When needing flowers for your wedding, special event or just to send; you want a florist that thinks outside-the-box. When ordering flowers, you truly want something unlike anything you've ever seen. The arrangement should match your style, personality and truly be made for you. When someone sees the flowers for your wedding or event, you want guests to truly see the vision behind the design. If you're in the Mahwah, New Jersey area; Crossroads Florist can't wait to create flowers made just for you.

Exception service is a priority at this full-service florist and has been since 1987. 24 years later they still seek to build upon their outstanding reputation by continuing improving on every aspect of their operation, while never forgetting the principles the business was founded on.

Designing A One-Of-A-Kind Wedding

This florist can't wait to sit down with brides to discover their personal style, so they can design the ideal wedding flowers just for them. They truly design the most exquisite wedding flowers. Their staff always takes the time to sit down with you so they can make sure every little detail is fit for you.

Always taking care of every little detail and design just for you including, wedding bouquet, wedding ceremony flowers, reception centerpieces, bridesmaid bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages and whatever else you may need for your wedding. No matter what your style is, they always design your flowers to represent that. This is your wedding day, and they want to do everything they can to make it truly unforgettable.

If you are looking for truly unique centerpieces, they do it all. From gorgeous tall all white centerpiece, elevated fall centerpiece or a unique butterfly sphere; they truly do it all with such creativity. Their designs are simply amazing and will truly make a wonderful statement at your wedding. They'll design your wedding to be truly unforgettable.

Unique Party Decor

Balloon Columns

Not only do they design gorgeous flowers, but they also create amazing things with balloons! Their balloon arrangements are absolutely amazing and will definitely be a hit at your next party. Fun balloon columns, centerpieces and arrangements are all simply amazing. Choose your favorite colors, the style you are wanting and let them go to work. Your party will come to life with these unique balloon arrangements!

This florist always goes above and beyond just for you. Their careful eye for detail and creative minds always results in a wonderful arrangement that is truly unforgettable. If you're looking for a florist to create gorgeous wedding flowers, event flowers, sending flowers or party decor, choose Crossroads Florist.

When hosting an event, you need that "wow" factor. An accent that will make your party pop is just what your event needs to let it stand out from all the others. What does that though? Colors, flowers and food all make wonderful statements and can truly make an event. What else can take your party to the next level? An ice sculpture can do just that! They are truly unique and your guests will notice that as soon as they walk in. Well, K & Z Ice Carvings creates one-of-a-kind ice designs that will definitely blow your guests away.

This Monroe, Georgia ice designer  creates custom ice sculptures just for you. Taking great pride in providing ice carvings that fit your specific needs.

Not only do they design out-of-this-world ice sculptures, you'll find that they cater, create cakes and pastries for your event. Instead of using multiple vendors and trying to keep track of everything with each one of them, choose this professional vendor who can take care of multiple jobs to make your party a success.

Adding That Something Extra To Your Event

Their ice designs are truly unique. First, meet with them to discuss exactly what you're wanting. You'll discuss the type of event, style, colors and what you're envisioning. It's all about you and making you happy. By meeting with them, they take the time to understand you. This helps them create exactly what you're wanting.

Not only will they create a stunning piece, you'll find that they will take care of all ice carving supplies needed for setup, on-site delivery, breakdown of ice after event and custom lighting for your ice sculpture.

So, what can they design? Ice bars, luges, corporate logs inside of the ice, wedding ice sculptures, drink vessels, ice floral vases and monogrammed ice sculptures. They can create just about anything! Ice designers who go above and beyond to create exactly what you are needing. Their designs are truly impeccable and adds that "wow" factor.

More Than Just Ice Carvings

Ice Luge

Of course, you'll find more than just ice carvings. Find mouth-watering catered meals and cakes that will only add to your wedding or special event.

Imagine walking into your reception venue and seeing a stunning, custom ice sculpture with an ice bar and even an ice serving vessel for your food. Your guests will think they've walked into a winter wonderland.

K & Z Ice Carvings truly makes a unique statement at your event. Stand out ice designs created to show the theme of your event will wow your guests and set your wedding or party apart from the rest. Their skillful eye and creativeness ends up in an ice carving that you'll see nowhere else.

