Mardi Gras Bachelorette Parties

February 26, 2014February 26, 2014 bridalpartytees Leave a comment

How do you make one of the best parties ever even better? By turning Mardi Gras into your own Bachelorette Party!

Heading to the Big Easy

Brides and Maids of Honor, if you want to make this bachelorette party the best it can be organize a trip to New Orleans for the week long Mardi Gras celebration! The party ends March 4th this year and while we suggest planning early (maybe you’re looking at next year), you can still find the tickets and hotel rooms you need! Check out Mardi Gras New Orleans for tips, tricks and packages.

What makes a Bachelorette Party at Mardi Gras so unique?

Everyone is ready to party! You won’t have any trouble finding someone to buy you a shot because you’re tying the knot. The whole town is ready to get down and have fun! Tons of music, food, and drinks will fill the atmosphere with little effort from you, Maid of Honor.

The costumes! It’s tradition to get the bride, bridesmaids and other bachelorette party attendees dressed in beads, tutus, face paint, and whatever else to make your group stand out. And that’s all a part of Mardi Gras. There will be no shortage of fun costumes and vibrant colors everywhere you turn!

It’s all about the storm before the calm. Mardi Gras is a last-ditch celebration before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. A Bachelorette party is a last-ditch celebration before your bestie turns bride. Need we say more?

Mardi Gras Themed Bachelorette at Home

Thinking a Mardi Gras Bachelorette party is just what your bride ordered, but don’t have the time or money to plan a trip to NOLA? Don’t panic! It’s easy to whip together a Mardi Gras themed Bachelorette party right in your own living room!

How Do I Bring Mardi Gras Home?

First of all, your color scheme is done. Lots of purples, greens, and yellows will definitely capture the feel of Mardi Gras. Think streamers, center pieces, balloons, confetti, ribbon, and of course… beads!

Make your own King Cake or King Cake cupcakes. Other Mardi Gras inspired dishes can be easy to prepare too, like cake pops and purple trail mix.

Grab masquerade masks in your colors from your closest party store or have the party-goers design their own with glitter, feathers, and crepe paper. There are tons of places online to find free printables. You can even put together your own purple, yellow, and green tutus!

The drinks. Hire yourself a (cute) bartender for the night to mix your girls some sweet Mardi Gras drinks!
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Whether you pack your bags for Nah’leans or throw confetti all over your home, it’s essential to pull together your Bachelorette Party with Mardi Gras shirts!

Looking for more Mardi Gras themed Bachelorette party ideas? Check out our Pin board for inspiration!

13 Clever Send Off Alternatives to Throwing Rice

February 24, 2014February 26, 2014 bridalpartytees 2 Comments

It’s tradition to have a celebratory send off once a bride and groom have said their “I do’s,” and in the past, the item that was a big part of this congratulatory send off was rice. However, rice turned out to have a horrible side effect to many friendly pigeons in the area, so alternatives needed to be put in place for a safer and more environmentally friendly send off.

To help make your send off with your new husband extra special, we have compiled a list of 13 alternatives to throwing rice that you can incorporate into your send off! These are not only fun and unique options, but they will get your guests involved in the celebration!

1. Paper Airplanes

Go back to your schoolyard days and make paper airplanes.

2. Birdseed

Give the birds a wonderful dinner as well as a beautiful send off for yourself.

3. Pom-Poms

Fun and colorful, pom-poms are the perfect way to work in your wedding colors and wow the crowd at the same time.

4. Confetti

A key piece to many parties and a great way to get the party started after the ceremony.

5. Glitter

Do what Ke$ha says and “throw glitter in the air.”

6. Sprinkles

Now you can have another tasty treat part of the wedding besides the cake.

7. Sparklers

Sparks will fly when you exit the chapel!

8. Bubbles

Bubbles are probably the most popular alternative seen at weddings, but they are still one of our favorites!

9. Rose Petals

Make your send off super romantic and charming by having your guests toss rose petals.

10. Leaves

Great for any fall wedding.

11. Ring Bells

Having a wedding around Christmas? Bells would be a nice touch for the send off.

12. Money

Make it rain (with fake money, of course).

13. Streamer Wands

Amp up the party vibe with streamer wands! They’ll not only get the party started off right, but you can find them in your wedding colors for reasonable prices.

