 21st birthday Lolita Love my martini glass
CLICK IMAGE for details If you are looking for some really adventurous 21st birthday presents then look no further, as this article contains a selection of the best and most memorable gifts available in the form of experience days.
If you don’t already know about experience days, they are essentially vouchers which grant the recipient access to a great time. This can be as simple as a lunch at a nice restaurant or as unusual as a ride on a jet fighter. Read on for a hand-picked assortment of experiences that are suitable as 21st birthday gifts.
Driving Days
If the celebrant is a petrol head then why not buy him or her a driving themed experience day? Choices include several laps around a track in a supercar, such as a Lotus Exige, training and participation in a rally or a full on formula 3 experience. Most vendors also offer to provide video footage of the event for a small fee, complete with the birthday boy or girl screaming as they go around corners at high speed.
Restaurant for Two
If a slightly more relaxed experience is desired then perhaps a meal for two at a luxury restaurant would be more appropriate. The restaurant can be chosen to match the recipient’s tastes and you don’t have to worry about whether or not they choose the most expensive dishes on the menu, as it is all paid for when you buy the voucher. If you tip off the staff that the meal is for a 21st birthday they may even throw in a glass of champagne or a free birthday cake to make the day even more special.
Personal Shopping Experience
Buying someone their own personal shopping day is a great idea for a birthday gift. It ensures that the recipient can choose exactly what they want for a present with the help of a professional shopper. The price can be adjusted to suit your wallet and the venue can be tweaked to match the recipient, from an entire mall to a certain type of store.
Food Tours
If the birthday celebrant is a budding gourmet then you can buy them a food tour. This is a slightly more expensive and luxurious gift, as it usually involves several days of travel to sample some of the best foods available (e.g. southern barbecues, Japanese food or French restaurants) and sometimes even cook in the restaurants. Usually the tours are varied by area, so picking a local one where accommodation is not required will keep the costs down, unless you really want to splash out and send them on a once-in-a-lifetime food tour of Europe.
Air Combat Dogfight
This article wouldn’t be complete without mentioning one of the more unusual experience days available. Several vendors are now offering aerial dogfights as an experience day, where the participants will be passengers in two planes which do enough acrobatics to more than rival any rollercoaster on offer today. This gift allows the recipient to choose a friend to accompany them on the day, making for an excellent shared experience.
Hopefully this article has provided you with some fantastic, albeit slightly unusual, 21st birthday ideas to try out. If you remember to always tailor the experience to the recipient (and bring a camera to record their looks of joy / horror) then you will definitely give them a 21st birthday to remember.
 Red Wedding Dress CLICK IMAGE for details ‘What can I wear with a red wedding dress?’
If you have chosen to wear red for your wedding you might find yourself asking this question as you search for colors to go with your dress. Choosing shoes, flowers and bridesmaids outfits that will complement your choice will need some careful thought. Here we have a few ideas to get you started.
Just as a bride in traditional white might choose red for her bridesmaids, a bride in red could consider white or ivory dresses for the bridesmaids. This might seem like an odd reversal of roles but a vivid red dress among white will stand out beautifully and ensure that all eyes are on the bride.
Dark, liquid, chocolate brown will stand very well next to deeper shades of cherry red. While some brides, and some bridesmaids, will hate the idea of brown it could look amazing for those who will consider it.
Depending on the shade of red chosen, green is another option. Forest green will go well with a deeper red while a lighter, minty green will sit well next to some brighter shades of red. This might be a more difficult one to visualize; the only way to tell is to see the colors side by side when shopping. Lots of greenery would also look well in the bridal bouquet.
For the most daring of brides there’s black. It might seem a little too much but if you’re already ‘breaking the rules’ with a red wedding dress then why not go for it? Black and red are striking together. Black would also serve for the bride’s shoes, with the added bonus that they are much more likely to be worn again than white shoes.
If you’ve already chosen your wedding dress then you will need to think carefully about what shades will work with it. If not then you can give this some thought when shopping for it. Take some colored material samples and a friend or just download some pictures and search online. A bride in red is guaranteed to look incredible, provided you choose the right colors to complement it.
 Do It for Less! Parties: Tricks of the Trade from Professional Caterers' Kitchens Small functions or family get-togethers require a lot of preparation, time, and funds to prepare for. You can often manage yourself however if you have the right supplies and equipment. The trouble is that most of us don’t have enough.
