Indianapolis Motor Speedway Wedding Ideas

Race to the Altar: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Wedding Ideas

Indianapolis is world renowned for its thrilling races, and couples who enjoy the thrills of the track can add fun Indianapolis Motor Speedway details to their wedding day for a celebration that reflects their need for speed.

2009 is the centennial anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, making this the perfect year for a high-speed wedding theme.  Celebrations could begin with a visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum or a more exclusive Grounds Tour for out of town guests or for a themed pre-wedding party.

For the celebration itself, popular racing-themed options include:

*A racing cake with a personalized race topper, oval track shape, or interior “checkered flag” pattern of both vanilla and chocolate flavors.
*A heavily designed groom’s cake shaped like a favorite race car, speedway logo, or the entire track.
*Choosing tire gauges, toy cars, or other racing or car-themed wedding favors.
*Tire textured wedding rings in black titanium or other dark metals.
*Numbering wedding reception tables after popular Indy or NASCAR cars or favorite drivers.
*Creating a “Victory Lane” design for the head table, complete with checkered flags and trophy floral arrangements.
*Using milk for wedding toasts, an Indianapolis Motor Speedway victory tradition dating back to Prohibition.
*Renting a race car for the getaway vehicle.
*Choosing a gray or black wedding runner to simulate an asphalt aisle.
*Creating race centerpieces with small tires and miniature race flags instead of flowers.
*Choosing a sexy race garter or other race-themed accessories.

While these ideas are only the beginning of the options available for an Indianapolis Motor Speedway wedding theme, it is important for couples to remember not to take an outrageous theme overboard. Well-chosen accents and clever details can create a beautifully personalized event, but too much of the theme can turn what should be an elegant celebration into an overdone affair. Just as drivers need to be subtle in their racing tactics to take the checkered flag, couples need to be subtle with their racing theme to celebrate their marriage in their own victory lane for many happy anniversaries.

Melissa Mayntz / www.melissamayntz.com

3 Ways to Cut Wedding Cake Costs

3 Ways to Cut Wedding Cake Costs

Wedding cake prices range from $2 to $10 or more per serving, depending on the cake size, style, flavor, and other factors. A large guest list and more cake services can quickly sour a couple’s cake budget, but there are many ways to cut cake prices without sacrificing this sweet wedding tradition.

1. Go Faux

Once sliced, a wedding cake looks nothing like the designer decoration that graced the cake table. Instead of creating an edible masterpiece, couples can opt for false wedding cakes of beautifully decorated foam, cardboard, and icing, while the cake that is served is a much less expensive though equally tasty sheet cake. If you don’t like the idea of a fake cake on a day that should be filled with trust and sincerity, choose a smaller cake design and augment it with coordinating satellite cakes or cupcakes for extra servings and extra savings.

2. Make the Cut

Some wedding reception venues and wedding caterers charge hefty fees for slicing and serving a wedding cake. If your venue is one of these, learn how to slice the cake yourself and use it as an opportunity not only to save money, but also to greet each of your guests individually as the cake is served. This also creates numerous photo opportunities and fun memories past the ceremonial first taste.

3. Be Simply Delicious

The easiest way to take a slice out of wedding cake costs is to simplify. If you have your heart set on a gourmet cake flavor and exotic fillings, choose a less expensive, less elaborate cake design. If you’ve always envisioned a highly detailed cake with exquisite edible flowers and other accents, opt for a simple cake flavor such as vanilla buttercream or classic chocolate. By simplifying, you ensure that the cake is not overwhelming and is simply delicious, not only to your guests but to your budget.

Your wedding cake is a decadent dessert and a first sweet taste of married life, but it doesn’t have to take a hefty slice out of your budget.

Melissa Mayntz / www.melissamayntz.com

Mass Ave. Style – Mass Ave. Wine Shoppe

As we continue our series “Plan your wedding w/ Mass Ave. Style”… our next stop is the Mass Ave. Wine Shoppe. We’re jumping from Silver in the City (which is one on the south end of Mass. Ave.) to a cute little wine shoppe on the north end of the Mass Ave.

