Menu Bar

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Bridesmaid Cards

I was recently browsing Pinterest (a month later and I'm still addicted) and came across a wonderful idea.

You select your bridesmaids because they are the ladies who are your closest friends and people you couldn't imagine your life without right? So why not ask them in a creative way to share in one of the biggest days of your life. I mean, they are absolutely worth the extra work (since they will be the ones helping you with extra wedding work)!

A spa day or ladies night is always a fun way to announce that those in the room are your future bridesmaids. But, you could also do something like a handmade card. I absolutely love the card idea. It's inexpensive, personal and doubles as a keepsake for each girl.


Monday, January 30, 2012

Fittings & The Gift Table

Both of these tips tips are just some advice that past brides have mentioned to me. Things that they wish someone would have told them before the big day.

Bring Honest People to Your Fittings
When you ask people to come with you to pick out a dress, make sure you have some honest people with you. If everyone in attendance is afraid of hurting your feelings/ doesn't have much of an opinion, you might end up with a dress that isn't as breathtaking as you thought. It's no secret that certain dress styles don't flatter certain body types, but you can't see your dress from certain angles and that's what your family and friends are there for. So just be certain that you have an honest crew with you who will make sure the dress looks 100% perfect from head to toe.

Assign a Person to the Gifts
I know you've seen wedding movies. Gifts get stolen. Random people crash weddings. Cards go missing. Ensure that this doesn't happen to you by assigned a person to watch over your gift table. This can be your coordinator or a trusted friend or family member. Their job is simple; look over at the table every now and then to make sure nothing is missing. If you have access to a secure space, you can even have the person empty the card box every now and then and put them away for safe keeping. (After all, it is the cards most people would be after.) The other big thing to make sure that this person takes care of is taking the gifts at the end of the night. If you are staying for the duration of your wedding and are headed home, this isn't too much of a hassle. But if you are making an exit and leaving for your honeymoon, make sure you have a plan as to who is to take the gifts and where they are to go. And only place the gift table near the door as a last resort!

Hopefully you won't have to worry about any of this, as I'm sure your family and friends are wonderful. Just keep in mind that it does happen, and take the steps to prevent it!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

First Look Pictures

First Look Pictures: The bride and groom seeing each other/ taking pictures before walking down the isle.

Like most girls, I've spent years thinking about my wedding, how perfect it would be when that day finally came. A big part of my wedding day dreams consisted of the look on my future husband's (a JTT look-alike at the time!) face the first time he caught a glimpse of me standing at the end of the isle. Now, 10 years later, I'm not so sure.

About 3 or 4 months ago I started seriously considering first look pictures, and I think everyone should. Maybe I'll pass up the pictures of him seeing me for the first time at the opposite end of the isle for a more intimate moment. As picturesque as that traditional moment may be, there's something to be said about getting to share it without the crowd, in a space where you can express how happy you are to one another. There's also a billion cute pictures to be taken; the close up looks on each others' faces and holding hands while standing on opposite sides of a door before you have taken a peak. And an added bonus for me is being able to let go of the stress and anxiety of not seeing him until the ceremony. I'm not typically the anxious type, but something about that does it for me.

My advice is to consider the first look pictures. Especially if you are the anxious type. After all, you should look forward to that moment, not be worried about it. (And yes, for all you superstitious ones out there, I think it still counts as not seeing the groom until the wedding!)

Friday, January 27, 2012

Download Apps

Need help staying organized? I'm sure it's no surprise, but there are many apps available for just that- wedding organization. Browse the app store and see which ones could benefit you. The iPhone has an iWedding app that includes everything from time lines and guest counts to check lists and reminders. It's the perfect solution for bride's that use their phones to keep their lives together!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Pick Up Bridal Books

When you are planning a wedding bridal books are everywhere, at the bridal shop, the florist, next to the computers you use to register at stores. They are there for a reason, and many are free, so pick some up! Believe it or not, a lot of them have good advise, as opposed to just being full of advertisements. You can find time lines, checklists, advise columns and stories from past brides. Then there are the obvious ideas and vendors advertisements that you expect to find. Some of my favorites are Perfect Wedding Guide and Wedding411. These might not be available in your specific area, but I'm sure every city has local books.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Hairstyles

Use Blogs for Hairstyle Ideas
If you are like me, when you want a new hairstyle or haircut you go straight to Google Images. When it comes to a hairstyle for your wedding day, don't underestimate blogs. There are a ton of blogs out there solely dedicated to hairstyles and I guarantee you will find a lot more ideas there than the traditional Google search. Find a few blogs you like when you start planning, and save them to your favorites. Then by the time you are ready to lock down a hairstyle, there will have been tons of new blog posts on the blogs you liked.