Hiring a professional catering service wouldn’t be very cost efficient and buying catering supplies yourself would leave you with piles of useless utensils. That is why some just opt to rent any catering supplies they need instead of the other options. There are a number of benefits to renting instead of straight out buying the things you need.
If you want to get a good jump on your rental plans, you should always make sure that you have a firm date for your particular event in mind. That way when you’re in the process of renting your catering supplies, you’ll be able to register a date where and when you need the supplies.
A catering supplies rental facility will only have so much time to prepare the items that you require, they will need time to prepare as well as make sure that no one will need any of the equipment on the same day you will.
You might also be able to score a better deal with the catering supplies rental vendor if you plan all this in advance.
As always, it’s a good idea to shop around for different vendors that will provide all the things you need at fair and reasonable prices. The closer the rental facility is near the site of the event, the lower the shipping prices as a rule. Even if you are collecting the supplies yourself, you’ll still end up saving money on things such as gas.
Also make sure you ask questions about certain things such as rental fees as well as added fees if one of the catering supplies managed to get damaged.
Looking at how much you’ll save in time and money just from renting your equipment, you’ll spend less time worrying about such matters and more time enjoying the festivities you have planned for your guests.
The Best Baby Shower Planning Book - get great ideas for your baby shower
There can be a lot of confusion surrounding the planning of a baby shower. You have to figure out all of the little details that make up the day, including what food to make or buy, who to invite, where to have it, and what the invitations should say and look like. To make things a little easier, here are a few things to make sure you put in your baby shower invite wording.
1. Time, Date, Location
These things are a must. Without them, you really don’t have a shower. People will not know there very basic things they need to know in order to get there and arrive on time. Save yourself the headaches and just put these three things right at the top of every invitation. If you leave out other things it will not be as big of a deal as these three items.
2. Registry Information
Registry information is becoming more and more important to include as well. Most new mom’s to be register at various baby stores and the guests know this. They want to know where that is so they don’t have to call the host to try to figure it out.
3. Guest List
This is also something to consider for your baby shower invitation wording. You want your wording to be appropriate for your guest list. For example for baby shower invitation wording for work, you might want to include the new mother’s work position or what department she is in so people will automatically know who the shower is for.
4. Activities
You should also include the activities of the day in the baby shower invite wording. You want people to know if they need their tennis shoes for a couples game of volley ball, or if the women should dress up to attend a champagne brunch.
 Wonderful selection of baby gift baskets CLICK IMAGE for details Every time a new baby is brought into the world it is a time to celebrate. Friends and family will want to celebrate the occasion with a lot of baby gifts. Usually a new mom to be will have a baby shower before the baby arrives where everyone would have brought a baby shower gift, but after the baby is here, there are a lot more gifts to be given out!
Gift baskets are the perfect choice since they incorporate things a new mother will need along with fun items that will make the baby smile. Here are two ideas for easy newborn baby gift baskets.
Themed Newborn Baby Gift Baskets
Picking a theme is the easiest way to start to create a baby gift basket. If the baby is a boy, you could have a truck or train themed basket. If the baby is a girl, you could have a basket centered around princesses or dolls.
A lot of the time there are brand name or character baskets that are also easy to create. You will see a lot of Disney or Winnie the Pooh baby baskets that have an entire range of products all dedicated to them.
Most of the time you can get these gift baskets already done for you online. Simply put in your search criteria and a multitude of options will appear.
Gender Centered Baskets
One of the easiest ideas ever is to use the gender of the baby to create a newborn baby gift basket.
Have the entire gift basket done in blue for a boy and pink for a girl.
You could also do a twins gift basket with half the basket blue and the other half pink.
Getting certain items in the baskets monogrammed or personalized is also an easy idea to make the gift extra special.
 Cubic Zirconia Engagement Ring
CLICK IMAGE for selection of affordable engagement rings One common saying that you’ll hear when talking about engagement ring prices is the “Two Months” rule. According to this rule, a man should spend at least two months salary on a diamond engagement ring. But do you really have to spend this much?
Before you decide whether this rule is a good guideline or not, you should know where it comes from. This concept of spending at least two months salary on an engagement ring actually comes from De Beers, the diamond company. During their marketing campaigns, they have come up with a number of tactics to encourage people to spend as much money as possible on diamonds, and this concept of the dollar amount spent on the ring as a symbol of commitment and devotion is just one of their marketing techniques.
