Full Circle Eventi – Making Imagination A Reality

It’s March! Time to think about one of our favorite drinking celebrations! St. Patrick’s Day. While I will save the traditional information for another day, as well as the Irish traditions, I thought it might be nice to visit a neighboring country for their wedding customs. Our neighboring country today is the island of Wales. I was delighted by this quaint tradition carried on event today and expanded to show affection for loved one’s beyond just the wedding day.

(Cadwyn)

The Welsh Love Spoon

The custom of carving and giving Welsh Lovespoons originated in Wales hundreds of years ago as a courting tradition. A man who wished to marry a particular girl carves various symbols, such as hearts, keys or bells, into a wood spoon, showing his intentions for engagement and marriage. Today he buys flowers, chocolates or jewelry as a token of affection. Centuries ago in Wales, the young lover would also give gifts of sweets or cakes; but they would also give a special, more personal gift to the object of their desire, the Welsh Love Spoon.

Men spent hours carving the spoon with their hands, in the hope that the girl would accept it. If the girl accepted the spoon, she would demonstrate her interest in him and they would commence on a relationship, which is the origin of the word ’spooning’.

This was a custom that was not confined to Wales, but happened across Europe, especially in Celtic countries. Because the rural peasant people used wooden spoons to eat and prepare food, they had to carve numerous simple spoons for this purpose. It is very likely therefore the more intricate carvings developed naturally from this, and the most beautiful spoons were kept to give as gifts.

Young men had a lot of time on their hands during the long winter evenings, and while some would turn to poetry or composing songs, others would carve all kinds of things such as kitchen utensils or toys for the children from spare pieces of wood.

It is easy to imagine a young man after a hard day’s work, in a period of no radio or television or cars, spending his leisure time during dark evenings carving a spoon for the girl he loved. Spoons could also suggest food on the table, and a cozy family life, which would impress on the girl his ability to care for her and a family.

No other country in the world produced such a variety of design and carving techniques; and the young men put a great deal of time and thought into their creations. Wales was a poor society whose youth could not afford presents of expensive jewelry, and therefore they would do their utmost to create as beautiful spoons as possible.

The custom was widespread across Wales and there is no evidence to suggest that certain areas favored certain designs. It is impossible to know how many love spoons were produced; many were very delicate creations and although they would not have been used for eating or cooking they could have been easily broken. The earliest existing examples come from the 17th century, and it is possible that the shape of spoons lying together suggested the pattern of lovers lying together.

There has been much debate on the significance of the different symbols and motifs used in the carving of lovespoons. Many of the young carvers were shy and unwilling to show their emotions, and this would attempt to convey their true feelings through the use of various symbols. Over the centuries, many more symbols and motifs have been added and as the love spoons became more elaborate and decorative, they have become collectables.

(The Welsh Touch)

Many of the symbols to convey love have been used from the earliest spoons, and are familiar throughout Europe. For instance, a chain would mean a wish to be together forever, a diamond would mean wealth or good fortune, a cross would mean faith, a flower would mean affection, or a dragon for protection etc. Click here to see a list of many symbols that are frequently carved into Love Spoons.

Traditionally, the spoons were carved from one piece of wood. The most popular wood was sycamore, but we also have examples of using yew, oak, boxwood and even fruit trees such as apple or wild cherry. Wood with a close grain had to be dried because fresh wood could split as it dried. The carver would use a trunk and split it in half before forming the rough shape of the spoon in one of the halves.

If the young man succeeded in capturing the girl’s heart, then the spoon would be treasured and proudly displayed on one of the walls of their home, much as a wedding photograph would be today. It is quite possible, that a popular girl would receive several spoons from would-be suitors; but it is unlikely that a youth would spend too much time and effort if he did not think he had a realistic chance of winning the girl. When a girl accepted the spoon, the young people would more than likely then embark on a relationship and be seen as a ‘couple’ by their community.

