Favor boxes are an easy and thoughtful way to show a small token of your appreciation to your cherished wedding guests, especially those who made long journeys to your destination wedding. It may be a daunting task to think of favors that thank your guests for spending time – and sometimes money – to share in your memories. Have no fear! Here is a short list of ideas that will leave a lasting impression on your guests:

• Themed Favor Boxes- If you’re into the idea of a themed wedding, why not include the theme in your favor boxes? For example, if you’re having a garden or nature themed wedding, try a small satchel of assorted flower seeds. They make a great gift that keeps on giving. Imagine how beautiful those forget-me-not's will look, ensuring your guests “ forget-you-not” every time they see the flowers in bloom.

• Favor Box of Memories- Give guests boxes filled with a collection of memorable favors to help keep the celebration of your big day alive. A small keychain, with a photo of the bride and groom on one side and a simple “Thank You” with the date of the wedding on the back makes a lovely everyday keepsake. Better yet, if your favor boxes are big enough, you may want to include a disposable camera, giving the guests a chance to capture their own special memories of your wedding day.

• Kiddie Favor Boxes- Reward the little ones who sat through your ceremony without wondering down the aisle with a kiddie box! A small toy, a balloon (in your wedding colors of course), candies, or a small bottle of blowing bubbles are a few cute ways to keep a busy body, well, busy! You could also add crayons to your kiddie box and place a small coloring book at their place setting to give them something to do while adults are busy listening to wedding toasts.

• Destination Favor Boxes- Take inspiration from your idyllic destination wedding location to customize your favors. Collect seashells from the beach, purchase locally made shell bracelets or a tiny jar of local jams or preserves from the gift shop for your guests to take home with them as a memory of the trip. If you’re set on candies, see if you can find a local sweets shop to add a local flavor to your candy selection. Mmm… Coconut toffee, anyone?

Picture this:

Your moment has arrived; the man of your dreams has just proposed; you’re overcome with glee and in your mind you’re already picking out your bridal party. Of course your best friend is a forerunner for maid of honor;however, it’s never been more blaringly obvious to you now that your “BFF” isn’t a female.

In a world where gender roles are consistently changing, the issue of where your male friends fit into your wedding party should no longer be a pressing one. As a matter of fact, we would consider it trés chic to have a “male of honor” instead of a maid of honor. You’re already flooded with details like seating arrangements and which one of your bridesmaids hates having her arms out, so here are a few tips on how to tastefully include your best male friend in your wedding day without totally stressing you out. After all, it’s your day and it should be as stress-free as possible!

• Did we mention? It’s your day!  It’s about what you want and who you want to be a part of your special day. Things shouldn’t come to a screeching halt just because your “BFF” happens to be male or because you want your older brother you’ve always admired to stand next to you when you take one of the most memorable steps in your life.

•  Stick to gender-neutral titles. Instead of “bridesmaids” try “attendees” or “persons in waiting”. However, if your friend and your groom are comfortable with the title “man of honor” then by all means - go for it!

• Include your male friend in bridesmaids activities .if your guy pal won’t squirm when lingerie gifts are passed around and cosmos are served up in hot pink martini glasses - then more power to him!  You should mention to him certain obligations are expected of him during wedding time but you don’t mind if he bails out of a few of the more “girly” outings/events.

•  Never fear the awkward dance of the bridal party down the aisle! Your “male of honor” doesn’t have to walk down the aisle with another male from the groom’s party; he can escort another female attendee down the aisle if the numbers are uneven. Perhaps he can escort the bride’s mother down the aisle.  If all else fails, he can simply have the spotlight and walk alone.

•  Forget the sarcastic remarks being made about your buff “bestie” in a cocktail gown. Your male friend can wear a suit and still be photographed with the bridal party without spoiling the color scheme.  His tie or shirt can match the colors of the bridesmaids dress or he can wear a boutonniere with the same arrangement as the bouquets of the other bridesmaids to keep the color palette flowing.

•  Gifts for the modernized bridal party should be simple enough, instead of that darling Tiffany bracelet with the cute butterfly charm, opt for a bottle of his favorite brandy or a pair of sterling cufflinks (if he’s not the drinking type). Either way you know your friend the best, picking a gift for him should be the more relaxing side of choosing a male attendant.

•  If all else fails and you want to make it very easy on yourself and your male friend, simply ask your groom if he can join the other groomsmen standing on his side and participating in groomsmen activities. That way your male friend can still be involved in every aspect of your special day without all the rearranging or raised eyebrows.

Your natural body shape can help you choose the most flattering wedding dress. With a myriad of design styles available, use your body as a guide!

