is a beautiful state and there is so many amazing things to see and do. There are a number of State ad National Park to see like the Ozark-St.Francis National Park, the Pea Ridge National Military Park, the Hot Springs National Park, the Mammoth Spring State Park, the Mount Magazine State Park, and the Pinnacle Mountain State Park. There are also a number of Historical Sites to see and Museums to tour. The Eureka Springs Historic District is a great place to visit and see the old hotels and sites of the town, other important historical places to see would be the USS Razorback, a submarine that launched in 1944 and was decommissioned in 1970 and sold to Turkey, in 2001 Turkey sold it back to Arkansas, it now rests on the north bank of the Arkansas river. The State Capitol building is also nice to tour, it is in Little Rock naturally and is a great way to learn more about Arkansas's history.

Mount Magazine State Park

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. New York is the 27th most extensive, the third most populous, and the seventh most densely populated of the 50 United States. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to  the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east. The state has a maritime border with Rhode Island east of Long Island, as well as an international border with the Canadian Provinces of Ontario to the west and north, and Quebec to the north. The state of New York is often referred to as New York State, so as to distinguish it from New York City (New York).

New York is nicknamed The Empire State officially and New York City got it's nick name The Big Apple from John J. FitzGerald in the 1920's. For New York, I will do two weddings. The first wedding will revolve around the beautiful buildings and scenery in New York and the second one will revolve around New York City and apples. 

New York Wedding #1 - The City (White) Wedding

In New York there are a lot of beautiful landmark building that are huge tourist attractions. The buildings are beautiful at night all light up and added to the scenery of New York. They are defining features in the state and are the highlight of this wedding.

New York City Skyline at Dusk

Flowers:
New York's state flower is the rose, and what a perfect choice for the flowers of a wedding. With the theme for this wedding ultimately being the lights of the city, the obvious choice for rose colour would be white.

Wedding Bouquet

The Dress:
With this wedding highlighting the city and the buildings in it, the perfect dress would be one that shimmers and one with layers to represent the different floors of the skyscraper. Of course the wedding dress doesn't have to match the theme at all. A wedding dress has nothing to do with colour schemes or wedding themes it is about the bride feeling amazing and beautiful.

Tiered Princess Strapless Chapel Train Organza Satin Wedding Dress

The Shoes:

With a long dress the shoes barely get noticed. With this dress it barely touches the ground so with heels on the dress may not touch the ground at all and the shoes may be a little noticeable. Even if they aren't noticeable amazing shoes can help make the bride's day and she should love them. Matching the shimmer of the dress, the Damaris Shoes have beautiful diamond like designs on the front that would catch the light and shine. 

Make up, Hair, Nails and Accessories:

In the picture above of the wedding dress, the model has her hair up. Her shoulders and chest are left bare and without so much as a necklace even it is very noticeable. To above this, and still have and up do hairstyle the best thing to do is to wear a necklace. Hair style is always a personal choice, but with a strapless dress having the hair down or both up and down is a a good choice. When it comes to make up, white is usually associated with clowns and that's not what the bride wants to be remembered for. Natural make up is always the best, what the bride does normally is perfect and possibly a little added shine. For fingernails and toenails the best option is french tips.

The Bridal Party:
Even though the wedding colour is white, white should only be worn by the bride. An option for the bridal party would be black dresses with white in them. Black and white go well together and won't clash with the colour of the wedding. An Alexia Design Style 2610 would be a good choice, it is a chiffon A-line, spaghetti strap style dress and has a strip of white with detailing on the top. Another great choice would be Alexia Design Style 2100, it is a satin A-line spaghetti strap dress with a sweetheart neckline. It has a white section running from hip to floor and it has white designs around it.

The Invitations:
Perfect invitations for this wedding would be the Classic New York collection from MagnetStreet. It is a black and white type invitation highlighting the city and all it has to offer. The Classic New York invitation set also includes Enclosure Cards, and RSVP Cards.

Photographer and Videographer:
An amazing wedding photographer would be Ryan Brenizer. His portfolio speaks for itself and though his price is high he knows what he is doing and guarantees amazing pictures. Depending on the couple, if they are from New York they may know of other photographers and may want to go with them.

Sample of Ryan Brenizer's work

The Ceremony:
In New York, the couple does not have to be a resident of the state and they do not need to take blood tests to get their marriage certificate. This makes getting married their much easier and the process much simpler. City hall may not be an extravagant place to have a ceremony but it is a beautiful building and it fits the theme very well.

New York City Hall

The Rings:
This wedding is based on the lights of the city and the way they shine, perfect rings are diamond rings for this theme. The diamonds catch the light and twinkle. Of course wedding rings don't have to match the theme but it is always nice when they do.

Diamond Wedding Rings

The Reception:
The perfect place for a New York wedding that is centered around the city lights is Tribeca Rooftop. The view is amazing and the place is just as spectacular.

(Left: the inside part of the roof, Right: the roof top, Below: the view)

To go with the beautiful scenery a nice Glass Card Box would be perfect for the reception. It is see through and very much matches the theme of the wedding. Other options would be anything white, a simple box with a whole cut in the top wrapped in white paper or wall paper even would be beautiful. The perfect Guest Book for this wedding would be anything white but for a spectacular city, the wedding needs something spectacular like the Wedding Wishes Card and Envelope Guest Book.

Food:
The best way to start a New York wedding meal is with a Coney Island Clam Chowder (also known as Manhattan Clam Chowder). For the next course a great choice is New York Style Chicken Wings and/or Buffalo Style Chicken Wings. And the main course has to be Pizza!

Cake:
The cake for this wedding is a no brain-er it has to be New York Style Cheese Cake. The best part about cheese cake is that it is great by itself or it can be paired with any number of things and still work great. A perfect knife set for this wedding and cake would be WeddingMountain's Crystal Wedding Cake Serving Set and the perfect topper to match would have to be the Written in the Stars Bride and Groom Figure.

Cheesecake Wedding Cake

Centerpieces:
The best centerpieces for this wedding has to be Statues and Models of the city's most famous buildings. There could easily be a different one for each table and it is the theme of this wedding.
There is a whole site dedicated to such things called City Souvenirs and they even have a New York Collage type model with a few of the well know buildings and the Statue of Liberty. 

Thank You Cards:
Thank you cards don't always have to match, some couples choose to send photos of their wedding with a thank you note on the back or just a plain simple card. Anything is fine really, it's the gesture that counts. With an invitation set usually the Thank You Card will match the invitations like in this New York one.

Classic New York

Places to See:
There are a lot of beautiful places and things to see in New York. The most common tourist attractions would be the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, the Empire State Building, and Time Square. Other great things to see are the Brooklyn Bridge, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Grand Central Terminal, Madison Square Garden, Bronx Zoo, and the New York Harbor. There are many museums including Whitney Museum of American Art, for music lovers Metropolitan Opera House, also Radio City Music Hall and for sports fans Yankee Stadium.

Flatiron Building