It must be remembered that the custom of ‘engaging’ and having a Wedding ceremony was not common in rural Wales until the end of the 18th century, and the majority of young couples would simply co-habit.

Today as well as being a gift of affection or a memento of a visit to Wales, Lovespoons are given for many special occasions such as weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, births, engagements, christenings, house warming and St. Valentine’s Day. Another great idea for your wedding favors – share your lovespoon with your guest in various forms.

Welsh Lovespoon Store

I am so geeked to share this with you. As I was perusing yesterday for new things to share with you, I came across one of the most interesting invitations I’ve ever seen. And I am using the term “geeked” quiet literally. This couple was featured on the Offbeat Bride blog, and their 8-bit video game wedding invitations they designed themselves! I am reposting their blog content here for you to enjoy!  While I dont’ know any video game invitation creators, yet,  I am always looking for unique and amazing ideas to share with all of you.  The videos below demo the video in their entirety, but if you want to play yourself, check out the download below.  I am playing the game myself!

Darina explains:

“We knew that we didn’t want standard paper invites. We wanted something for people to keep and remember. We are geeks. We love video games. Why not have a video game invite?”

The video games have two player choices, you’re either the bride or the groom. And the goal is to get to the end to see all the wedding info. So here’s what it looks like…

Playing as Darina:

Playing as Niko:

The invitations/games come in jewel cases with informational booklets, and the cd also contains…

“…an original soundtrack and outtakes (it took me two hours to get the “I’m sorry Niko…” line straight). It also promotes our awesome singing skills, by singing not only the wrong tune, but also the wrong words of the Soviet hymn.”

Check out the packaging that the bride and groom also designed themselves:

For those of you who are interested, here’s where you can download and play the invitations! You can download it with Windows, or, using Wine, with Linux and Mac.

Anyone in the area creating their own video games or interested in creating them for couples, I’d love to talk with you!

Five Olympic champions, a World champion hockey star, a top supermodel, a world-class soprano, a globally revered conductor, children and ‘Zorbs’ – giant spheres like snow globes, maneuvered by performers inside – took centre stage in a packed BC Place Olympic stadium on Sunday night, as part of a spectacular show to mark the Olympic Flag handover to Sochi – the host city of the next Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

(ABC)

As part of Sochi 2014’s commitment to innovation, for the first time in an Olympic handover ceremony digital technologies connected the audience in Vancouver to Sochi and the Russian capital, Moscow, sharing the celebratory atmosphere across time and space. If you didn’t get a chance to see it live, check out the video link above, it’s quite spectacular.

(ABC)

Sochi’s progressiveness in technology allowed us to view an orchestra in Russia conducted from British Columbia. An impressive feat if you ask me. . . and one that set me thinking. I know it’s not a new concept, but one I don’t believe has been readily embraced by couples. We all have friend and family who are out of the country, or perhaps in ill health that prevents them from attending our big day. Well . . . why not introduce them to Ido Stream and broadcast your wedding Live!

Ido Stream was developed out of necessity as the developer, Phillip Ly, was in a predicament himself when he got married. Having grown up abroad, many of his friends and family were in Germany and Sweden and could not attend his nuptials. So to make them a part of the occasion he created a way to broadcast his wedding and make them a part.

Another great resource for broadcasting is Live Wedding Broadcast. They’ve taken the technology a bit further to allow guest to send you video wishes from wherever they are. LiveWeddingBroadcast.TV enables the couple to customize the viewing screen for their guest.

Both vendors allow couples to do the broadcasting themselves, or connect with a professional of their choice or suggestion to connect your distant friends and family into the heart of your day.

Are you ready to be broadcast?

While contemplating the idea, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Paid vs. Free Webcasting

Many free live webcasting sites deliberately lower the quality of the video stream in order to accommodate for the thousands of live webcasts that are occurring simultaneously on their site.  The reliability also suffers because of this.  In addition, we fully monitor every live broadcast and will respond to all technical support requests.

