Menu Bar

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Hire Vendors that Understand You

When hiring certain vendors, it's important that they understand you as a couple, your relationship, your personalities and your vision! This may not be as important for your caterer, whom you simply select a menu from, but it is very important for the photographer, DJ, florist and venue. The food will be what you select and you have a chance to see what you are getting before the actual day. Your other vendors however, will not have a final product until after everything is said and done.

Let's take the photographer for example. They can show you a billion pictures that you love, but you need to make sure that you are a good match and they understand what YOU want, as your wedding will be unique from every other wedding they have done. Once the day is over and you get your pictures back, you can't change anything. If the photographer has a very different vision, chances are you won't have the feel that you wanted in your pictures. Maybe your style is edgy, but the photographer has more of a classic vibe. Make sure they get you, I can't stress this enough!!!

Same goes for your florist. There is a very big difference in classic centerpieces and unique ones. If you have mix-matched ideas, you will never agree on them or come up with one that you love.

A venue is a little easier, because it's not an actual person that has to "get you." However, the venue should match your style and they should be open to whatever you have in mind. For example, you may want to bring in a lot of DIY items. Not all venues are willing to let you do this.

Lastly, the DJ. How horrible would it be for your low-key reception to be bombarded with hip hop? Make sure he/she gets to know you, knows the music you like and isn't opposed to the style you are looking for!

Monday, February 27, 2012

Quick Budgeting Tips

After a weekend getaway in the Poconos, I am back to blogging! Sorry if anyone was disappointed in the lack of blog posts over the last few days, but here are 6 quick & easy budget tips to make up for it.

#1- Focus more on the things that are the most important to you, and less on everything else. If you have a tight budget this will help you to narrow down the things to spend the most of your money on.

#2- Stay organized. By doing so you won't lose track of a few dollars here and there that really start to add up.

#3- Do your research. Chances are, you can find a better deal than the first one or two things you come across.

#4- Have a girls DIY night. This way your bridesmaids get to know each other and you have more hands to help with money-saving projects.

#5- Cut out delivery costs. Sometimes you can save a couple hundred dollars by picking up things yourself.

#6- Decide on your numbers before anything else. Deciding on a guest count and budget first will keep you from over spending on items before you realize the amount you have to spend.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Wedding Trunk Shows

Still looking for the perfect dress? Attend a trunk show! Many bridal boutiques and stores hold them. Just call your local stores and ask when their next trunk show is scheduled.

Attending a trunk show can benefit you in a couple different ways. First of all, there is a much larger selection of dressed than you will usually run into in any bridal boutique. At most trunk shows, a designer brings their entire line of wedding dresses, as opposed to the select few sold in the store. So you have many more choices and the designer is right there to talk to about your style and vision and any changes you would like made to the dress.

Also, you may get a discount. But come prepared to order on the spot for one. Sometimes the boutique will offer a certain percentage off for purchasing right then and there or it might be that there are some extras thrown in at no additional cost to you.

If you are having a hard time finding a dress you like, it's a great idea!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Gray Suits and Little Color

I'm kind of combining these tips into one because they can go hand in hand.

One of the trends right now is opting for gray suits over your traditional black. This is fabulous for a spring wedding! Gray matches with virtually any color and any shade. You can also, in my opinion, dress down a gray suit for a casual wedding more so than you can a black one.

Now, if you are opting for the gray suits, keep in mind that they also look great with small amounts of other colors added in. Most brides like to incorporate a lot of their wedding colors. Can you have gray suits with a lot of other color? Of course! But just adding small details of color here and there, and having gray as the main color, works just as well. Consider it!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Afford Your Wedding

Today's tip is pretty simple, yet a lot of the time overlooked.

Have a wedding you can absolutely afford.

Even if you feel the need to have an overly glamorous wedding, there are tons of ways to budget and do things yourself to bring down your costs. The worst thing to do is start your life as a married couple with a huge wedding to pay off. Below are some great budgeting websites and a cost calculator. Use them!!

Wedding Wire

Cost Calculator

Wedding Channel

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Saving on Rehearsal Dinners

Many wedding venues also offer rehearsal dinner packages. However, they are typically not the most reasonable priced packages. If yours includes a rehearsal dinner or gives you some type of discount, great. If not, look at some other options.

1. Restaurants. Many restaurants (especially those with party rooms) offer special menus for events like rehearsal dinners. You will typically pay the same price for everyone and guests will have a menu of 4 or 5 items to choose from. Some even include a few drinks.