There are more and more people choosing not to follow this “tradition,” though. Especially in these difficult economic times, people are starting to realize the fact that an expensive and extravagant engagement ring is a luxury purchase, and that there are lots of beautiful and more affordable options. In fact, the average engagement ring price is right around $3,000, and many people spend a lot less than that.
Engagement rings under $1000, and even under $100 are becoming common, and designers are starting to clue in to public demand by focusing their efforts on creating beautiful and affordable engagement rings.
This means that, for people who dream of having an expensive and stunning engagement ring, there are still plenty of choices for you, without spending two months salary! One option is cubic zirconia. This synthetic stone looks almost identical to diamonds, and costs a lot less. It comes in any style that you can find diamonds in, so whether you are looking for cushion cut or pear shaped engagement rings, you can get the diamond look, without the price tag. Semi-precious gemstones, such as aquamarine, are another alternative to diamonds.
Engagement ring prices may easily reach into the tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands. But don’t think that’s any indication of how much you should spend. There are plenty of people spending a lot less, and there are plenty of affordable options.
The Bridesmaid Guide: Etiquette, Parties and Being Fabulous (including making the Best Speech)
You are the maid of honor and you have been working very hard to support the bride during the entire planning process. The wedding is rapidly approaching and now it’s time to plan the celebrated maid of honor speech. This is one of those speeches that means so much to so many people. You’re not expected to be the life of the party like the best man during his celebrated toast. Your speech is going to be more sincere and will probably make more than a few eyes shed some tears. It’s going to take a little planning on your part to deliver the last speech at the wedding reception.
What To Say During The Maid Of Honor Speech
It’s appropriate to talk about the great friendship that you and the bride have and that is your strongest desire to continue this friendship. It’s not uncommon to say a lot of emotional things that will get just about everybody crying at some point during your talk. You can also lighten things up by telling some humorous anecdotes about the two of you. If you have a some entertaining stories about the bride and groom, go ahead and share them but keep it clean and appropriate! The maid of honor speech does not have to be real formal or eloquent. Just make sure that you are talking in a conversational tone and not giving a lecture. This is very similar to father of bride speech etiquette so try to follow his style to keep a good flow in your wedding speech.
Planning The Maid Of Honor Speech
If you are looking for tips on how to write a maid of honor speech, the steps are really quite easy. A simple outline jotted down on either a notepad or note card will work just fine. Use bullet points so your speech does not come across memorized or canned. Write down some reasons why you feel honored that she chose you to be her bridesmaid. At some point during your speech, plan on adding some humor to lighten up the wedding guests and to help you relax. A good online speech guide or template will really help smooth the this process. Don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed about using a guide or asking for advice.
Keep The Matron Of Honor Toast Short
You are not giving a campaign speech. The last thing you want to do is bore the guests and drone on. There have been several other speeches including the father of the bride speech. The guests want to eat and party. If you plan on talking 2 to 3 minutes, this will be more than enough time to say what you need to say. Make sure that you are making eye contact with everyone including the bride and groom. As long as you’re getting good feedback from the wedding guests, you have nothing to worry about. Make sure that you stop talking before you lose everyone’s attention.
You should end the talk with a graceful toast to the new bride and groom.
 Creative Wedding Decorations You Can Make Men love to work with their hands, but if there’s a phrase your groom will not want to hear, it’s DIY wedding centerpieces. Fortunately, you can get your girlfriends, gay pals, and random people from blackmail pictures to help. Of course if you can actually get your man involved, making centerpieces together can be a fun and fruitful bonding session that will be a key part of your wedding memories.
Photos are a good place to start, or more specifically, photo cubes. This basic centerpiece is made by cutting up pictures and pasting them onto cardboard wedges, kind of like a Rubik’s cube, but less headache inducing.
Pictures of the bride and groom are great, because they keep the focus on the joy of the union. You can combine pictures taken while dating with embarrassing milk-mustache shots and random baby pictures. Photos from school plays are especially valuable, but try not to vandalize family albums in the process.
For a naughty touch, Photoshopped images can be used, but make sure they’re tasteful.
