Category: Marriage

Chocolate Wedding Favors

Providing chocolate as a wedding favor has been a time honored tradition for many centuries. The practice of distributing wedding favors began with the European upper classes, who had the wealth to provide elaborate gifts to their guests. Wedding favors began as small fancy boxes known as a bonboniere. A bonboniere was fashioned of crystal, porcelain or gold and were often encrusted with precious stones. The boxes were meant to hold bonbons or other confectionery delicacies, at a time when sugar was quite expensive and believed to have medicinal benefits.

Confectioneries, primarily chocolates, have continued to be a favorite wedding favor. Variations on the classic bonboniere have continued throughout the ages. Elaborate wedding favor boxes are produced from porcelain, crystal, stainless steel or pewter. Designs available from each medium vary extensively to accommodate any personal taste or wedding theme. The most affordable boxes are fashioned from white chipboard, which may have a solid color or be printed to reflect traditional wedding themes. More elaborate boxes have a foil laminate exterior and include embossed designs. Whatever the box design, they are intended to hide a secret gift of decadence inside.

The rich, smooth texture of chocolate truffles have made them an delicate token of appreciation. The elegant simplicity of a single truffle or a cluster of three, is sufficient for a sophisticated wedding favor. Truffles are affordable and easy to find at online suppliers or local candy shops.

A trend in chocolate wedding favors, has been the creation of unique labels for otherwise ordinary chocolate bars. “Branding” the bar with an unique label creates a personal statement from the bride and groom. Smaller chocolate companies that specialize in providing personalized chocolate, can create a mold that will appear to be engraved with a sentiment from the couple. Many of these same companies carry stock molds for wedding themed chocolate bars and coins. They are able to produce chocolate pops and three dimensional chocolate confections that resemble traditional wedding themes, as well as the bride and groom cake topper. The molded candies are produced from white, milk or dark chocolate. Couples can select to have the molded chocolates hand painted with edible gold and silver finishes.

A simple, fun and inexpensive chocolate wedding favor is created by filling unique, clear containers with candy coated chocolates. The popular coated chocolates can be purchased in bulk and are made in a wide range of pastels that complement any wedding color scheme. The choice of clear container includes a variety of items such as glass jars, clear boxes, organza bags and plastic tubes to make a delightful wedding favor.

The thought devoted to combining the choice of chocolate and a distinctive container, allows for the continuation of chocolate as a legendary wedding favor. The versatility of chocolate, enables a couple show appreciation to their wedding guests in a variety of ways, while delighting their guest without great expense.

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate-the drink of the Gods, has forever been man’s sinful indulgence. Chocolate comes in many shapes and sizes, and it’s used for many recipes, but none surpasses the chocolate cake – first place in popularity.

A chocolate cake can be made from any type of chocolate. It can be made from plain, dark chocolate or “bitter” chocolate that contains little or no added sugar. Cakes can be made from white chocolate, which tastes sweet and is very rich and smooth, almost with a melt-in-your-mouth quality. Cakes made with organic chocolate win hands down for they contain a very high percentage of cocoa solids. However, this type of chocolate is very expensive.

Innovation is the buzzword in chocolate circles now and along with chocolate you will find varied other ingredients added to the cake to woo your taste buds. There is the chocolate and orange angel cake, the tangy cinnamon cake, the hot spicy chocolate ginger crunch cake made with ginger syrup and chocolate cake topped with a mildly tempering Banana Sauce to name a few. In fact, it seems that almost everything that is palatable in the kitchen can be used as a flavoring in chocolate cakes. Hazelnut is great in chocolate cake and is beetroot (used in chocolate layer cakes), redcurrant torte chocolate cake is fabulous and baked chocoate and rasin cheese cake.

Chocolate cakes come with vast array of toppings and decorations. Since chocolate cake by nature has a rich taste, the toppings are deliberately kept light. You can have dates, almonds, honey toppings, fruit sauces or you can have decorations made with chocolate. You can peel off chocolate curls, scoop off chocolate balls or create designs with contrasting colored melted chocolate. When it comes to decorating with chocolate, the “Covertures” type chocolate with a glossy finish is the choice of many. There are plenty of options when it comes to decorating with chocolate. Anything made with chocolate is sinfully delicious.

Cheap Wedding Favors

Planning a wedding of any size or budget can have numerous items that may be quite costly. In addition to planning for the dress and cake, a bride will want to spend thought considering the wedding favors for her guests. These small tokens of appreciation don’t have to be expensive. Frequently, the most enjoyable part of planning a wedding, is the selection of the wedding favor. Preparation for right the token at the least possible cost adds to the fun, allowing the bride a chance to tap into creative talents.

