I am sorry but I have been out for a while, my health took a plunge for over a year now, but feeling better now and looking forward to taking up my blog interest. Good night.
Autumn, what a romantic, wonderful time to get married! It truly is a romantic, lushious time of year.
Whether you want your autumn wedding to be very formal, most casual or somewhere in between, you have an enormous variety of possibilities. The season gives a backdrop to a magical theme, maybe an outdoor wedding is what your seeking, how stunning that would be.
It is harvest time. The summer heat is gone. Yet the days are still warm and sunny add your imagination and anything is possible.
The leaves are turning into an incredible array of colors and as they fall off the trees, create a soft, lush colorful carpet.
Halloween and Thanksgiving are here and can serve as wedding themes or be incorporated for a most unique personalized fall theme wedding.
Get creative, it’s your special day.
Following are ideas to help you plan a fall wedding.
WEDDING LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Following are traditional and not so traditional locations that will enhance your autumn wedding and make it unique and special.
Park
Bed and Breakfast
Country Inn
Winery
Ranch or on a farm,
Barn
Gazebo
Open Field
Orchard
Nature Preserve
Botanical Garden or in a private Garden
Wooded area
Riverbank or Lakeside
Or anywhere where nature presents its glorious backdrop.
ATTIRE
Bride and her attendants
Fall weather is unpredictable. It may get chilly so, consider heavier fabrics and at least some sleeve for the gown and dresses or top them with matching boleros, stoles or shawls that can, but do not have to be worn.
The wedding gown can be white, ivory, champagne or gold. The gown and or veil may show embroidered leaf motif or dainty gold embroidery. Bridesmaids may wear either the same color or to really represent the autumn theme, have each bridesmaid represent a different fall color. See Fall Colors List.
The bride may wish to wear a fall theme garter and carry a matching hankie.
Bridesmaids and flower girl will look great adorning garlands of fall flowers and leaves.
The groom and his attendants
To reflect the season, the men and boys could wear tan, beige and brown attire instead of the white, black or dark blue. Their ties should be of fall colors matching the bridesmaids dresses and their boutonnière should be a fall flower.
FALL COLORS
white, ivory, champagne, muted gold, tan, beige, various browns, hunter green, burnt orange, rust red, deep red, burgundy, cranberry, wine, navy blue, sky blue, eggplant purple, pewter, silver, pale yellow, pumpkin and orange.
INVITATIONS AND STATIONERY
Accent your invitations and wedding stationery with your chosen fall color.
If you print your own, you may add fall graphics such as leaves, acorns, fall flowers, seasonal fruit, or a horn of plenty. If you purchase fall theme print your own invitations, fall theme is available.
Cut the place cards to look like a fall theme item leaves, pumpkin, turkey siluettes etc…
FLOWERS
Chrysanthemums, roses, daisies, dahlias, lilies, yarrow, orchids, hydrangeas, sunflowers, baby breath, fall leaves, tallow berries, natural or dried wheat.
CEREMONY
Decorate the ceremony site with fall flowers.
Instead of rose petals, fill the flower basket with colorful fall leaves.
Make pew bows from ribbons in your wedding colors and embellish them with fall silk flowers, leaves, fruit, wheat, Indian corn etc…
RECEPTION
Tables
Instead of numbering your tables, name them. For example:
Fall, Autumn, Acorn, Horn of plenty, Cornucopia, Maple, Oak, Apple, Pear, Pumpkin, Cranberry etc…
To add more interest and make it easier to remember give your table addresses. Just add Circle or Square depending on the shape of your tables and you send your guests to Fall Circle or Autumn Square etc…
Use fall color linens.
Ideas for Centerpieces
Before placing a centerpiece, you may strew fall leaves on the reception tables and on the cake tale.
Place A Horn of plenty, a basket or a hollowed pumpkin lined with fall leaves or popcorn and filled with fall fruit, berries, nuts, gourds, mini-pumpkins and-or acorns as your centerpiece.
