Finding the perfect wedding flowers is a huge part of planning a wedding. Flowers are needed for the bride, groom, mothers and certain members of the wedding party as well as for centerpieces that will grace the tables during the wedding reception.

A wedding without flowers is like a root beer float without the vanilla ice cream or cake without the icing, it just isn’t the same.

You want your floral arrangements and adornments to be beautiful and breathtaking to all who view them but there are a few things that you should know before you begin to make your selections.

Consider those who will be attending your wedding and reception. Unfortunately some are allergic to flowers or are fragrant sensitive and could be affected by a strong scented flower. If any of your guests have sensitive noses they will truly thank you for considering this very important detail because it can mean the difference between them enjoying themselves or not during your reception.

Having sneezing fit after sneezing fit or watery itchy eyes isn’t the way you want a guest to remember their time spent, with tissues in hand, at your reception. Ask one who specializes in selling flowers to help you pick out a less fragrant variety.

Next you will want to consider the colors of the flowers that you will choose. You probably will want to get flowers that compliment the bridesmaid’s and groomsmen’s outfits.

When it comes to non wedding party guests that you will need flowers for like mothers and grandmothers you will need to ask them what color dress they will be wearing and purchase flowers that will  compliment their dresses to avoid a clashing of colors.

You will also need to pick out the bridal bouquet which could be comprised of your favorite colors and matched to the flowers that you will wear in your hair. If you have a flower girl you will need flower petals for her to toss from her basket as she walks down the aisle as well as flowers for her headpiece.

Once you know how to select your wedding flowers it makes it a lot simpler to purchase entryway arrangements, centerpiece decorations and all of the other pretty flowers needed to make your wedding and reception florally beautiful.

Many people enjoy attending weddings, seeing the beautiful blushing bride and the handsome groom say their vows of ever lasting love to one another. Most brides want the wedding of their dreams. Realistically as a bride or groom  you should plan your wedding budget in advance to avoid heartache later on.

Weddings get people excited. It’s such a wonderful experience to plan a wedding and many get carried away when figuring out just how much extravagance they can truly afford. They may mistakenly reason that they are only getting married once and aim for the biggest and best wedding they can throw.

If one can afford an extravagant wedding, it usually isn’t an issue when the bill hits big numbers, but when one gets head over heels into debt over a wedding it can be a huge problem. These tips will help you to figure out and stay within your wedding budget.

1. Figure out who is paying for the wedding: Traditionally it is the brides family that pays for the wedding but in this modern day and time anyone can pay for the wedding and it would be considered acceptable.

2. Think responsibly: Don’t contribute more to your wedding than you can really afford. Life lasts a lot longer than the wedding day and honey moon. Consider that there will be bills that need to be paid like rent or mortgage, gas, water, phone and electric.

Nothing is more stressful to newlyweds than starting a life together in debt. Money is one of the main things that many couples fight over.

3. Think realistically: Many simply don’t have the type of incomes to afford over the top extravagant celebrity style weddings like you see in magazines.

Do you really need the same wedding planner your favorite celebrity used? Will your wedding be any less beautiful if you don’t have a $15,000 designer dress on with top designer shoes and expensive jewelry?

4. Total the figures: After you figure how who is paying what, you’ll need to add it all together to find out exactly how much you have to spend on your wedding. This is your wedding budget.

5. Don’t allow yourself to go over your wedding budget. Spending a little here and a little there can really add up and before you know it you could be way over your budget.

6. Shop around: You are not limited to just what is available in your town or city. Let your fingers do the walking over the internet and find many great deals and steals from your caterer and honey moon to wedding accessories and favors.

When you plan your wedding budget in advance it helps you to know up front what type of wedding you can afford. This will help you to say no and keep you on the right track if it is something you absolutely don’t need or can’t afford, while in the midst of a very emotional time. Having a budget doesn’t mean that you can’t have a wonderful enjoyable wedding experience.

Planning for your martini party will be extremely easy. Martinis are some of the easiest drinks that you will ever fix and some of tastiest too.

You’ll need to send out invites to all of your friends. Once they attend your martini party and tell all of their friends you’ll probably need three times as many invitations the next time.

Make sure that you have the martini ingredients on hand so you don’t have to leave during the party to pick anything up. Also, make sure you have some cute martini glasses on hand. It’s best to have a different martini glass for each guest that way they won’t get there glasses mixed up.

Here are some common ingredients for different types of martinis:

Gin
Vodka
Dry vermouth
Scotch
Angostura bitters
Maraschino Liquer
Olive brine
Bar Sugar
Orange Bitters
Mint Sprigs
Lemon Twist
Orange Twist
Grapefruit juice
Benedictine
Olives
Kiwi slices
Peppermint Schnapps
Cherry Brandy
Ice
Orange Juice
Sake

There are so many more ingredients you can choose so take a minute to think about the types of martinis that you would like to create and buy ingredients accordingly for those martinis.

Be sure to purchase napkins, several cocktail shakers and fancy martini glasses if you don’t own any, to serve your wonderful concoctions in.

