Researching the final details of your wedding planning? One of the ” last minute” thoughts is one of the most important!!! The marriage license! It isn’t complicated at all…. Getting Married in Orlando? Here is some information about the marriage license process.

*Both the bride and groom must both appear together at a clerk of the following Clerk of the Court office. For more information call (407) 836-2067.
*Come prepared! Be ready to provide your Social Security number and one of the following: Driver’s license; State Id Card; Passport; Military identification.
*If either or both of you has been divorced, be ready to provide the date that your prior marriage ended.
*Couples are required to read a handbook supplied by the Clerk and sign a statement of completion before applying for a license. (This can be done at the time you apply for the license.)
*Did you complete the premarital preparation course? If so, bring the certificate of completion with you and you may be able to receive your license immediately. If not, there will be a three day waiting period for your license.
*The cost for your marriage license will be reduced $61.00 if you have completed the premarital preparation course within the last 12 months. Otherwise the cost is $93.50.
*Do you want to be married right away? A deputy clerk is available Monday through Friday from 8am – 11am, 2pm – 4pm and can perform the ceremony for an additional $30.

Tips:
*A marriage license may be applied for in any Florida county, not just where the bride and groom live, or where the ceremony is to be held.
*Blood Tests and physical exams are no longer required for a marriage license.
*A list of premarital preparation course providers can be obtained from the Clerk of the Court.
*You have 60 days from when you receive your marriage certificate to have the ceremony performed.

Instead of offering an open bar at your reception (which can get really expensive), just serve one or two signature cocktails along with a selection of non-alcoholic beverages.

Choosing a Signature Cocktail

• Choose a drink that coordinates with your wedding theme or color scheme… it’s a lot of fun and will look great in pictures.

• Think about the time of year you are getting married and choose your cocktail(s) accordingly… cold and frothy for warmer weather, warm and spicy for cooler weather.

• One fun idea is to pick one signature drink for the bride and one for the groom. Don’t forget to give them fun and creative names that personalize them for your wedding.

• Try to choose cocktails that will appeal to a wide audience and are not too strong.

Drink Recipe Ideas

Keep the ingredients simple. Recipes that require only one alcoholic ingredient will save the most money.

Blushing Bride

• 3 oz. Pineapple Rum
• 3 oz. Cranberry Juice
• 3 oz. Orange juice

Shake ingredients together, chill, and serve straight up or over ice in a glass.

The Nervous Groom

• 1.5 oz. Whisky
• 5 oz. Sour Mix
• Splash of Grenadine

Shake ingredients together, chill, and serve straight up or over ice in a glass.

Wedding favors have become so blase. Favors are to be a gift to your guests for joining you on your special night, so why not take some time (during you busy wedding week, lol) to give your favors a personal touch! Get your bridal party together and have a blast making these (with a nice glass of wine, of course!) Check this out from Clever Parties Blog

DIY Instructions

Make delicious baked mini doughnuts by following the recipe below or buy Sof’ella’s Donut Mix or Stonewall Kitchen’s Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut Mix.
Use mini doughnut pans made by Wilton or Norpro to create a uniform shape and size.
Dip in white icing and chocolate glaze to symbolize your wedding rings.
Embellish with pearlized sprinkles, crystalized sugar and chocolate jimmies. Wrap two doughnuts in a clear food safe bag or cello paper. Tie with matching wedding colored ribbon and a monogramed label.
Place the wedding favor at each place setting or elegantly display next to seating table cards.

Baked Doughnuts Recipe (makes about 90 mini doughnuts)

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
3 eggs
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a doughnut baking pan.
In a medium bowl, mix sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and flour. Mix buttermilk, eggs, honey and butter in a separate medium bowl, and stir into the dry ingredients. Spoon the mixture half way into each cavity of the prepared pan. Bake 3-4 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.

White Icing Recipe

2 cups powered sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 to 6 Tbsp. hot water

Stir powered sugar, Vanilla and water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

Chocolate Glaze Recipe

2 cups powered sugar

4 to 6 Tbsp. hot water

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Stir powered sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder and water 1 Tbsp. at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

More Tips

• Personalize Your Packaging
• Plan favors that coordinate with your wedding day colors and your wedding day motif.
• Give Yourself Plenty of Time
• Assemble your favors a week in advanced.
• Enlist Friends to Help
• Gather your bridesmaids or family for a favor-making get-together or two.

A few questions over the last few weeks made me realize someone else might want to know!

• When should i mail my invitations? Mail your wedding invitations 7.5 weeks in advance of your wedding, farther out if you have international guests.
• If you mail them on a Thursday so they will arrive on Saturday (generally) when people typically do open and read  mail and may be more likely to do something with it.
• I also recommend that you have your Respond Cards due back on or before the Thursday 2.5 weeks prior to your wedding.