Wedding Planning Advice and Tips

What to Do If It Rains On Your Wedding Day

2008-09-26T11:55:00.004-04:00

Rain on your wedding day is said to be a sign of good luck for the new bride and groom to be. But what if you didn’t plan for it to rain? Most brides plan their weddings with the intentions that the weather will work with them rather than against them. The first thing you should do is start following the weather by checking out the five day forecast for your wedding location. If the forecast even hints the possibility of a drizzle there are several things you should put in place just to make sure you are prepared for even the most unexpected weather conditions.

Get extra long ponchos for yourself and everyone in your wedding party for the walk from the limo to the ceremony and reception. This is especially important for ANYONE wearing satin or suede because of the possibility of having watermarks left on their clothing.

Get everyone in your wedding party umbrellas. They don’t have to be expensive. You can find cheap umbrellas at the dollar store that will be perfect for a one time use.

Make sure your bridesmaids are in place to help you keep your wedding dress from hitting the wet ground especially of your dress has a long train. Ask each bridesmaid or family member to hold a section of your dress as you walk without wrinkling it.

If your ceremony is outside make sure that plans backup plans are in place to move it inside if the weather does not cooperate. The hall manager or event planner should be in charge of this.

If there is no possibility of moving your wedding inside, it would be in your best interest to rent a tent. Tents are actually nice in rain or shine because they give you an extra element to decorate.

Don’t sweat it! At least you know you will be prepared for whatever Mother Nature has planned for your big day. Being ready will put your mind at ease and it is also one more thing you can cross off of your list of concerns to help make your day go as smooth as possible. Even if you don’t use any of the emergency gear that you bought, you can always return the items, it is better to be safe than sorry. And most importantly, it’s your wedding, enjoy it.

Remembering Loved Ones at Your Wedding

2008-09-25T09:11:00.003-04:00

There is nothing more important to a bride or groom than having everyone they love around them when they walk down the aisle. Whether they passed away or are too ill to make it to your wedding there are many ways you can share a piece of your special day with them. One very nice way to do this is to make a poetry dedication card. These can be very simple to make and you can make them on your own computer. Use cardstock and just a simple poem, you can also attach an angel pin to the card as it is shown in the picture. Other people have had a family member make a short speech as the bride and groom light a candle for their loved one.

If you want to do something that will lighten the mood, you can have the DJ play one of their favorite songs in dedication to them. Whether it is fast or slow just request that everyone come to dance floor to share this important moment with you.

There are many things you can do to make sure your loved one is not forgotten at your wedding. These are the moments that count in life and it is these kind of moments are the ones that stay in our hearts forever.

I love Winter Themed Weddings

2008-09-24T15:30:00.010-04:00

I Love the winter for many reasons, and having a wedding in the heart of winter will set you apart from all others. When most people think of getting married they think of a nice warm and sunny summer day, birds chirping, and the whole nine yards. Don't get me wrong that all sounds very beautiful and everything but, I really can't think of anything more beautiful than celebrating your wedding in a cozy warm hall as the the glistening snow falls outside. The bright whites, the royal colors and blue tints really get my creative juices flowing. Just think about the decorating possibilities you can take advantage of with a winter wedding.

An endless array of crystals can be used without the fear of going overboard, intricately decorated fabrics can be used for table cloths and napkins, deep colors such as burgundy, royal blue, and Tudor green can be used without fear of being too dark. And to thank your guests you can give them a little piece of your winter wonderland to take home with them by giving the a winter wedding favor. Some of my favorite ones are the simple and elegant snowflake gel candle, the practical and sleek snowflake wine stopper, and "Couple's Cocoa" filled cones.

Those are just some things I like about winter weddings, the nice thing about this season is the unlimited choices of decor you can incorporate into your special day.

Happy Planning!

Winter Wonderland Wedding Ideas

2008-07-27T23:32:00.001-04:00

Having a winter wedding gives you the opportunity to plan a captivating and unique event. The season brings many rich colors and glittery accents. It is up to you to bring the true beauty of this season to your own wedding. In this article I will give you five tried and true winter wedding ideas that will bring you winter wedding to the next level and beyond.

Invites

Choose a wintry blue cardstock with silver ink and wrap your invites in a snowflake or other winter pattern vellum, finish them off with a dark blue ribbon tied around the whole invite. Use the same snowflake pattern for the seal. Also be sure to line the insides of your envelopes with the matching vellum.

Table and Décor

Go for wintry blue tablecloths with silver napkins. For the centerpieces use a very tall and thin vase and fill it with glittery leafless branches, arrange the branches so that they form an icicle tree. Try to make this as tall as possible almost to give the effect that your guests are dining under a tree.

Menu

Comfort foods are the best kind of foods for this season, think warm and buttery breads for the menu. Steak is also a good choice for a winter wedding.

Dessert

Extra rich cakes, pies, dark chocolate, and buttery cookies are all excellent choices for winter wedding desserts. Try and stay away from ice cream and sherbet, as they are more for the summer. Set up a chocolate fountain and let your guests dip fresh fruit into it as they walk down the dessert line.

Favors

Depending on your budget you can buy your winter wedding favors online or you can create your own. A snowflake ornament would be a nice choice. Use a sliver or winter blue ribbon to create the loop. Put the ornaments on the icicle tree and let your guests take one before they leave.

Your Bridesmaids: 5 Thoughtful Ways To Thank Them

2008-07-26T12:47:00.002-04:00

When it comes to showing your bridesmaids how much you appreciate everything they have done for you, a simple gesture can go a long way. Here are five tips to say thank you in a small yet big way.