The wine shoppe is a great little place to stop in and relax with a glass of wine and a tasting platter. I’m actually writing this post while enjoying a glass of “Garde Dog” beer & some delicious spinach artichoke dip. They have a wide variety of micro-brews with a great taste and unique names – there’s nothing like a 6-pack of beer named “Holy Sheet” or a 4-pack named “Horse Piss”. Ok, I’m not just going to mumble on about beer… I’m gonna get to the good stuff that can help you plan your Indianapolis wedding.

This place is an excellent beginning for your Indianapolis bachelorette parties… just be sure to keep these in the car, because there is a certain level of sophistication to this place. There’s only seating for less than 30 people, so they definitely have that small/intimate thing going for them. The owner of the shoppe, Jill, says they host a lot of bachelorette parties for local Indianapolis brides.

The great part about their wine selection is that almost all the wine is less than $15 per bottle. For a wine novice like myself this means that I’m not going to end up picking out a $50 bottle of wine and end up feeling like a cheapskate for putting it back, because it’s too expensive. The staff are all willing to help you pick the best wine for your taste. So, whether you’re looking to pick out a unique wine for your reception or find a few bottles for the out of town guest’s gift basket, this is your place. You can purchase the wine by the glass, so you can actually give it a try before buying a case. Another cool feature to this place is that fact that they have wine tastings each Tuesday

evening from 5:30-7:00pm. So, you and your fiance can actually make an evening out of sampling 3 or 4 wines to see which is perfect for your wedding reception and guests.

Be sure to check out this great little wine shop on Mass Ave. The service is great and just sitting in here enjoying a glass of beer makes you feel like a hip millionaire – ok, maybe that’s just me. Time to fold up my Macbook and head out for the evening with my wife.

Mass Ave Wine Shoppe
878 Massachusetts Ave

Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-972-7966
Monday-Saturday 12pm-9pm

www.massavewine.com

Ceremony Idea – Wooden Wedding Boxes

Tell us about Wooden Wedding Boxes…
The idea of The Wooden Wedding Box Ceremony was introduced to my fiancé and me before our wedding in 2008, by a wedding officiant.  We looked up additional information about the Wooden Wedding Box Ceremony online and were excited about the unique idea. We were eager to purchase a Wooden Wedding Box for our own wedding, but what we found was that there wasn’t anyone selling Wooden Wedding Boxes.  Therefore my fiancé and I had to purchase the items to develop our own.  We enjoyed personalizing our Wooden Wedding Box together but wished that, in the midst of all that went into planning a wedding, we would have had a place to purchase a finished Wooden Wedding Box. This is where the idea for our Wooden Wedding Box business started.

In the months following our wedding, my husband and I began to develop and plan a website explaining to other couples the origin of The Wooden Wedding Box Ceremony as well as the wording needed to incorporate it into any wedding ceremony. First and foremost, we wanted to give couples the opportunity to make it a part of their own wedding ceremony by offering them the option to purchase supplies from us. We are eager to share it with other couples, and look forward to helping them make their wedding ceremony unique with the addition of one of our Wooden Wedding Boxes.

Where did this idea originate?
The Wooden Wedding Box Ceremony has recently been introduced in the United States but comes from Holland. The couple getting married is to find a strong wooden box that will hold one bottle of wine and two wine glasses.  The couple then writes letters to one another, expressing their thoughts about good qualities that they found in their partner and the reasons for falling in love with each other.   Without reading each other’s letters, the couple is to seal them and put them in the box with the wine and glasses.

The wooden box is taken to the wedding and during the end of the wedding ceremony, the officiant will announce to the guests that the couple has written letters to each other and put them in the box with the wine and glasses.  The officiant will explain that should the couple ever find their marriage in serious trouble, before making any irrational decisions, they must open the box, drink wine together, and read the letter that they wrote to one another to reflect on why they fell in love with each other in the first place.  The hope is that there will never be a reason to have to open the box until the couple’s 10th wedding anniversary celebration.