We’ve had many videographers who have used the free sites switch to us because they could not reliably provide a live webcast using a free webcasting site.

Broadcasting Location

You can successfully broadcast both indoor and outdoor weddings. For indoor wedding venues, such as hotels, access to broadband or higher internet speeds is not difficult to acquire. You will need to speak to the technical team at the venue to ensure the connection is not prohibited by any firewalls. For outdoor locations or churches which may not have internet access readily available, there are several options. You can use a wireless broadband air card offered by wireless services providers such as Verizon or Sprint connected to a laptop. The connection upload speed at 700kbps will ensure a strong broadcast.

The broadcaster may also rent a package that includes all the equipment you’ll need to quickly setup and easily broadcast live.

Necessary Equipment

1. Camecorder that has a Firewall (IEEE 1394) or DV output
   
2. Laptop with a Firewall (IEEE 1394) input
   
3. Wi-Fi or wired internet connection at the location
   

Or a local Videographer who can do everything for you – your choice.

Alright, Ms Right “Are you ready for your close up?”

After numerous discussions about “place card table” with new brides, I decided it’s time to iron out the details! I’ve joined the quest
to standardize the industry speak when it comes to guest seating.  Why?  Because there’s immense confusion regarding the smallest wedding details.  It seems brides, vendors, and venues aren’t clear on the difference between place cards and escort cards.* Some aren’t even aware of the term “escort card.” And sadly, many use the terms interchangeably, which only adds to the confusion. No problem. That’s why Full Circle Eventi is here, and let me tell you…I spend a lot of time explaining the difference.

Basically — here’s your 101 on this very necessary part of your stationery trousseau.  Later, we’ll get into escort card DISPLAYS — but today, we’ll just focus on how to tell your guests where to find their chair for their tushes.

The terms are not interchangeable but are used in such a way by designers as to cause some confusion.    Think of it like this:

• An Escort Card *escorts* the guest to their table
  
• A Place Card *places* the guest in a seat at the table
  

Before we go any further, let’s review the three basic ways to seat your guests:

Option 1 Free for all. Guests sit wherever they want.
Option 2 Limited choice. Each guest is assigned to a specific table, but may sit next to whomever they wish.
Option 3 No choice. Each guest is assigned to a specific seat.

Option 1 is usually not the best idea (I’ll save the “why” for another post). In fact, it is entirely appropriate and expected (not to mention practical!) to have some level of assigned seating at a wedding reception.

If you choose Option 2, you need to inform each guest of his or her table assignment. Walla . . . the escort card.  Each guest (or each couple) will have an escort card bearing their name.  They are typically arranged on a table alphabetically by last name, and look something like this:

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery Brown
Table 17

Escort Card (aka Seating Cards / Seating Chart):

(papersource.com)

Most typical form is in an envelope with the guest name on the front and a small card inside that states the table that the guest is seated.  These are typically found at the cocktail party or at the entry to dinner. Escort cards come in many forms other than envelopes—a tent card with the name on the front and the table number on the inside or more unique displays, such as the images on the board below.

(case; apples; escort cards; crystal drops; frames; crystal keys; corks)

What I love about this mix of cards is that you can see –there’s no right or wrong way to present the information – as long as it’s done creatively.  And just a note from experience — lining them up in rows on a table outside + wind = escort card litter all over the cocktail party.

So . . . as long as you’re telling your guests where to go both literally & figuratively, you’ve got an escort card.  Mr. and Mrs. Brown will pick up their card and it provides the direction, in a sense, escorting them to table 17.

An escort card identifies only the table reserved for each guest, not the actual place. If there is no other indication as to where they should sit, they choose whatever seat they wish at table 17.

However….