One of my favorites: http://www.thesmallthingsblog.com/p/hair-style-tutorials.html

This isn't even a blog dedicated to hairstyles, but I've found more things I like on here than in 10 Google searches combined!


Don't Get a New Haircut
Whatever you do, do not get a new haircut right before your wedding. Yes, it could turn out great, but it could also turn out terrible and you could hate it. Be safe and schedule any drastic changes months before the wedding so it can grow out if you don't like the cut.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Matching Linen/ Dress Colors

I've noticed lately that when choosing tablecloths, a lot of brides go for the color of the bridesmaids' dresses. I wouldn't recommend this. Sometimes you can get a perfect match (if you can, go for it!), but most of the times you won't. The bridal boutique's "aqua" is probably just a little different from the linen company's "aqua". So instead of tablecloths that look like they almost match, don't try for the exact shade at all. Go for a lighter/ darker shade all together. Or, even better, have multiple colors incorporated into your wedding. This way you dodge the clashing of the linens and dresses that almost match.

Now of course you want to use your wedding colors on the tables. But, if you insist on using that color that almost matches for linens, make it the napkin color. With a smaller accent, you won't notice as much. You can also incorporate it into the centerpieces, favors, etc.

And again, you might be the lucky one that does find the perfect match. In that case, go for it!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Make Your Rain Plan Known

If you have planned for any portion of your wedding to take place outside, you will need a back up plan. That's the obvious part. Some brides however, don't think to include the rain plan in their invitations. This is crucial, unless you want all 173 guests calling you, your parents, or one of the members of the bridal party when it starts to pour an hour before the ceremony is to take place.

Including the rain plan on your wedding website and having family members spread the word are great ideas too. But, the only way to make sure every guest is in the loop is to include it in the invitation in the first place. Include a simple "rain card" in the envelope (small, much like the RSVP card) that notifies guests of the back-up location.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Napkin Folding

Something simple that can really dress up your table is the napkins. There are tons of different and creative ways to fold dinner napkins. Most venues can do more that one style, but typically don't offer. If you are interested in something simple that they don't know how to do, provide a diagram like the one below. Searching "wedding napkin folding" on YouTube also turns up a ton of video tutorials!



Lemon/ Lime Soda in Centerpieces

Sounds random? Lemon/ lime soda or lemons will actually help your flowers last longer. It's a great idea if you are doing DIY centerpieces and don't want the hassle of doing them the day of or night before. The lemons help water flow in the stems of your flowers and the sugar helps open the buds! You shouldn't have to worry about fungi buildup in the vases in only a day or two, but the acid in the lemons also helps prevent that.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Use Design-Seeds for Color

Do you need help picking out wedding colors? Check out www.design-seeds.com.

The website has an expansive collection of color palettes based on pictures of objects and scenes. You can browse palettes by theme or even pick a color and pull up all of the palettes containing that color. This site is phenomenal if you are open to different color choices or have no idea what colors you want to use. Even if you have a color or two picked out, design-seeds can help you find what other colors would go great with it, including some combinations you wouldn't even imagine putting together!


Some of my favorites from www.design-seeds.com!



Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Signs, Save the Dates & Being Realistic

Use Signs
Signs are a wonderful idea for photos. Lately I've seen them used a lot for thank you cards (a shot of the bride and groom holding a sign that reads "thank you") and engagement photos (signs that read something like "future Mr. & Mrs.). But you can use them for so much more! Opt for your flower girl to hold a sign that says "here comes the bride". Or if your guests enjoy a good joke, have her carry a "last chance to run" sign. The ideas are endless!

Definitely Send Save the Dates
This might seem like an unnecessary expense, but I think save the dates are a must! Everyone is just so busy nowadays that you want to give them a heads up before the actual invitations come out in the few months before. Some guests might be planning a vacation, others might have to bid for their time off of work, and out of town guests on a budget might need awhile to save up. If you send out save the dates you will give your guests the best possible notice and they will have a better chance of attending given other circumstances.