Pumpkin Ice Sculpture
Carve out the inside of pumpkins and place candles in them. If you plan a buffet, you may line hollowed pumpkins with foil and using them as serving dishes.
Fall floral arrangements in a straw basket or hollowed pumpkin.
Place 3 or 4 fall color candles of various sizes in hurricane lamps. The candles may be cinnamon, cranberry, spice or apple scented.
Place leaf or pumpkin shaped floating candles in a bowl, set it on a layer of fall leaves or straw.
Paint or spray mini pumpkins and gourds and group them together.
A real plant with real blooming flowers makes a great gift for guests. Chrysanthemums of many colors are pretty, very reasonably prices and you can get them everywhere; Wal Mart, Home Depot, Lowes, etc…
Display b bales of hay
If you have children, let them participate. Ask them to string cranberries, candies and popcorn and add them to your table decorations.
Display balloons in fall colors
Large chocolate or ice sculpture Turkeys
Favors
Fruit shaped candles
Favor boxes or bags filled with candy corn
Caramel Apples
The Perfect Pear items
Garden in a bag or box
Fall theme cookies
Fall theme chocolates
Fall theme lollypops
Maple candies
Reception Decorations
Fall theme ribbons and bows, garlands, paper lanterns or luminaries with amber light bulbs, balloons, chains of stringed popcorn, cranberries, candies, paper chains, bales of hay, ivy, garlands etc…
Accent the doorways and tables with tulle and ribbons in your wedding colors. Adhere leaves and silk flowers for inexpensive, elegant displays.
Cake
Decorate your cake with leaves, fall flowers, mini pumpkins, mini apples, marzipan fruit etc…
Flavors: Spice cake, pumpkin cake, dark chocolate cake, nut cake
Food items to consider
DRINKS: hot and cold Apple cider, Sparkling cider even add a bit of Rum
MAIN DISHES especially if close to Thanksgiving: Turkey, stuffing, corn, potatoes, cranberry sauce etc…
DESSERTS: Pumpkin pie, Apple pie, Pecan pie, fresh cheese plates with sliced apples.
FUN IDEAS
Hay rides, Horse and Buggy rides, blowing soap bubbles,
Throw leaves instead of rice, make is super fun.
Harvest the rewards of the season
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By Gail Leino
A party in the fall can easily take advantage of the autumn colors and atmosphere to accent the event, so why not also create fun and memorable fall party invitations.
The Fall Leaf Invitation is fun and you can create it for both children’s parties and adult’s. Your kids will love going outside to gather up the prettiest looking leaves for their invitations.
You’ll need:
• Colorful leaves
• Wax paper
• Iron
• Paper towels
• Cardstock
• Glue
Go outside and collect as many leaves as you need to have one leaf per invitation. When you have your specimens gathered prepare to iron them between the wax paper. The average invitation should be about four by six inches. Cut out two pieces of wax paper and one piece of cardstock per leaf.
When you have the Iron hot enough place the leaf between the two sheets of wax paper and iron them together. Be sure to place a sheet of paper towel on the top and bottom so that melted wax doesn’t soak into whatever you are ironing on. Once you have each of your leaves ironed into their respective wax paper sheets you can begin attaching them to the cardstock.
Cut out enough pieces of cardstock for each of your wax paper sheets. These should also be four by six inches. Carefully lay out a continuous bead of glue along the outside rim of the cardstock and line up one of the wax paper sheets on top of it. Press firmly and let dry. Once this is dry you have the perfect fall leave invitation. Write your invitation information on the back of the cardstock.
You can pick out a pretty colored cardstock to match your bright colorful fall leaves. The optimal colors would be more pastel versions of the vibrant reds, oranges, yellows and browns that you would normally see in your fall leaves.
Mrs. Party… Gail Leino is the internet’s leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies, using proper etiquette and manners while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. Party Invitations, free party activities, theme party tips to help complete your event.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gail_Leino
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By Cliff Calderwood
Fall foliage in New England really begins in August. The shortening daylight hours trigger the deciduous trees to begin the process of shedding their leaves. It happens all around North America, and all around the world.
