As I research destination packages for couples this weekend, I found some amazing places that I knew you’d want to know about. From Castles in Europe to destinations like the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Mexico we will find destination resorts and secluded areas to plan your next weekend getaway.

1. Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas

The history of the Bahamas is one in which many of the islands settlements were founded by former slaves when Great Britain banned slavery in 1834. Presently, you will find the Bahamas a place that embraces its native Indian culture and its rich diversity of the past. In the Bahamas you will find a tranquil ambience, beaches of fine and opaque sand and filled with live at every turn from exotic seashells and spider lilies during the spring time, which in turn makes the Bahamas a striking wedding destination and gets my seal of approval. Imagine scuba diving in the warm waters of the Caribbean or relaxing and unwinding on a secluded beach with the luxurious amenities that a first class resort can offer, or how about restaurants, bars and shops, night entertainment or a dolphin experience. They exist and that’s why I’ve posted 3 of my favorite destinations.

Hotel and Resorts featured are:

Pelican Bay Hotel and Suites

Old Bahama  Bay by Ginn Sur Mer

Sheraton Grand Bahama Island Our Lucaya Resort

Moving on to my next top amazing destination…

2. Ixtapa, Mexico

Where is Ixtapa? Ixtapa is located  between the Sierra Madre mountains  and the pacific ocean, it is considered one of Mexico’s most beautiful beach destinations. Here you will find a traditional rural feeling with a modern twist, modern tourist resorts and marinas, adobe inspired villas nestled along of of Mexico’s premier beaches. At some of my favorite hotels which i will post shortly, you can find excitement in your vacation, including water skiing, scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing, windsurfing and even banana boat rides. This paradise on earth is only 10 minutes away from Zihuatanejo, a fishing town where local markets and restaurants away for you.

Hotels:

Las Brisas Ixtapa

The Tides Zihuatenejo

3. St. Lucia

It is said that St. Lucia is the most romantic and idyllic destination worldwide. It is rich with a cultural heritage and know for its mixture of French and British influence along with some of the most rich volcanic soils around. Historically, the french lost a foothold of the island during the battle of 1814 with the British, however its French culture influences much of the way of the music and arts. St. Lucia abundance can be found in tropical fruits, such as the mangoes and papayas and even bananas with 5 different types found on this island. The culinary delight will tantalize your taste buds as this island will gastronomically enchant your pants away.

Hotels and Resorts:

Anse Chastanet St. Lucia

Jalousie Plantation

4. Tuscany, Italy

5. Scotland, UK

Well here are destinations 4 and 5 I thought id better combine them because the warm waters of the caribbean sure are going to make it hard to fly off to Europe for a destination, but not so when we speak of Tuscany Italy for instance, an art lovers dream, magnificence architecture and sculpture, a countryside filled with beautiful landscapes and activities such as horseback riding, golf, fishing, and tennis. I’ve picked the Monalisa Estate and the Tuscan Estate as a wonderful destination because of its unique legacy. How about Scotland, 15th century decor with countryside of picturesque Forth Valley and Central Scotland views, consider Airth Castle Hotel and Spa Resort. Highland Pipers, Scottish Dancers I mean what more would you want lad!

Well, I’ve set it the 5 destinations you might want to venture off too, these are amazing places with some incredible people. Pick one and you just can’t go wrong.

A preview of the New Favors  this Spring from the Kate collection coming to LoveFavorsAll.com ranging from wedding to baby shower favors. Enjoy!

Hundreds of thousands of people get married every day, a tradition that has evolved over thousands of years but regardless of the tradition itself, all wedding share the same things. Symbols of happiness, unity, and messages that stand the test of time.
Take for instance the “throwing of the rice”, an ancient tradition that was considered a life giving seed that would bestow the couple with fertility, step aside mom and dad, here comes the kids. Take another instance of an old tradition, the ceremonial kiss, in ancient roman times the kiss “sealed the deal” of the contract to join in a commitment. It was also believed in Roman culture when a man and a woman shared in the eating of the cake that a special bond was created. The wheat found in the cake brought fertility to the couple and the sweetness of the cake brought happiness and sweetness to the couple. To be continued…

Brides and Grooms have been giving wedding favors as gestures of gratitude for the guest sharing in their new life. In many societies around the world it has been believed that the bride and groom bring good luck and as a way to pass that good luck and blessings they passed on gifts to those around them. The other day, i wrote about how my readers should consider a trip south of the border and i thought, well why not have a wedding? So I’ve put together some of my favorite wedding favors to give to your guests as they travel to be their with you.
“Olive You!” Glass LOVE Oil Bottle in Signature Tuscan Box, your guest are coming, why not give them something useful, a practical favor. Try the “Set Sail” Frosted Glass Sailboat Tealight Holders, they look like small sail boats with frosted glass that give a glow anytime of the year or a Brushed Metal Photo Frame and Placeholder, a “wow” frame for the guest. 3 simple favors, that can be used over and over again.

Imagine eating lobster sandwiches on a beach bed in 85 degree weather away from the noise of the city, candle light dinners, boat rides in the tranquil water of Los Cabos. Sounds way to much fun, even for honeymooners, but Mexico offers a romantic destination in comparison to some of the best spots found around the world. Direct flights from most major cities will have you in paradise in 2-3 hours, detoxifying your mind and body with a massage or maybe some margaritas.

