Sunrise Creations Blog

The music you choose to play during your should reflect the mood you have set for the day as well as your own personal tastes.  Don't let anyone else tell you what you should or shouldn't be playing.

For example, if you are planning a retro wedding, choose music from that era.  A 1930's wedding would be filled with songs from the jazz and big band era.  Think about Irving Berlin's "Across The Breakfast Table" (Looking At You), Cole Porter's "Easy To Love" (You'd Be So Easy To Love)  and "My Baby Just Cares For Me" by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson.

If your tastes are more metal than jazz, think about choosing songs like "Eve" by Dream Theater, Nightwish's "Sleeping Sun" or Apocalyptica's version of "Nothing Else Matters".  

Of course, if you are really stuck and can't make up your mind what you like, you can always hope on over toiTunes and look around.  There are pages of different styles of music to look through.

Just remember that it's your day and the music should be special to you.  It's the soundtrack to the beginning of your new life.  Choose the music you love.

Recently I was lucky enough to interview Fiona Roberts, a Civil Marriage Celebrant based in Caloundra, Queensland.  She tells us about her work and why she loves it so much.

How long have you been a celebrant?

I was registered by the Attorney Generals’ Department in 2009, having completed my training whilst on leave with the birth of my son.

What made you become a celebrant?

It’s something that had been on my “to-do” list for a LONG time, so when I had a brief window of opportunity (Maternity leave), I decided to stop talking about it, and get trained and registered.  I can honestly say I’ve not looked back.  I am now a full time Celebrant, conducting in excess of 100 weddings a year – and very, very happy!

What is the hardest part of your role?

Breaking the news to a Bride and Groom that the weather is just not going to be kind to their outdoor wedding, and we need to go to their “back up” plan.  No-one likes to hear that their dream day has to be altered at the last minute.  Fortunately, most couples are fine, and end up still being thrilled with the outcome!

What do you love most about your role?

The joy of the occasion cannot be surpassed in terms of an occupation!  When you truly connect with your couples, you feel such a sense of happiness for them as they embark on the new adventure of married life.  It’s an absolute honour to be able to share such an intimate moment.

Is there one occasion (wedding, christening) you remember more than others?

As a “group” of ceremonies, I tend to remember the surprise weddings and the elopements.  As a Celebrant, you are so caught up in making sure that these moments are exactly as the couple imagined, so you can’t help but become emotionally involved.

My favourite ceremony to date, was for a couple who had invited their guests to their Daughters’ Naming Day, only for the Bride to arrive fully decked out in her white dress!  Even her Dad was in the dark, until the Groom said the Bride needed him out the front, and when he went out, she was arriving in the Limousine.  Dad was over the moon, and walked her down the “aisle” with happy tears streaming down his face.

My other favourite, was also a surprise wedding, where the guests had been invited to the couples’ engagement party in a Resort Penthouse.  When the time came, they were ushered onto the roof for a “group photo” to find it all set up for the wedding ceremony.  The Grooms’ band provided the music, and at the very last minute, the Groom (also the lead singer), turned the microphone around and sung his Bride down the aisle to “There she goes” by the LA’s – a truly touching moment!

What advice do you give to couples planning their wedding?

Whatever you decide you would like your ceremony to be – an intimate affair, a family gathering or a magnificent production, your Celebrant is there to help you. Your ceremony should reflect you as a couple, and even more importantly, your vows should be promises that you are happy to base your marriage on.

So consider what being married means to you, and then consider how your ceremony can reflect that. The beauty of choosing a Civil Marriage Celebrant, is that your ceremony truly is all about you!!

(Wedding photos by Mills Photography, Sunshine Coast, Qld.)

 

Your best friend is getting married and you’re the bridesmaid. One of the duties most fun is your responsibility to organise a kitchen tea.