But in New England it’s special.
Why is fall foliage in New England so different and special?
It’s a factor of many things but mostly an abundance of different types of deciduous trees, warm autumn days, and cool – but not freezing – nights. When these and a few other conditions are all mixed in the right proportions, then you get the world famous stunning shades of reds, yellows, oranges, and browns on the hills and mountain sides of New England.
Between mid-September to late-October, visitors flock to New England to see the fall foliage. These six scenic drives offer some of the best autumn views available from anywhere on the planet.
This is an introduction to a series of six articles that provide details and routes on each of these scenic drives.
FALL FOLIAGE SCENIC DRIVE – MOHAWK TRAIL MASSACHUSETTS
The most popular fall foliage scenic drives in Massachusetts are along the famous Mohawk Trail. This trail rolls out through the northwestern part of the state on route 2, and winds through the hills and mountains of the Berkshires, touching picturesque towns like Williamstown, Deerfield, Shelbourne, Colrain, Charlemont, and Shelburne Falls.
Mount Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts, offers spectacular views of the surrounding area and Mohawk Trail.
FALL FOLIAGE SCENIC DRIVE – KANCAMAGUS HIGHWAY NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire has many scenic drives in the White Mountain National Forest but at the top of the list has to be the 34-mile Kancamagus Scenic Highway that runs along route 112 from Conway to White Mountains Visitor Center in Lincoln. This drive is considered by many to be the top fall foliage New England scenic drive. It has beautiful forests ablaze with autumn colors and plenty of photo opportunities with walks along gorges and streams, and with views of the highest mountains in the Presidential Range.
FALL FOLIAGE SCENIC DRIVE – CENTRAL VERMONT AREA
In Vermont nature planted all the high peaks in the south – although the North Kingdom has great color as well. But arguably Vermont’s best loved fall foliage drive is in the Central Vermont area, around Killington, and the towns and highways of Woodstock, Rutland and Ludlow. This is deep in The Green Mountain National Forest area, and not surprisingly offers spectacular fall foliage color and scenery.
FALL FOLIAGE SCENIC DRIVE – LAKES AND LEAVES MAINE
Parts of Maine are the first to display peak fall foliage color in New England. With Maine’s many driving loops to choose from, it’s difficult to single out one. But the Lakes and Leaves drive that touches the shores of Moosehead Lake on Route 15 before heading south on route 201 is ever popular. You’ll see unparalleled fall foliage views of the tree-lined banks of the Kennebec River, and the surrounding mountains on this Maine Scenic Highway.
FALL FOLIAGE SCENIC DRIVE – RHODE ISLAND COAST
Fall vacationers in Rhode Island have open roads and coastal drives to satisfy their leaf peeping. The 61-mile Rhode Island Coast Scenic Drive follows the coastline east from Westerly before turning north along Narragansett Bay, and eventually over Newport Bridge on route 138. The drive finishes over the breathtaking Ocean Drive in historic Newport. A pleasant seaside twist to a fall foliage drive.
FALL FOLIAGE SCENIC DRIVE – CONNECTICUT ROUTE 169
Not to be outdone during fall foliage the state of Connecticut has in its own little corner of popular autumn leaf spotting sites, with some of the most stunning scenic drives being on Route 169 in the glacial plains which are part of Quinebaug River bottomlands.
Are you ready for more details? Then look for the other articles in this series. Or if you can’t wait you can pick up the complete scenic drive free report containing these and other New England scenic drives, along with detailed route coverage and attractions, at his New England vacations site.
http://www.new-england-vacations-guide.com/travel-report.html
http://www.new-england-vacations-guide.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cliff_Calderwood
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By Rachel Paxton
Fall is a great time for kids to do fall crafts. Leaf collages are easy to make and can provide hours of fall fun. Kids enjoy looking for the leaves as well as using the leaves to create their creative collages.