A wright of passage? For many women divorce is the new wright of passage, the marriage is over, the court has settled it and now you have your divorce certificate. Life after divorce does not mean you are gloomy, some cheer their new found independence with a party.  Interestingly enough their are a few rules to follow when throwing your new bash.
First you have to invite only friends that can share in the pain or humor of what divorce is all about, they can add their own unique experiences. Although women do invite single men and visa versa, some think that inviting friends from the office or friends that don’t know what a divorce is should not get invited. What do you think?  I wonder if after the couple divorce from the marraige they invite each other, or each others friends? Depends on their relationship, was it sour or was it lack of interest that broke them apart right.
Secondly, you have to have party decorations, a divorce cake, a divorce certificate, marriage license, and of course lots and lots of alcohol.
So what happens at one of these parties you ask? Tons of divorce women and men, get drunk, they burn the marriage license, play fun games, and probably try to hook up the divorced person with a bachelor…probably not a good idea in my opinion.
Finally, you and your fellow divorced friends sing divorced songs, such as “Broken Vow” performed by Josh Groban or “Have A Nice Rest Of Your Life” performed by Randy Travis, if your a woman consider, “Men” performed by The Forester Sisters, or consider “You Really Had Me Going” performed by Holly Dunn. Classic songs. Check out this video about a woman in Florida and how she celebrates her divorce.Largest Divorce Parties
I liked this video on classy divorce party on Real Housewives of Atlanta.

Chelsea Lately – Divorce Party

Flowers for the Wedding…A guy approach to budgeting
Ask any guy to mention the difference between a rose and a peonies flower and he will mostly likely run away from you. Luckily this guy has some knowledge that can help you find the perfect flower for your special day.
Roses, Hydrangeas, Peonies, Gardenias, Sweet Peas why are flowers so important to weddings? Flowers set the stage for what the theme and tempo of the wedding and party is going to be.
A rose tells a story of a classic romantic encounter between love and passion. You can place and them plucked down the aisle or they can decorate just about anything right? Well, that’s if you want to spend a small fortune, if your more like me and want to save some cold hard cash, try the following: Float the pedals in water or stick a single bloom in a glass beer bottle, decorated with votive candles and you just created a dynamic table.
Don’t like roses? How about hydrangeas, hydrangeas are garden flowers, they are glamorous as well, but they are beach casual and modern. They can be found all year round in large or medium bloom, they come in different colors; blue, pink, green, and white. Do you like peonies? Peonies come in large and medium bloom, they are mostly for the late spring wedding. They come in white, red, burgundy and pink. But if your on a budget, do not buy these out of season, unless you want to use your first born son as a down payment. Also think about buying flowers away from the holidays. Have you ever noticed how come Valentine’s Day flowers triple in price? Lets talk sweet peas. Sweet peas are the kind of flower you can use on a bouquet, they are light as a feather, and they are delicate looking and are found in the fall though late summer season. Found in a variety of colors purple, white, red, lavender, and pink.

Now wasn’t this a fast and easy read about 4 distinct flowers, ok 3 flowers, I forgot about the gardenias. In the Victorian Era, flowers created a new language in which flowers replaced words, they were symbolic. Did you know the Calla Lily symbolized magnificent beauty or that the Daisy meant, share your feelings. I don’t know how you would combine both flowers to create a sentence in the Victorian Era, but I do know that the Gardenia meant purity and joy, they are best used for the bouquet. They are very fragrant and are quite expensive, but so are the hydrangeas.

If you are doing this yourself; try not to over buy flowers, my recommendation, let the experts help you, they probably figured out how many pedals you’ll need.
Here are more flower ideas that can help you start thinking about the kinds of flowers that you want.
Alliums, Andromeda’s, Parrot Tulips, Spider Mum, Gardenias, Daffodils, Muscari’s, Yarrows.
Take the flower quiz
http://www.brides.com/planning/flowers/findyourstyle/landing

LoveFavorsAll.com

]]> http://www.lovefavorsall.com/blog/2009/10/wedding-flowers/feed/ 0 http://www.lovefavorsall.com/blog/2009/10/wedding-favors-a-brief-history/ http://www.lovefavorsall.com/blog/2009/10/wedding-favors-a-brief-history/#comments Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:53:34 +0000 admin http://www.lovefavorsall.com/blog/?p=3

Ever wonder what a wedding favor was used for and why we use them today? The tradition of wedding favors is a very old one. It is believed that the first favor was known as a bonbonniere used amongst European aristocrats.

A bonbonniere was a small trinket box made of either crystal, porcelain, or precious stones. It was a given gesture of appreciation to the guests from the bride and groom given during the wedding reception or ceremony.
Inside these small trinket boxes sugar cubes or delicate confections were found, it usually meant you were in the presence of royalty or wealth. As sugar become relatively inexpensive, sugar was replaced with almonds, these same almonds in the thirteenth century were covered with sugar, known as confetti. Traditionally five almonds were presented in a confection box or were wrapped in an elegant fabric to represent fertility, longevity, wealth, health and happiness.

As favors evolved to the modern day wedding, guests would receive gifts known as wedding favors. Today favors range from the traditional sugared almonds to candles, soaps, shot glasses with candy or simply a picture of the couple.