Be Realistic
Be realistic. It's a no-brainer right? Many brides set themselves up for failure while planning a wedding, whether it be setting a goal weight to fit into the perfect dress, or deciding to make every favor and centerpiece the week before. Make your life easier and be realistic about the things you are deciding/ scheduling to do for your wedding. And if you need it, ask for help! That's what the wedding party is for.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Use a Variety of Centerpieces

When picking out your centerpieces, take into consideration how many tables you will have and all of the other items that will be on the table. Sometimes, it's best to have short centerpieces. Other times, like in a room with high ceilings, it makes a better presentation to have tall centerpieces. But at all times, it's perfectly acceptable to do both! You can really transform a room with centerpieces; and having some tables with tall, and others with short, is a great way to create contrast in your reception room. You can even do a combination of tall and short on the same table. It's also a great way to incorporate multiple ideas that you like, as opposed to choosing just one!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Save on Your Honeymoon

Everyone deserves a solid vacation after months of wedding planning, but not everyone can afford the vacation they deserve! If you are not too too picky on the location and are willing to make last minute plans you can typically save a lot of money. Instead of planning too far in advance, go to popular travel websites in the couple months before and click on their last-minute deals. You can usually find great all-inclusive vacations at affordable prices. The only catch is it's usually certain places offered. So if you want to go on a very specific vacations, this wouldn't work well for you.

Here are some websites that offer last minute deals that are super simple to book:

www.applevacations.com
www.travelocity.com
www.cheaptickets.com


Friday, January 13, 2012

Purchase sparkbooth

If you were thinking about renting a photo booth for your wedding, check out sparkbooth! Even if you weren't, think about it. It's a great idea! What better way to get your guests to take fun photos? You can even bring props and have all of the photos taken saved to your computer.

Photo booths are typically hundreds of dollars to rent, but sparkbooth is only $59 to download the software. All photos are saved to your computer and can be uploaded automatically to users' Facebook pages if you are connected to the internet. Connect to a printer and the photos will print out in seconds for your guests to take with them!

Here is what the sparkbooth website says about the product:



  • Simple setup. Just install on your computer with webcam, and that is it!





  • Easy-to-use full screen kiosk interface. Great for unattended operation. Guests simply walk up, follow the on-screen instructions, press the spacebar, and there it goes.





  • Customize photos with your own graphics. Add backgrounds or overlays to create a party favor to commemorate your special event.





  • Automatically share photos on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, tumblr, SmugMug and others in real-time!





  • Voice prompts to guide your guests. Or customize with your own mp3s.





  • Customize on-screen messages for your event or language





  • Variety of 4-photo, 3-photo, or 1-photo layouts





  • Automatically print photos





  • Saves copies of photos to your computer





  • Fun animated photo previews





  • Color, black and white, sepia, or toy camera photo output





  • Plus other customizable options to tweak to your needs
  • Thursday, January 12, 2012

    Assigned Seating & Wedding Files

    Do Assigned Seating
    Figuring out a seating chart for your guests can seem like a chore. I know figuring out who wants to sit with who and where to sit the single people is not always the simplest task. But it's usually the best thing to do, even if you are doing a buffet style dinner. Typically a venue only sets up as many tables as necessary for your guest count. So, without assigned tables, when the last few larger families are arriving there may not be enough seats for them left at any one table.

    Also, this is your best bet if you have any family/ friend drama. You can seat feuding people as far away as possible. Hopefully you don't have to deal with that though!

    It might seem like a huge hassle, but you will be thankful you had assigned seating when no one is fighting and everyone has a seat next to who they want!

    Keep Everything in a "Wedding File"
    This one is simple- keep everything. You never know when a venue will forget about something they promised you, a photographer will lose your list of must-have photos, or the bakery will try to say you hadn't paid for the cake you are picking up. Get a folder or binder and keep it all together so you can find anything at a moment's notice!

    Tuesday, January 10, 2012

    Save Photography Ideas

    If you are anything like me, catering and photography are going to be 2 of your biggest concerns, without counting the dress of course!

