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Party Favors for Your Geek Chic Reception

GeekSugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:45:36 -0700

A geeky girl's dream wedding would include an awesome reception where everyone mingles, fills up on delish food and drink, and has a total blast while celebrating your big day. To help make this dream a reality, you'll want to check a few things off your "To Do" list beforehand. Of course you'll need music and entertainment, plus something fun to fill your guests' time. Party favors are a hit with crowds because it gives people something to do while the food line goes down and occupies the kiddies while the 'rents are busy networking your other guests for photoshop tips.

What kind of party favors would a geeky couple provide? Well, besides going green and sending your guests home with plantable trees from the Arbor Day Foundation, you can let them entertain themselves with a number of inexpensive and totally geeky gifts. For example, Rubik's cubes on the tables, or even take home Rubik's Cube Keychains will keep the nerdiest of guests focused, and will satisfy the younger geeks-in-training by keeping their hands (and minds) busy.

I have more geeky party favor ideas when you read more

Make it a team effort with crossword puzzles or Sudoku printed tablecloths or napkins. Seriously, what geek hasn't been obsessed at one point with beating the Brain Age Sudoku puzzles on their Nintendo DS? Having them show off their puzzle prowess will surely make a long lasting impression. Just by going to any custom printing shop with a tablecloth of choice and a puzzle or two, you can get a unique geeky wedding activity. Just don't forget to provide pens and/or crayons so that people can actually do the puzzle!
Handing out USB Flash drives is an uber geeky gift that you can personalize with your wedding day message. Have it engraved with your names and the date, or customize with a personal message. "Live long and prosper" would be my personal choice. Since this could get a little higher on the price scale, you can reserve the flash drives for the wedding party alone if you are running low on cash.
Since I got this as a Christmas exchange gift once, I can personally tell you about the joys of the keychain digital camera. These little guys are super fun and will hold up to a beating by your keys (if you actually keep it on your keychain). Plus, guests can take photos while at the wedding and have them to remember later. Think about designating a Flickr/Shutterfly tag (ex: Geek and Geekette's Wedding) so everyone who took photos at the event, whether it be from the keychain camera or their own, can upload and tag them properly, making a huge virtual photo album online.
Hand out pre-burned CDs of your wedding soundtrack. This is an easy and fun project to complete together before the wedding, since you can pick out tracks that you both love, select a photo for the cover, and if you have a printer that prints on CDs, like the Epson RX680, you can customize the look even further!

Be sure to check out more of our wedding coverage on I Do Sugar.
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Top 10 Tackiest Bachelorette Party Favors

TresSugar — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:00:00 -0700

I've never understood how having a raunchy bachelorette party helps usher you into a loving, stable marriage, but it's here to stay as a tradition. I've gathered up some of the tackiest party favors and products I could find. Oh, the romance of weddings!

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Fabulous Favor Idea: Color-Coded Candy

partysugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:00:35 -0700

Last night I went to a fashion party at Carrots with FabSugar, and I came across the cutest favor idea: color-coded candy! The boutique always decorates in orange and they carried the theme over to create a gorgeously delectable candy spread. I plan on re-creating the idea for an upcoming party. You can, too! To learn how, read more.

Start by collecting an assortment of clear, glass vases in different sizes and shapes. Cheap vases can be found at Michaels and Ikea.
Pick out a bunch of candy in the same color. For example, if red is the color for your bridal shower get skittles, red M&Ms, red starbursts, red malt balls, Hot Tamales, red licorice, etc. Heading to a local candy shop is a great way to get inspired or check out the Halloween aisle of your favorite drugstore.
Fill the vases with the candy, one sweet per vase.
Arrange the vases on a large table. Place some on stacks of magazines or turned-over bowls to add depth to the display.
Stack empty white Chinese takeout containers nearby.
Invite guests to take home a container of candy!

Wouldn't a color-coded candy display be fabulous fun at a baby shower or wedding?!

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Off to Market Recap: Wedding Favors

partysugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 01:00:29 -0700

Finding the perfect wedding favor is not an easy task. A good wedding favor should spark the memory of the wedding, be representative of the couple, and be somewhat useful. To inspire our blushing brides, I asked you to help me find the internet's most fabulous favors. You bookmarked the favors in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, Wedding Favors.

My favorite favor was this pear shaped kitchen timer. It's ideal for a foodie fantasy wedding because it encourages guests to get cooking! Serenityspeaks discovered this timer that's functional and fabulous. Take a look at all of the favors below and let me know which one you love!

Don't know how to use the bookmarking feature of TeamSugar? Have no fear, geeksugar has created an easy how to. More ideas for your big day can be found at IDoSugar.

How to Make Photo Seed Packet Wedding Favors With Your Printer

GeekSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:10:04 -0700

Not that it should be thought of as a trend, but it's clear that this is the year that people are finally paying attention to how they can green their weddings and cut down on the event's impact on the environment. And if it is a trend, let's hope that it stays "in" forever!

So today's wedding geek tip succeeds in being green, geeky, and creative: seed packets with you and your fiancé's face on them! With my DIY skills below, adapted from Kodak's website, you'll be able to make seed packets for other stuff too - invitations, announcements, greeting cards . . . there's no end to creativity when you have an inkjet printer and a little brainpower.

