Bar Candy edible glasses are made from the highest quality Belgian chocolate. Whether you choose to use Bar Candy for champagne (most popular), or use them for specialty cocktails, Bar Candy will prove to be a hit at your event. Imagine the look on your guest’s faces, when they realize their glass is edible? And not just edible, but mess free! We’ve all seen the chocolate fountain, the cupcakes, and the mini desserts. Bar Candy is not just a dessert or cocktail, it is an experience.

For more information , visit their webstie at  www.bar-candy.com

House Bill 2685 increased the marriage license fee to $60 in 2008. However, the fee will be waived for couples who complete an eight-hour premarital class, and those couples can forgo the 72-hour waiting period to get married. Counties may continue to charge up to $12 in local fees for a marriage license.

HHSC is running a billboard campaign throughout August to raise awareness of the new law and the marriage education classes. The agency also has contracts with community-based organizations that are working to build a network of classes across the state that meet the requirements for the marriage license discount.

The state’s initiative, called “Twogether in Texas,” promotes free marriage education classes that provide eight hours of training on communication skills, conflict resolution and other elements of a healthy marriage. Couples can find classes all over Texas by calling 2-1-1.

In Southeast Texas, couples can contact:
George Iles
Project Director
Family Service of Southeast Texas
3550 Fannin, Beaumont, Texas 77701
409-833-2668
giles@WeStrengthenFamilies.org
COUNTIES SERVED: Angelina, Hardin, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson , Nacogdoches,
Newton, Orange, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Tyler, Trinity

A couple who complete a class will receive a certificate that they can take to their county clerk when they apply for their marriage license. The certificate is good for one year and serves as proof that the couple is eligible for the discounted marriage license fee.

If you’re planning your wedding, or helping someone special plan her own, here are some modern variations on the tradition:

Something old:
Something old represents the bride’s past. Personalize this tradition by incorporating a small memento from you and your fiance’s past together. Did you keep something from one of your favorite dates? Maybe you still have the ticket stub from the first concert you attended together, or the wine cork from your first date.

Brides are tucking these small items into their bouquets to bring them good luck. At a special moment during the evening, you can reveal the keepsake to your husband and remember just how far you’ve come as a couple.

Something new:
Scent creates powerful memories and brides today are taking notice. For your wedding, find a new fragrance that perfectly fits your special moment. For years to come, the fragrance will remind you and your husband of your wedding day.

A wedding calls for a memorable scent like twirl by kate spade new york, perfect for this joyous and festive occasion. A fresh floral bouquet mingles with pink watermelon and red currant, while luminous musks and a touch of French macaroon add that wink of surprise that will keep your husband-to-be enamored and your guests intrigued.

Something borrowed:
To inherit luck, tradition says that something borrowed should be from a person who has a happy marriage.

Thinking outside the box may mean that your something borrowed isn’t an actual item. Perhaps you want to honor your grandparents on your wedding and “borrow” parts of the vows they said so many years ago. Or maybe your best friend has a marriage philosophy you admire that you can print on the dessert napkins for all guests to enjoy. Feeling musical? Ask your parents what song played during their first dance and surprise them by borrowing it for your own.

Something blue:
Looking for something fun for your guests to take home as a thank you token? Wrap up blue lollipops and or other blue candies in gift bags with a special note thanking them for being part of your special day.

The modern bride is always finding new ways to incorporate tradition into their wedding. Finding something that is personal and meaningful to both you and your husband to be will make your wedding day even more memorable.

“Brides are embracing color as another way to customize their weddings,” says Ray Miller of My Wedding Reception Ideas.com, a leading online resource for brides seeking unique wedding favors, wedding decorations and wedding supplies. “Customizing with color offers brides such a range of creativity. They can choose colors that honor their heritage, evoke the atmosphere of a specific place, or celebrate a memory or experience that is special to the wedding couple.”

If you’ll be saying your “I do’s” in 2011, Miller offers some advice for using color to help create the wedding of your dreams.