    That being said, in the midst of planning a wedding you are probably going to forget some ideas you come across. Don't let that happen with photography! Most photographers will go through a list with you of all of the types of pictures you want taken. However, if you come across some really cute and unique shots that you want, it might be hard to describe them to your photographer or you might forget about them with everything else going on during pictures. The simple solution is to clip these photos out of magazines, print them offline, or take a picture with your phone if the other options are not doable. Then, along with your list of the traditional photos you want, hand your photographer your collection of photo ideas. The photographer will know exactly what you want and you will get all of the photos you want. Everyone wins!

    Monday, January 9, 2012

    Hair Trials, Postage & DIY

    Sorry for the lack of posts over the weekend! Here are a few quick wedding tips to make up for the last few days!

    Do a Hair Trail
    After selecting the stylist that you are going to have to your hair, make sure that you do a hair trial a few weeks before the wedding, and don't get your hair cut in between! This way there will be no surprises, mistakes or anything you don't like the day of when it's too late to change your mind!

    Check Postage/ Weights
    Before ordering/mailing out all of your invitations, make sure that you check postage rates for whatever weight they are. If you don't, you might have to pay an unexpected amount for postage that you didn't fit into your budget. Definitely do this if your invitations are an odd shape or weight!

    Don't Try to DIY Everything
    For those brides that are trying to save a lot of money, you might be thinking of DIY projects, which is great! However, don't try to do everything. If you do you will leave yourself stressed and rushing around. Now if you have a huge bridal party willing to pitch in, you can handle more. Just make sure you weigh the pros and cons- sometimes its worth it so spend the money!

    Friday, January 6, 2012

    Personal Wedding Websites

    If you are engaged and have started the planning process, you have probably already had relatives and family members asking you tons of questions. Once the invitations go out, you will get even more questions. Especially if you are having a lot of out of town guests who will need travel arrangements, hotel rooms, rental cars, etc. Although getting back to all of these questions may seem like a burden, they are also necessary so your guests are prepared.

    One of the best ways to answer all of these questions at once is to create a personal wedding website. This can serve as a platform for all things pertaining to your wedding. Most couples even have a page about themselves so friends and family can read the proposal story and other fun little facts! You can also put things on the website that are typically considered inappropriate to put on the invitations themselves, like the dress code and where you are registered for gifts.

    Out of town guests will especially find this website useful, as you can put the information for the hotel that you have blocked rooms at and the best time to purchase plane tickets, as well as places of interest in the area that they might want to check out if they are in town for a few days.

    You can create this valuable tool with little to no website skills whatsoever. Many website offer free wedding websites that are designed in a way that you only have to put in the information and it is designed for you. Below are some websites to check out if you are interested in creating one!

    The Knot

    Perfect Wedding Guide

    My Wedding

    Wedding Window

    Wix

    I personally love using Wix to create all websites! However, this site may take someone with a little more time and skill. Although you can use templates or build your own site from scratch, it doesn't walk you through the process the same way the other websites do. But the benefit is a lot more personal creativity can be put into the site!

    Thursday, January 5, 2012

    Create a Bridal Emergency Kit

    For some brides this step will be easy. If you have hired a wedding planner, check with them first. Chances are they will provide the bridal emergency kit for you.

    However, if you do not have a day-of planner, you will want to create your own bridal emergency kit. You can make it as simple (just the bare minimum like Tylenol, bobby pins and clear nail polish), or as elaborate as you would like. The benefit is less stress on you the day of the wedding. Although I hope you need absolutely nothing from this kit, you will be prepared no matter what happens to your make-up, attire or accessories. You'll also be covered for last minute headaches, cuts, etc.

    Below are some suggestions for a bridal kit that will prepare you for anything on the big day!

    Band-Aids
    Pain Relievers
    Water
    White Chalk
    Clear nail polish (for stocking runs)
    Corsage pins
    Dental floss/toothpicks
    Eye drops
    Extra earring backs
    Extra panty hose
    Hair pins/ponytail holder
    Hand towelettes
    Hem tape
    Mini sewing kit
    Safety pins
    Tape
    Scissors
    Spot remover
    Static-cling spray
    Tissues
    Tweezers
    Breath mints/ gum
    Comb/brush
    Cash (because you never know)
    Hair spray
    Makeup (for touch-ups)
    Mirror
    Nail file
    Perfume
    Tampons/sanitary napkins
    Sun Screen
    Flip Flops
    Crazy Glue

    Wednesday, January 4, 2012

    Use Excel

    Today while I was busy creating my own wedding checklists in Excel, I decided it might be wise to see if they already have some sort of checklist template for me to use. So, I brought up a new document, started to type in "checklist" to search the templates, but decided to type in "wedding" just for kicks. Much to my surprise a good handful of wedding templates popped up!