Placecards (aka Place Cards, Place Setting Cards):

If Mr. and Mrs. Brown arrive at table 17 and find place card at each setting, then they look for their names and sit exactly at the place this card is set. Place cards identify the specific seat reserved for each guest. They bear the guest’s name and are most often set above the place setting facing out so the place may be identified.

papersource.com

This is not a necessary piece of stationery – you can live without it *IF* you are not offering a choice of entree to the guests in the invitation which has to be specified to the caterer at time of service.  To speed service, place cards are indicated on the place setting & would indicate what the guest has chosen to eat for dinner.  This card typically simply has the first name of the guest for seating instead of the more formal Mr. and Mrs. (this obviously depends on the formality of your wedding).

(tags; heart glass tag; napkin tag; napkin tag; butterfly glass tag; heart)

Notes for brides:

If you’re using escort cards WITHOUT place cards…

• It’s a good idea to set the escort cards at each place for the bridal party so they don’t have to worry about where exactly they should sit.
  
• You might also consider presetting escort cards for parents, grandparents, and other honored guests to ensure they get a “good” seat.
  

If you’re using escort cards WITHOUT place cards AND offering meal choices….

• Be sure to create a separate escort card for each guest and indicate their meal selection (rather than putting couples or families on one card).
  
• You might want to reconsider adding place cards to ensure that each guest’s meal choice is viewable by the catering staff. Not every guest will place his escort card on the table in front of him.
  

If you’re using place cards WITHOUT escort cards…

• If you want to use place cards, you must find a way to convey each guest’s table assignment. Escort cards are one way of doing that, so if you don’t want to use them, you must find another way.
  
• One common alternative is to create a chart of sorts, listing your guests alphabetically along with their assigned table. For example…
  

(photo here at Mthree Studio)

(wood planks; monopoly; chalk board; picture frames; graphic; window pane; shutters; frame; scroll)

• Another idea is to supply ushers with a list of guests and table assignments, and they can escort guests to their seats. (although a very timely seating method)
  

After reading all of this, now you know why a “place card table” is an oxymoron and therefore cannot and does not exist. Please tell your wedding professionals who don’t know the difference. Or we could all just call them “plescort cards.”

Got questions? Confused? Leave a comment!

*Escort cards may also be referred to as “seating cards.”

The 2010 Winter Games are now officially completed. All the medals have been handed out and the flag has been passed to the new holders preparing for the 2014 Olympic Games. Sochi, Russia now bares the flag to be flown over the upcoming games. Years of preparation are now in motion for this Russian city to answer the expectations of the world and stage a truly innovative Games that showcase modern Russia, leaving a lasting legacy for sport and society.

So in honor of the Winter Games of 2014, I decided to dedicated today’s tradition exploration to center in the cultural root of Russian wedding. While we will certainly be coming back to the “innovative” side of modern Russia in an upcoming feature this week, let’s take a look back at some wedding day delights.

A traditional Russian wedding spans multiple days, normally 2, but can be spread out into more. Similar to a civil ceremony here in the West, Russian couples are required to conduct a civil ceremony at the ZAGS—department of registration of civil statuses, that is also responsible for registrations of births and deaths, divorces etc—to ensure the legality of their wedding, regardless of religious ceremony.

There are, of course, many traditions we can discuss, but I want to focus today on just one delightful tradition during the reception—don’t worry, others will make their way into the list in the future. Food and drink are a large part of a Russian wedding. It is said a Russian Wedding is an event where everybody must be drunk. No one will be surprised if people drink themselves to unconsciousness at the wedding – and many do. Having plenty of food is typical for any Russian function, and a wedding is no exception. If you have enough liquor and food, the wedding is basically ready.

Of course, we are custom here to plenty of food and drinks at our affairs, and paired with drinks are well written toasts (well at least a few, and a bunch of spontaneous ones). Unlike the simple toasts conducted in the West, by the best man, maid of honor, parents and perhaps the bride and groom, toasts at a Russian wedding are conducted by practically every guest. The night is orchestrated by the witnesses, as traditionally there is no best man or maid of honor. The witnesses continue running the reception, reading jokes and poems, and sometimes ask the new couple questions to make fun of them; eventually announce the toast itself: “Za molodykh!” (“For the newlywed!”). Witnesses encourage each guest to say the next toast, usually according to seating. A small lull of 5-10 minutes is permitted between toasts to allow guest to eat and talk and then the next guest gets up and says the toast.

