WEDDING NOTES™ – Wedding Trends for 2013

According to several sources, including emilypost.com , brides this year can expect to see weddings that reflect these changes and influences.

• Personalized Weddings continue to be important to couples who are looking to include elements that have personal meaning to the couple. Ceremonies and receptions can reflect multi –cultural and/or inter-faith statements. Monograms remain important and reflect the couple’s first names.

• The Internet continues to play an important role in wedding planning. High tech access is used in vendor selection, gift registries, information sharing, guest information sources and communication with members of the wedding party. Note: Emailing invitations and thank you notes is still not considered correct or classy. 

• The importance of color continues in bridal apparel. While white and ivory remain favorites, wedding gowns are showing color touches, shoes are colorful (with blue the odds on favorite) and floral decorations carry the color theme throughout the wedding plans.

• The role of grooms in wedding planning continues to grow. There are more and more joint decisions being made by the couple (who tend to be older and funding their own weddings).

• While the formal structured wording of the wedding invitation is still customary, more couples are choosing to individualize their invitations with colorful papers, ribbon trims and unique wording. It is important to note that even if the format of the invitation is unique, it should still contain all the information guests need plus be grammatically correct.
  
  Brides need to remember that no mention of gifts, even “no gifts, please” is ever made on a wedding invitation. It is acceptable to mention a website on an enclosure card and that website can contain information about gift registry options. The phrase “black tie” may appear on the reception invitation, but is not printed on a wedding invitation.

 For more ideas about making your wedding plans unique, so stop in a visit with one our experienced consultants.

WEDDING NOTES™ – Gifts You Give

There are many special people who help make your wedding day a success. It is a nice token to say thank you for their help or their presence. Brides come to us for advice on what to give to members of the bridal party, to families and to guests. We have plenty of ideas that we are happy to share with our brides. Here are some of our guest gift favorites.

• Some of the most popular wedding favors are edibles. Wrapped chocolates or truffles in an attractive box that is imprinted with the couple’s names and date are a big favorite. Also popular are chocolate covered pretzels, nuts, fruits as well as chocolate hearts. In many areas, couples choose to give cookies frosted in wedding colors and packaged in tulle or color matched gift boxes. Some brides have chosen to give small wine bottles with personalized labels with or without wine charms that bear the wedding date and/or names of the couple.
• Couples are also giving living items that bloom and grow like your marriage. Weddings with garden motifs, environmentally themed weddings and ceremonies in outdoor or rustic settings choose favors like potted plants, seedlings, flower seed packets and miniature bamboo shoot plants.
• Other brides prefer a permanent keepsake that is both useful and attractive. Some of the favorites are picture frames, candles and candleholders, glass bowls filled with colored sand or rocks, small books or albums, CDs with favorite songs, ornaments for Christmas weddings, coffee mugs with coffee or hot chocolate packets tucked inside.
• Some couples are choosing to make a donation to a favorite charity rather than provide a gift item. In that case, a printed card is included in each place setting which informs the guest of the donation. 
• Be sure that each item has a thank you note attached. They are likely to be pre printed although handwritten notes are lovely as well.
• The placement of favors depends on space available. Many brides have the favors arranged on a separate table near the exit for guests to make their own selections. Or you can ask a friend or friends to help with the distribution as guests leave the party.
• Grouping the favors in the center of the table in an attractive basket or on a mirror does double duty. It insures a centerpiece without incurring the cost of flowers, and thanks the guests for sharing in your special day.

Work with one of our consultants for more ideas on ways to thank wedding guests and special friends.

WEDDING NOTES™ – Engagement Photographs

As more and more couples choose to have engagement photographs taken, the opportunities to depart from formal studio posed photos grow.  Engagement photos can be used in newspaper announcements, on save-the-date-cards, or as part of the wedding day décor.  Working with a photographer on engagement shots also gives the couple a chance to see how they like the photographer and his/her work before they sign a massive contract for wedding photos.

If the couple is game, these photos can be more colorful, fun, and creative in the sites chosen.  Some of the themes chosen for engagement photos can be introductions to the wedding’s theme or just a fun expression of the places and things that mean a lot to the couple.  Discuss your ideas with your photograph.

• This is a chance to try some vintage shots.  Use a prop like an old car or antique bike or wear vintage clothes.

• Pose with suitcases, next to planes or trains or boats to show your mutual love of travel.

• Take advantage of sites in an urban setting.  Shot against a skyline or against an old brick or masonry wall can result in photos that will be different in look and feel from your wedding day pictures.

• For a change of pace, have the pictures taken at night.  Outdoor lights can be shot on timed exposures, or consider candles, holiday lights or night lights in active parts of town.

• Nature shots provide an opportunity for wide ranging activities.  If you have a love of the out of doors, have photos taken as you canoe, fish, water ski or skate.

• If you love carnivals, have your photos taken on a roller coaster or Ferris wheel or in bumper cars.

For more ideas about unusual engagement photos, stop in a chat with one of our experienced consultants.

WEDDING NOTES™ – What to Ask Your Planner

If you have decided to enlist the help of a professional wedding/event planner to assist with your wedding, you want to make sure that you are hiring the best.  Schedule an interview with him/her and ask important questions.  The answers to those questions will help you decide whether or not this person is right for you.  The certified wedding planners, who are members of Weddings Beautiful Worldwide, are likely to be the standard against which you evaluate the planners you interview.  They suggest that you review this list of questions and ask those that are important to you before you make your final selection.  

• Have you worked with any of the vendors or venues that I have in mind?  If yes, what do you know about them?  If no, are there similar vendors that you would recommend?  Why?

 

• How many weddings my size have you done?  Can you tell me about one or two of them?

• Who are your favorite caterers, florists, bands, etc?  Why do you like them? 