Here’s what you need for this fun fall craft project:
Fall leaves
Ornamental grasses
Flower petals
Waxed paper
Old crayons
Old cheese grater
Newspaper
Iron
This project can be done on two different days. One afternoon can be spent outside looking for different colored leaves, pretty ornamental grasses, and interesting flower petals. After the kids have a good collection, have them lay everything out on some newspapers to dry.
On a rainy day when there’s nothing else to do or maybe on Thanksgiving Day while you’re waiting for dinner to be ready, bring out the dried leaves and grasses to create the leaf collage.
Start by choosing the size of the collage. Tear off two pieces of waxed paper to the desired size. You will be pressing the leaves between the sheets of waxed paper.
You will be using crayon shavings to get the sheets of waxed paper to stick together. This also adds some color to the collages. Choose some old crayons in a variety of fall colors and use the old cheese grater to get some shavings from the crayons.
Working on a piece of newspaper, lay one sheet of waxed paper down and arrange the leaves, grasses, and flowers as desired. Sprinkle crayon shavings all over the sheet of waxed paper, so that when you iron the sheets together, they will completely stick together.
Next use the iron to press the two sheets of waxed paper together. Unless you’re using an old iron, you should use a thin cloth between the waxed paper and the iron, or you might get crayon shavings on your iron, which will transfer onto the next thing you iron…believe me, I know!
That’s it! These leaf collages look great hanging in a window as a pretty fall decoration. You could also hang them on the refrigerator, frame them, or even use them as placemats.
Photo of finished project: www.crafty-moms.com/fall-leaf-collage.shtml
Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, organizing tips, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rachel_Paxton
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By Michael Russell
Paper Scarecrow: For this craft project you will need paper, a pencil, glue, scissors, googly eyes, raffia or straw and markers, crayons, colored pencils, or craft paint. Draw and cut out an outline of a scarecrow. Draw and cut out clothes for the scarecrow, such as a straw hat, overalls, shoes and a shirt. Color the clothes with the markers, crayons, colored pencils, or craft paint. Attach the clothes to the scarecrow with glue. Glue the straw or raffia on the scarecrow so it looks like it is coming out of the clothing. Make a face for the scarecrow using googly eyes and colored paper for the nose and mouth.
Leaf Rubbing: Gather a real leaf, a piece of white paper and crayons to do this craft project. Go outside and get a nice looking leaf. Make sure the leaf is dry. Place it on a tabletop and cover it with the white paper. Take the paper off a crayon and lay the crayon flat on the piece of paper. Rub the crayon across the surface of the paper and the leaf will come through onto the page. Sticks, moss and other outdoor items can also be used to make interesting rubbings.
Leaf Garland: To make this craft you will need colored paper, scissors, glue, tape, or a stapler, yarn and crayons, markers, or colored pencils. Draw and cut out leafs in many shapes and colors. Draw veins on the leaves. The leaves should all have long, thick stems. Fold the stems in half. Cut a long piece of yarn. Put folded edge of stem over the yarn. Attach leaves to yarn with glue, tape, or a stapler.
Leaf Picture Frame Magnet: Supplies needed for this craft project are a pencil, colored card stock, scissors, tape, a picture and a magnet sheet. Draw and cut of a large leaf out of your card stock. Cut a circle in the center of the leaf. Place the picture behind the leaf so that it is centered in the circle. Attach the picture with tape once it is properly aligned. Cut a small piece of magnet off the magnet sheet and glue on the back of the leaf.
Fall Leaf Painting: For this craft project you will need a real leaf, a piece of paper, paint brushes and craft paint or watercolors. Making sure the leaf is dry, lay it down on the piece of paper. Use craft paint or watercolors to paint around the border of the leaf. Pull leaf off the paper. The leaf can be filled in with paint or can be kept as an outline.
