Saturday, September 25, 2010

The Celebration of Me

This weekend we celebrate the life of me! Very exciting, I know. So, we shall celebrate in the Always Ali way!
I will start my weekend off bright and early Saturday morning by running in the Clarendon Day Festival 5k. Once I burn off all those calories, I will eat them all back up while I devore a little soul food from the festival.



Later on in the evening I am going to one of my hotels to enjoy a little pampering at the Lorien Hotel and Spa..


Following the spa I will enjoy my most favorite Thai meal, Spicy Pad Thai....YUMMY!


Then Tom and I will walk around the waterfront of Alexandria as we count down the days to our wedding!


What will you be doing this weekend? Enjoy your weekend everyone! I know I will : )

Monday, September 13, 2010

Wedding Favors? Are they In or Out?

Hershey Kisses, Beer koozies, throw away cameras, Jars of jam or jelly beans. While these items are very cute ideas. At the end of the reception you want your guest to leave happy knowing that you were truly thankful for taking part in your special day. 

To start off, you can ditch favors all together. Take the couple hundreds of dollars you were planning to throw towards favors and donate to a charity. This will show your wedding guests, that not only do you care about them by donating on their behalf, but you also care for others.

Here is an idea posted by another blogger: the bride and groom printed out special letters to EVERY guest in their wedding. If that doesn't say thank you, then I don't know what does!


A popular theme today is the 'Candy Bar', enjoy your guest faces (Like a kid in a candy store) as they fill their bags with sweets. One of my girlfriend did this and the Candy Bar was a hit! By the end of the night, the bar was fresh out. : )


                                            Mini bottles of liquor or wine with a personalized label.
-Box your cake! The cake sometimes doesnt make it to the table...so box your wedding cake as favors.
- Flips flops are great for an outdoor venue or a hot summer day!
-Give a favor that coincides with the state you are getting married in. i.e: Some Yummy Buckeye candies if your getting married in Ohio!
- Asian wedding ahead? Personalized chop sticks!
- Tented venue? Sometimes tents can get a little hot with no air circulation, why not have a fan to cool off your guest?

If you don't fancy any of these items, then you can always turn to having an open bar. Nothing says thank you more than letting your guest drink on your tab. : )

What did you do for your wedding favors? If you have any other ideas that you think turned out well.... post it! We love feedback here : )