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If you're going to have kids at your wedding and reception, you may want to plan some activities to keep the little ones happy. While you don't necessarily have to plan around kids, it is nice for them to feel included in some way. One way to include and entertain them is to consider a few kid-friendly songs at your reception.

Some formal weddings don't lend themselves very well to a kid-friendly reception, but who's to say yours can't? There's no rule that says you can't have a formal wedding and a much more relaxed reception. It's really up to you and your groom. Do you want ballroom dancing, or do you just want everyone out on the floor having a good time?

If you want the latter, think about throwing some of these songs into your dance mix:

• The Soulja Boy song (Superman)
• Cha Cha Slide
• Macarena
• The chicken dance
• YMCA
• Conga
• Hokey Pokey

Okay, so some of them may seem a little, well, hokey but you'll be surprised how many of your guests will get out on the dance floor during these numbers. And even though some of them may make someone's don't list, it doesn't mean that you have to exclude them. It's your wedding. So what would you like to do?

Image: Tomoyoshi (creative commons)

Take a garage sale candelabra and some of your grandmother's teacups, and what do you get? With a little ceramic glue and various things to put in the cups, you get a funky, one-of-a-kind centerpiece. If you just want to create one, you might even have the materials at hand, or can find them in the family. If you want to make six or eight or ten of them, though, you'll likely have to hunt a little further.

Possible storehouses of crafting goodness? The attics of older relations. Thrift stores. Ebay. Garage sales. If you have a local buy-and-sell newspaper, put an ad there -- or on good old Craigslist. When you have enough bases and cups, you could paint the bases the same color for a sense of uniformity, or you could leave them in all their irregular glory. For full instructions on how to make a candelabra centerpiece, follow the link!

Once you've picked the best champagne to serve at your Paris-themed wedding, it's time to shift your focus to the glasses you'll use to toast it with. Many venues offer flutes for your guests to use during the first toasts, but it's sometimes nice to hand-pick the flutes you and yours will use for your first sip of champagne as husband and wife. You can pick a personalized set or funkier glasses to match your colors or even Parisian flutes to accent your Paris-perfect wedding.

The benefit of purchasing your own toasting flutes (with your own tastes in mind) is you are able to take the glasses home with you and toast your marriage as often as possible, especially on each and every wedding anniversary.

Check out the gallery for even more styles of fun, funky and classic champagne flutes to fill up with the perfect bottle of champagne.

We would be remiss to host Paris week at AisleDash and not mention one of the best French exports since torn baguettes -- champagne! As you may know, champagne is actually sparkling wine that stems from the champagne valley of France and come in many varieties -- brut, extra dry, demi-sec, etc.

If your dream wedding theme consists of all things Parisian, you can't keep a bottle of proper bubbly away from your guests. But how do you decide on what, exactly, to serve? Here are a handful of bottles of champagne that you can't go wrong with, and you can also purchase any of these in many other places beside France's champagne region.

For many people, Paris, the City of Lights, is the epitome of romance. A city that oozes history, culture and unbridled luxury. It's a magical place and it's no wonder that so many couples want to have their wedding there. From the Champs Elysee to the Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower to the Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, there isn't a thing about Paris that doesn't attract, n'est ce pas?

But, romance aside, getting married in Paris isn't a matter of choosing a date and booking the church. France has stringent requirements for tying the knot and it can be off-putting to all but the most determined among us. Basically, at least one of the couple needs to have lived in the district where they want to get married for 30-40 consecutive days.

Additionally, proof of residency is required along with a slew of other documents, including a birth certificate, a certificate of celibacy, and a medical certificate, all of which must be less than three months old. Furthermore, if you want a church wedding, then you must first have a civil ceremony in France. (A civil ceremony back at home doesn't count.)

If it sounds difficult, that's because it is. However, it's not impossible. You do need to be resourceful and resilient though, with a whole lot of patience thrown in for good measure.

Many couples choose to marry in their own country then hold a symbolic ceremony in Paris. But, if your heart is set on having the full works in France, then rest assured it is possible - you simply need to 'gird your loins' and be prepared to do whatever you must to fulfill all the legal requirements.

Planning a Paris-theme wedding? You can choose the very chic and urban Paris decor, and focus on the landmarks and monuments, or you could turn your focus to the sophisticated and urbane Parisian parks. Parks in Paris tend to be fairly formal, organized affairs. They have immaculate gardens, and lawns more often for gazing upon than racing over; often there are ponds, for gazing upon, yes, but also for sailing model boats.

Want to conjure up the ambiance of a Parisian park? This Paris Garden kit provides inspiration for your decor: sculpted hedges, topiary trees, a fountain. You may not may not opt to include a model of the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe, but some artfully placed flowering plants and a (chocolate?!) fountain could be used to good effect. Perhaps seating at the wedding, or around the dance floor, could be rented park benches rather than chairs.

Take the elements that appeal to you, and see how you can make them work for your celebration!

This "Springtime in Paris" kit is a quick and easy way to create a Parisian ambiance to your gathering. We tend to think these items would work best for a shower, but if you think you could make it work for your reception, go for it!

The entire kit contains a 3D Eiffel Tower, a pair of boulevard lamp posts, two topiary trees, four boulevard wall sections, a 2D Paris skyline and a 4' x 50' roll of cobblestone flat paper. If you're not confident of your creative abilities and have lots of money to invest, the kit is a good way to go. If, however, you think you can manage to create your own roll-out cobblestone path and Paris skyline, maybe you can afford a few more lamp posts or trees!

