Looking for something different to serve your guests at your wedding? LVL loves The Sticky Pig and their confections of candied bacon. As The Sticky Pig says so itself, “this ain’t your mama’s bacon or that ordinary chocolate covered stuff you see at the county fair. This is supreme madness, mischief and mayhem all rolled up into sweet bacon bliss that’s sure to make you squeal with delight.”

The mastermind behind The Sticky Pig is Tara Simon. Tara  metamorphosed her love of food into a successful candied bacon enterprise complete with her own original, one-of-a-kind candied bacon creations. Using fresh ingredients, Tara creates treats that everyone will enjoy. So what are you waiting for?  We know your mouth is salivating to try a piece of The Sticky Pig’s candied bacon. Tara is waiting for all you bacon lovers!

The Sticky Pig

Phone: 1-877-722-1220

E-mail: ContactUs@TheStickyPig.com

So, you’ve decided on a location for your wedding – congrats! And you’ve decided on a destination wedding to get away from it all – so much fun! You’re guests are sure to enjoy themselves at fabulous destination, but to ensure you’re convenience for your guests it is best to keep a few things in mind. Lifestyle expert, Colin Cowie, shares a few of his suggestions when it comes to invitations and destination weddings:

Timetable: It used to be standard to mail out your invitations six weeks before your wedding. However, that will not be enough notice if your guests need to make significant travel arrangements. It is best to send Save The Dates up to six months in advance and the invitation itself at least eight to 12 weeks before the event.

Confirmation Package: Once you receive a positive RSVP for a destination wedding, send out a confirmation package with important travel information including logistics, accommodations, attire and activities.

Create a Welcome Packet: Every guest room for your attendees should have a packet of information that is very similar to the confirmation package that will inform your guests about the locale, events and other activities and anything else your guests might find useful. LVL Events suggests you visit the town or city’s convention and visitors bureau online to find out all sorts of useful information. And don’t expect your guests to have brought their confirmation packets so be ready to supply backups!

Good Night Wishes: For an added touch, have the stay place a preprinted or prewritten card on your guests’ pillows. When booking room nights with the hotel, you can have have added turndown service to do this. Get creative with your cards by using poetry, a saying or even just a heartfelt thank you for their attendance. This is especially important if your guests have travel a great distance and at a great expense.

Give Thanks: We know that being the fabulous bride you are you will undoubtedly send out thank you notes to your guests. So when designing and ordering your invitations, you might as well throw in a set of matching thank you cards in the same theme as your packets.

Looking for a local Southern California company that will help you with your destination wedding invitations? Here are a few we recommend:

Artiface in Costa Mesa, Calif. is owned by KristyMcTaggart. Artiface strives to create unique and fabulous designs in the world of paper and art. They can create invitations and stationery for any type of event you will have.

Prim and Pixie in Valencia, Calif. is comprised of two sisters that formed their design studio after searching for invitations while planning their individual weddings. The results are stunning!

Design by Lenila in Fallbrook, Calif. uses organic materials from around the world to create a unique and exotic invitations for the bride that wants to send an extra special touch to her guest.

“When most people think about March, basketball tournaments and St. Patrick’s Day come to mind. For me, March is the gateway to beautiful weather, the smell of citrus from the orchards is filling the air and the beginning of wedding season is just around the corner. It is a great reminder that although Rancho Las Lomas is an exquisite site for couples to exchange vows and celebrate their commitment to one another, it is actually a diverse location with multiple uses that can be enjoyed by all.

Whether you are planning a multiple day corporate retreat, a holiday party or in search of a lush and unique photo shoot location, Rancho Las Lomas is like no other venue in Orange County. You simply have to see it to understand its natural beauty.

Summer and fall dates are still available. We are offering “special pricing” for all remaining Monday through Friday and Sunday dates now through the end of  2010.”

Rancho Las Lomas

19191 Lawrence Canyon

Silverado, CA 92676

949.548-2444

www.rancholaslomas.com

Just think of all the creative things you can do to display your macarons. Try stacking these little ones high in a tower, place in cute to-go boxes as favors or set on vintage platters for your guests to nibble on throughout the event.

Paulette Macarons in Beverly Hills (also in San Francisco) has the tastiest and cutest macarons that they make fresh every day by their award-winning chef, Christophe Michalak. They have 12 everyday classic flavors and will gladly whip up a specialty flavor to your liking. They offer overnight shipping if you can’t get to a location to pick up the macarons and at only $36 for 2 dozen macarons, we must say that Paulette’s is the place to get these delicious treats!

{Photos from Paulette Macarons}

Using raw cotton as a main décor and floral idea created an elegant and gentle effect – perfect for an outdoor ceremony and reception in a wooded area.  These little white puffs of pure softness get our vote for those of you looking to make your wedding more “green.” How unique and gorgeous are these!

{Photos by Jasmine Star}