At home, you can also choose to have your own dried flower bouquet. It is much like the method mentioned above, only that you need to do some special arranging. To allow each part of the bouquet to dry properly, you take it apart and give each flower some time to dry up. To facilitate the drying process, the microwave can be used. Place some flowers in between some paper towels and heat them up for at least one to two minutes. Be careful not to overheat them though or dry them too much as they may become brittle too early. Afterwards, you can create a more personalized and unique arrangement by rearranging the bouquet.

If you think that these home preservation techniques are not something you can skillfully do, then a professional preservationist can do the job well. One good example can be found at http://suspendedintime.com/wedding_bouquet_preservation.php. If you use a service such as this, meet with them ahead of time to let them know what you want. Go over the specific details about preserving and transporting your wedding bouquet with them. Professionals use freeze drying or a flower press method and the results are quite lovely.

Freeze drying is a great alternative as it allows the flowers to retain their realistic appearance. Each of the part of the bouquet is pulled out and freeze-dried. In this case, you can request to have the flower bouquet rearranged like it was or in a totally different way. Since this is a tedious process, freeze drying can take about three to four weeks to finish.

Preserving your wedding bouquet is a beautiful way to remember your special day. There are several ways to go about this, but any way you choose can help you remember your wedding for years to come.

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Most brides are so absorbed with wedding-planning tasks that it’s asking too much of them to think beyond the honeymoon, let alone a year later. How they might celebrate their first wedding anniversary may not be on her mind, but one romantic tradition has endured over the years – saving the top tier of the wedding cake.

When followed through, step-by-step, the top tier will remain fresh and tasty for you to celebrate one year of wedded bliss.

1.As the reception draws to a close, it’s time to remove any ornaments, such as a cake topper or flowers, from the top layer.

2.Check the bottom of the layer. To keep any odd flavors from seeping into the cake while it is in the freezer, make sure the layer is set on a plastic plate or a cake board wrapped in foil.

3.Now it’s time to firm up the icing by placing the layer in the freezer for anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours. Do not wrap the cake with plastic wrap at this stage of freezing, or you will end up with plastic wrap frozen to the cake.

4.Remove the cake from the freezer. Using plastic wrap, cover the cake completely. In order to avoid freezer burn, make sure it is airtight and that there are no bubbles of air between the cake and the plastic wrap. Any air left between the cake and plastic wrap could zap moisture from the cake itself. Be sure to cover the cake three or four times, checking for air bubbles as you go.

5.Cover the cake in foil.

6.As an extra precaution, at this point you might want to slide the cake into a large zip-lock freezer bag, remove all air, seal it, and then slide this into a second zip-lock freezer bag and seal.

7.Place the wrapped cake in a small bakery box in order to protect it from other items in the freezer. Cake boxes are easily found at bakeries or arts and crafts stores that sell cake decorating equipment.

8.At this point, you are ready to place the box in the freezer. However, let me suggest taking your duties a few steps further in an effort to have an even fresher cake in one year. Now that the cake is in its box, get out the plastic wrap and, this time, wrap the box itself with several layers of plastic wrap. Cover with foil or place in another zip-lock freezer bag.

9.Place the box deep within a non-defrosting freezer where it will remain for the year. If the freezer self-defrosts, your cake will be ruined.

Don’t move the cake from one freezer to another during this year. It’s best to leave the cake deep within the freezer to avoid the possibility of allowing it to partially thaw while in transit. If the bride and groom have not yet settled into their first home or plan to move around during this year, it may be best to leave the cake in the freezer of a close friend or loved one with no plans to move, and then retrieve the cake from that person the day before the one-year anniversary.

Remember to begin the freezing process as soon as possible following the reception. You’ll have much better results – and a fresher cake on your anniversary – if the wedding cake is frozen while it is still as fresh as possible.

Unfortunately, if your cake has a crème filling, freezing it is not recommended.

One day before your one-year anniversary, you’ll need to begin defrosting the cake by moving it from the freezer to the refrigerator. After two or three hours in the refrigerator, unwrap the cake and allow it to continue defrosting in the refrigerator.

Two hours before you plan to serve the cake, take it out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature.

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The paper and ink used are of outmost importance. What your photographs will look like decades after you get married greatly depends on the quality of the paper and ink. Ask to see what kind of guarantees the paper manufacturer provides. Ask your photographer to compare different kind of photo papers available on the market.

Your photo album should contain no acids. That includes the glue, paper, and any other material that is part of the photo album. You can contact the manufacturer of the album to make sure. Acids can cause discoloration over time.

Photo albums should be laid flat on their backs. Standing photo albums can more easily bend. Make sure the wedding album comes with guarantees you read and understand.

High temperatures and humidity are among the worst enemies of a photo album. Most areas you would feel comfortable for extended periods are proper storage locations for your photo album. A hot attic during the summer or a cold and wet garage are great examples of bad storage places.

You have planned your wedding for a long time, and you have spent a lot of money on your photographs. Protect your investment!

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* Use only the best photos in your scrapbook, especially if you have a lot of them.  There’s no need to include every single shot.  It’s likely that you have many similar pictures, and including them all will only detract from your scrapbook.  Going through the photos as a couple will ensure that both husband and wife’s favorites are included.

