Wrapped Couture is a Custom Gift Basket Company where every basket is "Delightfully Filled...and Especially Yours".

I'm also a seasoned event planner and designer. I love everything about weddings and I hope to provide inspiration to help plan your wedding day. Through daily tips, images that I love, or events that I have done or feature, I hope to answer questions or help along the way to your journey to getting married or helping your bride and grooms! I'm fortunate to do exactly what I love!

Nov 27, 2012

Gifts For Your Groomsmen

It's almost always a struggle for the bride and groom to select gifts for their bridal party.  Today, I wanted to talk about gifts for the groomsmen.  When grooms don't know what to give their groomsmen, the first instinct is to give a flask of some sort.  Because I love custom gifts, am a little partial to gift baskets, and feel men are simply overlooked when it comes to gift baskets, I felt the need to show an idea that I so happened to stumble upon.

We all know the old adage, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.  Why not say "thank you" by adding a little homemade goodie to go along with that flask?  This DIY project can even be accompanied with a whiskey for the flask and the homemade treat can even be coordinated to match your wedding colors.  Sometimes, you just have to get a little creative when it comes to saying "thank you".  Besides, your thoughts and actions are often much more appreciated than your money.


Image via Floridan Weddings
Image Courtesy of Flordian Weddings

Looking to make the brownies, below is the recipe.

BLACK & TAN BROWNIES
From Cooking Light, March 2010
Ingredients
Tan Brownies:
  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
Black Brownies:
  • 3 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup Guinness Stout
  • 1 cup ounces all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
  1. Place one rack in lower third of oven; place another rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 13 x 9-inch baking pan (making sure to butter the sides), line with parchment, and butter the parchment; set aside.
  2. To prepare Tan Brownies, place 6 tablespoons butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring well. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating just until combined. Spoon into the prepared pan coated with cooking spray, spreading evenly with a knife or rubber spatula; try to get as even a surface as possible. Bake at 350° in lower third of oven for 15 minutes.
  3. To prepare Black Brownies, melt chocolate and 4 tablespoons butter in a large microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 1 minute or until melted, stirring after every 20 seconds until smooth. Add granulated sugar, stirring until well combined. Add 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and Guinness, stirring with a whisk until well combined. In a small bowl, combine flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring well. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring to combine. Pour mixture evenly over Tan Brownies; avoid mixing into the tan layer.
  4. Bake on the center rack at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out almost clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack; cut into squares.

Nov 23, 2012

Presentation Matters

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  It's Black Friday and many of you are all geared up to get your Christmas shopping started.  Since I'm making custom gift baskets all year long, I'm always looking at baskets and pretty ribbon.  With that being said, since many people will be out shopping, I felt that this was the appropriate time to share some beautiful wrapping paper for the all those gifts that people are itching to stand in line for.

Image Courtesy of Blog.HauteMove.com
Image Courtesy of GraceHouseDesigns.com 
Image Courtesy of KelleyMaria.com
Image Courtesy of SaucySprinkles.com
Each year, our Christmas tree has a different color palette, and I let the kids alternate choosing what those colors will be. However, being in the wedding industry, I always insist that the gift wrapping and the angel on top, matches. That's our compromise.  This year, it was my daughter's turn to choose and our colors are red, white, silver, and black.  Our angel will be wearing a white dress with silver embroidery and we're wrapping all of our gifts with newspaper!  We're putting the tree up today, so I'll post it in a follow up.  In the meantime, enjoy your Black Friday and happy shopping.  I'll be trimming my tree and enjoying the rest of the time with my son before he heads back to college.

Nov 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!!

As we prepare our Thanksgiving meal and look forward to spending time with our families, this is a time to be thankful for what we do have and remember those that are less fortunate.  Remember to keep those people in your thoughts and prayers as you pray for your family and friends.

Image Courtesy of Sherlocks.com
This is a time to just be.  Just be thankful, just be happy, just relax on the sofa, or just be sitting at the table over indulging on the too much of your favorite food.  Life is too short, we all work too hard, and you've earned the right to just be, today.  HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING from my family to yours.

Nov 21, 2012

Contemporary Baby Shower Basket

I know Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I'm finally getting into the spirit!  I was asked if I had ever created a basket for a baby shower or if I could.  Of course, I said yes.  The baby is due to be born on Thanksgiving day.  Although, Thanksgiving is a special day for many of us, she wanted something specifically for her friend and the baby that kept the focus on her being a new and first-time mom.  I completely understood and showed her a basket that I had done last year for a contemporary mom.

