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Revive a Favorite Thanksgiving Tradition for Everyone
Here's one you might remember as an old Thanksgiving tradition: Everyone's eaten; grandpa's passed out in his favorite chair, snoring over the commentary of the football game; pumpkin pies are being finished; your one uncle is trying to argue politics with anyone who will listen; and then grandma brings out the wishbone from the turkey. It's been hastily dried and feels a little gross, but that doesn't dull the excitement of the time when a younger you got to pull on the wishbone, hoping it would break in your favor (and not your snotty cousin's) and grant a wish.
Usually the wish was for something off the top tier of the Christmas list. Sometimes it was for something high-minded like "world peace" in an effort to score brownie points with Santa, but years later it's not the wish you remember, but the memory of a more magical time.
Well, without getting too nostalgic you might be happy to know that we have a way to bring those magical memories to everyone with easy (and much less messy) Lucky Break Wishbone sets! The dark side of those old memories is not everyone could participate (there was more than one fight over it in our family), but now they can! And you don't have to go through an entire flock of turkeys to do it -- these Lucky Wishbones are made from a special recyclable plastic that behaves exactly like a real wishbone. They're good for the environment and good for our avian friends.
Try It at Your Next Business Meeting or Even Your Wedding
You can also go beyond Thanksgiving. Breaking the wishbone is now popular at events like wedding receptions (we've got some great ideas for this), and even at business meetings and training seminars. Nothing says "icebreaker" like going toe-to-toe with your coworkers over having a wish granted, and wishbones are a lot easier and safer than trust falls!
 The Ancient (And Unusual) History of the Wishbone Tradition
But if you're anything like the staff at BridesVillage, then this whole time you've been wondering why breaking the wishbone is a tradition at all. Where did it come from? Who started it? And, most importantly, why? Exactly how did turkeys get the power to grant wishes anyway?
Well, we did a little research and discovered the wishbone tradition is far more ancient and unusual than we thought, dating all the way back to the days before the Roman Empire. And back then it wasn't turkeys (which are native to the New World, after all), but chickens! Want to learn more? We've got the entire strange and fascinating History of the Wishbone Tradition posted on our website!
So go ahead, get a pack or ten and start asking everyone in your best Dirty Harry voice, "Do you feel lucky?"
 Grand Prize Winner ($100)
Latisha Hernandez
Two First Place Winners ($50)
Kaitlyn Mire
Tyler Haecherl
Four Second Place Winners ($25)
Kelley Laiewicz
Michelle Hipps
Tina McCain
Heather Breivik
Didn't win? It's not over yet! Phase two of the BridesVillage Autumn-Free-for-Fall starts Monday, September 19th with the official launch of our 2nd Chance Drawing! Everyone who participated is already entered to win, but you can still get in on the action and earn even more chances to win fabulous prizes!
Visit the BridesVillage Wedding Contest Page on Monday for details!
 It's on! Enter the BridesVillage Autumn Free-for-Fall wedding contest and win one of over $300 worth of prizes from BridesVillage.com, including our grand prize, a $100 BridesVillage Gift Certificate!
You can also win $50 or $25 Gift Certificates, all in time to watch the leaves change!
Increase your chances of winning by entering once per day, every day, between now and Thursday, September 8th, 2011. Winners will be announced on September 9th at 9:00 AM EST. Enter now!
Win big and bring home some of the last and most unique fall wedding accessories, shop for a 2012 wedding, or even get an early start on your holiday shopping! You'll find something for everyone!
* No purchase necessary. Must be at least 18 years old at the time of entry. Please read the complete contest rules.
 Call it a silver lining, but the tough economic climate of late has shined a long-overdue spotlight on charitable giving. In a rare example of pleasant irony, more and more couples and families are finding ways to support their local communities and favorite charities, even as many of those same people are being forced to cinch their belts tighter than ever. We really are, it seems, all in this together.
And what's that have to do with your wedding? More than you might think! Whether you've scaled back your budget or still plan to go all out for your special day, your wedding is one occasion where you can make a BIG difference, regardless of the size of your celebration. In fact, as many as 1 in 10 newlyweds have already made charitable giving a part of their wedding day.
If you want to learn more about how easy (and affordable) it can be, read our Top10 Tips for Charity Weddings. From donating your leftover food to using your wedding dress to fight breast cancer, these are some of our favorite ideas that just about any bride can put into action!
And even if you aren't holding a wedding, there are ways to make helping out your fellow humans a part of your everyday activities. Need to do some shopping or have a gift list that needs seeing to? Instead of going to some chain store that sends all its profits to a giant multi-national corporation, you can shop with a purpose at smaller retailers like Delicate Fortress Creations. These conscience-driven entrepreneurs feature fair trade apparel and other charity-based products that directly help some of the most impoverished people in the world.
No matter where you shop or what you plan to do for your wedding, just remember that we help ourselves when we help each other!