Fall Leaf Place Mat: To make these decorative place mats you will need a roll of clear contact paper, scissors, real fall leaves, waxed paper and a large book. Find some nice fall leaves outside. Make sure the leaves are dry. Put the leaves between two sheets of waxed paper and place them in the large book to be flattened. After the leaves are completely flattened, take them out of the book. Cut two place mat sized sheets out of the contact paper. Peel the backing off one of the sheets and place it sticky side up on the table. Place the leaves on the contact paper. Peel the backing off the other piece of contact paper and carefully place it on the other piece of contact paper so that the sticky sides are together. Trim any edges that are not lined up perfectly.
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Crafts
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell
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By Geoff Bryant
As the weather cools in late summer and the days shorten noticeably so the deciduous trees and shrubs begin to withdraw chlorophyll from their leaves in preparation for the winter shutdown. With less of that vital green pigment to mask them, the other colours within the leaves begin to show through. While the best of the autumn color may be over for this year, the coming winter months are the time to consider how best to prepare for next years autumn glory.
When it comes to the most vibrant tones, the genus Acer, the maples, includes many sterling contributors. Most of the 150-odd species of maples are deciduous trees, though some are shrubby and a few are evergreen. Acer is primarily a temperate northern hemisphere genus, ranging from around 59°N southwards to the mountains of the subtropics. With the exception of a few Eurasian species, principally the Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) and the Sycamore Maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), most of our garden maples are derived from Asian and North American species.
Maples do flower, but apart from a few with showy tassel-like blooms, most are grown solely as foliage plants, And while the thrust of this article is about autumn colour, many of the best autumn maples are also excellent spring and summer foliage plants.
Of course, getting good autumn colours depends greatly on the climate and the shades vary from year to year even in districts known for their autumn foliage. Generally the best colours develop during a prolonged autumn with warm, still days and cool but not freezing nights. Soon after the first frosts strike the last leaves fall.
Although most maples colour to some extent in autumn, the following species and their cultivars are readily available and among the brightest and most reliable.
Acer buergerianum
Trident Maple
This 10-12 m tall, round-headed tree eastern China and Japan gets its common name from the leaves, which usually have three lobes. The leaves are small and primarily red in autumn, with tints of orange and yellow.
Acer cappadocicum
Caucasian Maple
Found from the Caucasus to northern India, broad-crowned, 15-20m tall tree is best known for its bright golden yellow autumn foliage. Cultivars include ‘Aureum’, with yellow foliage in spring and autumn, and ‘Rubrum’, which has bright red young stems and spring leaves.
Acer davidii
Snakebark Maple
Best known for its white-striped and flecked green to purple bark, this 15 m tall Chinese species has 3-lobed or unlobed leaves that often colour brilliantly in red, gold and orange tones before falling. ‘George Forrest’ is a large-leaved cultivar.
Acer griseum
Paperbark Maple
Again, best known for its bark, which is warm brown and peeling, the foliage of this 5-10 m tall Chinese tree turns bright red in autumn. Because of the red-brown bark, the foliage colour can seem muted and is perhaps best seen at a distance where the colour of the whole tree can be appreciated.
Acer japonicum
Full-moon Maple
This slow-growing Japanese native is a small tree with tiered branches and 7-11-lobed leaves that can be almost round in some forms. The autumn colour is a combination of bright red and yellow on a green background. The Fernleaf Full-moon Maple, ‘Aconitifolium’, has very finely divided foliage reminiscent of aconite leaves.
The Golden Full-moon Maple (Acer japonicum var. aureum) has rounded lime green spring leaves that become yellow as they mature then turn golden and red in autumn. It is now more properly known as Acer shirasawanum ‘Aureum’.
Acer palmatum
Japanese Maple
Everyone knows the beautiful Japanese maple with its seemingly endless range of cultivars in every imaginable leaf shape and colour. Originally found in Japan and Korea, it has been highly refined and developed by both Japanese and Western gardeners.
Regardless of its preference for cool, humid conditions and a tendency to develop die-back, the Japanese maple is nearly everyone’s favourite small tree. The autumn foliage colour of the purple- or red-leaved forms is usually just a more intense shade of the summer colour, while those with green to pale gold leaves develop shades of red, orange, gold and yellow.