While each guest offers their wishes to the new couple, the first toast is the most important and sets the tone for the one’s to follow. Here, we’ve arrived at the most popular and prominent Russian wedding tradition. For the first toast people usually drink Champagne, and after the first sip somebody says “Gor’ko!” (“Bitter!”); it means the vine is bitter. All guests together start to shout “Gor’ko! Gor’ko!” To make the vine sweet, the newlywed couple must kiss each other. They must stand up and kiss each other for as long as possible, and all the guests start counting “1, 2, 3, 4, 5…” while they are kissing. If the kiss does not satisfy the guest expectation, they can insist that the vine is still bitter, and request another kiss. This happens after almost every following toast, so the couple has lots of kissing during the wedding.

Western brides beware; I think it bitter wine might join the ranks of bells, clinking glasses and cheesy love songs! Pucker up to your new hubby for this new kissing trend! “Gor’ko, gor’ko, gor’ko!”

In the spirit of the Olympics, I wanted to find another way to tie in influences into your wedding. So today is all about Favors! Everybody’s got them, everybody wants them, and nobody knows what to do! So here are a few medal winning ideas.

Often your place card setting can serve dual function as your favor as well as the reception guide for seating your guest. Others select edible favors as a choice. I think it’s one of the best since there are not trinkets for guest to forget or lug home. But if you want to ensure your edible favors have a stunning presence, the favor box is just as important as the delectable flavors inside.

There are also numerous adorable ideas to express love in the air. Cute heart shaped whisks and measuring spoons can be a great gift for the party. And then there are numerous whimsical and fun favors, like the grater, salad tongs, travel suitcase, shakers, and monitor dusters.

The Gold, the Silver, and the Bronze—winners base on uniqueness, originality, and fun. And just as subjective as most artistic events are in the Olympics, these are the winners, well at least for today!

(purple box, gold medal, gold key, gold box, treasure chest, pink and aqua box, lanterns, asian boxes, heart whisk)

(silver medal, wine cork, measuring spoons, grater, suitcase, salad tongs, white box, asian wine cork, diamond, shaker)

(brownie bites, jars, bronze medal, golf balls, box, bamboo chest, monitor dusters, fortune cookies, pink and black box)

. . . just a few thoughts and ideas for you to ponder. For even more ideas and savings on favors, check out Beau-Coup, one of our favorite spots to shop!

I happened upon this artist by chance, but how fitting for my week of Korean celebration. It didn’t start off that way, but it certainly has ended that way. Check out these amazing custom rings!

If you are looking for a way to make a lasting impression with your future husband or wife, this just might be the most unique impression yet!  Inner message ring by Korean artist Jungyun Yoon!  The custom rings can be designed with a personal saying in the inside like Marry me, Love you or Forever!  The cool thing is when you take off the band those words are impressed into your finger.  Love it!!

I decided to step a bit outside my comfort zone this week and talk about a cultural wedding tradition I am unfamiliar with, but I’m looking forward to the day I get to work with this bridal couple! As I am always looking to expand my cultural knowledge and understanding of traditions far and wide, I came across a great wedding planner out of California – My Bride Story. Esther’s site is chalk full of goodies and nuggets of inspiration. Her approach to topics and honesty is refreshing. I’ve gathered a few gems from her collection that I will share with you, of course with my own perspective on the topic.

What I am sharing with you today, as I mentioned before, is beyond my current repertoire of knowledge, and was inspired by Esther extensive information on the Paebaek – the Korean Wedding Ritual. With her permission, I am very excited to be able to share with you a quick video demonstration of the ritual from start to finish! I want to go over the quick basics before you watch so you have an understanding of what is there.