At this time in the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom are handed nails and a hammer, and each hammers in a nail to seal the box shut.  The rest of the ceremony continues on in the traditional way, but your guests will be talking about what a unique and touching idea this was and will remember your wedding as one that stands out above the rest.

How do suggest couples incorporate this into their wedding and
what are the most important thing for bride and grooms to consider?
I suggest couples first print the information from our website that explains the wording necessary for the officiant or minister in adding The Wooden Wedding Box Ceremony to their individualized ceremony. Couples need to take this information with them to their meeting with the officiant to get things organized for their wedding ceremony.  This ceremony can be used alone or in conjunction with the Unity Candle Ceremony, Rose Ceremony, Sand Pouring, as well as other service additions.   It adds only a couple of minutes of length to the wedding ceremony itself, but adds a lifetime of memories for the Bride and Groom, as well as their guests.  In our own wedding, we added it between the Rose and Unity Candle Ceremonies and simply placed the Wooden Box on the table next to the Unity Candle.

Next, they need to decide what kind of box best meets their wedding needs.  If they are crafty and creative, the couple may want to consider building their Wooden Wedding Box together from scratch.  If they want a refined finished look, we offer our Deluxe Box, which only requires letters and a bottle of wine added for the box to be ready for the wedding day.  A third option would be for couples to purchase our Basic Box, which would allow them the opportunity to add their own personalization to their box without the trouble of starting from scratch.

Finally, I suggest couples make sure they put aside a sufficient amount of time before the wedding to plan and write the letters to each other that they will put into their Wooden Wedding Box.  When writing their letter, they need to relax and write from the heart, making sure to take the time and effort necessary to convey the depth of love and feelings that has led them to wanting to spend the rest of their lives’ with their partner.

Do you know of any “success stories” where the box had a major impact in a relationship?
With our business only being a few months old, we don’t have any success stories to tell about but our own. My husband and I put a great deal of time and effort into the letters we wrote to each other. For me, it was a very touching and enlightening experience. I’ve known all along that he was the love of my life, but seeing all the reasons I fell in love with him written on paper, helped me appreciate what we have together even more. Also, hearing that his letter to me was several pages long was a wonderful reminder that there are many things that have helped us built a strong foundation for our marriage.

My husband and I also enjoyed the uniqueness this added to our own wedding and look forward to opening our Wooden Wedding Box on our 10th anniversary.  We look forward to a lifetime together, but are realistic enough to know that you can’t have too many tools in place when it comes to planning for the unpredictable directions life sometimes brings our way.

_________________________________________________

Business Name:  Wooden Wedding Boxes
Website:  www.woodenweddingboxes.com
Phone #: 317-326-1438
Email:  info@woodenweddingboxes.com
Price Range: $75 – $125

Choosing a Wedding Planner

Choosing a wedding planner is one way to simplify your wedding planning, but many couples question whether or not they need – or can afford – someone else to coordinate the details of their special day. There are several reasons you may want an experienced planner, however.

1. Your schedule is too busy for you to attend to the endless details of a complicated event like a wedding.
2. You have never participated in a wedding before and have no idea how to go about planning your dream day.
3. You need to coordinate complicated extended families, long distance arrangements, or other complex details.

If you do need a wedding planner, you can find one through personal recommendations, wedding vendors, and venues where you are interested in celebrating your nuptials. In fact, many resorts, hotels, and other
popular wedding locations may already have planners on hand.

If you need to find your own wedding planner, choosing the best one can be a challenge. It is important to interview each potential planner carefully – they will be helping you arrange the most romantic, memorable day of your relationship.

When getting to know potential planners, consider…

*Portfolios: Ask to see pictures, programs, invitations, and other details from weddings they have arranged.

*Scheduling: How many weddings are they planning at once, and will they have the appropriate time to spend on your event?

