Imagine your photo on a delicious piece of chocolate - and I don't mean an M&M, I mean good quality chocolate in flavors like passion fruit, pomegranate and saffron swirl. Now you don't have to imagine anymore! Epiphanie Chocolates in Calgary can make you a one of a kind chocolate with your photo, wedding date and personalized message right on the Delicious chocolate! They look too good to eat, but trust me, once you try them, you'll want more and more and more!

I love interactive stations for weddings. Not only do you get to share some of your favorite treats with your guests, but your guests get to move around and have some fun at the reception. So when we saw this latest idea we were really excited about the potential of this idea.

We also love the idea of sending guests home with their own S'more kits to continue the fun at home!

*Source -elly b events

When it comes to your wedding favors, the possibilities are endless. From shot glasses, to personalized CDs of music, you can offer your guests something that fits with the theme of your wedding, or is a reflections of your personality.

But why stop at just one favor? Give guests the option of taking home what they prefer! I love the idea of setting up groups of tables with different options and letting guests decide if they prefer a keepsake from your wedding, something they can nibble on on their way home or the next day or something they can use another day. Let them decide what they want!

I was so excited when owner of Weigh 2 Go, Allison, sent me an email inviting me to visit her store. Since I was literally in the neighbourhood of her store on Southland and Macleod, I popped in to see her amazing selection of bulk food and CANDY!

She has this amazing wall of every flavor of Jelly Bellies - including Peanut Butter and French Vanilla - YUMMY! What they don't have in store they can order for you too. So if you're in the Calgary area looking for Candy for your wedding candy bar, then pop into Weigh 2 Go to see their selection of yummy treats!

See our blog post on Candy bars too.

GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE

Veils & Tiaras ~ Hundreds to choose from
Guest books, Favors, decorations, crinolines, Honeymoon accessories, and much more!
Everything you need at up to 75% off retail prices
CASH ONLY

Date: May 2, 2009
Time: 10:00~4:00
Where: 457 Elgin Way SE
Calgary, AB
T2Z-3Y6

I was just over at one of my favorite blogs, The Finer Things and loved the post Jessica did on save-the-dates, particularly this great cookie from The Flour Pot Cookies. What a fun and tasty way to tell guests to save your date!

Want these done locally? Call Amy or Kari at Buttercream Bake Shoppe with this idea. The team there is so fabulously talented, there's nothing they can't do!

One of my favorite parts about going to weddings is seeing all the unique ways Brides and Grooms thank their guests for sharing their special day with them. Yes, that's right - the favors. We've moved away from little rounds of tulle filled with candy coated almonds to just about anything you can think of. Candy, popcorn, candles, CDs, home-made chocolates, salt and pepper shakers, and the list goes on and on. But half the fun of it can be the packaging it comes in!!

One of my favorite stores in the city is Creative Packaging, which I've blogged about before. But today I accidentally landed on The Container Store. Usually when I find these fun sites, they never seem to ship to Canada, so when I saw the little Canadian flag that said "now shipping to Canada" - you can only imagine how happy that made me!

One of my favorites is the Birch Veneer Wine Bottle Cylinder. What a unique way to present a host/hostess or a wedding guest with a bottle of wine. You could jazz it up with a monogram stamp or some colorful ribbon.

The Clear Handled Cases would be perfect to fill up with fun shades of OPI nail polish to present to all the ladies standing by your side as you plan your big day. Just think of how much fun it would be to be presented with a case full of fun colored nail polishes just in time for Spring and Summer!Then there are all the different shapes, sizes and colors that the Amac boxes come in. You can find the perfect shape and color to package that special gift for your guests!

I've posted just a few of my favorites, but check it out for yourself.

I'm a HUGE fan of Candy bars at weddings, birthday parties, holiday events, and any other kind of event you can think of. But now more and more brides and event planners are trying to think outside the box. So I got to thinking about my favorite food, POPCORN, and how much fun it could be at a wedding or other type of event. Kernels has so many amazing flavors and it is such an affordable option. Just fill glass containers with your favorite kinds, from Chocolate to Jalapeno Jack and you're set. Over at Wedding Star you can even purchase these cute Popcorn containers with cute stickers on them that would be perfect for your wedding! Don't like the containers? Visit Michael's or Creative Packaging and find some glassin bags or plastic bags, decorate with your choice of sticker and VOILA! A fun, interactive bar for your guest to munch on through the night or to take home to eat the next day!

You can also have fun with this idea with cookies too!

Escort cards, or seating cards can be a fun and personalized item at your wedding. Some couples even tie them in with their favors. Depending on the size of your wedding you can have a seating chart and cards or just seating cards. Martha Stewart, The Knot and Brides.com have some terrific ideas. The inspiration board I've created above are just some of the fantastic finds from these sites. You can see that ideas range from tying in blooms to cookies! Actual cards are just a starting point! Use your imagination and wow your guests as they take their seats!

Help your guests dance the night away by letting them kick off their shoes and slip into some fun flip flops! Baskets or buckets dressed up full of colorful flip flops around the dance floor will encourage guests to get down and comfy and dance the night away with you. You can pick up a rainbow of colors at Old Navy closer to the spring. We found these pictures on The Knot.com for inspiration. Now off to pack my own flip flops! We're headed to the Caribbean for a fun trip and to check out some great destination wedding venues!!

It's a balmy -30 outside today in Calgary, and I've been thinking of warmer climates to try and keep warm! I came across these cute luggage tags on http://www.einvite.com/ and wanted to share them with you. If you're planning to have a destination wedding, and venture somewhere far from Calgary to say I do, check these out. You're guests will love the notice and can save the tag for luggage identification when they arrive at your destination.

Need some help planning that destination wedding? Call Cornerstone Events today! We do more than just plan weddings in Calgary and surrounding area. We can help you plan that special get away on the beach too!

We were reviewing photos from our wedding in August to get pictures of the candy buffet we did, and found this one. This would be the “After” shot. This candy buffet did not last long. This was all that was left when we arrived. We figured we had too much candy when we purchased it all, and we learned one important thing about candy – there is no such thing as TOO much candy!

Candy buffets are a great way to get guests involved at your wedding or any other party for that matter. Just find cute containers, and tell guests to fill up on their favorite treats. You can color coordinate the candy to match you colors, or do a very colorful candy buffet with all kinds of sugary treats. The color scheme for this wedding was pink and black, so we did pink M&Ms, Jelly Belly’s, and licorice all sorts, as well as black licorice, and these great black and white penguins that tasted like peaches! (We found those at Superstore in their bulk bins!)

Here is a list of some great Candy places to shop for your candy buffet.
Sweet Surprise Eau Claire Market, 200 Barclay Parade S.W.; 403-777-1881
Candy Bouquet945 General Ave. N.E.; 403-265-8687; http://www.candybouquet.com/
Jolly Goods Candy Shop24 High St. S.E.; 403-225-4007; http://www.jollygoodscandy.ca/
Yummy Company235 26 Ave. S.E.; 403-279-9866; http://www.yummyco.com/
The Candy Tree1-800-668-7677; http://www.thecandytree.ca/
Welch’s- The Banff Candy Store
Banff Avenue http://www.banffcandy.com/

Want to see more pictures of a great Candy buffet? Check out Hostess with the Mostess for their posting!

We're always looking for a favor that does double duty at a wedding or event, so these cool napkin rings caught our eye. They're from Ikea and cost only $7.99 for a set of 6, that works out to $1.33 each! Tag on a cute eye catching place card and it will add to your decor too! We love items like this for weddings as it's a way to save big bucks! Your guests will love taking them home and using them for their next dinner party too!

Photo courtesy of ikea.com