Tented Weddings

At times, there is a misconception about tented weddings, and I just wanted to show you how great they can be. With the ceiling draped in white fabric, you can rent lights to give it even more texture and it can be absolutely stunning!

Sure, you've got to worry about the weather just a bit, but with sides on the tents that look like large windows, it probably isn't too huge of a deal. And those sides don't have to be down unless it starts raining, otherwise you get a wide open feel that many people look for. What also adds to the open feel is the fact that you have such high ceilings and that you can do so much to tem! Another thing that you can do to the ceilings is have paper lanterns hang. They give it depth and can be truly beautiful while bringing in the colors of your wedding.

Website of the Week: Wedsite

Are you looking to create a website that gives your guests information about your wedding?

Wedsite gives you that opportunity! Tell your guests about the two of you, how you met, things you've done together and how you got engaged. Then tell them a bit about the bridal party, a who's who? if you will. You can tell them about the ceremony location and the reception location, give directions and timing of all the events. Give the out of town guests information on the local airport, hotels, and things to see while they're in town! It's a great way to get them all of this information and can definitely save some paper! The best way to get the website info out there is to send it on your save the date.

It's so much fun!

Programs Part II: Style Inspiration

Whether you go for the simple single fold program, or a multi layer program, it's a really easy way to incorporate your wedding colors and style into the ceremony!

If you're creative with powerpoint, you can easily come up with a monogram, or if Photoshop is easy for you, an ornate wedding logo can also tie it into the invites!

The most important thing is that it reflects you! Have fun with it, add some ribbon, a bit of color or a special poem. It's a personal choice what you do with it.

Also- if you're expecting some kids and want to keep them occupied during the ceremony, a great program is the kids coloring program.

Programs Part I: What's in Them?

Well, as spring wedding season approaches, this is one of the last tasks to get completed. So I figured I'd give a little insight on what you can include, and then come back to give you some style inspiration!

First off, programs are popular but not a necessity. Don't feel like you have got to have them. They are probably the most popular thing to be left behind at the end of the night. So if you don't have the time, or the space in the budget, then no worries.

If you do have the time and the budget, they can be a nice touch. Here are the things that I suggest having in your program:

1. Welcome: To all of the guests whether they traveled 5 miles or 5000 miles, it's nice for them to feel welcomed.
2. Introductions: Of the bridal party, the parents and grandparents. It is usually best to put this in processional order so that guests can play a little game of Who's Who?
3.Ceremony Order: Not completely necessary, but sometimes when it is an interfaith marriage it can be a nice touch.
4. Readings: It's nice to give people something to read along with. If you have space, Great! If not, it won't kill anyone to have to listen.
5. Explanation of Traditions: Again important if you're marrying someone of a different background, it will help both families understand what's going on and why it's important to the both of you.
6. Thank You: It's a good time to put your thank you to your parents, family and friends in writing. **This is not in lieu of a traditional thank you after the wedding**
7. Directions: You can stick a piece of card stock in the back with directions to the reception, or you can simply write them into the last page of the program. Either way, it's nice to ensure guests won't get lost!

Like I said though, they're not mandatory, but a nice touch. And these aren't rules you have to follow, you can include anything you'd like!

Website of the Week: HoneymoonUp!

Looking for more honeymoon advice? HoneymoonUp is one of my favorite Blogs! I wish that I could travel more often, and I would definetly go to some of their favorite stops. They give detailed info on many romatic destinations.

Wedding Insurance?

Wedsafe is a site that provides both liability insurance (Up to $2M) and cancellation/postponement insurance. For a $25,000 wedding in GA, you can purchase protection for $350. If it's something you're concerned about, it might take some stress out of the day for you if you purchase the minimum coverage. It may just add that bit of peace of mind.

Some Quick Honeymoon Tips

Starting to plan your honeymoon? Here are a few quick tips to get you started!

1. Set your budget, and stick to it! Make sure you plan on how you're getting to the airport, or parking at the airport. Don't forget gratuity.

2. Decide on warm or cold, beach or mountain, land or sea.

3. Know what the weather is. It's important to know if it is the rainy season in Hawaii(November-March) or if it's Hurricane Season (June-December)

4. It's also important to know whether it is the off travel season for the country you're going to. In most of Europe late August through September is a light season and sometimes they even close some of the local restaurants. But no worries, the main tourist activities and best restaurants are kept open. Just make sure to check on limited hours of operation.

5. What do you want your budget to include? Meals? Drinks? Multiple locations? Activities?

Types of Bustles Part II

As promised yesterday, here is the info on the second type of bustle:

The French Bustle

The French bustle is currently the more popular bustle for a lot of reasons, the first of which is that it is the safe way to go. If someone steps on it, it's much less likely to fall apart. It is distributes the weight of the train a bit more. It also carries the weight a bit lower and not on your waist=MORE COMFORTABLE!

