Have fun with Favors

Theme them!

Pamper them!

Be Playful!

Favors are not the boring forgotten item anymore. Personalized labels are available for everything, soap, wine, water you name it it can be found. Homemade cookies upon arrival a big hit, say something personal like "Sweet of you to join us". Jars of Jam - " Spread the love". Just have fun and make it personal your guests will remember your effort.

Out of Towners

Who is in charge of the out of towners?

Well you and anyone you can recruit.

It is a crucial part of the event, make sure you know things about the area that they can do to be entertained as well as in case of an emergency information. It is great to collect some brochures from the area to have on hand or place in their rooms.

RSVP - This is a MOB job

This is a big job for a bride with too many things to think about. The MOB is ideal for this role. First, because she is paying for the number of guests she should have first hand knowledge of the response rate. Second, most of these people will be new to the MOB and it is a good way to start to learn names. I like the idea of a small space for comments from the quests on the RSVP card. This could lead to a scrap book or something to showcase the words of congratulations.

Save the date - Time line

Should you send out save the dates if you only have 150 days till the date?

Yes, NOW!

This will give all the out of towner's the info they need to secure travel and hotel. Make sure you mention to book the hotel NOW if you are going to a resort or a place with limited rooms.

Keeping the Dad busy and involved

Some say its not his thing...but if you are his only daughter or all of his kids are daughters that is highly unlikely. He probably does not want to go dress or shoe shopping but having a personal hand on a few touches will make him feel a bigger part of your day. Here are a few thoughts:

1. Have him suggest dances songs that the older crowd will enjoy. Remember if your inviting great aunts and older generation you will get no movement from a large portion of your guests if it is all new age beats.

2. Ask him to prepare a toast

3. If his is computer savvy have him make the map

4. Put him in charge of making sure ALL of the men's formal wear is on site and on time

5. Chef celebrant means staying to the bitter end to encourage and drive a festive mood!

Dad's are excited too you know!

Working with vendors - Mind your purse strings

It is very important when hiring all of the vendors to read every line of a contract. I found in the DJ's contract a clause for weather...he still would get paid if he could not set up his equipment outside. We changed that to he would set up at another location at my direction.

Another thing is to get a signed copy back and bring it to the event. If you do not there is not a legal obligation for them to act in accordance to the contract and if you need to litigate...it must be signed by both parties.

Avoid hiring a photographer or a florist who has never worked at the venue. There is to much to learn and know for it to be ideal.

Clarify everything - cost, time, travel and any additional fees. One DJ quoted me for 5 hours and only listed 4 in the contract. One florist wanted a $300 delivery fee on a $2000 order.....check everything! Do your details and everything will flow!

Photography Checklist

The photographer is arguably the most important vendor you will hire. Long after the great food and wine have been consumed, your lasting memories are in a book that you helped design. Making a list of shots that you want and the style you are aiming for in advance will remove the stress of the day and give your photographer a sense of direction for the day. There is a wide variety of choices: Candid, Documentary, Portrait. Combinations of all is where you will probably end up. So make a list of the types of shots, groups of people and specific events you want to have a picture of. Then talk about your personality! If you are big into nature or the silver pictures frames are heirlooms put this information on a list.

Look for Budget Breakers

Built in resources are your first way to save money. If you choose a beautiful outdoor gazebo as the setting for your ceremony. Do not spend thousands of dollars on decor. You picked this spot because it was beautiful. Besides who is looking at anything but the Bride!

Having your event at a hotel and your guests will be staying there. ASK, for a benefit if you reach a certain room amount. We asked for 1 free night for every 10 nights booked and ended up with two free rooms to use the day of the event for the Bride and Groom parties to get ready in. You can also use those rooms for guests that should not drive but did not make arrangements. Remember you only can get what you ask for!

Wedding Party Crashers

Your beautiful wedding reception venue can accommodate 3 events at a time! Should you plan for crashers? Yes, because your party is the coolest! Talk to your event manager about 30 days out to see the schedule for other events. Normally, you will have traffic before and after the other events occur. To prevent crashers ask the venue to provide a door staff during this time. If they will not then use a member of your family or your wedding coordinator to be at the entrance to your party. I have also seen people ask unfamiliar faces who they are here for and most say "Ops Sorry"and leave. Unless its George Clooney...no crashers allowed.

Reception - Set the mood with lighting

You have the spot now set the mood. Lighting can affect the feel and fun of any event. In most venues additional up lighting can give an area a more romantic and festive feel. The lights are controlled by a computer that is programmed to the beat of the music which can increase or decrease the intensity of the light. You can add a monogram to the floor or wall. They even have an effect that will add a texture. The texture effect is great if you are in a white walled room or tent. Don't forget the details for your event and lighting is definitely one of them!

Reception Site Rules - Don't take their word on how many quests will fit!!!

We are having our event at a beautiful 1927 Boutique Hotel. The elegance of the hotel and the area were the deciding factors. However, when we inquired about the dinning room size we were told 100 people for a sit down dinner. I then asked for a floor plan to scale and found out to accommodate this there would be 12 inched between the backs of the chairs. Really does that seem like a good idea to you? I think not. So even though the maxed out room could do it. The truth is we ended up with 72 chairs and a smaller head table. Ask questions to get a quality event! They want the biggest number they can....you want the best quest experience you can get!

