The Manzanita tree has bonzai like shape, and has become popular as wedding table centerpieces. These trees are totally gorgeous with things dangling from them, from candles like in this example to pretty beads.

These trees make lovely centerpieces, and they can hold anything from small trinkets to notes. Your imagination is the limit!

These days, you can buy almost anything on the Internet, from medications to food to furniture. Many shoppers enjoy the convenience of online shopping, as there are no crowded stores to fight through and no need to search for a parking place. The deals available online are amazing, too. Since online merchants don’t have to pay for warehouses or sales staff, they can keep prices reasonable.

Online shopping for wedding dresses can be a fun and easy way to cut down on wedding costs without sacrificing quality. Future brides should follow a few reasonable suggestions while shopping:

1. Look for online merchants who take their own photos in the studio. Some online stores use stock photography on their sites. Look for merchants who take original photographs to ensure that the dress pictured is truly what you’ll receive.
2. Choose online stores that offer returns. Stores that offer returns stand behind their work, and are prepared to make it right if something goes wrong. Read the fine print to make sure the merchant offers returns no matter the cause.
3. Ask for fabric samples. The cut of the wedding dress is easy to see online, but the color of the fabric can be hard to determine online. Colors can vary from computer monitor to computer monitor. Only by holding a sample in your hands can you truly determine the color of the fabric, and whether or not it will look terrific with your skin color.
4. Read the fine print. Make sure you know exactly when your dress will be delivered and how much it will cost, including shipping. Reputable manufacturers will give you this information upfront.
5. Watch the calendar. Wedding gowns take time to create, especially if seamstresses take the time to do a detailed job. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to find a dress and have it shipped to you the next day, especially if you’d like your dress to be of high quality, made to fit your body. Make sure to leave enough time for the seamstresses to do their jobs.

One bridal shop that fits the above criteria is Simply Bridal.  They are an online wedding dress shop that has some beautiful wedding dresses at fairly reasonable prices. The site meets all of the requirements listed above, making it a safe and fun place to shop for wedding dresses. Brides can enter the code “SaveBridal15″ at checkout to save an additional 15 percent off the already reasonable prices.

Plumerias are bright and beautiful, with five soft petals and a scent that comes straight from heaven. Using them as a cake decoration is a wonderful way to add a romantic, tropical feel to your wedding cake. This cake from Bali Wedding Cakes is a perfect example of the beauty that plumeria flowers offer.

For a beautiful but less blatantly tropical example, check out this gorgeous cake from Maui Wedding Cakes.

Wheat weaving is a very old art form, and it is highly versatile and beautiful as well. Wheat can be woven into a number of different forms, from a beautiful angel like the one at left to useful items like hats and baskets, to lovers knots and other decorations. Torie McDonald, creator of the angel at left, is just one of the wheat weaving artists around the world who create beautiful things out of specially bred, harvested, and prepared wheat. The decorations will last about a year, more if you take care of them, and are a total cat magnet, so keep them out of reach of your feline friends!

Wheat art can be a gorgeous way to decorate your wedding and invoke traditional blessings on your union at the same time.

Are you getting married outdoors? The benefits are many including beautiful scenery and a natural setting for your photos. It can cause difficulties, though. You know to keep a wrap handy, to wear shoes that won’t sink into the turf, and maybe even to wear bug repellent. Do your guests?

For some weddings, it is pretty obvious the ceremony is going to be outdoors by the location. If you are getting married at the beach or at a park, your guests will likely figure things out for themselves. If, however, you are getting married at a location (like the gardens of a community center) where there might be some confusion, it would be helpful to include a note to your guests stating that the ceremony takes place out of doors. This will be enough of a hint in many cases for your guests to wear flats and a warmer dress. If you have any loved ones that you know don’t take hints well, a friendly phone call to remind them that heels will get dirty may be in order.

If you aren’t planning on flowers for the reception tables, you may be wondering what else you can do, and picturing everything from fish bowls to pillar candles. One thing you might not have considered is something totally personal and totally unique to you – photos of the bride and groom! You will have to have a good collection on photos of the two of you to pull it off unless you want to make copies of photos and have every table the same.Use a tiered stack like the photos on the left, or just arrange differently sized frames in an attractive cluster at the center of each table.

If you have assigned seating and are the kind of person who is always playing with a camera, you may be able to pull off having a photo of either the bride or groom or both with each guest in the centerpiece, so that everyone at the table gets the special surprise of seeing themselves in the centerpiece with the happy couple. If not, it is still fun to be able to gift a piece of the centerpiece to everyone at the reception at the end of the night. You don’t even have to make sure that all the frames match. An eclectic collection from thrift stores might provide you with a totally unique and interesting photo collection.

Do you know what you will do during a minor emergency on your wedding day? What if one of your acrylic nails pops off? What will you do if your dress tears? How does your breath smell right before the ceremony? The well prepared bride will have the answers, and that can be you.

It is never too early to start preparing your bridal emergency kit, which should include bandaids, a needle and thread in a color that matches your dress, safety pins, breath mints, a hair brush, your cell phone (turned off), super glue if you have false nails, clear nail polish for small runs in hose, a spare pair of panty hose, a mirror and makeup, bobby pins, shoe polish, spot remover, contact solution if necessary, eye drops, a small pair of scissors, any medications you may need, a pain reliever, tampons or pads, tissues, ID, and a little bit of cash for emergencies.

Anything else you think you might need can be packed along as well, from duct tape to bug spray and beyond.

How do you want to leave your wedding or reception? Some people drive away in their own cars, usually decorated by your loved ones. Other people rent a nicer car or even a classic car to drive off in after their big day, and to take them between the wedding and the reception. This can be more costly, but is a great photo opportunity and can create a great wedding memory.

Another option is to rent a limousine, which is also the best option for those who plan to drink at their reception. If you want to drink freely, a driver is absolutely the way to go, and when people think of drivers for weddings, they aren’t really thinking of a taxi cab. Do you have to rent a limo? Of course not, but it can be a fun addition to your wedding day.

Henna is a part of the wedding traditions of the Indian culture, but even if you are not a part of that culture, it is a beautiful and temporary way to dress up your body on your wedding day. Henna can be done on any part of the body, and is especially lovely on the hands and feet (if you are planning an outdoor wedding with bare feet, henna is perfect!)

The image here is from Henna Caravan, but there are henna artists both professional and amateur all over the world! While it can be lovely to stand out by being the only person with henna designs on her body, you might also consider having your bridesmaids wear henna designs to a lesser extent. With care the henna can last up to a month on certain parts of the body, but often fades away faster on places like the hands (particularly the palms), and frequent washing can speed the removal.

If either of you loves motorcycles, it makes sense that the two of you might choose to venture off on one after the big day, but be sure to think things through before you go riding off into the sunset! There are things to consider to be able to ride away safely.

For one thing, be sure that whatever kind of wedding outfit you are wearing, it is something that you can keep completely out of moving parts. Nothing could be less romantic than being pulled off your bike or having half of your dress ripped off when a bit of train gets caught in the spokes.

Another potential problem is your headwear. Make sure your hair is styled so that you can put a helmet on over your updo, even if you aren’t planning to go far. You can buy a white helmet to keep the theme, attach a veil to it, or otherwise doll it up (maybe ‘Just Married’ on the back of yours?) but don’t risk a head injury just to save your style (which is only going to get windblown anyway!)

Finally, don’t go far in a gown. It isn’t very good protection, and it is easy to ruin anyway. Make your great escape on the bike, for sure, but plan for a secure spot a few blocks away where you can get down, hand your dress off to  be cleaned, and slip into something more riding appropriate if you plan to go any distance on the bike.