Here at Wedding and Party Network we want to give you inspiration for your wedding details. The details are what sets your wedding apart from anyone else. The colors, theme, detailing and style all creates your wedding day style. So, today's Inspirational Friday will focus on the color white. This is a great color to incorporate into your wedding. It's a beautiful color and goes well with absolutely anything! A winter white wedding, orange & white for fall or hot pink and white for a summer wedding. There are many options and your wedding will be a vision in white.

Incorporate white into absolutely anything! Flowers, reception centerpieces, wedding cake, candy buffet, white chocolate fountain and even into the food; it's all possible to incorporate white into. Your wedding will truly be a vision in white!

This week, Wedding and Party Network's Inspirational Friday is all about sunflowers! An Autumn wedding is the perfect atmosphere for sunflowers. The warm yellows, and big dark centers, thick sturdy stalks, and over-all 'Sunnyness' that brings elegance and charm make it hard to resist!

These fabulous wedding flowers are perfect for your happy fall wedding. An outdoor wedding is ideal, especially one in an open field, garden, or park. The feel of nature is calming, down-to-earth and inspiring. You can use these energetic flowers alone or with other flowers to create eye-popping arrangements. Marigolds, gerbera daisies, roses and hydrangea look gorgeous mixed with sunflowers. Any combination is ideal for your wedding bouquet, wedding ceremony arrangements and definitely your reception centerpieces.  The key is to keep the arrangements simple – sunflowers are striking and demand attention, you don't need to do much to make these flowers look great!

Every Friday, Wedding and Party Network will be choosing a theme or color and give you inspirational photos. We want to help give you inspiration for your next event, wedding or party. So, take a look and we hope to give you a bit of inspiration when planning your wedding or party. Our inspirational board will give everyone inspiration on rainbow weddings! Who doesn't love a rainbow? Your wedding day is a day to celebrate the bond between you and your spouse. A day to celebrate your new journey together. So, what better way than to include vibrant colors to express your happiness? Between the invitations, food, decor, cake and clothing – you can arrange for a multi-faceted, one-of-a-kind wedding that reflects you and your bright personality.

Here are some great ideas to turn your Fall Wedding into a rainbow of delight.

Meshing together different colors can easily get out of hand, but knowing just the right amount can turn an average wedding into something your guests will never forget! You don't have to use every color in the rainbow, you can choose three or four colors, bright and vibrant colors. Then, just run with it.

Invitations: You will want your wedding invitations to look a little bohemian, with lightly muted, yet vibrant colors. Alternate the color of the writing with the color of the patterns and find a subtle but exciting in-between.

The Dress: You want your wedding dress magical for your perfect day. So, find a beautiful white or off-white dress and accent it with one of the colors from your scheme. A bright scarf around your waist, rainbow feathered hair clips, bright nail polish or beautiful rainbow jewelry will add just the right amount of flair. A bright pair of shoes will look fabulous peeking out from under your dress.

Bridesmaids and Groomsmen: Different color dresses will look great when matching the groomsmen ties or suspenders! Multi-colored sunglasses will add a nice touch for the groomsmen as well.

Flowers: Your flowers will tie everything together, especially when using all the colors from your theme. You can create lavish and vibrant centerpieces and wedding bouquets that will leave everyone with a smile.

Reception: If you are having an indoor reception, you can use different colored lights for the dance floor or have them shining on the walls to create a fun and bright atmosphere.

Menu: When choosing your rainbow menu, use brightly colored foods. Your desert and appetizers can include fresh fruit or a serve yourself candy buffet.

The Cake: If a rainbow cake is too much for you, you can create a beautiful and traditional wedding cake. However, the key will be to dye the inside of the cake with your wedding colors. No one will see the rainbow inside until you cut the first piece.

Music: A great version of Some Where Over The Rainbow will bring everything together.

Butterfly Release: Top it all off with a butterfly release. Release beautiful, bright, and vibrant colored butterflies to represent a new beginning for the happy couple.