    Now, I'm the kind of person that is very specific when creating a way to keep track of details, so a lot of the tools wouldn't work for me because I wanted them formatted differently (but that's not to say they wouldn't work for you). However, there was one that I couldn't find a single thing wrong with- the "Guest List and Gift Tracking" template. This template keeps track of every single guest you send any type of invitation to, as well as if they sent you a gift, the type of gift and whether or not you have sent back a thank you. Even the formulas are there, ready to calculate your totals! This sheet would be especially helpful to those that have to keep track of which meal each guest wants, if giving them a decision. So if you are still looking for a way to keep track of what Aunt Peggy sent you for your engagement and whether or not the Smith's 5 children are attending, download this form, it will make your life a little easier. And after all, what bride isn't looking for someone (or something) to do her work for her.


    Tuesday, January 3, 2012

    Hire a Secret Photographer

    Ok so this tip is more of a pre-engagement tip for the one doing the proposing, but it's a wonderful idea all the same!

    In my opinion, the one thing better than the proposal itself is the look on the person's face when marriage is proposed to them. However, it's the one wedding event that most people don't have authentic pictures of. Yes you can re-enact him popping the question, but its' just not the same!

    The solution is to hire a secret photographer. "Hire" doesn't necessarily mean pay a professional $200 for an hour of their time (although you can go that route if you choose). It simply means to have someone there, out of site, with a camera ready to go. Ask a relative or friend. If you are proposing in a public place (like a restaurant), slip to the bathroom and ask the waiter to take pictures with your camera. Regardless of how you choose to do it, it will be a wonderful treat to have photos of that special moment.

    So ladies, do yourself a favor. If you're pretty positive a proposal is in your near future, leave this page up for him to stumble upon- you'll be thankful afterwards!

    Monday, January 2, 2012

    Pinterest

    If you have not heard of Pinterest by now, go check it out! I'm officially addicted.

    Pinterest serves as a virtual pin board for it's users. By becoming a member you have the ability to create your own virtual pin boards for anything you want. It's the perfect way to keep track of all of those great wedding ideas that you come up with while browsing the web. (I personally am also keeping track of fun recipes to try and things for my future home!) You can even download the "pin it" button for your favorites bar. When you see a picture online that you absolutely love, just click the button and it automatically gets pinned to whichever board you wish, straight from the original website. Or, you can browse the Pinterest website itself and "re-pin" pictures you love from other boards. Find a board that you just love everything about? Then choose to "follow" that board's pins. You can even pin your own personal photos. You won't have to worry about forgetting an idea you found or losing track of where you placed the picture of that perfect hairstyle. There are endless ways to keep track of ideas by having a virtual pin board.

    Not into the whole pin board thing, but love browsing pictures and fun ideas? You can browse the many pictures on the website at anytime, without even being a member. The best part, Pinterest specifically has a wedding category, making it super simple to browse!

    Regardless of how you choose to use it, Pinterest is a great tool to have while planning a wedding and an overall fun website to use!


    A snapshot of my Pinterest boards!

    Sunday, January 1, 2012

    365 Days of Wedding Tips!

    Happy New Year!

    For most people, a new year means new possibilities, new goals, and new adventures. For some of you, those new adventures just might include an engagement and wedding. Although exciting, this calls for quite a bit of work, effort and planning. So here's my goal; 365 days (oh wait, 366, it's a leap year!) of wedding tips. Every day I'll share a new tip, fact or fun idea with you. Planning tools, creative ideas, wedding websites; I'll cover it all! Enjoy, the first one is easy :)

    Tip #1: RELAX

    Who wants to start off the new year stressed out? No one, that's who. And being stressed out certainly isn't going to help you accomplish planning a wedding. So whether your waiting for the engagement you know is coming, or are already halfway through picking out colors and trying on dresses, just take a deep breath. I promise, one deep breath goes a long way.

    And don't forget, those bridesmaids of yours are supposed to be doing everything they can to keep you, the bride-to-be, stress free!