*Connections: Will this planner be able to help you find suitable wedding vendors for all your wedding details? Are they well connected in the wedding industry?

*References: Ask for contact information from their past clients, and contact those couples to ask if they were happy with the wedding planning services.

*Personality: You will be meeting with the wedding planner a lot, and you need to be comfortable with them. Can you trust that this person’s vision of a dream wedding will match your own?

*Budget: Some wedding planners will not work with weddings on very limited budgets. Ask about their minimum fees and see how willing they are to work within your wedding budget.

By choosing the right wedding planner, someone you are comfortable with and who shares your vision of your dream wedding, you can relax and enjoy planning your wedding knowing you have a trusted professional to help you with any troubling details.

Post written by Melissa Mayntz

Tips for Spring Weddings

Tips for Spring Weddings

Love is in the air every spring, making it the perfect time for a wedding. Just as spring begins life anew, couples can begin their married life with promise and beauty if they marry in spring.

Don’t Count on Mother Nature
Blue skies, fluffy clouds, and balmy breezes are an ideal spring, but that ideal may not happen on your wedding day. Spring brides need to be prepared for those infamous spring showers by planning alternative
wedding locations for outdoor spring celebrations and photos. If an outdoor wedding is preferred, opt for a late spring wedding for more assurance that spring flowers will be in bloom and Mother Nature will be more cooperative.

Embrace the Season
Embrace the beauty of spring by incorporating spring flowers such as lilacs, daffodils, and tulips into your wedding. Pastel pinks, greens, and yellows are popular spring wedding colors, or you can create an intricate spring theme around butterflies or birds.

Taste of Spring
Add a delicate taste of spring to your wedding reception menu by choosing berries or citrus flavors for your wedding cake. Add fresh salads and greens to the menu, and opt for light and fluffy buttercream frosting instead of heavier fondant icings.

Dress for the Weather
Spring weather can be unpredictable and may be cool or warm on your wedding day. Add wraps to the bridesmaid dresses and choose moderate weight fabrics that are suitable for a range of temperatures to ensure a comfortable wedding party.

Happily Ever After Holidays
Have fun with a spring wedding themed around popular holidays. St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, and Earth Day are classic options, but creative couples may prefer a crazy theme for an April Fool’s Day wedding or a western wedding in honor of John Wayne’s birthday on May 26. Lips Appreciation Day on March 16 is perfect for a kissable wedding theme, or add a tropical touch by celebrating Lei Day on May 1.

Spring weddings can be romantic, creative, and memorable, letting any couple spring into their happily ever after during this beautiful season.

Post written by Melissa Mayntz

10 Creative Wedding Favors

10 Creative Wedding Favors

If you want your guests to have a treasured memento of your wedding day, avoid the predictable candles, key chains, place cards, and other trinkets. By choosing creative wedding favors, you make your event more memorable and unique while personalizing it in an unusual and exciting way.

1. Seed Papers: Give your guests a favor that does the planet a favor with wildflower note cards, favor tags, or die cuts that can be planted and grown long after your wedding day.
Regional Favors: Embrace your wedding location by choosing local favors that introduce your guests to regional charm and beauty. Locally made jams, soaps, or figurines are great choices.
Origami: Origami wedding favors can be flowers, animals, stars, or any other shape that matches your wedding theme.
Lip Balm: Invite your guests to pucker up with lip balm favors. Similar options include small bottles of lotion or sunscreen, preferably in scents similar to your wedding theme.
Cultural Favors: Wedding favors can embrace the culture of your wedding. For an Asian theme, consider personalized chopsticks, or for an Irish theme choose romantic Claddagh charms.