Out of the 13 ideas in this list, we hope one of them jumps out at you as a must-have for your send off. If you’re worried about some of the messier send off ideas, just make sure you have your custom bride shirt handy and your husband has his custom groom shirt ready afterwards.

What are some other alternatives that we missed? Share them with us in the comments section below!

How to Plan an Irish Wedding

February 20, 2014February 20, 2014 bridalpartytees Leave a comment

With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner you can expect to see some Irish themed weddings and their unique photos on your Facebook feed. Irish weddings are seriously rooted in tradition as all wedding ceremonies are, but an Irish themed wedding is a totally different way to add one-of-a-kind color palettes, jewelry, attire, and customs to your ceremony! Below are some staples of an Irish wedding that may just inspire you to add a little extra luck to your own big day:

Braids! Braids for the bride, bridesmaids, maid of honor, and your flower girl will add an old-world touch of class to your ceremony. Not to mention, they make for a super easy updo, keep flyaways at bay, and look great on just about everyone.
Green and orange. Straying from the norm of pastels, pinks, and purples, planning an Irish themed wedding will ask of you to incorporate some orange and most definitely green into your flowers, centerpieces, and accents.
The Claddagh ring. Perhaps, your Irish roots are a little distant and you don’t necessarily want the Claddagh to be your ring. However, the heart-in-hand symbol represents love, loyalty, and friendship. HELLO, can you say perfect bridesmaids gifts?!
Tying the Knot. Ironically, the phrase “tying the knot” is rooted in an Irish wedding tradition. Once the bride and groom have signified their pledge to each other, a rope or ribbon is tied around their clasped hands to symbolize their commitment to one another.
Irish dancing. Maybe you don’t want to go overboard and hire Riverdance to perform at your wedding, but a few Irish step dancers or Irish step dancing lessons at the beginning of your reception is a good way to break the ice and get the party started. We’re willing to bet that any of your guests can be turned into Irish dancers after a few pints of Guiness anyway!
Kilts. Again, we totally get it if your groom (or you don’t want your groom) dressed in a traditional kilt for the big day, but try incorporating plaid vests or cummberbunds into the groom’s party. Think how cute would the ring bearer would look!
Wedding Bells. Another Irish wedding tradition is incorporating bells into the ceremony. Some say the tradition is to give a small bell to every wedding guest to ring to ward off any evil spirits and protect the bride and groom. Others believe that it is Celtic tradition to gift the bride and groom a bell on their wedding day as a reminder of their devotion to each other. Whenever an argument is brewing, one of them rings the bell and declares a truce of sorts.
Irish lace. Chances are you’re already considering lace in your wedding dress or veil. If you haven’t made the decision yet, go for lace! Lace is a part of Irish wedding traditions and will add a soft, feminine touch to your look for the day.
Your Custom Irish Bride shirt! For when you’re running around making all of these plans, for your honeymoon, or for your bachelorette party, customize an Irish Bride shirt!
Luck. Everyone wishes the bride and groom luck on their matrimonious day. But if you do it right, horseshoes and shamrocks can add a touch of the Irish flare that you’re looking for! Try putting a few four leaf clovers in your bouquet or your bridesmaids’ bouquets. They can be pulled off in a flower hair crown too. Horseshoes are perfect necklace, bracelet, or garter charms. Or print the symbol on your invitations, programs, and party favor bags! You never know if these little touches will bring you extra tidings of good luck!
Ireland! And finally, after your Irish wedding is over and the guests have gone home, pack your bags for a honeymoon in Ireland.

However you theme your wedding just bring lots of love and we’re sure you’ll find all the luck you need.

Find more Irish wedding inspiration here!

Top 5 Bridesmaids Gifts

February 12, 2014February 12, 2014 bridalpartytees Leave a comment

As the bride, you will be putting your blood, sweat, and tears into every aspect of the wedding to make sure it is perfect and one to remember! But a bride can’t be a one-person team; she’ll need the help of her bridesmaids. Once you’ve chosen your bridesmaids, they will be there to assist you throughout the entire wedding process and deliver on any responsibilities you delegate to them. They are even in charge of the one of the most important events leading up to the wedding, the bachelorette party! So for all the things your maids have done and will do for you, make sure they know how much you appreciate their help by giving them a custom bridesmaids gift created by you!