The tradition of the Kitchen Tea or Bridal Shower is believed to have originated in Holland, when a father disapproved of his father’s choice and refused to provide the dowry required. The villagers came to the aide of the young girl and ‘showered’ her with the things she needed to start her married life.  This beginning epitomises the tradition and feeling behind such a special occasion.  They are a wonderful opportunity to strengthen the ties between the bride, her attendants and friends, her family and the family of her husband to be.

When it comes to the style and venue, the kitchen itself is the perfect theme.  With the rise in popularity of old fashioned baking and an increase in interest in all things cooking thanks to reality television, it gives great scope for games, and gifts for the bride to be.

In modern times the Kitchen Tea is meant to provide the bride with all the things she needs for her kitchen, from baking equipment to measuring spoons and aprons.

What a great opportunity to bring out your inner chef! Why not invite your friends to a cooking class or a cupcake decorating lesson?  Or create an icing and decoration station where guests can create the cupcake of their dreams. Who doesn’t like playing with sprinkles and frosting?  It is called a ‘kitchen tea’ but that’s no reason not to offer some bubbly while you are cooking.  If you are feeling more traditional, you could have a tea bar, with a selection of loose leaf teas served in lovely tea cups and tea pots than can be picked up inexpensively at thrift or second hand shops. Or just raid your grandmother’s kitchen!

Whilst some brides see the kitchen tea as boring, they miss the opportunity for an elegant few hours with their closest friends and family, celebrating and preparing for something they will hopefully do only once.

Everything old is new again, and fashions often make a repeat performance but let us all hope that baby’s breath and silk wedding bouquets stay in the 70’s and 80’s where they belong. Fresh is most definitely best!

Herbs are making a comeback as part of a wedding celebration and are an addition that can be quirky and fun or traditional and romantic depending on your choice.

(Image from Martha Stewart)

Herbs were much more common than flowers in weddings throughout the centuries, beginning with the Ancient Greeks who are credited with the first recorded use of wedding flowers.  It’s no wonder, when you consider that herbs were believed to have magical powers to ward off evil spirits and bring luck and protection to the happy couple.  Dill was said to be the herb of lust, and a bride would lust only after her husband if she carried dill and garlic together. Not the most attractive or sweet smelling bouquet, making silk roses and baby’s breath super stylish in comparison!

Not just for bouquets, why not consider potted herbs as table decorations. Affordable and chic, herbs will fill your ceremony and reception with natural, relaxing aromas. Mini rosemary plants make great wedding favors that green the lives of your guests. Lavender, marjoram, mint, lemongrass and sage can be arranged to create fantastic centerpieces and can also be added to bouquets and corsages.

(Image from Better Homes and Gardens)

The combined scents of flowers and herbs add to the atmosphere and memories of a special day like a wedding, and can enhance the lasting memories and even influence moods on the day. 

Lavender is a perfect wedding herb, and its effects are more than just folklore. Lavender is known for its calming, relaxing and stress relieving properties, making it perfect for inclusion in a bridal bouquet. What bride is not at least a little anxious? Historically lavender is believed to represent purity, silence and luck, and also a message of devotion, very appropriate for brides of old, but not so much in current times!

Herbs are traditional yet trendy, and are making a welcome reappearance in modern weddings.

 

As you may know, I love the gorgeous and girly creations made by Emma at Two Little Maidens.  Today I want to share with you an interview I did recently with Emma where I learnt more about her divine little tutus and dresses.  They are perfect for little girls as flowergirls or just for a special occasion.  The style is lovely and the price is very affordable.

1.  How long have you been in business?
I have been in business for just over a year now.  It is still a very new business but it has been doing very well.  The dresses in particular seem to be very popular.

2.  Do you make your lovely dresses and headbands?
I hand make all of my tutu dresses and tutu skirts.  I like to see them take shape in front of me.  Each one is special and in some way unique.  Some of the headbands are bought in and some of them I hand make also.

3. Have they been used as flowergirl dresses before?
I have had orders for tutu dresses in white to be used as flower girl dresses and also christening dresses.  I think they look lovely and the little girls look like angels.  They float as they walk.  The girls love the layers of frilly skirt, too.