Charity: Instead of sending guests home with a favor, print tags to let them know the money budgeted for favors has been donated to a meaningful charity, such as a cancer research center in honor of a deceased parent.
Living Favors: Love comes alive when you choose living wedding favors such as lucky bamboo plants, small cacti, pots of clover, or potted tulip bulbs.
Spices: Add spice to your creative wedding favors by opting for small bottles of spices that mirror your wedding cake favor or reception menu. Cinnamon, thyme, and rosemary are popular choices.
Homemade Treats: Make your favors more meaningful by making them yourself. Homemade cookies, fudge, or other treats with recipes are sweet choices for your guests.
Unique Boxes: If you have your heart set on classic wedding favors such as Jordon almonds, chocolate kisses, or rice or birdseed for tossing, present them creatively. Opt for unique wedding favor boxes such as miniature Chinese take out containers, small plastic pails, tiny terra cotta pots, or pyramid boxes.

Plan your Wedding w/ Mass Ave Flavor

One of our favorite parts of Indianapolis is Massachusetts Avenue in Downtown. We love the unique shops & boutiques as well as the Starbucks that always seems to be packed. During our last visit to “Mass Ave” we realized that there were a lot of great places for Indianapolis brides! So, we are going to start a series of posts highlighting locations on Mass Ave that you should check out as you plan your Indianapolis Wedding! “Plan your Wedding w/ Mass Ave Flavor”

The first stop on our journey of Mass Ave is… Silver in the City.

Silver in the City is a chic little store with lots of great jewelery & gifts!  A good portion of the jewelery is made by local designers from the Indianapolis area.  The jewelery is very affordable as it ranges from $35 to $100.  It would be a great place to do some shopping for your bridesmaids gifts!  The staff at Silver in the City are well connected to the local Indianapolis jewelery designers, so if you find a piece you like and need 8 of them… they can make it happen!  Or, if you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind handmade necklace they can connect you with the right person.  The knowledgeable staff is well versed in dealing with Indianapolis brides that are looking for the perfect piece of jewelery.

The store is basically divided into two sections Jewelery & Gifts!

The gift section also has a lot of great things to help you plan your Indianapolis wedding!  The store is packed with “nifty gifties” (sorry, that was an obscure reference from the Office) But seriously, they have some of the coolest designed gifts in that store.  If you’re looking for a wine rack that can hang from your ceiling or one of those clocks with no numbers – this is your place!  Their book collection is a must-have for bachelorette parties & fun gifts for your bridal showers!  If you’re from out of town or don’t have an opportunity to make it down to the store… you can find some great Bachelorette Party resources on our IWB Amazon Store!

Silver in the City is truly a gem in downtown Indianapolis, In.  Located next to Starbucks on Mass Ave, it’s perfect to grab a latte & do some shopping!  Be sure to let em’ know that the Indianapolis Wedding Blog sent ya!

Silver in the City
434 Massachusetts Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46204
866-955-9925
Monday-Thursday 9am-9pm
Friday & Saturday 9am-10pm
Sunday 10am-6pm.

www.shopsilverinthecity.com

The next stop on our “Plan your Wedding w/ Mass Ave Flavor” tour is The Best Chocolate in Town.

Homemade Wedding: Becoming a DIY Bride

Homemade Wedding: Becoming a DIY Bride
Guest Post by: Heather Heininger an Indianapolis Bride

With the economy still doing a nose dive, budgets are getting very tight. And not just the daily Starbucks budget, but wedding budgets as well. As most people know, weddings can be very expensive. After you buy the dress and undergarments, the tux, the wedding bands, the favors, the programs, pay the photographer and florist, oh, and can’t forget the DJ…let’s face it. You’re wedding budget is bursting at the seams and you still have more things to purchase.

But where can you cut back? Not the photographer. After all, these pictures will be some of the only visual memories you have from your wedding, especially with how fast paced weddings are for those involved. You could cut back on the number of hours your DJ will play music. But why cut out the dancing? Here’s an idea… why not make your decorations, your invites, or even your floral arrangements on your own?

A great way to cut back on the amount of money spent is to become a “DIY Bride”. Do it yourself. No one knows what you want for your wedding better than you: the bride. Or, better yet, ask your friends, family, and bridesmaids to see if you can find someone who would be willing to help you. You never know, maybe one of your bridesmaids is secretly a silk floral designer. Or maybe your aunt is great in the craft department and can help you with decorations. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or assistance. Your family and bridesmaids won’t balk at the idea. Instead, they’ll pounce at it.