Spend some "girls only" time with them.
Go out for lunch and have a movie night in the weeks before your wedding.
Make memories with pictures on your wedding day.
Be sure that your photographer takes individual pictures of you with each of your bridesmaids.
Buy them special Jewelry for them to wear on your big day.
Your bridesmaids will be thrilled if they each get their own matching jewelry set to wear with their dresses.
Go to the nail salon together.
Arrange for you and your bridesmaids to all go out together the day before your wedding and get matching manicures and pedicures.
Hire a makeup artist and hairstylist.
Make sure your bridesmaids feel and look as beautiful as you do by hiring an in house beautician to be there the morning of your wedding.

Ideas for Planning a Fall Wedding

2008-07-15T16:49:00.001-04:00

Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year to get married. The colors, the trees, and the warm fuzzy feelings that the season brings makes it an ideal time to tie the knot. Here I bring you some of the most beautiful fall wedding Ideas that are sure to make you "fall in love" with fall.

Favors

For a nifty fall wedding favor idea give your guests a bottle of apple cider and decorate it with raffia and add some iridescent orange and green ribbon for a nice fall touch. Finish it off with your own personalized label. It is also good to have an opened bottle of the same cider on the table so that your guests can sample a little of what they are taking home.

Décor

Opt for rich colored table cloths such as brown or orange. For your centerpieces use French beaded flowers which can be bought online or at your local craft store. Add iridescent green and orange accents to everything using ribbon. Get creative, you would be surprised at all of the things you can do with some simple ribbon!

Dessert

For dessert go the untraditional way and skip the cookies, instead, have an abundance of pre-sliced pies laid out on a table. Apple, cherry, peach, and pumpkin are great choices, but the possibilities are endless and you are only limited to your imagination. Candy apples are also great if you are going to have lots of children at your wedding.

Fall Leaf Wishes

Here is a favorite fall wedding idea. Rather than have a traditional guestbook you can have your guests write their best wishes on individual pre-cut papers that are shaped like fall leaves and they can place them in a basket decorated with ribbon that matches your décor.

Cutting Down Your Wedding Guest list

2008-07-14T15:53:00.001-04:00

It is important to every bride and groom to share their special day with everyone they know and care about. But, unless you have an unlimited source of money, that is just not realistic. Here are some fool proof tips on how to make some guest list cuts as painlessly as possible.

Close Friends and Family Only!

The first place you can most likely make some cuts is in your workplace. You are not obligated to invite everyone you work with, trust me, they will understand. Simply let your coworkers know that you're trying to keep your wedding as small as possible and they won't be offended if you invite one or two of your closest work buddies.

Kids or No Kids

Lost of couples are saying: "No one under 12 except for close family and cousins." It is important to let parents know this ahead of time where you decided to make the cutoff so that no one gets offended when they see someone else's kids dancing around on the dance floor.

Chain Invites

If you can't invite one of your closest yoga pals without inviting the whole class, it is probably better to leave her out. Chain invites are probably where you will be able to make the most cuts without hurting anyone's feelings.

John Smith AND Guest

Avoid giving your close friends and family the option to bring their own guest to the wedding. If you have some single guy or gal pals, ask them to come solo, unless of course, they are in a serious relationship. Basically, if you aren't spelling out the person's name in the invitation, they aren't invited.

Wedding Favor Shopping Guidelines

2008-06-27T14:29:00.014-04:00

So you are online and you are just beginning your search for that perfect wedding favor. But then, you click the "search" button and you are overloaded with thousands of sites selling thousands of wedding favors. Your idea of a stress free wedding favor search just turned into a full time job. Before you start pulling your hair out, I have some good news. I sat down with my staff and together we brainstormed some basic tips that can help make shopping for wedding favors much easier and much more enjoyable.

Set a Budget - (Did she really just say that word?)

Yes, girls (and guys)! I really did say it! Get used to it because it will become a huge part of your vocabulary. I can't stress how important this step is when it comes to making sure you have everything you need and want for your wedding.

Typically, your wedding favor budget should be about 4% of your total wedding budget. For example if you have a $10,000.00 overall wedding budget you should not spend more than $400.00 on your wedding favors. Easy enough? Good. Now let’s move on.

Start Searching Online

Ahh, the Internet! What a remarkable invention! Where else can you go to find fifty different prices for an item you thought you would have to pay retail value for? The answer is: no where else!

Get some ideas. There are many sites out there that offer great wedding favor ideas. You can buy coasters, candles, bottle stoppers, frames and the list goes on. So, please do yourself a "favor" (no pun intended) and take some time to see what’s out there.

Another good reason for shopping online for wedding favors is because there is no store out there that has large quantities of wedding favors to take home with you that day. You would need a stock room the size of Rhode Island to store everything, and that is just impractical. It is so much easier to sit at your desk at home in your pajamas, look at some wedding favors, customize them, click order and sit back and wait for them to arrive at your door.

Designed With You In Mind - (in other words...do it yourself)

If you are on a really tight budget you can consider making your own wedding favors without sacrificing style or quality. The best way to do this is to know what you want before you go to the store. Have a solid idea in your mind of what you think you are going to need and stick to that plan. All too often I see many brides taking the DIY route and they end up going to the store with no ideas and end up leaving with a headache, and no favors because they saw tons of things they liked and they don't know where to start.

How many favors will you need 50 or 500?

Another important factor to consider when choosing your wedding favors is to sit down with your groom and figure out how many guests you are planning to have. Ask your self this question: Do you want each person at your wedding to get a favor or do you just want to give out one per couple or family? When a bride comes to me with this question and they have a tight budget, I suggest they give their guests coaster wedding favor sets. These adorable sets come with two to four coasters in each box and they are perfect for couples or families.