Photo via Mobile Phone (Pre-New Logo change)
This basket was created because, during the consultation, it was discovered that the mom-to-be was contemporary and wanted a gift basket that was not full of diapers.  She wanted to put things in the nursery, which were blue and green, and she she also loved fashion

I've always felt that some gifts at a babyshower should include some for the mom to use after the baby is born, since she's often and quickly forgotten about.  With that being said, this basket included a book a stories for the mom-to-be to read to the baby in the nursery, an overall picture frame with a hanger and 12 spaces for the first year of the baby's life, a picture frame, a scrapbook of baby's special moments, a teddy bear, a blue bracelet, and a silk scarf.

Nov 12, 2012

Georgia Gives Day


Many people aren’t aware that, besides being a passionate full-time wedding and event planner, I’m also very passionate about education and the future of our children and I spend my days trying to better the lives of their future.  For many people in the wedding industry, it’s frowned upon to have a full-time job, especially if it’s not related to the industry. Well, today I’m coming out to say that I have a full-time day job that I love and a full-time evening job that I love just the same, but I’d like to shed some light on the daytime one.

I work for a non-profit organization where we’re determined to level the playing field for metro Atlanta youth by providing quality educational, health, and life skills programs.  The programs that we provide are completely free to the students, but we depend on outside funding to keep the center running.  We obtain most of our funding from the Federal programs and private donors but also depend on fundraisers throughout the year, which brings me to Georgia Gives Day.

Photo via Aliyah Abdurah-Rahman
Georgia Gives Day is a state-wide initiative where you can donate to your favorite charities. With just a small donation, you can help us enhance our programming and sustain as a community.  This is an opportunity to invest in an organization that children consider a second home.

Just to put things in perspective as to why fundraising is important.  As mentioned previously, our programming is free.  The actual cost to run the organization ranges from $5 to $150 per student.  It costs $5 for one day of tutoring and homework support for one student, $40 for one week of tutoring or homework support for one student, $80 for two weeks of tutoring and homework support for one student, and $150 for one month of tutoring and homework support for one student.  Whether you give a little or a lot, it all helps towards giving our children a brighter future.  Please visit https://www.gagivesday.org/c/GGD/a/future-foundation today, to help!

Nov 6, 2012

Cuffs To Fit His Style

In many of my custom gift baskets, I often put in jewelry.  Either by request or because of something that was said in the consultation.  When I get the opportunity to create a gift basket for a man, I always try to find cuff links that fit his personality.  I think cuff links can be fun as well as stylish and allows a man to show his fun side while still being professional.  So, I've put together a few of my favorites, for those that may be looking for some grooms or groomsmen ideas on what to add with those tuxedos on wedding day.

Now what man do you  know who's not attached to his iPhone? This is the perfect cufflink for him

Photo Courtesy of GreatGiftsForMen.com
Does your man have a thing for insects or knows you do? This is a great way for him to show a tribute to the fact that you love dragonflies.
Photo Courtesy of LinkYourShirt.com
 Is he into music or plays the guitar?  He'll definitely be rocking out with these guitar cufflinks.
Photo Courtesy of LinkYourShirt.com
 If he's more into jazz and less the guitar, these cufflinks will be right up his alley.

Photo Courtesy of Etsy.com 
Is he a police officer or loves to go hunting?  Then what a great way to remind him of his passion than these bullet cufflinks?

Photo Courtesy of GadgetSin.com

Nov 1, 2012

Maid of Honor Gift Ideas

I wanted to start a new segment, called Thankful Thursday.  Since I am often called upon to create Custom Gift Baskets for all occasions, in the series, I wanted to suggest ways a couple could say thank you to members of their bridal party.  Today, we'll start with the Maid of Honor.

I'm a huge fan of practical gifts.  Many of us have seen these hangers for the bride's wedding dress.  Wouldn't this be a special gift for your Maid of Honor to see in her closet?

Image Courtesy of Etsy.com

Another practical gift is a compact mirror.  As women, we're alway needed to touch up our make-up and fix our hair.  This custom compact mirror will always remind her of the role she played in your wedding.

Image Courtesy of Etsy.com
If you'd rather give a gift that's more personal and less practical, your Maid of Honor is sure to love this truly custom and personalized message that's beautifully framed and includes your wedding date.

Image Courtesy of Etsy.com