It does cost a bit more, but is well worth it. Here are a few tips that I've picked up along the way:

1. It is better to have ties than to have loops and hooks.

2. It's good to have the ties numbered or lettered so that it's quick to bustle.

3. Have someone attend your final fitting so that someone knows exactly how it is put together.

Types of Bustles Part I

Are you trying to figure out what type of bustle you'd like to have on your dress? In this two part blog, I'll be talking about the two different types of bustles, the overbustle or "English Bustle" and the underbustle or "French Bustle."

The English Bustle:

There are three main reasons, besides the look, that one would select an English Bustle. The first of those reasons is that if the dress is made of a delicate material such as tulle or lace. This bustle protects the material because the bustle is formed by looping a reinforced section of the material to the bottom button on the back. The second reason that someone might want to have an English Bustle is to show off any beading or crystals at the bottom of the train. It's also a bit less expensive than an underbustle.

One of the major downsides of this type of bustle is that if not strongly reinforced, it can be torn and completely ruined if one person steps on it. Make sure to double check the reinforcement of the bottom button as well. My suggestion is to make sure you have many safety pins available and even diaper pins which are the strongest of the safety pins.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post on the French Bustle.

Writing Your Own Vows

Are you thinking about writing your own vows to one another? If so, here are a few things that you should consider first:

1. If you're getting married in a church, do they allow it? If not, you can still write them to one another and read them to each other after the ceremony, or exchange them in the morning.
2. Will you be able to get through them while still being understood. If you know you're going to cry, sometimes it's easier (and doesn't leave your face all red and splotchy) if you repeat after the officiant.
3. Make sure you practice. Your hands may be shaky, you might have a glimmer of a tear, and you might get a bit choked up. Practicing will definetly help.
4. Have a backup plan. If you thought you could get through them, but during the ceremony you feel too choked up, or you are getting a bit too nervous, have a sign with the officiant to show them you'd like to go with his version of the vows.

If you're going to write them, start early. One bride came up with a great way of writing her vows, and I don't think there was a dry eye in the house! She got a small notepad and wrote down every time her fiance made her feel special, and how exactly she felt. After about 6 months of notes, she was able to skim through and pick the perfect words for how he made her feel. She then gifted the notebook to him.

I thought that with this romantic holiday ahead, some brides might be able to begin a notebook.

New Stamp Price!

I know it's a bit late in the afternoon, but for anyone still keeping up:

The price of stamps will be changing this May 11th, up by another $0.02/stamp. If you're mailing out invites with RSVP envelopes that will be returned to you in May, I'd suggest purchasing the Forever Stamps. They are still widely available at Post offices. To learn more about the change go to the website for USPS. They also have plans to up them every May from now on. Those of you in the very early stages of planning, keep this in mind.

Children in Wedding?

Are you planning on inviting children to your wedding or are you thinking about having children in your wedding party? If so, here are some tips I've gathered over the past few years.

In the wedding party:

1. Don't have them ready 3 hrs before the ceremony for pictures, take some pictures with them right after the ceremony. This way they stay clean, and you don't need to have an older bridal party member be a babysitter.

2. Have their parents practice with them. If they know what's coming, they'll be better prepared. The best Flower Girls and Ring Bearers are the ones that have practiced walking down an aisle, or practiced throwing petals.

3. Don't give them their petals or pillow until the very last minute. If they're told to hold onto it, it will get lost, dropped all over the place, or could even be broken.

4. Don't give them the real rings. In some cases the ring bearer might be older and reesponsible but if you tie the ring to the pillow, when you go to untie it, and it drops, rings are round- they'll roll.

On the Guest List:

1. Give them something to do. It's great if you provide them with small baskets with coloring books, crayons, puzzle books, and even disposable cameras.

2. Ask the parents if they would like the child to sit with them, or if they think it would be better for all of the kids to be together at a table. This is great because then you can put tons of fun stuff on that table. Only do this if they're old enough.

3. Be prepared for dancing! Usually the kids are the first ones on the dance floor. They love being invited to the big kid's party, and they're sure to get the party started.

If you're not inviting kids or having them in the wedding party, that's totally cool too. There are some weddings where it's just not their place to be. Just make sure that if they are invited, they've got something to do, this allows their parents time to enjoy the wedding!

Reception Venue Selection

There are many factors that should go into the selection process of your venue. Here are a few for starters.
1. Price: Can you afford the rental fee, catering/beverage minimums and rentals (Such as chairs, chair covers and linens) it would require?
2. Food: Do they have a caterer on site or would you also have to hire one. For some the fewer vendors the better, for others, it's great to have a large selection of caterers to work with.
3. Beverages: What is their alcohol policy? Beer and Wine only? Do they charge an alcohol fee?
4. Location: How far is it from your ceremony location? Atlanta is a tricky town to drive in, so make sure that if it is a bit of a distance, you give excellent directions and the contact # of someone who knows their way around. How close is it to a hotel where out of town guests can stay? Is there anything else locally that guests can do to enjoy while they're in town?
5. The Look: Is it the look you're going for? Classic Ballroom, Antique House, Rustic Plantation...
6. Style: Can you see it decorated with your style, colors, and flowers? Does it need much to get it where you want it to be?
7. Timing: Are they available on your date? How long is the time slot they give you?

