WEDDING NOTES™ - Mom's Wedding Gown

Hundreds of moms carefully tuck their wedding gowns away waiting for the day their daughters will choose to wear it for her wedding.  Nice thought but it rarely happens anymore.  The thought is warm and tender but the reality is that few brides avail themselves of this opportunity.  They love the thought but want their own gowns.

Our staff can advise you on various ways to incorporate all or part of "mom's gown" into your wedding plans.  Some of the best ideas we share are here.  Remember that there are always ways to capture the sentiment in this vintage gown.  It was offered out of love and should be treated with the care the thoughtful consideration with which it was given.

•   If the basic structure of the gown works for you and the fabric is still in good shape, consider having a seamstresses make some slight adjustments for fit or length and/or modify some of the gown's features such as sleeve length and detail.  Shop carefully for a cleaner who specializes in handling heirloom gowns and aged fabric.

• Consider "harvesting" some of the lace from the heirloom gown to add detail to your own gown or veil.  Some of it may be used as a sash or trim to your gown.  Some of the material can be worked into your bridal bouquet.  Let the expert find ways to help you incorporate the fabric.

•    If the fabric is just too different, consider displaying the heirloom gown at your reception and use it as the centerpiece for a display of family wedding photos - yours and his.  This can be spectacular centerpiece at your reception and can focus on the traditions and linkages that you - the new couple- represent. 

For other good ideas for incorporating the past into your present wedding, call.

WEDDING NOTES™ - Your Second Job

Weddings are the stuff of dreams, but in reality, preparing for yours can be like having a second job.

Planning a wedding requires real work.  It requires planning and meetings, contracts and negotiations, purchases and coordination.  It must have great communication and clear cut deadlines.  Purchasing and deadlines are real.  Some experts estimate that the average wedding ceremony and reception will require 250-300 hours of time invested.   How will you handle this second job while you are still gainfully employed at your regular job?

The best advice is to treat the upcoming nuptials like a business.  You need to get your tools together.  Get organized.  Set aside a work space related to wedding only projects.  It can be a basket on the kitchen counter or a special drawer or a notebook/portable office.  Just make sure that all the information related to you upcoming wedding is kept in one place.

Get an organizer or planner and keep it up to date.  A few years ago BRIDE'S magazine survey brides and 20% of the brides in the survey said they would sooner lose their wallets than their wedding planner.  Keep track of all names, phone numbers of any person who is in any way related to the upcoming wedding.  Take careful notes of any conversations, plan and promises made and by whom.

Set goals and give yourself deadlines.  Then stick to them.  Make lists of upcoming tasks and check off as completed.   If you let some deadlines slide, think how that would go over at work.

Hire a professional/consultant.  Businesses do this all the time.  If they have a special project that requires special attention within a specific time frame, they bring in a "specialist" or a consultant whose sole focus will be that special project.  Consider hiring a wedding consultant.  NBS and Weddings Beautiful can put you in touch with the best in the business.  These pros can help you bring in the project on time, on budget and with a trunk full of memories that no money can buy.

WEDDING NOTES™ - Unexpected Reception Touches

While the ceremony is the heart of the wedding and the reason to gather, the reception is the time to celebrate.  Whether the wedding is small and intimate at a local restaurant or a large multi hour event for 300 guests with white glove service, what makes a wedding memorable are the decorative touches and event activities that are planned and executed with style and panache that your guests will remember.  

Here are some recent ideas from wedding planners that may spark your creativity.

• ·         Centerpieces at guest tables can be gorgeous bowls of seasonal fruits and vegetables instead of flowers.  For example:  Summer weddings can enjoy bowls of seasonal greens which include small melons, pears, apples, grapes, green bananas, and avocados.  Fall weddings can call on red apples, tomatoes, pomegranates, grapes, peppers and pears.  If yellow and orange are your color scheme, bowls of grapefruits, lemons, pears, yellow tomatoes, squash and gourds.  Encourage guests to eat the centerpieces or take the fruits home with them.  Provide custom printed favor bags with your wedding date. 

• ·         If you have planned a cocktail hour to precede your dinner, consider renting a popcorn cart.  It makes perfect nibbling while sipping cocktails and waiting for the wedding party to appear.  Order striped containers with or without your wedding date imprinted and add matching napkins.  Rather than just salt seasoning, consider offering a variety of popcorn toppings like cheeses, sugars, spices, or sea salt flavored butter.

• ·         If you are a candy fan, consider centerpieces that contain "flowers" of lollypops, suckers, small candies on a stick, frosted cakes on a stick.  Individually wrapped chocolate truffles or chocolate molds made especially for you add a note of elegance to the festivities.

• ·         If you are planning a wedding dance to follow dinner, it might be worth it to investigate having a dance-floor decal created for your event.  Standard decals are available from most rental agencies and can add a very special note of celebration.

• ·         If you want a wedding by the sea but can't leave Chicago in January (your wedding date) consider creating a south sea atmosphere with a backdrop of ocean waves, or palm trees around a lagoon.  Backdrops can be paper or fabric or a video presentation that flashes against a blank wall.

 For other ideas to make your reception special, stop in and chat with one of our experienced planners.