Instead of giving your guests the same old chocolate hearts as favors, why not go for something a little more personal and homemade?  My crafty coworker has the perfect DIY project for some tasty treats-homemade kettle corn wrapped in small plastic bags and tied together with ribbon and stickers.

What you’ll need:

Homemade Kettle Corn (without a Kettle Corn Machine!) – recipe below

Small Plastic Bags

Personalized Gift Tag Stickers from Wedding paper Divas

Ribbon or Twine

Instructions:

To start, you’ll have to prepare the kettle corn.  You won’t need a kettle corn maker; This easy recipe makes it east to bring the same salty sweet flavor to popcorn right on your stovetop!

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons Oil
1/2cup kernels
1 ½ tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Makes 3 cups

1)    Heat Up 3 TBS of oil and put one kernel in the oil to test when it is hot enough. Once the kernel pops, you will know it is ready for the rest.

2)    Turn the heat down to med-low and pour ½ cup of kernels followed by 1 ½ tsp of sugar

3)    Saturate the kernels in the sugar otherwise the sugar will caramelize in the pan. Make sure you keep the lid on.

4)    Let the kernels pop and kind of shake it around to get even coverage.

5)    Once the popping has stopped, pour the popcorn into a large bowl and add salt to taste. Toss and mix a bit and you’re done!

6) Package the popcorn into the small plastic bags.  Fold the top of the bag over and wrap a ribbon around it.  Complete your package with a personalized gift tag sticker from Wedding Paper Divas.

I’m at that point in my life where everyone around me is getting married.  Since I’ve already been down that path, many of them come to me with questions about the various stages of planning a wedding.  This past week, the subject of putting together a bridal registry came up, and it made me think about all of the things I would have done differently had I already known what it was like to register.  And then I realized–why not pass this valuable information on to you, our wonderful Diva Dialogue readers?!  So, here we go…

• Choose the stores that you register at carefully. If you really check them out, you’ll see that Macy’s, Bloomgindale’s and Bed, Bath and Beyond have virtually identical merchandise, even if the stores seem drastically different.  Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s are actually both owned by Macy’s, Inc., making them even more connected.

• Register at multiple stores. In my opinion, registering at 3 places is ideal.  You can pick a mid-range place, like Macy’s, that will cover both low-priced, mid-priced and high-priced merchandise.  In addition, you can register at a place like Williams-Sonoma or Pottery Barn, both which tend to be higher-priced.  Finally, you can add a speciality store or even a Honeymoon registry.  This gives your guests flexibility and different price ranges when choosing a gift for you.

• Do your homework before you go. Registering, although a blast, can be time-consuming, confusing, and frustrating.  Figure out how many place settings you want.  I have never used all 12 of my settings at once, but I can’t help but be happy that I have the option if a big family event is in my future.  Figure out what kind of pots and pans you want (Stainless?  Non-stick?  Brand?), how large of a knife set you want, and which things are most important to you on your registry.  (Tip:  I registered for a beautiful, high-end knife set, and am so happy I did.  Great knives make a huge difference, trust me!).

• China or no China? That is often the question of many brides.  I went for it and registered for both fine China and casual dishware, and I don’t regret it for a second.  When else in your life will your purchase China?  Plus, it’s something I can pass down to my children one day, and it works great for special occasions.

• Look for Registry Parties.  Many stores, including Macy’s, Williams-Sonoma, Bloomgindale’s, Crate and Barrel and more have registry parties in which the entire store is open only for couples registering for their weddings.  There are usually snacks, beverages, and tons of helpful staff on hand to guide you through the process.  It’s a great atmosphere and very helpful during the confusing registry process.

• If you’re not sure about something, register for it anyway! You can ALWAYS return stuff.  Every store I worked with had amazing return policies for bridal registries, with some even giving cash back.  With all the wedding planning, it’s hard to make tough decisions about what you’ll need for the next 50 years of your life.  Make them later.

• If you see something you love that is wildly expensive, register for it. A lot of people like to give group gifts, and items like that make it easy to do so.

I could come up with 15 more bullet points, but these, to me, are the most important.  Regardless, have fun!  When else will you get to make a huge wish list and actually receive most of it?!

As we all know, wedding planning can be a stressful time.  Issues you never knew existed can pop up, from the in-laws to friends, honeymoon destinations to wedding etiquette.  That’s why your favorite Divas are here to help!

Each and every Tuesday, look for a new feature on Diva Dialogue called Diva Dish.  Send us your questions about all things wedding and our Divas will dish out their best advice.

Send questions titled “Dear Divas” to blog@weddingpaperdivas.com.  We can’t wait to answer your questions!