Wedding Favors To Die For

Looking for a yummy, edible wedding favor that will have your guests talking? We have the perfect favor idea for you. I have personally enjoyed eating gourmet chocolates from Gearharts Chocolates in Charlottesville and I make a point to stop there every time I am in the area. We have also purchased them to serve to guests at our in-store events. They are all wonderful, unique and handcrafted by chocolatier, Tim Gearhart, who was trained in pastry at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. He has cobbled together a culinary career that has taken him from the Gulf War in Kuwait to a dude ranch in Wyoming to a castle in southern England with stops in fine-dining restaurants along the way.

Tim started Gearharts in 2001 and lives with his family in Waynesboro, Virginia. The most exciting news is that Gearharts is about to open a second location on Libbie Avenue in Richmond. Click here to visit their website and learn more about what they can do for your wedding favors!

Q&A: Wedding Stationery: Self-Addressed Thank-You Notes?

We found this excellent Question & Answer item for this week's email on theKnot.com. We just couldn't have asked it or answered it better ourselves...

Q. A while ago I went to a bridal shower where every guest was handed an envelope to address to themselves. Later the envelopes were drawn from a bag and prizes given out -- but the hosts held on to the envelopes, which were later used for the thank-you notes. I thought this seemed pretty tacky at first, but now that I'm faced with the task of writing my own, it seems pretty sharp! What do you think?

A. While this is definitely an innovative way to get around a pretty big chore, we're going to have to side with tacky on this one. Why? A thank-you note is meant to show that you, the recipient of a gift, were flattered and honored to receive it. It's simply a gracious, thoughtful gesture (especially these days when handwritten letters -- or even mail that's not a bill or addressed to "Occupant" -- are so few and far between!). Having guests address their own envelopes shows to them that you see the thank-yous as just another item to check off your list -- which it probably does feel like when you're writing two hundred of them. But for the person that receives just that one note, it's a very different feeling -- they're happy you got and liked the gift, and they're generally feeling like you're a good person. Now does that sound so bad? We didn't think so.

Finding Your Perfect Wedding Cake

We talk to a lot of brides who really struggle with finding a local, reputable, affordable, professional, yet tasty source for their dream wedding cake. We also have a lot of bakers offer to let us sample their cakes in order to help promote them to the brides that we meet.

I am pleased to say that we have finally found what we think is the best baker that we could recommend to our brides in the folks at "It's A Piece of Cake" located in Prince George County. The husband and wife team, Mary and Anthony, work very hard to create every detail of their cakes that the customer has envisioned. We have sampled their cakes and served their cakes at our store events. They are always such a pleasure to work with and exceed our expectations! Better yet, their cakes taste AMAZINGLY good!

A lot of cakes may look good, but they don't taste great. The cakes from these bakers look and taste wonderful! They can create anything that you can dream up and you will not be disappointed! Visit their website to learn more about what they offer. Call them to see if they are available to do your cake well in advance as they do stay really booked up!

The picture you see here is the cake that they made for our recent store birthday event. Looks too good to eat and tasted even better!

Get Married's New Magazine

Get Married, the only multi-channel wedding planning resource with platforms online and on television every weekday, announces a third platform - a new, glossy national wedding magazine launching this October - making it the most comprehensive and integrated wedding resource. We are very excited about Get Married's new publication and we will have the first issue available FREE in our store for brides to pick up. We will notify you all as soon as our copies arrive!

Looking For Some Fun At Your Reception?

Virginia Photobooths and More has the answer for adding some fun for you and your reception guests. They have recently introduced the “Model 12” photo booth. The “Model 12” has been branded by the American Photo Booth Association, as the best on the market.

Their photo booths offer a unique and memorable aspect to your special party or event. They are great for all ages. Visit their website for more details about what they offer. Or you can give them a call at 804-651-2409 . Virginia Photobooths and More will also be onsite with a photo booth at our store during the upcoming community event ChesterFest on Saturday, September 26th from 10:00 to 5:00. Come on by to meet them and try out their booth!