Tips for choosing a color

“When it comes to choosing colors for your wedding – whether it’s for accessories, table linens, bridesmaid gowns or even a wedding gown accent – the only unbreakable rule should be that you must love the colors you choose,” Miller says. Keep in mind, however, that different colors will create different moods and not all colors will feel like a good fit for your wedding depending upon where and when you have it.

For example, if your goal is to create a wedding that captures the fresh, innocent aura of spring, vibrant red table linens and ice-blue bridesmaids’ gowns will be in conflict with that atmosphere. “Certain colors are traditionally associated with each season,” Miller notes. “If you’re emphasizing a seasonal effect, keep in mind the colors that the natural world wears during that season.”

Colors that will be popular this spring and summer include hot pink, apple green, celadon, pine green, clementine orange and yellow. Heading into fall, look for amber, chestnut, dark tangerine and brick red. Winter weddings will sport colors ranging from Santa’s suit red and Christmas tree green to oyster gray, ice blue and pale purple.

Carrying it through

Once you’ve chosen your wedding colors, you’ll need to think about how you’ll use them – in both the ceremony and reception. Your creativity will serve you well here. Your wedding colors can be used in virtually every aspect of your big day, from the bridal bouquet and decor in the ceremony location, to table linens and accessories for the reception.

Accessory collections are an easy way to carry your chosen color throughout the wedding. For example, at My Wedding Reception Ideas.com, you’ll find accessory collections cataloged by color. These collections allow you to continue your color theme – whether it’s a traditional shell pink, a rich royal purple or even camouflage – with color-specific accessories such as flower girl baskets, ring bearer pillows, guestbooks and garters. What’s more, you can customize table linens and even guest favors using your chosen colors.

Wedding gowns and color

For decades in America, white and ivory have reigned when it comes to wedding gowns. However, the color trend that began last year with pops of color appearing on bridal fashion runways has continued in 2011. This year, brides have more options than ever if they’re looking to use color to make a personal statement with their wedding gown.

From gowns that feature beading and crystals in sparkling hues, to floral accents that capture a season’s signature colors, and even bodices or skirts in contrasting colors, bridal gowns in 2011 are going colorful.

If you’ve already chosen a traditional white or ivory gown, you can still dress it up with your wedding color. A simple sash or floral accent that matches your color theme will look great against the pure, fresh background of white. And if you haven’t yet chosen a gown, you may just discover one with a touch of color that can become the color theme for your entire wedding.

But how do you know how much to buy? Buy too little of any important item and you could run out, leaving guests hungry, thirsty and disappointed. Buy too much and you’ll waste money and be faced with the challenge of getting rid of leftovers.

The reception experts at My Wedding Reception Ideas.com, a leading online resource for brides seeking unique wedding favors, wedding decorations and wedding supplies, offer these tips for calculating how much you’ll need of key reception items:

Beverages

With all the dancing and celebrating they’ll be doing, your guests are sure to work up a thirst. It’s important to calculate the right amount of beverages to buy so you don’t run out. A good rule of thumb is to plan for one drink per person, per hour. You may need more or less depending upon the make-up of your crowd. Lots of kids? You’ll probably need less alcohol and more soft drinks. Plenty of adults who love a good party? You may need to adjust the amount of alcohol accordingly. Here are some averages to give you a starting point:

* Beer – Three to four beers per person.
* Champagne – Two glasses per person (mostly for the toasts).
* Wine – Three quarters of a bottle per person. One bottle of wine or champagne yields about six to seven glasses.
* Soft drinks – Three to four servings per person. A 2-liter bottle holds seven to nine drink servings.

It’s always good to err on the side of caution and order more than you think you will need – about a third more is standard. Check with your distributor before you order; some will allow you to return unopened bottles.