 Economically-crunched brides might not have a lot of money, but that doesn't mean they can't have a nice wedding with originality and flair. Here are some tips to quickly and easily dress up a wedding on a limited budget:
- Plant your own seasonal flowers! If you have time, that is -- use them in bouquets and/or table centerpieces. Fill tall vases with wildflowers found around your area. Prefer to preserve them for a wedding later in the year or next year? Read this handy (and free) article: How to Dry Your Own Flowers.
- Not just flowers! Herbs such as Rosemary, Basil, Peppermint, Parsley, and more all have their own aroma and "look" that can fit your personality. Lace them throughout bouquets and centerpieces, line them down the centers of tables for decoration, hang bunches of lavender at doorways to the wedding or reception... the possibilities are endless. Ferns from roadsides and wooded areas work well too.
- Add a splash of color! Also, did you know many flowers that grow wild, such as Queen Anne's lace and wild daisies, can be placed in colored water and the flower petals will absorb the color in the water? You're not limited to white!
- Go all-natural! Tie bouquets and flower bunches with raffia for a more natural look. Collect abandoned birds' nests in the spring, even empty bee-hives (if you're brave) make great country decor that you can take home afterwards!
 Our favorite tip! I have a fondness for tree roots and branches and vines. Collect anything from grape vines in the fall to branches of a suitable size and spray paint them to match your wedding colors. Depending on their size, they can stand in vases or hang on walls; you can even make a "tree" and hang photos of the bride and groom during their dating years, or growing up!
Not much of a do-it-yourself'er? Here is a small selection of country decor to help you out -- toss in a hay bale or a boot vase with the tips above and you'll have wedding decorations they'll be talking about for years!
 It's that time of year; birds are nosily chirping, buds are opening, leaves are returning, there's the sound of lawnmowers in the afternoon. And, if you're anywhere in the Northeast like we are, you've already seen enough rain to last you until next spring. In honor of all those first blossoms, in spite of the perpetual damp, we wanted to devote today's entry to the most colorful part of any wedding celebration, your flowers!
Click here to read our free guide to grow your own DIY wedding flowers.
Flowers are among the most important accessories for your big day, and most weddings are a veritable greenhouse of arrangements and bouquets. Consider that the average celebration includes a bouquet for the bride; bouquets for each of the bridesmaids; corsages for the moms; boutonnieres for the groom, the groomsmen, and both sets of fathers. There is also, of course, your flower girl. And that's nothing, then you have floral decorations in the church or venue, perhaps on the pews, or around the altar, or by the entrance. And then there's the reception. There are flowers at the entrance, flowers at the head table, flowers at guest tables, flowers at the gift table, and even flowers at the dessert or cake table. Everywhere you look, there's simply more flowers.
It can seem daunting, and it is! Depending on the size and timing of your wedding, and the types of flowers you want to incorporate, you can expect to spend, on average, anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars on floral arrangements alone.
 For this reason, many top wedding planners recommend you do a little research and concentrate on flowers that are grown in season relative to the date of your wedding. They also suggest focusing on flowers that are native to your region. This will not only greatly reduce the expense, but is even better for the environment -- forcing flowers to grow out of season and the transportation usually required is actually a significant source of pollution.
These ideas are all fine and good, but we wanted to take it one step further: The funny thing about flowers is, when properly planted, they have a tendency to grow almost for free. So why not cut out the middle man and grow your own flowers for the big day? All it takes is a little time, patience, and some seeds.
And it's not as hard as you think! In fact, we've put together instructions to teach you how to do it! Click here to read our free guide to create your own DIY wedding flowers! Your flowers will look just as nice (even better since you'll be in complete control of their quality), and you can slash the cost of your flower budget to almost nothing! So unleash your green thumb, both you and your checking account will love it!
 Bigger prizes, more prizes, and more fun! Forget about the endless snowstorms and beat the winter blues when you play the BridesVillage $500 Spring Showcase Sweepstakes! Every day between now and March 19th, 2011, you can enter our latest wedding contest for a chance to win $500 to spend at BridesVillage.com, a $215 Titanium Bracelet from Titanium-Buzz.com, or one of 13 Fabulous Prize Packages donated by some of our favorite independent online merchants!
Entering is easy (you just fill out a simple form so we can contact you if you win), and this time you can even earn additional chances to win by referring your friends! More referrals = better odds. That's all there is to it, though to learn more you should read our official rules.
To Enter the BridesVillage Spring Wedding Contest:
* Visit http://www.bridesvillage.com/wedding-contests.html
* Fill in the form with your full name, a valid email address, and phone number (for prize notification only)
It takes all of 30 seconds to enter and you can enter once per day, every day, between now and March 19th! PS: Entering also gets you some exclusive coupon codes to BridesVillage.com and our contest sponsors!
What are you waiting for? The snow may still be falling outside, but enter our biggest wedding contest ever and spring ahead to your dream wedding! For additional contest notifications you can also join the conversation on the official BridesVillage Facebook Page!
No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Some eligibility restrictions may apply. Please read the official rules before entering.
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