I am personally making my own Pomanders, or kissing balls, to stand in place of pew bows. Instead of purchasing them pre-made or making them from real rose blooms, I’m using ribbon (bought on clearance), silk rosebuds (bought in bulk for a discounted price), and Styrofoam balls (already in the house). In addition to the Pomanders, I am also making my own invitations. Yes, it takes time. But more importantly it saves money and makes the wedding uniquely my own. I can almost guarantee that no one will be able to purchase the exact wedding invitations that I have designed.

When you buy something for your wedding, don’t shop at just one store. Always shop around. You don’t just have to go to the wedding boutiques You can also shop at the craft and party stores. Some craft stores (such as the Flower Factory in Greenwood) have a complete sections dedicated to weddings. Party stores also generally have a similar section set aside for weddings.

Why buy pre-made when you can make it? Not only is it cheaper in the majority of cases, but it is also a wonderful chance to spend time with your bridesmaids, friends, and family while still getting exactly what you, the bride, wants.

Interested in DIY Weddings?

Check out this book….

Wedding Traditions: Seeing One Another Before the Ceremony

Wedding Traditions:  Seeing One Another Before the Ceremony
Guest Post by: John Knowles from Times to Remember Photography

Weddings, regardless of where in the world they take place, are full of ceremony, custom, and tradition.  They are the things that connect us to the past, and provide us with a link to something that remains the same as other things change over the ages.  While planning their wedding, a couple will face many decisions regarding these traditions.  One decision that is sure to cause a great deal of debate and discussion is whether the bride and groom will see one another before the ceremony.

So where did this tradition come from in the first place?  It’s based on an ancient Roman practice of arranged marriages.  Weddings were often arranged by the families of the bride and groom for financial or political gain.  The couple was rarely involved in the planning of the wedding, and would often not even know one another.

Since both families had a great deal to loose, the groom was not allowed to see the bride before the marriage for fear that he would refuse to marry if he didn’t like how the bride looked.  The bride was veiled from head to toe on her wedding day, and only after the wedding ceremony was complete was the groom allowed to see her for the first time.  As time passed, this practice turned into tradition, and superstition crept into the mix.  Even to this day, many consider it bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding.

There is nothing wrong with the decision to keep with tradition.  Many couples feel that it adds to the excitement and anticipation of the wedding day.  They look forward to seeing one another for the first time as the bride is escorted down the aisle by her father.

For those who wish to forgo tradition, there are some wonderful opportunities to create a special memory and help your wedding day run much smoother.  A very popular option is to have a private meeting.  This gives the couple a few minutes alone together, usually five to fifteen minutes, to really get a good look at each other, talk, and exchange gifts.  The thrill of seeing one another for the first time is still there, and it’s a more intimate moment that they will remember forever.  This meeting can put both bride and groom at ease and eliminate some stress about what is going to happen.  It may also be the only private time the couple may get the whole day.

Seeing one another before the ceremony also allows the couple the opportunity to complete all the formal photography.  Photos will look great because everyone is fresh and ready to go.  Nobody has had a chance to get gowns or tuxedos dirty, wrinkled, or torn.  All the makeup, hair, and flowers are still perfect, and any children in the wedding party haven’t worn out yet.  Since all the photos will be done early, the couple will be able to move directly to the reception after the wedding.  You will be able to take off in the limo and not have to come right back for photos.  This translates into more time to spend greeting and speaking with guests during the cocktail hour.  Your guests will appreciate not having to wait while you are still back at the church taking pictures.

As a wedding photographer, I see couples struggle with the decision to see one another all the time.  I will often council the couple and provide advice to help them make a choice, but ultimately it is the couple’s decision.  They should make the choice that fits their family traditions, personalities, and style.

Post written by:

John Knowles
www.ttrphoto.com
info@ttrphoto.com

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