• Please show me a portfolio of previous weddings you have done.

• What is your role?  What is mine?  Who has what responsibility?  Who has the final say?

• How often do you expect to meet with me before the wedding?

• How many hours do you work the day of the wedding? 

• How many weddings can you handle in a month?  Do you have the staff to handle them all?
  If staff members will be involved in my wedding, can I meet them first?

• How do you charge?  Is it a flat fee or are there add ons?

• What kind of experience do you have?  How long have you been planning weddings?

Tell me how you handle emergencies or dicey situations?

WEDDING NOTES™ – Wedding Flowers

Choosing the flowers for your wedding can be a big decision.  Picking the style, color and budget allocations can be daunting.  But if you spend some time thinking about what you want, the selections of these important wedding accessories can give you the WOW factor you want for your wedding.

Selecting a florist is an important first step.  Ask for suggestions from friends, your wedding planner, or other bridal professionals.  Visit florists whose work you like.   Ask to see photos from actual weddings they have done.

 Think about how you will fund the flowers you want.  As you establish your wedding budget, think about the role you expect  flowers to play.  Wedding planners generally suggest a three part budget allocation.  Flowers for the reception are an important consideration since this where guests will see flowers first hand.  Many planners suggest the largest allocation here.

Secondly are flowers for the wedding party and immediate family.  Remember that bridal party bouquets are the most heavily photographed so don’t cut too many corners there.  Having bridesmaids carry a single rose for example, can be economical, but remember that single buds tend to look strange in photographs with stems sticking out in several directions.  Bridesmaids tend to carry them awkwardly.

Third and finally, consider ceremony flowers.  The church or venue will likely give you guidelines as to what is allowed.  If yours is one of several ceremonies taking place at a church in busy months, it makes sense to combine forces and dollars with other brides and choose ceremony flowers that will stay in place for all weddings.  If the space is huge, consider filling it with rental greenery.  If yours is a Christmas wedding, the chances are excellent that the decorations already in place for church services will be all you need.

For other ideas on how to make the most of your floral budget, stop in a see one of our experienced consultants.

WEDDING NOTES™ – Musts for the Bride to Be

As plans ramp up and your focus is THE WEDDING at the expense of other aspects of your life, take the advice of many wedding planners and Practice Self Care. Do whatever you need to do to unwind, relax and sleep well.  Take your vitamins, get healthy exercise and find emotional outlets for the stress you are under.  Remember your groom.  Do fun things together and plan together.  This is not the time to get run down and “catch” the bug that is making the rounds.  You need to be healthy and strong and resilient.

Get and stay organized. Start early and document every decision made around your special day.  It doesn’t matter if you have high tech records or sheets of paper clipped together or in file folders or paper bags.  Whatever system works for you- implement it early and keep it current.  

Set a budget and stick to it.  Early on the couple should sit down together and decide how much they can afford to spend on the wedding and where they feel it should be spent.  Agree on priorities.  Talk honestly with parents about their willingness and ability to contribute to the wedding.  Look at the major expense items – reception costs, honeymoon, clothing, photographs, entertainment, and flowers. Working within those guidelines makes other decisions easier.

Remember to be grateful for all that you have and all that others are doing for you.  You will get gifts, good wishes and offers of assistance.  Remember to thank everyone for their offers.  Weddings are joyous affairs and people want to be a part of a positive and exciting event that a marriage truly is.

Remember your plans and don’t be derailed.  You’ve set your budget and made significant decisions.  Don’t be tempted to play “one ups manship”.   You’ll go to other weddings while planning yours and see lots of ideas.  Some you’ll want to copy and others you won’t but before you do, remember your budget.  This is your wedding – not a copy of your old college roommate’s big day.  She had her event.  You’ll have yours.

Let go of bridal guilt.  No one can make everyone happy all the time.  Worrying about it takes up far more time and energy than is deserved.  Sometimes guilt is good.  It can help us deal with the feelings of others.  But most of the time, we are afraid we’ve let someone down.  Do your best to be aware of the feelings of others and honor them when you can.  But on the wedding day, you are there to please yourself and your groom as you begin your new life together.

WEDDING NOTES™ – Favorite Themes and Trends

Wedding planners contributed the top themes they are seeing for the year.  While it is fun to get ideas from these themes, what matters most is that the bride and groom have a wedding which is true to their vision.  The theme that the couple selects should have some personal relevance and meaning to them as a couple.  Why bother with a theme?  It provides a sense of continuity to all decisions made about the wedding – from the gowns to the flowers to the reception venue and the foods chosen.

Decisions are so much easier once the theme for the wedding is established.  Whether it is a color or a location or a time period or event,  the focus is there to insure that this  life changing celebration is memorable for participants and guests alike.

• History lovers may wish to be married in the “Roaring Twenties” of F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Art Deco can be the design focus.  Jazz was king and flappers wore short gowns and bling was everywhere.  As one planner noted, “most of the candy popular today, hit the markets in the 1920’s.   What a perfect reason to set up a sweets table for Milk Duds, Baby Ruth bars and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

• World travelers – or dreamers – will find a wonderful theme in exotic locations.  Tropical isles, far Eastern spots or Scottish highlands all provide a structure for food, décor, dress and paper products.

• Bright colors against neutral backgrounds can be very effective.  Instead of carrying out a color theme in the bridesmaid dresses, have the maids in a basic shade like platinum and carry out the color theme in the flowers and reception décor.

• The ceremony and/or reception location can provide the theme for a wedding.  If a museum is chosen as the venue, art and sculpture become the theme.  If a garden or beach or ranch is chosen as the site, the theme becomes clear.

• Medieval accents combined with fairy tale touches work well in historic buildings or modern redos which retain the original stone walls and structures.