Alternative to Throwing Rice

Q: I would like our guests to throw something when we are leaving the church. I don't want to use rice because it can hurt the birds, and I don't want to use birdseed becuase it'll get stuck in our hair. I don't want to use flower petals or balloons because I think that can get expensive. Do you have any new unique ideas? As well, I would like an alternative to the guest book. Any suggestions?

A: First of all, I can certainly suggest another option for you...if you'd like, your guests can blow bubbles as you exit the church. They're great because they evaporate and never leave any residue in your hair or on the earth. People can blow bubbles as you exit and it will be harmless to all living things. If you decide to go the flower petal route, and you have real floral arrangements that will be set up at your church and/or reception, you can simply ask the florist for a bag of petals and blooms for your guests to throw. To be honest, if you're only requesting a small amount, you shouldn't even be charged for it, as petals naturally fall off the flowers when your arrangements are being made, so it's just a matter of collecting them. If you decide to purchase quite a few flower petals and blooms, I would suggest you obtain a quote from your florist - you may be surprised to learn that you can get petals in a fairly large box for under $150.

With respect to an alternative idea to the "guest book", you can enlarge a portrait of yourself and your fiancé - maybe even an engagement photo, and you can have it framed in such a way that there is a thick 3 inch border around the whole picture. That way, people can sign right onto the picture and you can get it framed. Another idea that I've seen executed with much success, is for you to leave out a bunch of coloured pens and various shapes and sizes of paper and ask people to be creative in designing and writing you a message. You can then paste these various tid-bits of well-wishes into a scrapbook and hang on to it.