Special thank you to nattywoohoo, james p wells, dalboz17, manue_aka_crazeecrafteez, jiggs images, ex.libres, concubine, conner keller, janierry, and jj_judes for their inspiring rainbow photos via Flickr.

So, you're thinking about sending flowers for someone's birthday, graduation, welcome home or just to say hello, but you want something new, something different, something to make a statement and leave an impact on the recipient. An interesting idea is to send a flower cake. These cakes are 100% fat-free, made of fresh, REAL flowers. The recipient will have a cake that's beautiful to look at, wonderful to smell and a gift that truly stands out!

When ordering your fresh flower cake, keep in mind your recipients favorite flowers. If roses are their flowers of choice, your fresh flower cake should be made with different colored – beautiful roses! Same goes for any flower you use. Birth-month flowers would be a fun idea to incorporate into the cake, if it's for a birthday.

Flower cakes are great for parties as well! A beautiful centerpiece constructed with the colors of your party or a flower cake on your food table surrounded with delicate cupcakes are all wonderful ideas. This whimsical feel is something that will catch the eye of your guests for sure! A wedding would be the perfect atmosphere for one of these creative cakes too! Beautiful as centerpieces on the reception tables or as gorgeous arrangements placed throughout the wedding ceremony, these flower cakes will make your wedding unique . Remember, these cake are guilt free!

If you like the idea of a fabulous flower cake, then you will love to hear that flowers come in many more sizes and shapes than you thought possible! Consider speaking with your local florist about the  many options available. Why stick with the ordinary when you can have something spectacular?!?

Professional florists are trained with cutting edge techniques to create breath-taking pieces of art. Talk with your local florist about your vision, and you will certainly be pleased as they work their magic, turning your unique vision into a reality!

This post is brought to you by Washington, D.C. Florists.
Not in Washington, D.C.? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network's handy party planning directory to help you find a florist near you!

Special thanks to Gwen for her gorgeous flower cake photo via Flickr.

Your wedding day is a day that you have looked forward to for years.  A day to celebrate and begin your new journey with your mate. Weddings are an occasion that come along with great celebration, family and friends and a large price tag!

That being said, it's not wonder that small, intimate weddings are becoming more popular. Often times, however, it's not only the money that inspires couples to have a private wedding… It takes much less planning, less stress and makes for a memorable family event. Something that you will hold close to your heart forever.

Small weddings are not the most favored, but they are the most cost efficient choice. Expect to have mixed emotions from family and friends when you share the news. They're excited about your special day too. Listen to their opinions, but since you chose to have a small wedding, stick to your guns and explain to them that on a later date you will hold an informal reception to include everyone who isn't invited to the ceremony.

Make a budget. No wedding planner needed! Do some research on the web and around your community for local florists, caterers, and bakeries.

Once you have an attainable budget you can start planning and purchasing your wedding necessities.

Chose your location. Smaller weddings give you more options when it comes to finding a wedding location, look for local halls, churches, wineries, beaches, parks or private gardens. Depending on how small your guest list is, you can hold the ceremony at your home or a family member's home.

Destination weddings are a great option when you have a small guest list too. It costs more. However, you can ask your family to pitch in to help cover the traveling costs instead of gifts. After all, they will be coming along on the trip too!

Invitations. Send out your wedding invitations 4-6 weeks in advance. If you feel bad talking about your wedding to friends who are not invited, it might be a better idea NOT talk about it. Keep it a secret until after the ceremony. You can then invite them to the reception to celebrate!

The Menu. Selecting your menu will be easier with a smaller crowd. You wont have to worry about generalizing the menu, like you would for a larger crowd. Hire a caterer to create your family's favorite foods.

The wedding. Yes it close and personal, but you can still have all the traditions included. Ask your guests to offer a few words at the ceremony or to do the readings if it is a religious ceremony.

Reception. This is a great time to show a slide show or play old family movies. A time to tell family stories. Your reception will be small, private and beautiful.

After your wedding you can wait a few weeks before having your big reception. This celebration is less formal than a typical wedding reception. Send out your invitations a few weeks in advance and plan for a low-key party to include all your friends in the celebration!