For autumn colour consider: ‘Bloodgood’, deep red; ‘Aureum’, deep gold; ‘Beni Kagami’, bright red; ‘Hessei’, red; ‘Dissectum’, bright orange; ‘Dissectum Atropurpureum’, red; ‘Linearilobum Atropurpureum’, bronze; and ‘Linearilobum Rubrum’ bright red.
Acer platanoides
Norway Maple
Found from northern Europe to the Caucasus, the Norway maple is a strong-trunked, round-headed tree to 30 m tall, with 5-lobed leaves up to 18 cm wide. While the species has deep green leaves that rarely develop much colour before turning brown and falling, some of the cultivars offer brighter hues. ‘Schwedleri’, in particular, is a purple-green form that often reddens intensely in autumn. ‘Goldsworth Purple’ can develop similar tones.
Acer rubrum
Red, Scarlet or Swamp Maple
Native to the eastern United States, this fast-growing 20 m tall tree has 3-5-lobed leaves up to 10 cm wide that colour well in the autumn, developing intense red and gold tones. This species is occasionally tapped for its syrup. ‘Columnare’ is a broadly columnar cultivar, not to be confused with A. platanoides ‘Columnare’. ‘Red Sunset’ has particularly good autumn foliage.
Acer saccharinum
Silver Maple
Often confused with the sugar maple because of their similar botanical names, the Silver Maple is found over much of eastern North America, grows quickly to around 40m tall and has an open crown. Its large leaves have silvery undersides and are red, orange or gold in autumn.
Acer saccharum
Sugar Maple
This species, widespread in North America, is both a timber tree and the source of maple syrup, which makes it the most commercially important maple. As it was the pattern for the maple leaf on the Canadian flag you might think it would have red autumn leaves. Well, sometimes it does, but it is very variable; sometimes red, other years orange, gold or combinations of colours.
Acer tataricum
Tatarian Maple
Found over much of the temperate northern hemisphere outside Europe, this 10m tall tree has rounded, toothed leaves that turn vivid shades of yellow, orange and red in autumn. The Amur Maple (Acer tataricum ssp. ginnala), from Siberia, northern China and northern Japan, is shrubby, extremely tolerant of wind and cold and has red autumn foliage. It used to be classified as Acer ginnala, and is often still sold under that name.
Cultivation tips
Except for a few species, maples are generally very hardy. They prefer a deep, well-drained, fertile soil with plenty of humus. For the best autumn tones plant in a sunny position but try to provide good wind protection, at least for young plants and Japanese maples, or the foliage may burn or fall before it has a chance to colour well.
Maples respond well to light winter pruning when young and are best shaped to a fairly round crown on a sturdy trunk. Some, such as Acer palmatum, tend to be fairly shrubby with low forking and these are best left to develop naturally.
Even though the exact autumn shades are difficult to predict and will vary from year to year, you won’t go far wrong with maples. They’re beautiful enough in any season to forgive them their vagaries.
Did you know?
It takes around 43 litres of Acer saccharum sap to produce 1 litre of maple syrup. A good sized sugar maple yields around 50 litres of sap and during the processing into syrup the sugar concentration rises from 2% to 66%. No wonder it’s so sweet, but what a flavour!
I am a garden book author and horticultural photographer based in Christchurch, New Zealand. I run a stock photo library called Country, Farm and Garden (http://www.cfgphoto.com). This article may be re-published provided this information is published with it and is clearly visible.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Geoff_Bryant
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By Lesley Mattos
The dog days of summer have passed but Jack Frost isn’t nipping at your nose just yet! The days may be getting shorter, but there’s still plenty of time to plan a fantastic fall wedding!
Autumn colors are bold, vibrant, warm and inviting making fall time a perfect theme for the beginning of your marriage adventure. By scheduling your wedding at this time of year you’ll reap the benefits of off-season planning and no extreme weather.