2. Cook-Outs. A great option, especially for a laid-back couple or casual wedding, is to do a cook-out at at your own house or that of a family member/ friend. Not only is this an inexpensive option, but it is also a great way to say thanks to your guests for taking time out for your special day.

3. Wedding Venue. OK, OK, I know. The point of this blog post was to give you options other than the wedding venue. However, some wedding venues have smaller rooms available to you that you don't have to purchase food and beverages to use. One example- I attended a wedding with a smaller bar area in the basement. Since the venue had no events on the day before the wedding, they allowed the bride and groom to just pay for a bartender and order pizza & pasta from a local place. If your venue offers this, perfect!

4. Forget the rehearsal dinner all together. If you are not really set on the rehearsal dinner option, do something different! Rehearsal brunches can be cheaper, as well as just doing appetizers at a local place afterwards or even a dessert rehearsal!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Table Names & Wedding Cards

Fun Table Names
I've seen this a lot at the wedding venue that I work at and I think it's a great idea. Instead of using table numbers, make it more personal by naming your tables. One bride named all of her tables after important moments in their relationship. For example, one table was 1/25/10 (the day they met) and another was Camden Yards (where they went for their first date). She even went the extra mile of putting the table name and reason behind it in a photo frame on the table. What a personal touch!

Wedding Cards
If you are anything like me, you love the idea of keeping greeting cards, but have no idea what to do with them and don't like things lying around. If you want to keep all of your wedding cards, make a book out of them! You can simply punch a hole in the top corner of each card and connect them together with ribbon or something else of your choosing. Now 65 wedding cards have become a great coffee table book!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Mary Kay, Resources & Brunch

Well. After 2 solid days without Internet I have some catching up to do. So let's get to it.

Mary Kay
I spent my evening (7 hours of it!) at a Mary Kay party on Saturday night. Among making new friends and ensuring my boyfriend that I was still alive and not tied up in a closet somewhere, I learned a great wedding tip! If you don't already have someone lined up to do your wedding day make-up, set up an appointment with a Mary Kay consultant! It's a very affordable solution. Most times they will do your wedding make-up if you host a party or something along those lines. Now I know not everyone likes Mary Kay make-up, so you might not utilize this option. I however, am 1 day in to loving the skin care products and mineral powder that I purchased :)

Use Your Resources Wisely
As a former, and current, Girl Scout; I know this "rule" well. Think about all of the people in your life. I bet somewhere in there you have a hair stylist, a DJ, or a photographer. If these friends are willing to provide their services, you will most likely get them at a low cost or no cost at all. If it's a close friend that you don't want to be working during your day, they will probably known some people in their industry. Think outside of the box. Know a graphic designer? Maybe they will design your wedding invitations as your gift. If you are on a tight budget, it's a good idea to look at your circle of friends/ acquaintances.

Wedding Brunch
Another money saving tip- think outside of the box when it comes to the time of day. If you are willing to be flexible, chances are you will save a lot more money than the bride that's stuck on a Saturday evening (however, that's not a bad thing either!). Consider a brunch. You can still have a gorgeous wedding, without all of the expense. Think mimosas and a light color palette. Another benefit to an early wedding, leaving earlier for the honeymoon! I mean after all, isn't that what we are all looking forward to?!

Friday, February 10, 2012

Steal a Kiss Before the Wedding

OK, so I came across this on Pintrest (yes, still addicted) today and decided I had to share it with you!

Some of you might remember my post on first look pictures....
(http://noloweddingsevents.blogspot.com/2012/01/tip-28-first-look-pictures.html)

Now I know not everyone is into first look pictures because of the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride until she walks down the isle. But, as I mentioned in my previous post, they can be a benefit for anxious/ nervous brides and grooms. Well, there is a happy medium.. stealing a kiss!

As opposed to actually seeing each other, you could calm some nerves by having the groom blindfolded and still be able to have a private moment and steal a kiss before the ceremony.

For those of you that are not worried about the tradition, doing this could still make for some extremely cute pictures. Think about it!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Fun Hors d'Oeuvres at the End of the Night

There are many reasons that serving pre-exit hors d'oeuvres is a good idea.

1. Guests are hungry after a night of dancing. When your guests have been dancing, giving toasts, catching wedding items, taking pictures and congratulating you for 3-4 hours after dinner, they are going to get hungry again. Even just sitting at home watching TV, I know I get hungry again 3 or 4 hours after dinner!