A few reminders…

• You can still have the dress of your dreams! Just because your wedding is small doesn't mean you can't have a great dress.
• The wedding flowers don't need to be as lavish as they would be for a larger wedding. But, having flowers in your small wedding will bring an intimate and elegant touch to the ceremony and reception.
• A beautiful way to include your family in the wedding is to give each family member a single flower as they take their seats. When you walk down the aisle to the altar, each flower will become part of your bouquet. This can be done with Hawaiian Leis too, each family member can place one around your neck as you make your way to alter. Or a simple hug to each family member as you enter is a beautiful way to include everyone.

This post is brought to you by Miami Wedding Planners.
Not in Miami, FL No worries, use Wedding and Party Network's handy wedding planning directory to help you find a wedding planner near you!

Every Friday, Wedding and Party Network will be choosing a theme or color and give you inspirational photos. We want to help give you inspiration for your next event, wedding or party. So, take a look and we hope to give you a bit of inspiration when planning your wedding or party. Our inspirational board will give everyone inspiration on wedding cakes inspired by nature. Nature inspired wedding cakes are great for outdoor weddings. You can use a variety of elements to incorporate into your cake.

When you think of wedding cakes, you think of soft colors and flowers.You don't naturally think of twigs, berries, pinecones or mushrooms, but you should! The crisp warm colors of nature can easily transform into something magical when it comes to wedding cakes! Being creative and doing something different will captivate your guests and scream individualism! If you use colors that are natural, your cake will fit into any wedding color scheme. And, the summer/fall season is the perfect time to do it! Here are some great ideas to incorporate the beauty of nature into your wedding cake. Once you can picture your perfect cake, sit down with your local baker or wedding cake specialist. They will help you transform your vision into a spectacular reality! Your cake will leave a lasting impression to all who see it!

Every Friday, Wedding and Party Network will be choosing a theme or color and give you inspirational photos. We want to help give you inspiration for your next event, wedding or party. So, take a look and we hope to give you a bit of inspiration when planning your wedding or party. Our inspirational board will give everyone inspiration on ice sculptures. These are great for any event and definitely add that "wow" factor. Your guests will be blown away if you have an ice sculpture at your wedding or next event.

Ice sculptures are not the first thing that pop into your mind when you are thinking about a summer party. However, ice sculptures are a great way to keep a party cool during the warmer months! They typically last anywhere from 6-9 hours in 70 degree weather! A perfect solution for your summer party decor! Ice sculptures are a great way to make your special occasion stand out from others! Be it a wedding reception, anniversary, corporate party, birthday party or holiday party, using an ice sculpture as your focal point will make your party shine!  If you can imagine it, it can be created! Here are some beautiful pictures to help you get started.

So, your wedding day is approaching. However, in the midst of your planning you realize that you don't want the typical limousine exit after your reception. Are there other options? Depending on your site and the weather, there are several fun ways you can make an exciting exit from your wedding to the reception, and from the reception it's self!

Rose petals and rice are common traditions to be tossed as the happy couple exits the wedding chapel. However, there are some other great ideas to incorporate into your grand exit.

Some fun ideas to spice things up are:

• Sparklers
• Pom Poms
• Lavender
• Bird Seed
• Bells (to ring – not throw!)
• Butterfly or dove release
• Jazz band along both sides of the walk way – groove your way through

As for your ride:

Your getaway vehicle should show the style and theme of your wedding. Here are some creative ways to make a GRAND exit!

• A vintage bicycle built for two
• Horse and carriage
• Firetrucks or police escort
• A trolley ride for the wedding party
• Helicopter ride (talk about grand!)
• Hot air balloon
• An elephant ride around the corner
• A Harley Davidson built for two
• Horseback
• Ride off on a Sea-Doo (for a beach wedding)

There are so many ways to leave your mark, you just have to imagine and then create! Congratulations on your big day – now go make it as special as you are!

This post is brought to you by Miami Wedding Planners.
Not in Miami, FL No worries, use Wedding and Party Network's handy wedding planning directory to help you find a wedding planner near you!