Where to Buy Wedding Sparklers in Louisiana

Whether you’re interested in going to Mardi Gras in New Orleans or taking in the culture in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is one of the most history-rich states in the entire country. We’ve all heard of the Louisiana Purchase that lead to the United States growing drastically in size, but many people who have never visited Louisiana really don’t understand what came along with that deal. One step into the French Quarter will reveal just how historic this state truly is and how much influence the French had in the way it was designed and built.

With so much history all around you, there is no shortage of people who want to have their wedding in Louisiana. You won’t find more appealing architecture anywhere in the world and most of the buildings in New Orleans have been there since the 1700s. Additionally, Louisiana is well-known as one of the last remaining states to allow many of the freedoms that have been prohibited elsewhere including that ability to use fireworks such as wedding sparklers during a wedding. This leaves many couples wondering where to buy wedding sparklers in Louisiana, a question that is easily answered the minute you step foot on their soil. There is no shortage of places to buy wedding sparklers and other fireworks year-round in Louisiana, so just bring along your wallet and some cash and you’ll have no problem finding a great source for your wedding celebration.

Venues Allowing Sparklers

Though many of the wedding venues in Louisiana allow couples to use wedding sparklers during their ceremony or reception, many of the most popular venues are inside historic buildings that are protected by federal regulations. This means that you won’t be able to use wedding sparklers if you choose an historic venue for your wedding, so make sure you check with them ahead of time before you place a booking. Most wedding venues have an outdoor area that can accommodate the use of wedding sparklers for smaller groups, but unless you ask in advance you may be setting yourself up for disappointment in the long run.

Fireworks Laws

Though most consumer-grade fireworks such as wedding sparklers are allowed year-round, there are still Louisiana fireworks laws that regulate other types of fireworks from being used. Since sparklers aren’t the only popular type of fireworks used at weddings, you’ll want to make sure that whatever you plan for your celebration is in accordance with local laws. Additionally, some parishes have their own regulations regarding where to buy wedding sparklers in Louisiana, so make sure you do your homework before heading out to your favorite fireworks store.

Time of Year

Like everywhere else, there are certain times of the year when planning a wedding in Louisiana will either be very expensive or difficult to accomplish because of high demand. Given its geographical location, most couples who want to get married in Louisiana choose the winter so they can escape their colder region for the warmth of the Gulf coast waters. However, this idea is far from original and leads to a huge amount of demand in a relatively short timeframe. If you want to save money and still have a fantastic Louisiana wedding, you should consider booking your venue for the summer months or start planning your wedding at least a year in advance.

Wedding Traditions: Jewish Ceremony

There are as many variants of the wedding ceremony as there are cultures around the world. Weddings worldwide are steeped in tradition; each of those unique elements has hundreds of years of practice to back them up. In this article, we’ll explore the traditions of the Jewish wedding ceremony and highlight the history behind them.

Chuppah

The chuppa is a wedding canopy, usually four simple posts holding up a fabric roof. It’s open on all sides, which symbolizes unconditional hospitality. The bride and groom stand underneath the chuppah with the officiant during the ceremony, and it symbolizes the home the new couple will make together.

Ketubah

The ketubah is a traditional marriage contract, and it is read in full during a Jewish wedding. It mainly concerns the rights of the bride, and how the groom must attend to them: he must provide his wife with clothes, food, and shelter. He must also see to her emotional needs as well. After it’s read and signed, the ketubah belongs to the bride. It’s usually written out by hand, with plenty of artsy flourishes, and is meant to be framed and hung up in the couple’s home.

Breaking the Glass

After the ketubah and a reading of blessings, the bride and groom share a glass of wine. Then a drinking glass is wrapped in fabric and placed on the floor, and the groom stomps on it to break it. The breaking of the glass symbolizes the destruction of the Temple in Israel, and is meant to be a somber reminder of Jerusalem even during this most happiest occasion (although now it’s also the source of a joke that it’s the last time the groom gets to put his foot down).

Yichud

After the breaking of the glass, the wedding ceremony proper is over. The newlyweds then go to a small room by themselves for a few minutes, giving them some time to reflect on the day and grab a quick snack before the reception. It symbolizes their new status of living together as a married couple.

Reception

While the main point of a Western wedding reception is for the guests to get their party on, a Jewish wedding reception is focused on entertaining the bride and groom. There’s a tradition called the “gladdening of the bride,” in which the guests dance in a circle around the bride and entertain her. There’s also a traditional garlanding of the mother of the bride with flowers, and the horah, a lively circular dance.

Chair Dance

Interestingly, one of the elements regularly associated with a Jewish wedding isn’t fraught with deep symbolism. The chair dance, in which the bride and groom are hoisted up while seated in chairs and paraded around the venue, seems to have evolved for the sheer fun of doing it. Some claim that it symbolizes the community supporting the new couple, or lifting the couple closer to the Almighty, but those meanings were added after-the-fact. It seems to be a tradition just because it’s great fun.