4.  Which colour or style is your best seller?
My best colour and style/s so far are my whispy white tutu dress and also my berryliscious tutu dress is popular for birthdays.  I think the pretty pink colour is a hit and the added berry colours give it a really special look.

5.  Which outfit would you choose for a flowergirl to wear?
I would choose the whispy white tutu dress for a flower girl as the white tulle is lovely and the hand made satin yoyo is just a nice touch as an embellishment on the dress along with the sparkling rhinestone centrepeice, not too over the top! :)

6.  What do your girls think of the dresses?
My girls love the dresses! They always say "mummy I'm a princess" and "is that dress for me mummy? can I try it on?"

7.  Why/how are your dresses different? 
My dresses are different because each one is hand made. I also hand make the satin yoyos and take extra care in the finish of my dresses. I can add extra layers of tulle, make them longer or shorter, do different colour combinations and add different embellishments to the dresses as required. I love custom orders as they allow me to be creative and make something really special for little princesses, after all they are only little once and every girl deserves to be a princess!  

If you are looking for something really special that looks exclusive, visit Emma and Two Little Maidens.  She will look after you.
 

I found this little video and loved it.  It's a little about history, tradition and friendship but it's ALL about the bridesmaid.

I hope you enjoy it.

 

A brief guide about bridesmaids from Nicolas Girard on Vimeo.

Gone are the days of equating the word ‘party’ with garbage bins full of throw away plastic and paper rubbish at clean up time. These days when we celebrate many of us want to know that the environment isn’t going to suffer unnecessarily just so that we can have a good time.

Consider using washable and re-usable cutlery, crockery or plastic plates, table cloths and serviettes, perhaps providing only finger foods on washable platters or even cutting banana leaves into different shapes for use as individual plates.

There are many different options available for disposable party products that have been made from recycled materials such as the bamboo range from An Eco Dream .  No one wants to wash the dishes after a party and these product free you from the sink without harming the environment.  There are so many other fun ways to achieve a unique party experience without having a negative impact on the environment.

 

Make a list of items you need for your party, starting from your invitations and working your way through to pack-up time and find a fun and environmentally friendly alternative for each one.

Electronic invitations are onet way to remove paper from the invitation equation and for informal occasions they are great.  For something important, though, I still love real, paper, personalised invitations.  There is nothing like them.  If you are choosing paper invitations, make them personal and include a photo so that they become a keepsake. 

A great alternative to balloons can be paper lanterns and other decorations made from recycled paper and cardboard and materials from your garden. Decking your halls with garlands, vines, grasses and flowers gives a stunning effect in place of streamers.

Catering with organic, natural and healthy foods is not only fun and much easier these days with the ready
availability of natural food colours and dyes, you are less likely to end up with a group of manic children and you can relax, knowing that they are enjoying party food that is actually good for them too.

With a little bit of planning you can still put on just about any kind of party and give it a few eco friendly tweaks so that it sits comfortably with your own sense of environmental responsibility.

(image by Aneta Blaszczyk)

The trip is planned, the camera is purchased, and the excitement is building. Travel photography can be great fun and highly rewarding with just a little time investment before you leave.

Read your manual and become familiar with your camera before you set off! If possible, spend a couple of weekends before your trip learning the different functions on your camera. Visit photographic web sites (e.g. Flickr) and check out what others have photographed in the region that you’re going to visit. Look to your strengths, so if people are your “thing”, research the possibility of using portraiture to make your travel photography sparkle with individuality. 

Set yourself a goal or project, if you love landscapes, an example might be to photograph every sunrise or every sunset during your travels. Pack lightly, a compact camera is a great choice for a handbag, but if your more of a keen enthusiast then a digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) with a double lens kit would be a great choice, also consider a light weight tripod and don’t forget to take your camera everywhere you go.