Reception Perfection - It's in the details

You will probably find the vast number of locations overwhelming. But, digging a little deeper into the location will save a lot on the big beautiful day. Some examples, the beautiful mansion has limited bathroom space and the VW lodge has no character but lots of bathroom space. It is always a unique challenge to balance the wish list and reality list. So take your time at each venue and review the must haves. I think a natural charter and enough bathrooms go along way!

Bridesmaid Dresses

A new trend in the wedding world is to dress each girl in the color theme but different styles. I like this ideas, just based on the fact that your skinny girlfriend and the chunky girlfriend can't possibly both look good in the same dress. What we need now is for the major companies in the market to allow you to upload a virtual you to their website and you can try on from the convenience of your computer. Seriously, gone are the days that everyone lives in the same town and can get together to try on dresses. Many brides are waiting till well into their 30's which supports the theory that our friends would be more spread out. I played with the one found on www.seventeen.com/fashion/virtual-model . But think it would be best if each company had their own and when you went to the site you could actually try on the dress. What do you think?

What is the Difference between a $1000 and $5000 Photographer?

Good Question! We meet with three different photographers and that was the range. It was hard to tell any specific skill difference between each. But, what they did do is add ons and whether or not you need them changes the price tag. I also was concerned with not getting full use of the pictures that they took. What if the bride didn't pick a picture and 5 years later decided she wanted more of her grandmother or something. We decided we did not need a photographer with a flashy studio, nor one that could create a 200 page leather bound book. We wanted someone who showed energy and good attitude. One of the photographers was 300 pounds and talked like Minnie Mouse...I'm not sure that would have worked all day long. With all the albums you can create on line your self you really need someone with good equipment, good pictures, good energy and not a lot of fluff!

Temptations

There are so many little items that are cute but not necessary. It is tempting to blow a budget on stuff. You see a bracelet that would be a nice bridesmaid gift, so you buy six. Then a few weeks later you see shoes for the bridesmaids that are perfect, so you buy six. Oh my overstock.com just sent you a sales alert and you found the perfect earrings, so you buy six. See my point. At this rate you should have paid for the dress which would have been appreciated more by the bridesmaids than all the matching accessories. Keep your budget in focus and the big day will be more enjoyable, less stressful and you will be appreciated!

Timelines

We are planning a wedding that is on the other side of the country from where we live, so logistics can be a challenge. I have found the map quest tool very valuable. I put in all of the vendors we need to visit in one trip and then rearrange them to make travel sense. Most vendors will need 1.5 hours of your time and plan on 20 minutes to get to next location. The typical day will be 9am for your first appt. and 5pm will be your last. This allows for you to meet with about five vendors per day. In our case we squeezed a few more in by asking them to meet us on location one day. Make a list of the questions you have for them and email them in advance. This will save you time in the meeting and allow them to be prepared. An example would be, when meeting the photographer, do you want to see the equipment she will be using.

Customize...even the stamp!

Love how everything can be customized just for your wedding. We all know about the gadgets like napkins, candy boxes and matches. But, the new cool thing is stamps. You can customize them to say things like Bride and Groom or RSVP to mention a few. Here is a great website with a good selection.

http://www.zazzle.com/dazzle+stamps

Enjoy!

Floral doesn't have to be expensive

It was a surprise to me to investigate online florists and find out they were using the local florist to full fill the order. I had been in conversation with a local florist and turned the same order into an online company, to find out I could save about 25%. Then when I called the local florist and mentioned this, she communicated that they would get the order from the online company and full fill it. The difference in price was her time on site to set up the flowers and remove them at the end of the event. I called the venue and the event manager said they would take care of placing the flowers and suggested we give the arrangements away to the guests. What a great idea. To recap, saved 25% ( $500 ) and a gift for the guests.

Design the Day

The details are flowing now. The Gazebo, where the ceremony is , 35 feet octagonal! Wow, that is a lot of space and the bride only wants the wedding party in the gazebo.....oh that is a lot of room. I tried suggesting all the guests sit out of the NC sunshine but that didn't fly. Then I suggested the families sit in the gazebo, that didn't fly. What to do with all of that room. TREES! That is right buy trees from Home Depot and decorate them.....then donate them to the local Habitat for Humanity. They even said they would come pick them up on a Saturday. She gets her look. I get to bring the space down to a comfortable environment. I get a tax credit for the donation. Habitat gets trees! That works for me. It just one more way to go green.

MOB Dress time

Thankfully, we have chosen the wedding dress. Now I can start looking for MOB attire. I have seen quite the collection and most of them are long...so not interested! Here are some of my Do's and Dont's:
DO NOT
Match the color or style of the bridesmaids.
Wear any version of white.
Pick a dress that is not age appropriate.
Wear bold prints or bold color.
Over dress, you want the guests to feel comfortable.
DO
Pick something you can wear for 10 hours
Accessorize
Buy the one that you think you shine in.

After all this is a big day for you also!