Food

If you’ll serve cocktails and hors d’oeuvres before the reception, limit this time to an hour or 90 minutes – you don’t want guests filling up before the main event. Estimate three hors d’oeuvres per person, per hour – roughly five per person for the entire time. If your reception will be a cocktail/hors d’oeuvres event without a sit-down dinner, increase your calculations to 12 pieces per guest. If you’re serving a sit-down dinner, one plate per person per course should be your starting point. You may choose to ask the kitchen/caterer to have some extras on hand in case anyone requests seconds or some last-minute guests arrive.

For the wedding cake, simply tell your baker how many guests will attend and they can recommend the size cake you’ll need. It’s good to estimate more servings than invited guests as some may want seconds or bring last-minute additions to the party. If you’ll serve desserts other than cake, estimate one to two servings per guest.

Napkins

Personalized or plain, linen or three-ply, wedding napkins are a wedding reception must-have item. It’s hard to imagine going overboard and having too many napkins, but it could happen – and if it does you may find yourself using those napkins at your first anniversary celebration. To ensure your napkin buying is on target with your needs, follow these guidelines:

* Two to three cocktail napkins per guest for the bar area.
* One cocktail-sized napkin per guest for the cake table.
* One and a half dinner or luncheon napkins per guest at the meal table if you won’t be using linen napkins. For example, if you’ll have 100 guests, plan for 150 dinner napkins.

Finally, favors

This one may seem obvious – one favor per guest. In reality, however, you need to allow for breakage (What if someone drops a box of favors on the way into the reception hall and several shatter?) and guests who may ask to take an extra favor home for a relative or friend who wasn’t able to attend. Increasing your favor purchase by just 10 percent won’t cost that much more, but could allow you to send guests home with an extra favor or two.

SETXWeddings: Wedding and receptions at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas? Tell us more!
The Art Museum of Southeast Texas: “Realizing its value as an important community asset, the Art Museum of Southeast Texas (AMSET) has been a premier venue for weddings, receptions and other events since its construction at 500 Main Street in downtown Beaumont in 1987. Always keeping the needs of Southeast Texans at the forefront, AMSET knew its impressive location would make for the most elegant setting for any event. The museum also recognizes its unique ability to incorporate its extensive collection of fine art that is always on view into the ambiance of the event, making for an unmatched experience”. 

SETXWeddings: How long have you been hosting weddings & special events at AMSET?
The Art Museum of Southeast Texas:  “The Museum has been offering its current location for special events since 1987, AMSET has been enhancing the cultural community of Southeast Texas with amazing art exhibitions and educational programs during that time, and for more than 30 years before that as the Beaumont Art Museum. Throughout those years, AMSET has perfected the art of hosting dream weddings”.

SETXWeddings: What is your most important bit of wisdom that you would like to share with a couple planning their wedding?
The Art Museum of Southeast Texas: “Couples should find a venue that fits with their vision of what they want their day to be, and make sure the people at that venue are willing and able to work with them to bring that vision to realization. The Art Museum of Southeast Texas’ Events Coordinator makes it a priority to listen carefully to the couple’s needs and work hard to meet them. AMSET’s impressive entrance, soaring glass pyramid ceiling, glass-enclosed cafe and spacious courtyard provide the perfect tone for any event. AMSET can be transformed into the most extravagant, large-scale event or the most comfortable, intimate affair”. 

To have your wedding, reception or other special event at AMSET:

Visit the Art Museum of Southeast Texas
500 Main Street
Beaumont TX 77701
(409) 832-3432
info@amset.org
www.amset.org

Wedding logos and monograms can be used in so many creative ways to personalize your wedding. The possibilities are virtually endless if you use your imagination. Some of the more common ways to use logos include save-the-dates, invitations, postage stamps, ceremony runners, escort cards, gobo lights, cocktail napkins, wall and floor decals, champagne flutes, favors, and thank-you cards.

Event Logo House offers three different collections of logos to best fit your needs. Contemporary logos are for the modern, chic wedding. These logos are simple in design, and have a young, fresh feel to them. Elegant logos are classy, decorative designs, perfect for a black tie affair. Lastly, the Themed Logo Collection fits right in with seasonal and destination wedding decor. Las Vegas, beach, Paris, and vineyard-themed logos are just a few of the options to choose from in this style.