The perspective from which you decide to shoot can make or break a photograph. Get down low, or get up high, use reflections creatively in landscapes, bend those knees and try to look at the world from a slightly different perspective, think about an ant’s eye view for example.

Your main aim whilst travelling is to have FUN so don’t allow yourself to feel pressured to capture great photographs, often your personality will show through the photos and it is that which will make them interesting to others. Having your photographs professionally produced onto quality photographic products will allow you to cherish your travel memories for many years to come.

Photos are the key to your memory. With our breath-taking canvas prints and stunning photo books, you will be sure to relive all those precious moments and to share them with friends and family. So, happy travels and come back with many wonderful photographic memories to share!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and how you fell into photography?

I started a property styling business, making houses look good for prospective buyers, and took up photography to go with it as a package. The more I learnt about photography the more I loved it.

I started to find I was more drawn to photographing people than things. I loved the emotional connection you can get and feel through the lens and seeing that in the end print. There is nothing more beautiful!

2.  You speak about finding the inner beauty in everyone in your photography, how do you achieve this?

Seeing and allowing people to show you their inner beauty can be one of the hardest things for photographers. I create space and a loving and supportive environment to allow them to be. I take the time to get to know them and their story, make them feel comfortable and know that whatever they say is ok. There is no judgment, right or wrong.

It’s incredibly powerful to see someone grow in spirit before your eyes.

3. What is the most important tip you’d share with others when photographing others?

My greatest tip would be to put the camera down…get to know your clients before you even pick up the camera, care about them and who they are as a person. Make it all about them.

4. What has been your biggest achievement with photography?

My biggest achievements have been my personal growth. Through photography I have become a better person through learning to connect and open my heart to others.

5.  What has been your biggest challenge with your business?

My biggest challenge would be my bookwork and keeping my desk clean, haha! I blame it on my crazy creative side!

6. You’re an award winning photographer – do you have a favourite image?

Some of my favorite images are not the ones which win awards.  My favorites are the images that, when I look at them, I get choked up with emotion.

Like this image of Vicky and Rowan. I know she will be able to look at this image for the rest of her life and feel what she was feeling on her wedding day; totally adored by her husband!

7. What’s your favourite, Sunshine Coast breakky?

Something really yummy like Canadian pancakes with loads of bacon!

 

Bonbonniere are the little gifts or keepsakes you get at a wedding as a token of appreciation from the bride and groom.  Whilst they are tradition in Italy, they have become more and more popular in Australia as well over recent times.

Traditional bonbonniere contained a tulle bag holding five white sugared almonds, each almond representing health, wealth, happiness, fertility and long life.  Attached is usually a card with the date of the wedding and names of the bride and groom.

In more recent times bomboniere have taken many different forms and really creativity and imagination are the only things between you and amazing bonbonniere. 

Whilst most Australians associate bonbonniere with weddings, traditionally they are used as guest gifts for any special occasion such as engagement, anniversary, christening, communion or confirmation.

A quick google search will show you just how many options there are for bonbonniere.  You can choose from traditional or create little handmade gifts such as candles, bath salts, chocolates, cookies and more.  You could find something quirky that really represents your personality. If you are a coffee lover you could use little jars or sachets of special coffee.  You could frame the name at each seat so the frame becomes the gift while it fills a functional role at the reception.  You could use candles or plants or CD's filled with photos and your wedding vows. It's really up to you.

Use your imagination when it comes to packaging your items and tie the colours in with your wedding theme. When creating packaging make sure it can withstand being moved around and placed in handbags etc.  Noodle boxes are a definite favourite when it comes to bonbonniere packaging.  Always be sure to include a thank you message for your guests.

A relatively new bonbonniere concept is to have gingerbread cookies made with guests individual names included. These are used as place cards for the tables and then double as the bonbonniere. 

There really is no limit as to how creative you can be with your bonbonniere but keeping it tasteful is always best.

Let your creativity shine and make your thank you gift one to remember.