Here Are 5 Fall Wedding Ideas I Harvested to Help You Plan for Your Special Day:
1. Customize your Fall Wedding with Polaroid Instant Photo Guest Books
Capture every moment of your wedding day with Polaroid instant pictures and hand-written sentiments from your guests! Instant photo guest books, like Adesso’s Polaroid Instant Photo guest book, buck the digital trend.
When they’re combined with notes from all your friends and family, the instant photo guest book becomes a valued keepsake filled with memories that will last forever! Customize your autumn-themed wedding photo guest book by using pens with gold, brown or rust-colored ink, and for added seasonal pizzazz, you can even trim the cover with ribbons in colorful fall shades.
Fall Wedding Idea: Choose a fall-colored instant photo guest book that will accompany your autumn-themed wedding colors!
2. Autumn in New York? Choose Your Fall Wedding Destination
Frank Sinatra and other singers have immortalized the romantic notion of autumn in the Big Apple. And the vivid changing colors of New England always come to mind when thinking about the season.
Many locations hit the spot just right for an autumn wedding: a country inn, an old church, a vineyard, a local park and that’s just to name a few! Is there a friend or family member whose big backyard has lots of trees? Remember, it’s not the setting itself. It’s the spirit you bring to the setting that makes your fall wedding so memorable you’ll want to capture it both in pictures and in word.
Fall Wedding Idea: If traveling out of town isn’t in your budget, you can transform any venue into a fall fantasy. Look in travel or bridal magazines for fall wedding ideas, and visit your local craft store to find faux flowers, foliage and other items to help with inspiration!
3. Set the Stage for Your Autumn Wedding
Autumn’s trademark colors can be incorporated easily into every part of your wedding décor. Instead of bright white, try a gown in raw silk or a subtle cream shade? Bridesmaids and your maid of honor can wear a bouquet of lush fall shades like gold, burgundy, hunter green or chocolate brown. Select complementary ties or vests for the groom, best man and groomsmen.
If the flower girl is going to sprinkle the aisle with rose petals, use dried flowers or autumn leaves instead. Depending on the time of day, you might be able to have the ceremony by candlelight. And don’t forge to decorate the reception tables with seasonally-colored linens, mini pumpkins, dried flowers, acorns and colorful gourds.
Fall Wedding Idea: Assign someone you can count on to take pictures of the festive table settings before the reception to include in your instant wedding photo guest book!
4. Plan Your Menu with Autumn Foods In Mind
Many delicious foods conjure up images of crisp autumn days and nights. For starters, greet guests with a glass of warmed, mulled cider spiked with something festive like Tuaca liquer from Tuscany! Nuts and dried fruits can be available for nibbling before and after the ceremony.
For your main course, there are the staples like a Thanksgiving dinner theme. Serve the turkey with all the trimmings or try roast chicken or Cornish hen with cranberry garnish. For more hearty fare, there’s prime rib. Or be creative and try a game bird like quail or pheasant. And you can even “spice” up the wedding cake by choosing carrot, pumpkin-flavored or spice cake. If it’s got to be chocolate, added seasonings will give it an extra flair.
Fall Wedding Idea: In addition to serving a traditional wedding cake, you can also offer your guests dessert treats like apple, pecan or pumpkin pie.
5. Pick Your Autumn Wedding Favors
Send your guests home with some of the “flavor” of your wedding by favoring them with autumn wedding favors such as sachets and potpourri in seasonal scents. If there’s a farm stand or local specialty shop in the area, give a jar of homemade jam, preserves or chutney. Scented fall-colored candles are sure to be appreciated and enjoyed.
And since your wedding is all about the future, you can give your guests something to look forward to: flower bulbs that will bloom next spring. When it’s time to wrap it all up, package the autumn-themed wedding favors in a fabric bag (muslin, burlap, calico-designed cotton) tied with a raffia bow.
Fall Wedding Idea: How about an autumn wedding favor that’s good enough to eat? Thanks to the Internet, it’s easy to order unique, custom-made sweets, like jelly beans in fall colors or personalized M&Ms.