The practice of providing gifts to the guests of weddings began with European aristocrats who would endow guests with a fancy box called a bonboniere, named for the bonbons that it would protect. A bonboniere was crafted of crystal, porcelain or gold and could be encrusted with precious stones. Today these gifts for the guests, are known as wedding favors and is a tradition that has continued worldwide since the sixteenth century. A common belief of many cultures worldwide was, that the wedding couple was the focus of benevolent spirits who brought good luck. They believed that the same auspicious luck could be passed on to anything they touched. Betrothed couples would give small items to others in the village to share same good luck, that was expected to last a year.

For more than a thousand years, almonds were a common gift given to the wedding couple, signifying the good wishes on their new life together. Brides would choose to pass on those same good wishes to others by preparing a small gift of the almonds, beautifully wrapped in elegant fabric. The custom in the Middle East is for the bride to make a gift of five almonds to represent fertility, longevity, wealth, health and happiness. In the thirteenth century the trend of coating almonds in sugar became popular. Today the candy coated nuts are pastel adorned treats, known as Jordan almonds and remain a staple of many wedding celebrations. Jordan almonds provide one of the most common and inexpensive wedding favors when wrapped by delicate fabric to form small bundles tied with ribbon.

Wedding favors are typically presented to guests at the reception table, but can be distributed at the end of an informal gathering of coffee and cake. Brides have learned be very creative when it comes to selecting wedding favors that won’t go over budget, and still honor all of her guests. The trends may vary each year, but the favors a bride selects are never out of fashion. Recent favorites have included flower seeds packaged in transparent, frosted envelopes with a small sentimental card attached with a ribbon commemorating the event. Decorative candles tied with a delicate ribbon are another great item to show sentiment and many can be purchased for about one dollar. Custom designed bookmarks with personalized sentiments can be cherished by guests for a lifetime. Today’s desktop publishing software and quality papers greatly reduce the cost compared to the costs of using a professional printer.

The art of presenting wedding favors, provides unlimited possibilities for a couple to express gratitude to guests for being present at the event. Wedding favors serve a dual purpose of allowing the bride to express herself emotionally or creatively and can be chosen to provide décor to the reception table. The selection of inexpensive favors doesn’t have to compromise quality or elegance. Simple placecards in small decorative frames or placecard holders will make a lasting gift selection. Frames and placecard holders can be made with a variety of materials from ceramic to stainless steel, for about a dollar each. Decorative candles, soaps and cookies are easily found in a variety of shapes from cupids to wedding cakes. Stylish bottle stoppers and bottle openers are available in a variety of shapes and crafted in frosted glass or stainless steel.

If a bride is open minded to a wide range of gift items when shopping, it’s possible to find excellent prices on bulk purchases, or closeouts from retailers that specialize in wedding paraphernalia. Avoid having gifts engraved or personalized, as that will greatly drive the prices up. If it is desired to personalize an item, consider custom designed labels for chocolates, coffee or packages of tea assortments. Although prices for private labeled chocolate bars can be about $2.00 each, a bride or her friends can design and print unique labels with a home computer. Candy bars can be picked up at the local grocery for as little as a quarter each or bought in bulk from a club store.

The presentation of wedding favors is a time honored tradition and provides the bridegroom couple with an excellent means to share feelings with those they care about. Wedding favors continue to be one element of the wedding, where presentation and imagination have a greater value than the price of the item.

Cheap Las Vegas Weddings

Imagine the cheapest wedding you’d like. You have to pay the $55.00 fee for the marriage license and you have to pay someone to perform the service. Then there’s the witness who must be present at the ceremony. And you have to perform the service somewhere, although it doesn’t have to be lavish. There are many places in and around Las Vegas that will perform the service and provide the witness for as little as $40.00. And they’ll even throw in a CD in the background featuring traditional wedding music.

You get there on your own, present your paid license and in a few short moments you’ll be in front of a person licensed to perform wedding services in Las Vegas that are recognized around the world. Not exactly the wedding of your dreams but for $40.00 and the price of the license what did you expect. Go for another $60.00 and they’ll throw in a limousine ride back to your hotel, a few photos taken with a disposable film camera that you’ll get developed on your own, a bouquet of flowers and a boutonnière for the groom.