Hourglass Figure – The hourglass figure flatters most dress styles. Try a mermaid-style gown or an A-line that will make you look taller and minimize your waist. Make your your dress is tailored to your body, as an ill-fitting gown may add bulk instead of beauty.

Photo Credit: Kelly Dooley

Pear Figure – An A-line silhouette will accentuate your figure without adding bulky weight to your bottom half. You may want to consider a V-neck to draw attention to your top half. Avoid super thin dress material, as they may highlight your larger assets.

Photo Credit: Amsale

Apple Figure – A sweetheart neckline will flatter your top and add a hint of cleavage without giving the game away. Stay away from super high necklines and some empire waists as they tend to make your bust look larger.

Photo Credit: Maggie Sottero

Fuller Waistline – The shape of an empire waist wedding dress will gently sweep over your curves. This is a versatile dress that flatters most body types and draws attention to the neckline.

Photo Credit: TeKay Designs

Athletic Figure – A ball gown shaped dresses will give the illusion of a more feminine shape. Belts and ribbons around the waist are your best friend, use them to create your shape. You may also want to consider a plunging neckline to draw attention to your neck and chest. 

Photo Credit: Wedding Dress Sketches

You voted and the results are in! It looks like most of you use Pinterest and Facebook to share your wedding plans and find inspiration. On the flip side, it looks like Twitter isn't quite that popular for wedding planning.

Thanks for voting! Don't foget we are giving away two tickets to the Unveiled Bridal Show - Sandals Resorts will be there, too! It's super simple to win - all you have to do is comment on the blog post: Unveiled Bridal Show Giveaway, aaaaand GO!

We are so excited to partner with the fabulous Unveiled: Bridal Style Revealed to give away two tickets to the posh bridal show! One lucky bride and her guest will attend the exclusive event in sunny Beverly Hills, California.

The outdoor bridal show takes place on April 1 from 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the luxurious Beverly Canon Gardens. Sip champagne with the wedding elite like Darcy Miller of Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine while you attend a Vera Wang fashion show where Vera’s 2012 runway collection will be debuted! Could this bridal bizarre be any more amazing?

If you’re a California bride, or looking for the perfect road trip with your maid of honor – this is a must-attend! Stop by the Sandals display and chat with our destination wedding experts.

For a chance to snag this fab giveaway, leave a comment below by March 28 telling us where your dream honeymoon is and why.  

To double your odds, share your favorite Sandals Wedding Blog post on Twitter and mention us @weddingmoons! No purchase necessary. The winner will be selected at random and will be announced on the Sandals Wedding Blog on March 29!

Void where prohibited.

Happy National Proposal Day! Women around the nation will fall asleep tonight counting bridesmaids instead of sheep. 

In honor of this oh-so-perfect holiday, we're sharing one of our favorite engagement stories!

Reggie Williams, Jr. wanted to ask his girlfriend Brandie Wilkins to marry him while on their Caribbean vacation. Reggie seriously knocked it out of the park by arranging for a helicopter ride over Jamaica's seven-mile beach. While the couple was soaring through the sky, the staff at Sandals Negril used bamboo adorned with shells and tropical flowers to spell out, "B, WILL YOU MARRY ME?" on the beach. Naturally she said "yes!"

Sigh. So romantic! Bravo Reggie!

The website, Tailored.com, did a fun survery on modern engaged women, here are a few statistics:

• 65% of women said that the didn’t see the proposal coming that day but they did know it was in the future plans because they talked about it often, 18% of women said they were SHOCKED by their proposal and had no idea their man was thinking about popping the question, 13% of women said they knew when he was going to propose but acted surprised anyway!
• The majority of brides-to-be (27%) were dating their significant other between 3-5 years before getting engaged. The next biggest group of brides (22%) were dating their significant other between 1-2 years before getting engaged.
• 78% of women said their fiance got down on one knee to propose.

How did your fiance or husband propose? Tell us in the comments!!

Here's a little first-hand advice for the day of your wedding.

But the best advice we can give is to relax - it's your wedding day!

The world seems to be going nuts for Pinterest - including us! Pinterest is a photo sharing site that categorizes your posts (or "pins") into boards. The wedding world is exploding with new ideas, inspiration and loads of boards perfect for the bride who likes to browse.

We want to know what you use to plan or inspire you. Take the poll! Look over to the right and you'll see our WeddingMoons Social Poll. Vote on which social tool you use for your wedding.

Tell us in the comments why and share your Pinterest URL. We will follow back - can't wait to see your pins!

Follow our boards at http://www.pinterest.com/weddingmoons