Before hand prepare appetizers or light finger food dishes to serve with your martinis in case your guests are hungry.

Foods that go great with Martinis:

Salad made with romaine lettuce, bacon, apples and a vinaigrette dressing.

London broil topped with horseradish.

Large Olives

Hummus

Smoked salmon

Salted nuts

Goat cheese on crackers

Melon slices

Pickle spears

Keep in mind that your appetizers shouldn’t compete with your martinis, they should instead compliment them. For example, if you decide to serve a spicy dish then a citrus based martini would be the perfect accompaniment to help cool down the palate.

Try adding a label to the appetizer dishes that you serve that will tell your guest which food to pair with which Martini or you could create a menu that pairs each dish with a martini.

Cocktails are alcoholic drinks that contain two or more ingredients and one of those ingredients is usually gin, brandy, whiskey or vodka. Martinis are tasty, easy, versatile cocktail drinks because there are literally so many different quick combinations that you can come up with in just a few minutes.

Just by switching a couple of ingredients you can create a whole new taste. This makes it really easy to create more than one type of martini when serving others. Just omit this or switch that and you have an entirely new drink.

Most martinis start off with gin and then add a wide array of different ingredients to create all type of martinis. Some martinis require scotch and dry vermouth while other martini recipes may call for white chocolate liquer, Benedictin, orange bitters, maraschino liquer, bar sugar or grapefruit juice.

You can get as creative as you like when making the perfect martini because the perfect martini for one can be a totally different ingredient combination for another. Ask ten people for their favorite martini and most likely you will receive ten completely different answers.

Here are just a few different martini types.

1. Purple Martini
2. Saketini
3. Silver Streak Martini
4. Nightmare Martini
5. Naked Martini
6. Ulanda Martini
7. Rolls Royce Martini
8. Octopus’s Garden Martini
9. Paisley Martini
10. Queen Elizabeth Martini
11. London Martini
12. Russian Martini
13. Dirty Martini
14. Hollywood Martini
15. Seventh Heaven Martini
When partying with friends you could easily whip up one, two or ten of these exotic named martinis and really wow your friends. They’re so quick to prepare you’ll be done in no time at all.

Serve your martinis in one of my fancy martini glasses if you’d like to enhance the wow factor. Garnish wish kiwi slices, orange and lemon splashes or mint sprigs and enjoy your tasty concoctions. You just might end up designated bartender at all your friends gatherings check out our Martini recipes I’m sure you will find one that you like.  I like the Purple Martini:)

Martinis are very versatile gin based drinks that come in many combinations sure to please. With just the swap of one ingredient you can make a totally new exciting taste. When serving martinis you can make an impression with engraved martini glasses.

If you have never had a martini before, gin, vermouth and an olive are the basic martini ingredients that you can drink as is or add other ingredients to it so you can create other tasty martini concoctions.

Etched martini glasses come in handy for all sort of parties, weddings and celebrations, adding a touch of elegance, uniqueness and class to the occasion. Engravings can be added to either the base or the bowl of the martini glass.

Occasions you can use your etched  martini glasses for:

Bachelor parties
Bachelorette parties
Weddings
Anniversaries
Dinner parties
Martini parties
Family get togethers
Banquets
Gifts

Instead of plain boring glasses why not give personalized etched martini glasses to commemorate moments like graduations, job advancements, baby showers, marriage proposals and vacations.

Martini glasses can be etched with large or small initials, words, phrases or even small pictures.

Say happy anniversary to a lovely couple with a pair of matching martini glasses, you could include their wedding date somewhere on the glass, it’s guaranteed to become a treasured gift of theirs.

Memorialize a great vacation on the bottom of a martini glass. You could include the date and vacation spot and give one glass to everyone who attended the trip.

Etch the birth date of a new born on a martini glass and present it to the new happy parents.

Present matching engraved martini glasses to your whole wedding party with an extra special set for the best man and maid of honor.

Those who receive your well thought out etched martini glass gifts they will treasure them for a lifetime.

Have a friend who loves sipping on delicious martinis? Why not get them a hand painted martini glass as a gift. There are so many different designs to choose from. Some are painted only on the bowl of the martini glass while others are painted on the base and stem as well. These glasses are true works of art.

Hand painted martini glasses can be given as gifts for all occasion or just because. Do you know someone who loves golf? A golf themed hand painted martini glass would make the perfect gift.

A hand painted martini glass decorated with purses all over it would make a great gift for the woman who can never have enough handbags.

Hand painted martini glasses themes can really show off the personality of the one receiving it as a gift.

Unique hand painted martini glasses themes:

Little Black Dress
Happy Anniversary
Bubbles
Ribbons
Neckties
Cake
Olives
Neon
Princess
Shopping bags
Sports
Money
Music
New York
Candy
Cherries

There are so many different themes you can choose from when giving hand painted martin glasses as gifts. Use one of  these recipes combined with one of our  beautiful hand painted martini glasses will become a much treasured gift.