It really doesn’t get any cheaper than that and you’ll have more than just your memory of the event to take home and share with friends and family. Getting married on the cheap in any other city but Las Vegas would be, well, tacky. But cheap Las Vegas weddings have been turned into an art form, unequaled in any other city in the world. Anybody can spend a lot of money, but doing a fun wedding and reception on the cheap shows real talent!

Cheap Divorce Lawyers

Divorce lawyers are usually those lawyers that deal with the family law. They are specialized in all areas of family matters and can provide sound legal counsel when approached. It is usual (as well as safer) for both parties to use different divorce lawyers to deal with the proceedings.

Checking through the yellow pages would produce quite a list of lawyers practicing family law. However, the best kinds are divorce lawyers who are most well known by word of mouth. Browsing the Internet is another option to look for a good divorce lawyer. Many websites help customers locate a good practicing family law lawyer in a specific area. Of course, locating a divorce lawyer through the state bar association is an always available method for those looking for accredited lawyers working for the government.

Available online is a lot of information regarding the divorce proceedings. This can be of a big help if either party is looking for a cheap divorce. It is possible to get cheap divorce if there is no contest from either party or no other litigation with regards to child custody, and things like property rights. Knowing all the rules and divorce laws can reduce the lawyer expenses while ensuring uncomplicated settlement between both the parties as per the state divorce laws. All such information is available online and can be retrieved with minimum effort. Online lawyers are available to help in cases where an online divorce service is entertained due to lower cost. Paperwork obviously is minimal since everything is online and the best part is that it’s all completely legal!

It is important to note that cheap online divorces are only suitable for those who wish to separate without any lingering issues pending between them. No-fault divorces are usually considered cheaper. A ‘no fault’ divorce happens when both parties agree to separate peacefully.

Available online are websites that work as referral services to a number of lawyers willing to work cheap. Most of these websites provide free forms to start the divorce proceedings along with legal support at a considerably low cost. However, cheap divorces are not for those who require a lot of settlements prior to the dissolution of the marriage such as property, settlements, children, and pet custody. This is important to note since divorce decrees are final and cannot be reopened or changed at a later stage.

Gifts For Men

Birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas are just some occasions when gifts for men are required. There are hundreds of gifts out there, but men can be picky so do your homework and give him a gift that he’ll appreciate.

Electronic gadgets are big in a man’s life. He’d surely appreciate any one of a number of gadgets including cameras, DVD and MP3 players, camcorders, computers, electronic organizers, cell phones, stereos, etc. Sports items are another sure winner when thinking of a gift for the sports buff on your list. Instead of a football, give him tickets to his favorite team’s playoff game. Instead of a tennis racket, present him with tickets to Wimbledon. If these gifts are a little too much, a membership to a health club is thought. Home workout equipment is also an idea for those guys who like to exercise at home. If he’s a runner, an electronic pedometer, running shoes or a Walkman make an excellent gift.

If you’re shopping for a corporate gift for a co-worker or friend, pens, calculators, desk sets, briefcases and portfolios are always appreciated. And, if you don’t have a clue, there’s always the old standby – the gift certificate. It can either be specific to a certain store, or you can purchase them on the Internet or local malls that are good for hundreds of shops. You can also ask the male representatives of the store where you are shopping whether this or that gift would be a good one for a man, and if not, what would.

Men’s Platinum Wedding Bands

Platinum is a rare, extremely long wearing, natural white luster metal. However, it can be used in its purest form when used in jewelry. Platinum does not require being rhodium plated like white gold. One advantage of platinum rings is that they can be cut-off the finger in the event of an emergency

Since platinum is a very dense, heavy metal, so a platinum ring is usually heavier than an 18ct gold ring. Platinum is also more durable than gold and so is more preferred for wedding bands. However, because of all these positive characteristics of platinum, it is significantly more expensive than gold, approximately twice the price of an 18ct white gold ring. Platinum provides an excellent backdrop for diamonds but is equally elegant alone. Most men prefer platinum wedding bands, if they can afford it, because of its streamlined beauty, and hypoallergenic proprieties.

Taking into account it’s rarity and cost, the selection of men’s platinum wedding rings is obviously smaller than the ranges available for gold and titanium rings.

Most men, when choosing a platinum wedding band, tend to opt for the simpler version, even though platinum allows for maximum versatility. A simple platinum men’s wedding band can be bought for as much as about $145 with no specific higher range. Most platinum rings are made on a thick extruded blank. It is suggested to ask the vendors to clearly display the thickness and the weigh of the rings. Platinum rings can be made with a comfort-fit also for more comfortable wearing. Platinum rings can be set with precious stones, like Rubies or Blue Sapphires, instead of diamonds, or a combination of precious stones and diamonds.