To see how to make the packets, just read more.

Download the Kodak-provided PDF for the seed packet template. I find that the one they provide is a little too chintzy, so you could use the dimensions from their template and design a packet that's more you.
If you have Photoshop, add your picture, names, and date to the design. Otherwise, you can glue the picture of the two of you to the template after you print it out.
Print out the paper with the template on and cut it out. If you didn't Photoshop your face on the packet, glue it on now and write or stamp in your names.
Fold the seed packet and glue the side flaps down.
Add the seed of your choosing to the packets (about a handful) and glue it shut.
Your seed packets are now ready for wedding favoring!

To see more of our wedding coverage, be sure to check out IDoSugar!

Champagne Stopper Is the Perfect Little Party Gift

partysugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 08:00:55 -0700

I'm always on the look out for new gift ideas because it's nice to give something other than a candle. When there's not enough time to make an edible treat, I like to give girlfriends and couples this fabulous Champagne stopper. It's incredibly useful and not an item most people already have.

Oh and did I mention it's affordable? At $7.00 a pop, it's hard to believe this stopper was specially crafted for the Bubble Lounge. It keeps bubbly fresh for days and fits easily in a utensil drawer. The stopper would make a great party favor, addition to a goodie bag, or thank-you for a bridesmaid. Pair with a bottle of bubbly and you've got the ultimate hostess gift! What's your favorite little gift?

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Wedding Planner: Bridal Shower Thank You Gifts

CasaSugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 05:30:52 -0700

If you're planning a bridal shower, you're probably scouring your local shops looking for cute, inexpensive party gifts for your guests. These Cherry Blossom Gift Tins (10 for $22.50) are a great find. I don't know a lady out there who doesn't love pretty, small tins and boxes that can be used for stashing everything from earrings to sewing pins or change. There's just so many uses for little, pretty containers. These Japanese chiyogami (old-paper) gift tins would be a gorgeous, colorful, and unique keepsake tin for your party favors. You could fill them with something small and heartfelt, such as flower seeds, decorative small soaps, or chocolates. It's definitely a unique party favor that everyone will appreciate.

Dylan Lauren's Sweet Tips For Your Wedding

YumSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:00:01 -0700

If you want your wedding to be a grand production but don't have the budget, remember that tiny flourishes like thoughtful candy will make the moment just as delightful. We employed the help of Dylan Lauren, daughter of Ralph Lauren and owner of Dylan's Candy Bar, a dessert outpost with locations in New York, Houston, and Florida. "We do a lot of candy favors for weddings," Lauren says. To see her pointers for making your wedding a sweet success, read more.

Include jordan almonds. In Italy, jordan almonds are popular because their egg shape symbolizes fertility and life.
Integrate silver and white candies. For a wedding theme, incorporate white chocolate roses or white petits fours.
Match candy to the bridesmaids' dresses. Reinforce your wedding's color scheme in a unique way by matching candy colors to the hues of the wedding party.
Customize favors. Design custom candy bar wrappers to announce your marriage, or enchant guests with customized lollipops.

Have you seen any other creative uses of candy in weddings past? If so, share them with us below!

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Off to Market: Wedding Favors

partysugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:01:33 -0700

Finding the perfect wedding favor is not an easy task. A good wedding favor should spark the memory of the wedding, be representative of the couple, and be somewhat useful. If we all search for excellent favors, imagine how many fresh ideas we can come up with! Let's head off to market in search of a variety of wedding favors. Bookmark the favors in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, Wedding Favors. I'm extremely excited to see what you discover!

Don't know how to use the bookmarking feature of TeamSugar? Have no fear, geeksugar has created an easy how to.

To check out where I shop online, read more

Bed Bath & Beyond
CB2
Cooking.com
Crate & Barrel
Ikea
Linens and Things
NapaStyle
Pier 1
Plum Party
Pottery Barn
Sur La Table
Target
Restoration Hardware
Williams Sonoma
Wishing Fish
World Market

How To Plan a Wedding Shower With Online Tools

GeekSugar — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:00:35 -0700

Planning parties has become infinitely easier with the advent of the Internet. I've shown you online tools for planning your wedding and your registry, but there's also a ton of help on the Internet for planning a wedding shower!

Whether you're the one getting married or a friend of the bride and groom throwing the party, trust me - online planning is where it's at.

Online party planning site My Punch Bowl can help you plan your party, with ideas and advice for every step of the way.

To see the rest of the tips, just read more.

Since the wedding shower is not quite the big, formal event a wedding is, I think email invitations are perfectly acceptable (not to mention eco and ultra-convenient). My favorite, of course, is eVite. They have a few pages of wedding-themed invitations that would be great for a shower, and you can always design your own.
Whatever theme or color scheme you're going for, Pearl River Mart and Plum Party are my favorite online party retailers - they have a ton of awesome party favors and decorations, and supply products in bulk.
Don't let anyone get lost! If you're using eVite, Google Maps is already integrated, but if not, you can email the Map or get the embed code for the map and embed it in your invitation.
After the party, remind people how much fun they had and upload your photos to a free photo site like Picasa, where a free account gets you 1GB of storage.

And don't forget to write your toast! This is the one thing that shouldn't come from Google.

To see more of our wedding coverage, be sure to check out IDoSugar!

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