A Paebaek ceremony is a traditional Korean ceremony performed at weddings. The ritual is the groom’s family acceptance of the bride and a way for the bride to pay her respects to the groom’s family.

The engaged couple will enter together dressed in ceremonial Korean wedding attire called hanbok. Their parents, the honorees, will be seated in front of a table laden with various edibles and tea (or soju – rice wine). The couple will bow deeply to the honorees, and then kneel as one pours tea/soju. Once each honoree drinks the tea/soju, they impart wisdom, advice or a wish for the couple’s future.

Finally, the honorees will throw dates (symbolizing girls) and chestnuts (symbolizing boys) which the bride will try to catch in her apron. According to legend, the number of dates and chestnuts caught signifies how many children she will bear. Later in the evening, the couple is supposed to eat the dates and chestnuts that were caught.

Traditionally, as noted above the ceremony is set in respect to the groom’s family, but now often includes relatives on both sides of the family participating and offering blessings to the couple. The ceremony is traditionally limited to family only, but increasingly Paebaeks are performed in front of guest, especially here in America.

In respect to cultural fusion, Korean-American couples incorporate both a Western ceremony and a Paebaek ceremony, with the Paebaek following the Western ceremony, often during cocktail hour.

So now that you have a quick understanding, take a look at the intricacy of this tradition.

Paebaek Demonstration from Full Circle Eventi on Vimeo.

The traditional costume is, for me, the most striking visual of the ceremony, and quite detailed as well. I am absolutely in love with the hanbok! I secretly want to wear one (I guess it’s really not a secret anymore!) I never knew that Sandra Oh, of Grey’s Anatomy, actually worn a modernized hanbok to a few red carpet events, but here’s an images from her hanbok red carpet look. There is so much detail about the hanbok, I think I will have to leave more information for another post! Hee, hee . . .

If you are like any of my brides, you are faced with the challenge of juggling the wishes of your family, your future husband, his family, and finally your own ideas. All you want is a cohesive party to celebrate your nuptials and enjoy the process. A good wedding consultant can help you congeal all these elements together and create a flawless event, but keep in mind, their job is to ultimately assist you with what you envision. Use them as a resource to reinforce the plan of action. Here are a few guidelines that will help you along your way. If you know these things, it will help you and your planner in the long run!

1. Pick one or two elements from both sides to celebrate equally during the ceremony. This makes the union balanced and respectful.
2. Know your limitations. If it’s a long distance wedding, there’s no need in stressing out over details that you could easily delegate to an on-site planner.
3. Envision your dream palette, and work the customs around that. Not the other way around.
4. Trust your gut. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, especially with various styles. Go with your first instinct, because that’s usually right. For example, I’ve witnessed many melt downs at bridal stores that could have been avoided.  Go with your gut and pick the first dress that made you feel beautiful instead of trying on a gazillion.
5. Culture and heritage is all about spirit, essence and the culmination of little details. There’s no pressure to go over the top, unless you really want to…and that’s another sexy and bold style, in itself.

Tips adapted from Wedding Nouveau. Thanks for all the great tips.

I was recently researching another project when these amazing had crafted favors/party boxes fell into my lap. I am always looking to bring you the most unique and special gifts and accessories. These simple paper crafts make great gifts for members of your wedding party, or if you are really looking to splurge, for you entire guest list!

Denise Sharp, of d.sharp, creates these one of a kind paper masterpieces on order. She has been featured numerous times in Martha Stewart Weddings and Seattle Brides. Each work is a unique combination of papers and embellishments. Let us know what you prefer.

In addition to the favor and gift boxes, d.sharp creates alternative décor for your wedding cake. Thinking outside the box with cake topers and decorations as unique as the couple themselves.

Check out more items available at d.sharp and let me know what lights your fire!

Lia