Cake Decorating

You have sifted the flour, beaten the eggs, softened the butter, mixed the ingredients, put it in the oven to bake – voila you have a beautiful cake. Now it time to decorate.

The first and obvious consideration before decorating is what occasion is the cake celebrating – if any at all. Let’s begin with a simple cake that is planned dessert for supper. A white or chocolate frosting is usually sufficient for a dessert cake. A basic frosting recipe contains butter, sugar, and water or milk. More liquid can be added if you are making a glaze. Different flavored extracts, fruit zest or juice, and chocolate are often added. The most important ingredient is sugar for it provides the sweetness and bulk. Butter comes next (sometimes shortening is substituted) and eggs. Egg whites can be used as well, but should be whipped in a mixing bowl to prevent peaks.

If the occasion is more elaborate like a wedding, anniversary, birthday or shower, you need to decide whether you want to use icing or frosting. There is a difference. Icing sounds more professional when talking about frosting. But the fact is, there is a difference. Frosting is stiffer and pipes well. It is considered creamier and softer than icing. Whatever you decide do not use inferior ingredients. Buy quality ingredients to guarantee your cake and topping is fresh, tender and delicious. You can make decorations like flowers ahead of time and put them in the freezer. Don’t look for shortcuts. You won’t be happy with the results. There are hundreds of books and online sites that can give you wonderful recipes for cake decorating. Treat your cake as a canvas and bake and decorate a piece of art.

Birthday Cake

It’s nice that people remember the day you were born. After all, it is a very special day. For most of us, there is always someone ready to throw a birthday party. Whether it be Mom and Dad, or darling husband or wife, or anyone else, one of the best treats on anyone’s birthday is a birthday cake with candles. Because what would a birthday be without a cake and candles for making a birthday wish?

Birthday cakes come in all shapes and sizes x96 round, square, layered, tiered, upside-down, and many, many more. They also come in some very unique shapes like trucks, babies, guitars, shoes, and so on. Birthday cakes can be just fun and simple or quite elegant and complex. They can be chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mocha, a mix of all of the above, or other flavors.

Theme cakes are very popular for children’s birthdays. Harry Potter’s, Hogwarts Castle, Barbie’s, Pegasus, and Sponge Bob and Patrick are in high demand at most parties these days. Chocolate cake seems to be the favorite, followed by the classic chiffon cake. Of course, any good host will top off the birthday cake with a heaping spoon of ice cream and sprinkles and lots of love and best wishes.

Even with all the streamers, the balloons, the presents, and so on, birthday cakes remain the centerpiece. More than anything else, the birthday cake with delightfully burning candles all round it and your name in icing on the top, remains the most enduring symbol of a birthday celebration.

Candle Wedding Favors

Candle wedding favors are one of the best wedding favors to be shared with the guests to commemorate a wedding. Giving candle wedding favors is an ideal way for the couple to renew the feelings of joy and togetherness with their guests. Candles usually have an important role in the wedding ceremonies and almost all wedding ceremonies include the lighting of at least one candle or two to symbolize the union between the newly wedded couple. Candle wedding favors remind the guests about the special moments of the ceremony for a long period of time.

There are many varieties of candle wedding favors available such as traditional votives and novel candle wedding favors in different shapes and sizes. Wedding favor candles are mainly available in attractive red rose or heart shapes to highlight a sense of romance in the air. Traditional couples often select classic pillar style candle wedding favors. There are candle wedding favors to match any theme and style of the weddings. These types of wedding favors are the best way to capture the symbolism of wedding ceremonies.

There are different types of wedding favor candles such as flip flop, coconut and ornament candles. Among these, flip flop and coconut candles are ideal for the summer weddings. Candle tins can also be personalized for any type of wedding ceremony. They are usually romantic, decorative, and cost effective. Because of the huge selection of sizes, styles, colors, designs, and scents, it is easy to fit the candles in any decorating theme. The candles and candle holders are usually selected to match the reception colors or shades of the couple’s favorite colors. Personalized votives and votive holders make the best guest favors.

Candle wedding favors provide high quality wedding favors and are considered the favorites for spreading the romance of your wedding. If you really feel like lighting someone’s fire, you can give them these wedding favors which are so perfect for thanking them also. There are also travel-friendly candle wedding favors which allow the guests for a little candlelight romance wherever they go.