Even if you don't use the kit at all, there's plenty of inspiration for elements that will create the mood you're after!

We took a peek at super-luxury weddings to create this inspiration board: From record-breaking bouquets to Indian weddings that are truly over the top, we found that you don't have to be an LVMH heiress to add a few luxurious touches to your real life wedding.

However, it doesn't hurt to dream, does it? So let's get to it!

This week we're thrilled to be chatting to Kimberley Petyt, of Parisian Events, a first class American wedding consultancy in Paris.

How did you come to be a wedding planner in France?

Eight years ago I married a French man and after planning my own wedding in France, long-distance from San Francisco, I decided to start a wedding planning agency. I already had years of event planning experience in the USA, and I had also learnt so much about the differences between French weddings and American weddings through my own experiences, so it was almost a natural progression.

What are the major challenges of planning a wedding in Paris?

The biggest challenge for any couple is the long list of legal requirements. The main requirement is that one of the couple needs to have been a legal resident in the district in which they plan to marry for 30 – 40 consecutive days prior to their requested wedding date. And that means really living there, and being able to provide proof of residency (such as a utility bill) and not just bunking down in a hotel and being a tourist for a month!

If a couple wants a full wedding, with the civil ceremony followed by a church blessing, do you sort all the paperwork out?

I provide clients with a global road map of the documents that are needed for a civil ceremony, and the overall timing for submitting the documents. I'll also give them direction as to where they can find additional assistance, but I always recommend that a client contact their local embassy as well as the city hall in which they wish to marry directly for more information.

I provide the same type of assistance to those clients who are marrying in a religious ceremony. A lot of people in the U.S. don't realize that in order to have a wedding in a church in France, you first HAVE to have had a French civil ceremony.

Because there are SO many restrictions here in France, the majority of our clients who come from out of the country do choose to marry legally in their home country and have a symbolic ceremony or a religious blessing here in Paris.

When you're aiming for green entertaining, re-usable items are best. Sometimes, though, you may decide that it's just not feasible. If you're looking for a less wasteful alternative to standard plastic disposable plates, cups and cutlery, you might consider Preserve.

This company makes bright and informal tableware from 100% recycled plastic. It's sturdy enough that it can be reused dozens of times, and, when it's finally served its final meal, it can be recycled. You probably wouldn't use anything this informal for any but the most casual of weddings, but it could easily be used for a shower.

Recycled, recycle-able plastic tableware. It's not a perfect solution, but it's not the worst, either. A decent compromise for moments of need!

via: Epicurious

We often have the idea that going green is more expensive than doing it the old way. It sure seems so, with organic foods tending to cost noticeably more than non-organic, and with the whole range of new "green" items on the market. Want to go green? Buy, buy, buy!

Going green, however, does not mean buying a heap of new stuff with "green" or "eco" in the label. If you think about that for a second, it's pretty clear that "buying stuff" and "going green" are mostly opposites. Going green doesn't require trips to the store and a huge outlay of money: it requires creativity.

Luxury is in the details, and what is more luxurious than a perfect flower submerged in champagne?

Wild Hibiscus flowers in syrup are grown and hand-made in Australia, and will add a glamorous touch to the champagne toast. Each flower is hand-selected and preserved in sugar in preparation for the eventual champagne bath. The flower arrives closed, and when dropped in the bottom of a champagne flute slowly "blooms" as the bubbles gently free the petals from their sugar coating. The flowers are fully edible, and taste of raspberry and rhubarb for a tasty finish.

They're a decadent feast for the eyes and palate - and surefire conversation starters.

Wednesday Wedding Wrap-up is a weekly roundup of highlights from the past week, covering wedding blogs and websites, reality TV, even particularly hot scoop right here at AisleDash. Think we missed something? Leave your favorite highlight in the comments!

Bridalwave gives us the scoop on the $10,000 proposal.

Polka Dot Bride has us drooling over the idea of customizing our own bubbly. Cheers to that!

We love the Capiz Party Garlands at Hostess with the Mostess. But who needs a party? We want to decorate our house with them!

Wedding Bee's Miss Toucan discusses her hesitation toward registering for big ticket items. If you don't register for them, you have no chance of getting them, but you don't want your guests to think you're greedy ... what do you think?

Located in Lake Huron between Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, Mackinac (pronounced Mack-in-awe) Island is a 3.8-square mile piece of tourist heaven -- and a very popular summer wedding destination! You can get to the island year-round, but the main tourist season is in the warmer months, from May to October, as winter in this part of the country can mean bitter cold and lots of snow and ice, and lots of the local businesses close down in the off season.

Though the island is barely eight miles in circumference, you'll have plenty of options for your Mackinaw wedding. The tiny island boasts more than 2,000 hotel rooms along with its variety of restaurants and many other attractions.

Planning an outdoor wedding? If you're having it in the afternoon, you won't get to use all the pretty lighting options that are available to evening events -- but you can take advantage of the sun and the breeze to add some bright charm to your day. These wind chime suncatchers are copper finished, chime gently in the air.

They come with butterflies or dragonflies, for that natural touch to an outdoor wedding. Or, if circumstances cause you to move your outdoor celebration inside (the famous "Plan B" for outdoor events!) these will bring an outdoor feel with you. Packaged separately, and costing about $20 each, they're even a reasonable alternate to centerpieces for a stand-up reception.