How to Make Your Own Wedding Bouquet - by Florist Allie King of Sassafras Flowers

I really love the look of this vintage bouquet that uses peonies, several types of roses, freesia, pearls and lace. Great step by step video tutorial from Florist Allie King of Sassafras Flowers. Classic, simple, beautiful! Thanks Allie, for the excellent information.

Sister of the Bride Speech - Pointers to Make it Perfect

Pic courtesy of
thefulltimedomesticgoddess.com

The Sister of the Bride speech has become more popular at NJ weddings in recent years, offering a nice counterbalance to, and sometimes even a replacement for, the Best Man speech.

If you are the bride's sister and have been asked to speak at her wedding... what will you say? You may be feeling worried and tongue-tied at the thought of getting up in front of all those people.

Relax! Her wedding is the perfect time and place to express to your sister how much you love her. Here are a few pointers for getting your sister of the bride speech into optimal form.

Keep it brief if more than one person will be speaking. The best man is likely the frontrunner of this show, and after he finishes up people will probably be looking forward to getting back on the dance floor and enjoying themselves. If they observe one person after another hitting the mic, they may get antsy. So try to keep it under 3 minutes if possible.

Poke a bit of gentle fun. Humor is always welcomed at weddings. So if you have some funny sister-stories from childhood or from even more recently, do practice telling them to the group. It's a good idea to shorten these stories – maybe keep delivery to a 1-2-punch style, with 2 or 3 sentences for each anecdote... then move on to the sentimental stuff.

Be nice. While you're ribbing on your sis, remember not to cross the line into embarrassment. Topics to avoid: ex boyfriends and ex husbands, drunken mishaps, and anything else that may paint your sibling in an unflattering light. This is her day, and there will likely be tons of people from your/her life in the audience. Weed out any stories she may not want to share with the world.

Don't forget the groom. Of course, you want your sister to know that she has your blessing and that you've wholeheartedly welcomed her new husband into the family. You might share a bit about how the couple met, or maybe the "here's when I knew this person was the right one for my sister" moment.

Share your love. After you're done teasing her, make sure you express to your sis how happy you are that she's found the man of her dreams, and how much you love the both of them.

Practice reading your speech out loud. Use a stopwatch or a stove timer to time yourself. It may also be a good idea to record your speech, then play back and listen for diction, cadence, balance of each section or story, timing of jokes, and all the things that make a good speech great.

Get some friendly feedback. Test your best woman speech on a few people who know your sister – maybe another family member or a close friend. Ask if they think you should add in, take out, or shorten any areas of your speech. Edit accordingly.

Once you're happy with your speech, print it out in a bold font so you won't have any trouble reading it on the day of the wedding. Take a deep breath and relax. Your sis will surely love whatever you say!

We offer speech editing services. For more info, contact info@njweddingonabudget.com.

The Brownstone in Paterson, NJ - Video

I was just noodling around YouTube in search of interesting NJ wedding videos, and came across a very nicely done recap of a wedding held at The Brownstone in Paterson, NJ. The video was put together by Majestic Events, who provides photography, videography and DJ services. You can find them at MajesticWeddingsNJ.com.

Wedding Day Photo Booth Rental NJ

Image courtesy of HuffingtonPost.com

Found an ad in the Celebrations advertiser for an interactive photo booth to have at the wedding reception. This seems to be a growing trend of late, at least for NJ. We attended a few different events this year where they included a photo booth as part of the fun. Get a few drinks in your guests, and photo snapping with goofy props definitely has its appeal.

I am not sure how much a wedding photo booth costs - you can call the number below or check the site for more info. If within budget, it might be a fun gift for the parents of the bride and/or groom to give the happy couple... or maybe even a group gift from the bridal party.

Check out iParty Pix's photo booth options, where you get all sorts of handy features such as...

• Interactive, 42" monitor with touch screen
• Customizable backgrounds and clip art
• Draw and write personal messages/doodles right on the photos
• Email, text, Facebook and Twitter your photos instantly

iParty Pix serves NJ, NY and the surrounding areas.

Call 855 933 IPIX (4749) or visit http://iPartyPix.com