An Adorable Dress for Your Outdoor Flower Girl

I have a five-year-old daughter, so my mailbox is constantly filled with catalogs advertising children's clothing. Chasing Fireflies was a new name to me, though, so while most of the catalogs land in a pile in my office, I couldn't resist taking a peek inside this one. Right away, on pages 2 and 3, I was captivated by the little girl's meringue dress, which I think would be absolutely adorable for the flower girl at an outdoor wedding.

It's not inexpensive ($288 + shipping), but this sleeveless, creamy white dress has a delightfully whimsical ruffled, ruched and ribboned skirt. The little girl who models the dress for the catalog is shown barefoot on a beach, but I think this sweet little dress with its full skirt would also be perfect for a summer outdoor wedding at a plantation house or in an elegant garden. The dress can be ordered online in sizes 2 through 8, or request your free Chasing Fireflies catalog by using this online form. I'm impressed by Chasing Fireflies' 60-day, no questions asked return policy, which allows plenty of time to make sure the dress is the right style and size for your little attendant.

Webcast Your Outdoor Wedding

Jewel Savadelis of Savadelis Films in California emailed me last year to share an interesting story. You can read more details in her company's press release, but here's the gist:

When a bride's mother broke her leg just days before her daughter's outdoor wedding, making it impossible for her to attend, Jewel and her husband, Chuck, swung into action to find a way to make sure the mother-of-the-bride wouldn't miss the wedding ceremony. "On 48 hours' notice, we set up a live Webcast from an outdoor location directly to the bride's mother in a hospital 2,500 miles away," Jewel wrote in her email. "It made all the difference to our sweet bride to know her Mother was watching," she said.

Many outdoor weddings are destination weddings, which increases the likelihood that some family members and friends will be unable to attend. Technology now offers a solution, even when weddings are held in non-traditional settings. "What is new is that you can Webcast from an outdoor location, such as a beach or mountaintop, or an indoor location that does not have Internet connectivity," Jewel told me. "And, rather than broadcasting just a few frames a second (very jumpy), the latest technology allows you to see full-motion at the moment it is happening," she added.

Although Savadelis Films' focus is on wedding videography, they're happy to help couples connect with companies that provide webcasting if this service is desired. Contact them at 408-749-1211.

A Butterfly Release Can Make an Outdoor Wedding Memorable

I've been a bad blogger this year, I know. I have a pretty good excuse, though. On September 4, my mother lost her nine-year battle with breast, thyroid and lung cancer. Spending time with my mom--and making sure she had opportunities to see my daughter, her beloved only granddaughter--was my priority this summer.

Unexpectedly, my mother's memorial service provided me with an opportunity to experience a unique and beautiful option for an outdoor wedding: a butterfly release.

As my father, brother and I made arrangements, we struggled to come up with a way to include my four-year-old without the experience being traumatic for her. We'd already selected butterfly memory cards, and when we heard there was a butterfly farm in Pawling, New York, not far from where we were holding the service, we knew a mass butterfly release was the answer.

When I called and spoke with Pat at Rainbow's End Butterfly Farm & Nursery, she was incredibly helpful and even offered to have her partner deliver the monarch butterflies to my dad's house in a lovely release box. She explained exactly what we'd need to do, assuaging my fears about handling the delicate butterflies.

I've always been a bit reluctant to recommend a butterfly release for weddings. The fear, of course, is that the butterflies, which are kept chilled and asleep until the time of release, would fail to awaken at the appointed time. But now that I've successfully orchestrated a butterfly release of my own, I can say without hesitation that the effect is simply breathtaking.

The butterflies need to be taken off of ice about a half hour before the time of release. While most butterfly providers offer individual specimens in cellophane envelopes so that each wedding guest can release a single butterfly, I have to tell you that the impact of watching a little girl lift a lid off a big box and gasp as a swarm of butterflies emerges, swirls around her head, and scatters in all directions is incomparable. If you have an adorable flower girl participating in your outdoor wedding, this may be a perfect role for her to play after you are pronounced husband and wife.

We told my daughter that the monarchs she released were on their way to keep Grandma company, and oddly enough, my family and I have crossed paths with a strangely significant number of butterflies this past month. There really is something magical about these colorful, winged messengers. Whether you're planning a butterfly-themed wedding or simply looking for a way to add color and surprise to your outdoor wedding ceremony, Rainbow's End Butterfly Farm can provide the butterflies for your special release.