Origami makes a great DIY centerpiece. You can use complex wedding emblems, or simple paper boats and cranes floating in bowls of colored water. Most elementary school children can make pretty toys by folding and pasting bits of paper together, so if you have kids of your own, or little brothers, sisters and cousins, you can recruit them and supervise while they make those cute paper animals. Have the kids paint and color the paper before they begin folding. This makes it fun and gives the origami a special touch. The centerpieces can be given away as party favors after the wedding, or could be loaded with bits of wedding cake as thank you notes.
Carved pumpkins are not just for Halloween. Well actually, they are, but shaped fruit and vegetables can make a good centerpiece. Choose some food items that don’t discolor easily, cut them into pretty shapes and designs, and arrange them in a bowl or an oddly shaped glass. You can even use food coloring to prevent oxidation. Glasses are better, especially wine glasses, because a blue heart shaped tomato or carrot in a drinking glass will look odd enough that the guest will think twice before eating it.
Tall displays seem to be all the rage at the moment but can be expensive. So if you are after some tall wedding centerpieces on a budget, why not make them yourself. Consider tall, thin vases coupled with two or three Gerbera daisies embellished with a ribbon or how about a balloon cluster display floating high above the reception tables. The options are endless.
DIY wedding reception centerpieces can be priceless for the shock value alone.
 Tons of Gift Card Options to Suit Everyone
(CLICK Image for details) Were there instances when you received a bad gift? If so, chances are, other people also did. Whether the gift was from an acquaintance or a relative that doesn’t know you well, or a coworker who picked your name as part of a exchange gift program, or any other person with a wrong idea about what your interests are, some gifts just don’t work out completely. Yes, you’ll hear people saying that it’s the thought that counts, but don’t you think that it could have been better if you received something that you really like? This is where gift cards come on handy.
Gift cards are considered the most convenient gift as it brings several benefits that other kinds of gift don’t have. Whether these are free gift cards, reloadable gift cards or any gift cards for that matter, they definitely have features that consumers will find very useful. Listed below are some of them.
Gift cards generally have no shipping costs. This is ideal if the recipient of your gift lives out of town or in any place far from you. Rather than sending them a bulky package that takes weeks to be delivered and would cost you lots of dollars, just order for a gift card instead and have it delivered right at their doorstep.
The receiver of the gift card will experience guilt free spending. In today’s ever-shrinking economy, money is often needed to be used for the necessities that a person has. A person would think twice before spending his or her money on something that’s just for fun.
A gift card would let that person spend without feeling guilty. To that person, it’s better to receive a gift card and spend it on something that he or she likes, rather than receiving another gift that he or she doesn’t plan to use at all.
Gift cards are mid-term to long-term gifts. Gift card expiration dates are usually a year or so from the date of purchase. The recipient of the gift card will have enough time to choose when to use it, most likely during the time when there is a sale or discounts offered by the store or malls.
There are a lot reasons why gift cards are great. In summary, these gift cards just make life easier!
 Bridal Wedding Tiara Crown Double Band With Leaves
(CLICK IMAGE FOR DETAILS) Once you’ve chosen your wedding gown, the tone is set for your big day. We know how important it is to choose the right hair accessory to complement your look. With all the choices on the market, it’s important to have a guide. This guide is here to help you find bridal tiaras and more glamorous bridal hair accessories for your special day.
Bridal tiaras come in many different varieties. From a simple rhinestone headband to an opulent formal tiara, bridal tiaras are a beautiful complement to the traditional bride seeking a Cinderella wedding. Tiaras are also a great idea for renaissance weddings! They can be inverted to form the perfect circlet.
Are you looking for a tiara alternative? Sometimes a tiara just isn’t right for every bride. When choosing your hair accessories, consider the following:
Bird Cage Veils
Bird cage veils instantly create an old Hollywood charm. If you want to look like a Hollywood bombshell, bird cage veils may be the right choice for you.
Flowers and Feathers
Flowers, both real and silk, as well as feathers may be the perfect choice for your wedding. They are fresh, modern, and don’t distract from your radiant face. Choose a large white bloom for a classic appeal or a brightly colored floral feather arrangement to add some fun.
Hair Combs and Rhinestone Hair Pins
Hair combs and rhinestone hair pins come in a variety of sizes from small and simple to large and elaborate. These understated touches ensure that you are the focal point of your wedding.
Unconventional bridal hair accessories can add a dash of something special and unique to your day. They can accent your conventional look or add a touch of whimsy to your classic wedding. Make sure to try a few different styles before you settle on your final look.
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