EverAfter-Bridal Blog

The unity candle is a unique representation of joining two lives into one.  It is commonly used in indoor wedding ceremonies and consists of two taper candles with one larger candle in the middle.  During the ceremony, the bride and groom each take one of these taper candles and light the middle unity candle simultaneously representing that they now are “one”.

Unity candles can be purchased in many different gift shops, bridal stores and online for a sometimes a wider variety.  Most of the time they are sold as sets of three or in larger sets that include more candles.   Unities can often be monogrammed with the bride and groom initials, names and/or date of wedding.  Often a Bible verse or other verses come on the unity.

For those not looking for a monogram unity, you can find many styles to fit your wedding ceremony style.  Unities and tapers are often carved with designs such as calla lily flowers, swirls and many others.  Other themes include: seashells, satin bows, flowers, pearls and many more.

Unity candle holders come as bases with  three piece holders for unity and tapers.  These can be found in an abundance of themes such as: hearts, carved ceramic flowers, fairy-tale horses with carriage, doves, couples and glass designs.

You have a beautiful cake prepared for your wedding and what better way to show it off than to have a delightful cake top.  Today, there are hundreds of different styles of cake toppers to choose from and not all of them have to cost very much.

Fresh flowers make an elegant topper and add decorations to each tier as well.  You can ask your florist for ideas and photos of how you would like your cake to look and that will fit within your budget.  Your florist will also be able to give you an idea which flowers will be all right to placed on the cake as some flowers can be toxic.

Alot of people choose to use a combination of fresh flowers and add their own cake top.  There are many different style themes in ceramic or blown glass including bride and groom figurines, hearts, cherubs, castles and many more designs.

Monogram letters are becoming a popular alternative for cake tops.  These monogrammed letters are usually made of plastic silver or white finish and include a letter representing the couples’ first and last name.  There are monogram toppers that come silver plated and with authentic crystals for an even more upscale look.

Bridal accessories are the small essential items that the bride will be requiring on her wedding day.  Here are a some accessories that may help the bride-to-be:

Garters - The garter has been worn by brides during the wedding ceremony and used after for the garter toss tradition.  Some brides choose their garter in a blue color for “something blue” and others purchase a separate garter used for tossing.

Purse - While having a purse isn’t necessarily essential for a bride, it can be helpful if you need to carry items that may come in handy such as lipstick, makeup, brush, handkerchief and many other small items.

Shoes and jewelry - Brides can purchase wedding shoes from bridal shops, on the internet and shoe stores.  You may want to choose a shoe pattern similar to your gown and many bridal shoes can be dyed to match difficult colors.  The decision on how much jewelry to wear depends on the taste of the individual and how formal the gown.  Most brides do wear a necklace and earring set while some add additional bracelets and hair jewelry.

If your looking for a unique item for your guests to sign for your wedding, you will want to include a guest book. Guest books give your guests the opportunity to sign their names as well as write something memorable for the bride and groom on their special day.

You can find many different unique styles of guest books and many to the theme of your wedding. Many designs today include seashells, floral patterns, silk flowers, ribbons, butterflies and many more. Most guest books come with matching pen holder set and some may have the option to be monogrammed with names and date of wedding.

There are some other unique options for your guests to sign at your wedding. One is a guest book plate. This is an oval or round plate you can purchase from bridal stores that comes with a permanent black marker specially designed to write on porcelain. These also make unique gifts and can be used for anniversaries and other parties. Do you have a favorite photo of you and your fiancee? There are guest book frames you can purchase that come with surrounding mat for picture that guests can write on then later you can put under glass and frame.

For years couples have been using wedding flutes or glasses to toast with on their wedding day.  They are often used as a champagne toast to the bride and groom and can be purchased in a variety of styles to your liking.

Toasting glasses or flutes are generally made of glass, lead crystal or silver and most can be engraved with the bride and groom’s names and date of wedding.  You may choose to decorate the stems with silk ribbon, fresh flowers or charms.  Toasting glasses often come with matching cake server sets that can be purchased additionally.

You may want to look out for toasting glasses designed in the theme for your wedding.  For instance if you are having a beach or nautical wedding, some goblets come with seashell designed bases.  If your wedding flowers are your theme, you can find some unique calla lily or rose designed bases.  Also, keep an eye out for wedding accessory kits which can include matching items such as toasting glasses, cake server sets, guest book, pen, garters and ring pillows.