Charities to Give Back to During the Holidays

The holidays are right around the corner and everyone is bustling about making fun festive plans and picking up last minute gifts for their loved ones.  During this holiday season, one of the best gifts you can give is to a charity of your choice.  It is a great way to give back to the community. Here are a few of our favorites:

Make-A-Wish-Foundation

To grant a Christmas wish to children all over the world

The Salvation Army

To help provide a warm meal for the Holidays

Angel Tree

To deliver love in the form of Christmas gifts and to send a message of hope to children of parents in prison

Toys for Tots

To donate a new toy or give a donation to help make Christmas a little brighter for a child in need in your community

Gifts that Give Back

The Holidays are the perfect time of year to give back. Why not spread a little holiday cheer with some socially conscious gifts that give back to some amazing charities. 

Here are a few of our favorite:

Sseko Sandals: 

Every pair of sandals sold helps a woman in Uganda continue her education. Soles are leather and you can swap out the ribbons for different looks. $57.99

Raven and Lily Hand-Screen Printed Pillow

Made from remnant linen, this pillow is made by Cambodian women who learn skills and become economically independent through their work. $58

Local + Lejos "The Pacifica" Gift Set

This gift box contains mugs, tea towels, fair-trade brunch honey and loose-leaf tea help support women artisans around the world with jobs, education and community. $130

Cayetano Legacy Collection Silver "Mimi"

Three sisters formed a company to help support local craftswomen in their native Philippines. This necklace of silver stones that makes a statement, dressed up or down. $119

Punjammies

These cotton loungewear bottoms that come in trendy colors and patterns. They are made by women in India who have escaped human trafficking. Proceeds go to provide housing and education for women and their children, as well as job security and a sense of self worth. $47.99 

Ann Taylor's Elephant Jewelry Collection. 

Inspired by the iconic elephant, a symbol of family, strength and good luck, this Limited-Edition Collection is a wonderful gift for a special woman, that also gives back. From November 13, 2015 to January 30, 2016, Ann Taylor will donate 50% of the purchase price of each item sold from its collection to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, that strives to educate and fight childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. $39.50 - 59.50 

Handmade Lotus Block Print Quilt

Gift a rare and beautiful handmade lotus block print quilt and become a part of history. There are only two families in India left who do this traditional form of hand weaving. The cotton is sourced from organic farmers, dyes are plant and vegetable based, and each product is sown by hand to create a product that is environment friendly. Ichcha was founded by three sisters to encourage conscious living and support traditional craftsmen and women across India. $200

Mexico Themed Weddings

Continuing on with our wonderful experience in Mexico, here are some of our favorite ways to tie in Mexico for your destination wedding. From invitations to centerpieces, the possibilities are endless!

Love Mexico 2015

Greetings from Sunny Mexico! We are having an amazing time at this years Love Mexico Conference, at the gorgeous Moon Palace Resort in the Riviera Maya. This is our third year in a row attending this event and every year it gets better and better. This time around we also had the pleasure of being featured in their South Asian Weddings Panel. It was so fun to share our experiences with other industry experts. Here are some behind scene photos from our weekend:

Winter Inspiration: Branch Centerpieces

As we continue our winter inspiration, branch centerpieces are a great way to incorporate nature with a major wow-factor. Mixing in manzanita branches with delicate florals creates the perfect rustic, winter wedding. 

Here are some of our favorite branch centerpieces:

Winter Inspiration: Branches

With Fall coming to an end and Winter right around the corner, why not take inspiration from nature and incorporate branches into your decor?

Here are some of our favorite mandaps and aisle way pieces that incorporate branches:

Cool Things to Add to Your Wedding Reception Drinks

Customizing your wedding is all the rave nowadays. One super creative idea to jazz up your reception is to add signs or stirrers to your cocktails for your guests. You can even put escort cards into the champagne glasses! Here are some of our favorites:

SJS Real Weddings: Shivani and Pratik

We are back in New York City after an eventful weekend in Miami. 

Our bride and groom celebrated a three day weekend full of festivities at the Trump National Doral Miami. The events kicked off with an energetic Sangeet/Garba where friends and family prepared over six performances, including a Jimmy Fallon inspired Lip Sync Battle, that had guests on their feet the entire night. 

Saturday morning started with a little drizzle which soon became a heavy rain. But that did not stop our bride and groom from celebrating their love. The ceremony continued as planned with one of the best baraat's we have ever had, with guests dancing in the rain. Followed by a gorgeous outside ceremony that not even a little rain could ruin. 

The weekend came to an end with a stunning gold and white reception where guests danced the night away and celebrated the love of the new Mr. and Mrs. 

We want to thank all the amazing vendors that stood by us all weekend, rain or shine: Otto Harring Photography, Walking on Water Video, DJ Volcanik Entertainment, Cameron Keating Events, Susmita Patel, Amy Palma and the entire team at the Trump National Doral. 

Congratulations to the happy couple!