Though there are so many logos to choose from, Event Logo House offers the VIP service of custom logos for those who want an original design for their wedding. Those of you who opt for a custom logo will fill out a questionnaire to assess your personal style and theme of your wedding. The process is simple but effective in ensuring that the end result is the ideal logo for you.

Wedding logos are the perfect solution for a truly personalized wedding. Event Logo House will assist you in creating your logo and making your decor unique to your special day.

Visit the Event Logo House website here

Many couples choose outdoor weddings and receptions because the event can be highly customizable. Additionally, the venue provides the opportunity to save money because you can rent everything you need. According to the American Rental Association (ARA), many rental businesses have Certified Event Rental Professionals on staff that are trained to help you choose the right rentals to plan your outdoor wedding without a lot of stress.

1. Tents protect from all types of weather
Making sure you and your guests are comfortable is very important, and renting tents is the easy way to add comfort and protection to your outdoor wedding space. During hot summer months, tents protect from the harsh sun. If Mother Nature decides to be testy, tents can protect from rain and minor wind issues.

Your local ARA rental store can help provide insight into the type of weather to expect for the time of year you’re getting married, and can give advice on any extras you may want to order. From simple open-air tents to options with flooring, fans or air conditioning, you will find the right one for your dream wedding.

2. Customize with the ideal decorations
A tent provides a blank canvas, and from there you can create the atmosphere you desire. First decide on your vision. Are you thinking a casual outdoor event, or something more formal? How about a color scheme or a theme you’d like to follow?

Next, prioritize the most important elements. For example, if you want a formal, ocean-themed wedding, you might want to rent chandeliers for inside the tents, along with a fountain for the centerpiece and blue linens and sashes for the tables and chairs. Almost anything you can imagine can be rented, saving you time and money.

3. Decide on the right food options
Serving food and drinks in an outdoor environment takes a bit of extra planning. Be sure to interview caterers who have experience working outdoors with tented events and are familiar with the area where you’ll be getting married.

An experienced caterer can help ensure that cold foods stay cold and hot ones stay warm so that guests have an enjoyable meal. If you’re planning to provide the food yourself, make sure to rent the appropriate equipment to keep food temperatures safe. To make food prep easier, consider renting a portable kitchen if the facility doesn’t have an option for you to use.

4. Plan for a seamless experience
Unless you’re planning a backyard wedding, most of your guests will not be familiar with the event space. Clearly mark any areas where guests might get confused or lost. For example, use signs to tell guests where the tents are located and provide luminaries and strings of lights on pathways to the bathrooms or parking facilities.

Being able to hear well can also be an issue outdoors. Rent speakers for the ceremony and be sure to have the proper music equipment for the reception. Remember, most public outdoor spaces have noise ordinances, so check with the city to see about any restrictions or permits you may need.

Planning an outdoor wedding can be easy and affordable when you utilize a rental service. Remember to plan ahead and give your local ARA rental store as much notice as possible so you can get everything you want for your big day. Visit www.rentalhq.com for more information.

2)      Ask if the video will be created in High Definition.

3)      When watching samples of wedding videos make sure the videographer or editor is placing transitions between scenes that fit the mood of the scene.  It is better to have simple cuts or fades between scenes during the service instead of radical transitions.

4)      It is a good idea to choose a photographer who will take your bridal portraits at least two months before the wedding (unless trying to lose weight).  Doing so will allow you time to retake any other photos that you desire and give you ample time to frame any photos for the wedding that the photographer doesn’t have framed.

5)      If you desire to order wallets of your bridal or engagement portraits make sure to select a photographer who will take your portrait in plenty of time to have the printing completed before the day you desire to begin mailing invitations.  Sending pictures with your invitation is a nice touch.

Advice By Angela Van, Living Memories Video & Photography