2. If you have alcohol available, it will help sober guests up. If you provide your guests with something other than a non-alcoholic bar, chances are someone is not exactly going to be totally sober when they drive home. Providing your guests with end of the night hors d'oeuvres can help with that a little bit by putting some food in their stomachs. (Although, a little extra food is obviously not going to be a solution for guests that have gone overboard, so please have other options for potentially intoxicated guests.)

3. They provide an extra hint of fun to top off an exceptional night! I mean, let's be honest, mini anything is super cute! Mini hamburgers, mini crab cakes, mini tacos. And the best part is that they can really fit into any wedding style. It's all about how you serve them. You can dress them up for a more traditional, glamorous wedding, or present them on antique platters for a classic wedding. Either way, your guests will appreciate the extra effort and good food!

Now what do I mean by "fun" hors d'oeuvres? I simply mean butler-passed food that your guests recognize and love. One of my absolute favorites is breakfast hors d'oeuvres being served when an event ends midnight or later. Mini pop tarts, mini egg sandwiches and tiny muffins are a sweet touch when guests have stayed up late.

Not having a late night event? Then stick to the mini hamburgers, crab cakes or gyros. Whatever you choose, they are sure to be a hit!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Browse Etsy

I'm sure most of you know what Esty is; an online store where you can purchase antique and handmade items. It's also a great resource for wedding ideas since it's not one specific brand. You can type in something like "wedding favors" and get a completely diverse selection of favors as opposed to going to a company's website and being restricted to just what that company offers. Etsy is also great because (if you decide to make a purchase) you can generally get the items customized to exactly what you want- a benefit of purchasing handmade items.

While some things are more expensive since they are handmade, there are also great finds that will cost you the same as purchasing them through a retailer. But your items and wedding will be much more unique!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Green Invitations & More

Whether you are trying to have a green wedding or not, botanical invitations are still a creative way to invite your guests to your affair. If you are going green, it's a two-in-one! The entire invitation can be planted to result in beautiful wildflowers and also serves as a great presentation.

Not only can you order seed paper invitations, but there are also companies that offer menu cards, confetti and favors! Recycling is great, but why not be able to plant your paper products!

One company I have used, and was very pleased with, is Botanical Paperworks. Check out their website here! They have an entire wedding section.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Opt for Classic Cars

As a chic alternative to the standard limo exit, opt for a classic car. I love them. You can find the perfect car for any venue type, whereas a limo doesn't quite fit in everywhere.

Getting married at a farm? 1948 Ford F-1 Pickup
A vineyard? 1952 Rolls Royce
Near a beach? 1931 Pontiac 5
On a gorgeous warm day? 1950 Porsche 356 Coupe

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Groupon and Living Social

Groupon and Living Social. Sign up for them or download the apps and check the sites frequently. Although neither are geared specifically towards weddings, they both have wedding specials pop up. Today for example, there is a deal on a photo booth rental! And if you get creative, you can even use some of the other deals for wedding related things. You could do fortune cookies for your favors and use the fortune cookie deal (which I've seen twice now), or purchase any one of the spa deals (there is always one or two) for your pampering the day before the wedding.

Regardless of how you use it, or if you decide to purchase anything at all, it's a great resource!

Friday, February 3, 2012

Consider Long Tables

Whether or not long tables will work really depends on the space that you have to work with. If you have a large enough space, definitely consider long tables. They can really transform a room into something completely different than what circles tables will do. Depending on your guest list, rectangle tables may even give you more flexibility with your seating chart because you can typically seat more people at them.


Gorgeous Rectangle Tablescape from a January Wedding

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Entertain Children at the Wedding

Just a quick thought.

If you are going to have children attending your wedding, you might as well make sure they have just as good of a time as the adults do. A great way to do so is to have a "kid's table"! Fill it with coloring books and disposable cameras instead of the typical glassware and favor boxes. You can also include them in activities by coming up with a kid friendly option. One idea is to give them a plastic champagne flute filled with milk and a cookie on top for the champagne toast.

Whatever ideas you come up with, the children will love feeling included. I can specifically remember attending my grandparent's 50th Anniversary party when I was about 10, and feeling on top of the world because we were given disposable cameras and a gingerbread house at our table!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Marriage Advice Cards

Something fun to incorporate at your wedding are wedding advice cards. Give your guests a fun activity by asking them to fill out the advice card at their place setting and put it into a designated box before they leave. Everyone gets to share their advice for the happy couple and you have something fun to read later! You could even save the box of advice cards to read at a later date (like your first or tenth anniversary)!

A fun twist on the advice card: Advice Mad-Libs. Many (like the one below) can be found on Etsy!