Here were just a few to get you started. This is one of the more difficult decisions, so hang in there!

How involved is mom?

First of all, I want to congratulate the Steeler fans out there! A tough win, but a good win!

Just some food for thought today...

How involved are your moms in the planning process? I know that some moms want to be over-involved and that inevitably leads to more stress for the bride and groom. I've noticed that the more things YOU ask them to do, the more they stay out of your hair. So what does this mean? If you give them something to work on, like coming up with a list of songs they know their friends and family will dance to, asking for input on invitations, asking them for opinions here or there, they will be less likely to keep asking you what they can help with and offering to do things that you want to have most of the control over. And hey- if they're willing to do more and have some free time- how about those DIY projects you haven't gotten to because you're so busy with everything else!

Having your cake and eating it too... a year later.

How to save your top layer:

1. The night of the wedding, have someone take home the cake and put it in the freezer for you while you're on your honeymoon. This is just to solidify the icing so it doesn't become totally crushed.

2. Wrap it first in plastic wrap.

3. Wrap it in aluminum foil.

4. Wrap it again in plastic wrap or put it in an air tight plastic bag (getting as much air out of it as possible)

5. Store it for a year.

6. Order another replica so that when you don't feel like having more than a bite, you've got a backup!

Enjoy,

The Wedding Cake: Preservation

So you've heard about the tradition of eating the top tier of your wedding cake on your first anniversary? Does the idea gross you out a bit? Well, you've got a few options:

1. Eat that top tier on your 1 month wedding "Anniversary"

2. Find a Cake Baker who offers a replica for your first anniversary. (The Cake Lady does this)

3. Make your own replica a year later (I don't recommend this, if you recall my disaster)

4. You can save it for a year later, and hope that it's still 1/2 yummy!

If you're interested in learning how to save the cake layer, you'll just have to keep up with my blog!

Registries 101: Location, Location, Location

From time to time, brides ask me for advice on registering. There are a few great spots, but for this post, I'd like to highlight my all time favorite: Macy*s.

There are a few key reasons that I recommend them to all of my clients:
1. Their Star Rewards Program. If you are willing to sign up for a credit card, you get 5% Macy*s cash back for every purchase made in the home department. Then you get a gift card after the Wedding.
2. You get 10% off of your purchases in the home department after the wedding to complete your registry- this is often for over a year!
3. Their return policy. I can't say enough about their return/exchange policy. If anything is broken or the wrong item, it is returned, no questions asked.
4. Their ease of registering! It's fun and they host events where you can drink champagne and register all at the same time!
5. Their website is great. They make it easy to update the registry right at home!

I highly recommend them!

Invitations 101: Timing

Currently, I have many clients in the invitation printing/sending invitation stage, so I find it fitting to quickly blog about invitations.

Here's a short list of what you should do while planning your invitations:
1. Determine your final count due date (to caterer and venue).
2. Back up 1-2 weeks from that date, and make it your RSVP date.
3. Send invites 6-8 weeks before the RSVP date.
4. Have all envelopes addressed and stamped 1 week prior to send date. Stuff, then send!

Make sure you leave extra room in this timeline whenever you can!

Happy Sending!

Vendor Negotiation

Who isn't trying to save money these days? Many brides ask for tips on saving money when booking vendors. One suggestion that some brides have had success with is full payment up front. If you're able to, ask a vendor if they would be willing to knock off a percentage of their price if you pay it all up front. It will also make the planning process a bit easier if you don't have to remember all the little payments over many months. Just a small tip that could save you money in the long run!

A Quick Look at Budgets!

Congratulations to all the newly engaged couples out there! Because there are so many of you, I figured that this is something important to point out before the major planning and contract signing begins!

With the skyrocketing costs of weddings, it's important for you to set your boundaries (budget) early in the planning process. Come up with a good round number, and stick to it! The round number should include all contributions from family members, your fiancé, and yourself. Now here's something that I often tell my brides, just to keep them under the overall budget: When working with your budget, assume that you can only spend 85% of it. That way when you forget little things, or decide to splurge on something towards the end, it's still within your budget!

Just because you create the budget doesn't mean you're finished looking at it, constantly update it with any contracts you sign, and diligently work to stay within it. I promise it will take so much of the stress out of the planning if you don't also have to plan how you're going to get rid of the credit card debt!

Happy Planning!