Overlooked Wedding Flowers

There are a few standard go-to flowers for weddings: roses, irises, lilies, and the like. Those are all solid choices and beautiful in bouquets. But if you’re looking for something a little unexpected in your centerpieces and bouquets, there are plenty of less-conventional choices. If everything else about your wedding is unusual, why not throw in some oft-overlooked flowers? Go beyond the front row of the florist’s cold case with these striking blossoms.

Wildflowers

For a rustic or Western-themed wedding, it just wouldn’t look right to carry a bouquet of roses and baby’s breath down the aisle. Daisies, bluebells, and lavender might not be as highbrow, but they’re beautiful. Plus a lavender bouquet smells absolutely wonderful.

Calla Lilies

These creamy white flowers, cup-shaped with a bright yellow stamen and a bright green stem, make a bold choice for carrying down the aisle. They don’t really need a bouquet to make them stand out, either: a simple bundle of only calla lilies tied with a white ribbon makes a statement all by itself.

Clematis

Clematis grow on vines, not stems, so they wouldn’t work for a long-stemmed bouquet. But these marigold-esque blossoms are full and vibrant. The white blooms are stunning, but they also come in purple, red, and blue.

Columbine

Columbine have a very unique look to them. They’re almost like a flower within a flower; the central petals are framed by another ring of petals in a different color. We’ve seen beautiful Columbine in white and pink form the center of a very eye-catching bouquet.

Peonies

Peony buds are glued shut with a sugary sap-like substance. They open when ants climb onto the buds and eat away the glue. When they’re fully open, they’re almost round; it’s a lavish explosion of petals in white, pink, or red. There are inevitably a few ants hanging around deep in the petals, so we don’t recommend using this one in a bouquet, but a single blossom floating in water makes a fine centerpiece.

Nigella

Nigella pods are often dried and used for fall arrangements. That’s a shame, because the actual blossom is gorgeous. They come in white, blue, purple, and pink, and all feature a double-ring of flowers around twisting green tendrils.

Zinnias

Zinnias have a nice full blossom like peonies, but they come in more saturated hues and vibrant primary colors. They’re perfect for a really striking summer bouquet, or any wedding that has bold colors as part of their theme.

Blue Delphinium

Delphiniums are available in other colors, but the deep blue delphinium is our personal favorite. The stalks with rows of blossoms on them are great for table decorations, and you can use just a flower or two for boutonnieres.

When it comes to choosing wedding flowers, your options are as wide open as the whole green earth. It might be worth taking a trip to a plant nursery or a botanical garden in addition to the florist’s shop for inspiration. With a little extra searching, you can find the perfect beautiful but overlooked blossoms for your bouquets and centerpieces.

5 Non-traditional Men’s Wedding Bands

When it comes to wedding rings, men get the short end of the stick. The bride gets an engagement ring with a diamond or two, then a wedding band with some sparkle to pair it with. Men’s rings sometimes seem to come in two options: gold or white gold. Sure, a few other metals are becoming popular, like titanium and tungsten, but they still only come in black, silver, or gold tones. If you’d like a little more style in your wedding band, check out these five truly original wedding bands.

Meteorite

A four-billion-year-old chunk of star stuff, having crossed the vast expanses of space, is now ready to become part of your wedding band. It’s a potent metaphor for the vastness and durability of love, and the meteorite stone has a beautiful pattern that isn’t found on any terrestrial metal. Stylish, sci-fi, and sentimental: what’s not to love? Plus, any time someone asks where your ring came from, you get to say, “SPACE.” We recommend saying it with as much bass and reverb as you can muster.

Wooden

Sure, it’s no meteorite, but wooden wedding rings have a beauty all their own. They have a softness and warmth to them that is a stark contrast to a cold metal ring. Since wood comes in all shades and colors, and can be finished with hundreds of shades of stain or mineral oil, you’ll have a lot of options to choose from. Wooden rings can also be inlaid with bits of metal or precious stone for an even more unique and beautiful piece.

Industrial

A men’s wedding band doesn’t have to be a simple band, either. You can add ornamentation without it feeling too fussy or feminine, as the example above shows. Industrial rings have features like rivets and studs that provide visual interest while remaining undeniably masculine. We especially like the steampunk-y feel of the copper rivets on some industrial wedding rings. Other industrial rings play with the traditional ring shape, opting for a hexagonal nuts-and-bolts design or a rugged square.

Waveform Ring

These rings are made from conventional materials, but the decoration on them is anything but typical. The ring features a cutout in the shape of a waveform, the visual representation of a sound. Each waveform is completely unique--your voice is just as one-of-a-kind as your fingerprint. You can choose the sound that’ll be represented on the ring. It can be the “I Do” that you say on your wedding day, or your spouse saying “I Love You,” or a snippet of your recession music. It’s an eye-catching ring and a beautiful memory combined.

Twig Band

These sterling silver bands are cast to look like a circle of twigs around your finger. They’re a little bit nature, a little bit elvish--you would expect to see it around Elrond or Celeborn’s finger. While they don’t have the warmth of a wooden ring, they definitely have a beauty all their own.

With so many cool options to choose from, why should the bride have all the fancy rings? Get a ring that’s as unique as you are. After all, it’s a symbol of your love that you plan to wear forever--make it something you’ll want to show off. For more great ideas, check out my wedding blog by clicking here.