Lesley Mattos, Founder of Adesso Albums helps brides and grooms all over the world capture their autumn wedding memories forever. Her Adesso Instant Wedding Photo Guest Book is the only guest book alternative that provides an instant memory of your wedding event in both pictures and words. Shop the complete photo guest book package – including Polaroid camera and film at: http://www.adessoalbums.com/shop.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lesley_Mattos
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There are some really easy crafts for kids. All they need are a few supplies like pipe cleaners, construction paper, toothpicks, macaroni and a few craft supplies.
Here is a list of some kids crafts that they will enjoy. Just let them use their creativity.
Pipe cleaner people Use different colored pipe cleaners and bend and twist them into shapes. They can make people, animals, buildings and whatever they can imagine. This is great when you have more than one child and they can make up a whole zoo or whatever they want to make.
You can either save them and put them on a cork board or set on a shelve or just untwist them so that they can be used again. This child’s craft can keep them busy and entertained.
Macaroni Necklaces This craft goes back many years but the kids never get tired of making them. Just string colored macaroni onto lengths of yarn. If your macaroni is not colored then let the kids paint them.
Paint with spongesYou can buy sponge figures or else make your own. Get some cheap sponges and cut them into any kind of shape you like. You can make triangles, circles, stars, half moons, or even animal shapes. Let the kids dip them into paint and press them onto paper. The long rolls of paper or construction paper are really nice for this craft.
Make your own puppets You can buy sheets of foam and any craft store. Cut out dogs, butterflies, snakes, fish or anything that the kids like. Glue them onto popsicle sticks or tongue depressors and then they can make their own puppet show.
Toothpick art This has been around for a long time and the schools even use to use it. You can use either miniature marshmallows or gumdrops and toothpicks. Insert the toothpicks into the gumdrops or marshmallows. Just keep adding marshmallows to make any shape they want. They can make buildings or bridges and any kind of shapes, like a star, or hexagon and make then as elaborate as they want.
Paper chains We use to do this one when we were kids. Cut strips of construction paper and either glue or staple them into circles. When you have one circle done, put another strip through and glue it. Just keep adding circles until you have it as long as you want it. A red and white chain looks very nice for Christmas, or you can use red and green. The kids loving doing this chain. They can even decorate the strips with paint or sparkles.
Headbands Cut construction paper into strips and make one to fit the child’s head. Then they can glue anything on them like feathers, buttons, ribbons made into bows, or any scraps of material. They could use the sponges from the craft above to decorate their head band.
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Here are 20 famous quotes on friendship inspiration. Some of these quotes are by famous personalities and philosophers and some from the Holy Bible.
• “A friend loves at all times.”
– The Bible: Proverbs 17, 17.
• One who looks for a friend without faults will have none.
– Hasidic Saying
• What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.
– Aristotle
• Remember, the greatest gift is not found in a store nor under a tree, but in the hearts of true friends.
– Cindy Lew
• We got friends to make up for our relatives
– Anonymous
• A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.
– Walter Winchell
• The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.
– Abraham Lincoln
• Friends are needed both for joy and for sorrow.
– Samuel Paterson
• Who finds a faithful friend, finds a treasure.
– Jewish Saying
• “A faithful friend is the medicine of life.”
– Apocrypha
• “The best mirror is an old friend.”
–George Herbert
• “A companion loves some agreeable qualities which a man may possess, but a friend loves the man himself.”
– James Boswell (1763)
• “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe unto him
that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.”
– The Bible: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10.
• “The rain may be falling hard outside,
But your smile makes it all alright.
I’m so glad that you’re my friend.
I know our friendship will never end.”
– Robert Alan
• A friend hears the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.
– Anonymous
• “The only way to have a friend is to be one.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
• A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway.
– Fr. Jerome Cummings
• Friendship is the golden thread that ties the heart of all the world.
– John Evelyn
• “Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow-ripening fruit.”
– Aristotle (4th century B.C.)
• “Friendship is a strong and habitual inclination in two persons to promote
the good and happiness of one another.”
– Eustace Budgell (1711)
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