Last month, we celebrated mothers.  Now, it’s time to give father’s a day to be showered with love and appreciation.  Nothing expresses appreciation like a cool gift!

But what do you get for the father who has everything?

Consider this an official warning:  Stay away from ties! Stay away socks and boxer shorts!  This year on Father’s Day, dare to do something different.

Create an enjoyable experience.

Instead of forcing the father in your life to dress up and go out for dinner, invite all of his friends over for a poker night.  Whip up some snacks and then when everybody’s got their poker faces on, present him with these awesome glasses and watch his friends drool.

Father’s Day Poker Night

Give each guest a different pilsner glass and fill it to the rim with their favorite beer.

For the trash talker in the room, let him drink from the hand painted “Talking Trash” pilsner glass.

For the golfer, he’ll love this hand painted “19 Holes” pilsner glass.

For the sports fan, try the “Throw Me Another One” pilsner glass.

For the hopeless romantic who loves his wife, “I’ll do the Laundry” pilsner glass will be perfect for him.

Leave the guys to an uninterrupted poker night and it will be the best Father’s Day ever!

Lolita never disappoints.  What better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than with a glass that celebrates mommies everywhere!

Mommy’s Time Out is a beautifully hand painted martini glass that is decorated with all of the things a mommy needs to get a little “me time.”

Imagine a quiet evening on the sofa, with a movie and her favorite martini.  Kick back and give Mommy a time out!  Who needs an expensive restaurant?  Just peel off the recipe at the bottom and enjoy!

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Trophy Wife

Smart husbands who really want to gain some serious brownie points won’t let this glass slip by.  Show your foxy mama what a prize she is with Lolita’s Trophy Wife martini glass.

Watch your wife’s eyes brighten when she discovers that this martini glass isn’t the only thing on a pedestal.

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Lolita Diva

Is the mommy in your life a royal diva?  Then this glass is for her!  Celebrate your queen with this hand painted martini glass is accentuated with a sizzling purple evening gown.   With this glass your diva can sashay and have a night on the town without ever leaving the living room!

These are just a few awesomely hand painted works of art that are sure to get the Mother’s Day celebration started right.

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Spring is finally here, and it’s easy to see why so many couples fall in love and get married during this special time of year.

The leaves are returning to the trees, the grass is growing and gardens are awakening.

Who wouldn’t be mesmerized by gorgeous Magnolia blossoms, sensuous Calla Lillies, and the sweet scent of fresh roses?

Who wouldn’t be captivated by blue, cloudless skies and sunsets; boat rides on the river and long walks in the park?

Banquet halls all over the country are booked solid for the next several months.  Honeymoon reservations have been booked and the travel plans set.  While the birds and the bees are singing, brides-to-be are daydreaming about that perfect day when they get to float down the aisle in that white dress, kiss the groom and wear the ring – nothing less than unforgettable!

There’s no denying it – it’s definitely wedding season and it’s time to eat, drink and be merry (or married, if you’re lucky).

Thankfully, there’s an entire collection created just to make those special moments even more memorable.

There are keepsakes for the wedding guests, decorative items for the tabletop, even gifts for the bride and groom.

The Eat, Drink and Be Married collection takes the  wedding celebration to a new level.  It has everything you need to make the occasion even happier:

• Silver Shimmer Wine Bottle Bag
• Eat, Drink and Be Married Wine Stopper
• Eat, Drink and Be Married Cheese Server
• Our Big Day Wine Glass Favor
• Our Big Day Table Number Lamp Shade

Let me help you celebrate this wedding season in style, contact me for ordering information.

When I found this beautiful Pineapple Wine Cage, I wanted to kick myself for throwing away all my used wine corks.

That didn’t stop me from wanting to get this awesome piece.  I guess I’ll just have to start from scratch.

Maybe if I’d known about all of these cool things that I could’ve done with my old corks, I wouldn’t have been so quick to throw them away.

So, to save you the trouble, I’ve compiled this list of reasons to keep your old wine corks.

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Here’s a the Top 10 Reasons Why You Need to Keep Your Wine Corks

10. They make great pin cushions.  You can even spruce them up with a little paint if you’re the creative type.

9. They make great wood flooring scratch protectors.  Chop off a disc and place it underneath the legs of your chairs or sofas to prevent scratches in your beautiful hardwood floors.

8. They make great craft projects.  Visit Wine Cork Project Instructions for ideas.

7. They make great earring back replacements.  If you’ve lost the back to an earring, just carve out a small piece of cork and you’re all set!

6. They make great door stoppers.  Tired of getting dents in your walls from the doorknob – attach a cork to the bottom of door to keep it from crashing the next time it opens.

5. They are great for keeping your potted plants soil moist.  Chop them into tiny pieces and mix into your soil.

4. Get paid to recyle wine corks by the pound.  Visit Yemm & Hart.

3. They look awesome in the Handbag Cork Cage!

2. They look beautiful in the Wine Bottle Cork Cage!

1. They look fantasic in the Pineapple Wine Cage!