* Include lots of candid photos.  Portraits are more polished looking, but candid shots do more to tell the story of your wedding day.  Using some of each will give your album a good balance.

* Add in plenty of journaling.  The couple can write their thoughts about the wedding day, certain photos, or their love for one another.  You could also ask family members or guests to do some of the journaling if you would like to include some outside perspectives.

* Consider including notes from cards you’ve received in connection with your wedding.  These often contain sentiments that are too precious to end up packed in a box somewhere.  Cutting them out and incorporating them into your pages makes a wonderful addition to your wedding scrapbook.

* Press some flowers from your bouquet, the groom’s boutonniere, and other floral arrangements from the ceremony and reception.  They make lovely adornments for your scrapbook pages.  Putting them between pieces of transparency plastic or laminating them will ensure that they retain their beauty through the years.  You could also affix some to the scrapbook’s cover with Modge Podge if you like.

* Incorporate your wedding vows into your scrapbook.  This is especially nice if you wrote your own vows.  You could use them as you would journaling, or you could include a line or two on each page throughout the book.  This could also be done with the lyrics from one of your special wedding songs.

* Add some special keepsakes from your wedding day.  These could include things such as personalized napkins, place cards, notes, and more.  And don’t forget to include one of your wedding invitations!

* Choose embellishments carefully.  There are lots of pretty things you can use to accent the pictures in your scrapbook, but be careful not to get too carried away.  The photos themselves are the stars of the show, not the embellishments.

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But how will you keep people occupied during the long weekend? There are many activities to consider. Will the wedding be near a lake? How about planning a day at the lake on Saturday, filled with pre-wedding activities like swimming races and beach volleyball.

One popular pre-wedding activity is a scavenger hunt. Prior to the wedding weekend, a list of meaningful items should be drawn up, and guests placed in two teams. The list should include things like “get a brochure from the jewelry store where (groom) bought (bride)’s ring” or “take a picture of the group at the location where the couple got engaged”. You will have to tailor the scavenger hunt list to the location of the wedding and the energy of the guests who will be participating.

You can even offer lavish prizes for the team that wins the scavenger hunt, such as gift certificates or gourmet food and wine baskets. It might seem an obvious choice to divide the teams into groups who know or are related to the bride and teams who know or are related to the groom, but it might be a little more fun to mix it up a bit. You can create teams of friends versus family, or men versus women (always a popular choice).

Another activity that’s popular during wedding weekends is a competitive sport activity, such as baseball or flag football. Again, add a special twist. Offer prizes for performance (first home run gets a kiss from the bride) or make silly rules, like members of the bridal party have to wear tiaras while running bases or members of the groom’s family should always have their shirts on backwards.

It’s important that during the wedding weekend, planners keep in mind that the weekend itself might be expensive for some guests, particularly those who had to fly in for the occasion and many of the activities should be free, or inexpensive. If they are more expensive, and planned for the entire group, they should be paid for by either the bride and groom or their families.

But there are plenty of activities that don’t have to be expensive, but can provide big bang for the little buck, such as the scavenger hunt suggested above. If the wedding weekend guests will mostly be family, you can schedule a home movie-viewing event, including home movies from both the bride and groom’s families. For even more fun, consider an activity where the movies are mixed up and the guests have to guess which family’s videos they are watching. This might sound easy, but depending on the contents, it could be hard, particularly if the bride and groom are babies in the photos.

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You can find a list of wedding photographers in your local phone book, but it’s much easier to get onto a wedding website and see who local people recommend. This list is much shorter and can lead you to higher quality people without having to call everyone from A to Z.

Once you have a list of photographers, start to call them to set up appointments. Try not to schedule them too close to each other so that you can spend as much time as you need with each one. If you’re rushed, you may forget to ask particular questions and you may also forget which photographer said what.

Make a list of questions that you want to ask. You can ask about pricing, hourly fees, added costs, location costs, various developing techniques, and more. Try to think of every question that you and your soon-to-be spouse can, even if you think they sound silly. No question is too silly, and if the photographer has been around long enough, then they will have heard them all.

Your interview style

One of the things that works best in talking with photographers is to try to make sure that you are leading the conversation. You want to make sure that you are getting your opinion into the talks, rather than being told what other couples are doing and saying about them and how much their fees are.

If you feel like you’re being sold a product, rather than an opportunity to have some great pictures, then you can cut the appointment off and leave. You have no obligation to choose anyone until you’re completely satisfied with your choice.

Look at the samples carefully and make sure that you’re looking at ones that are recent. Sometimes photographers will try to show you older photos, but if that’s not your style, then it’s really not applicable. Study the quality of the pictures and look for poses that you like.

Your pictures will serve as a reminder of the happiness and joy of your wedding day. You need to find someone who will create masterpieces of your photos. Take your time in finding someone, but do it early—if you live in a smaller town, these professionals can book up early.

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Brocade Monogram Guest Book

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 This bracelet is finished with two birthstone crystals to represent the bride and the flower girl. A secure lobster clasp ensures this heirloom fits snugly on tiny wrists. Available in five sizes. Your bracelet arrives tucked inside a pink organza bag. The gift bag and poem are then placed inside a clear top gift box and tied with a bow for presentation.

From Heart’s Treasure 

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