Introducing Black by Vera Wang for Grooms

For those of you who know me or have read my blog over the years, know one of my favorite wedding gown designers is Vera Wang.  I was so excited when she introduced affordable wedding gowns called White by Vera Wang for David’s Bridal.  Well, now she's done it again.   Vera Wang has just launched Black by Vera Wang – an affordable rental tuxedo collection found exclusively at Men’s Wearhouse.  Now, you and your fashion-conscious groom can be outfitted by Vera Wang.

This collection offers the highest quality of rental tuxedos.  Your guy will be able to choose from two modern tuxedo styles in classic black or a fresh gray.  Not just for grooms, the Black by Vera Wang collection can also be rented for the ring bearer as well as accommodate the big and tall sizes.

Find a Men’s Wearhouse store near you and reserve a Black by Vera Wang tux now.

photo credit:  Vera Wang

ENTER ADORN's "FUN COUPLE" PHOTO CONTEST FOR CHANCE TO WIN AN ADORN JEWELRY RENTAL, A SWAROVSKI HAIR COMB AND ART DECO MIRROR RING

Do you and your fiancé frequently hear, "You're a fun couple!"? Maybe you're known as the couple that's always sharing a good laugh. Maybe you have that inner connection and complete each other's sentences with the same punch line, deepening your bond in the process. If this describes you and your fiancé's relationship, then this is the contest for you.

Winner will receive three fabulous prizes: Free rental of earrings from Adorn.com, a beautiful Art Deco Mirror Ring from Meghna Designs & stunning Swarovski Crystal Hair Comb from Brides Head Revisited.

Please Click here to enter the contest.


source:  Adorn.com

Happy Valentine's Day!

In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I would post a little history on how Valentine's Day came about.


Enjoy!

The Legend of St. Valentine

The history of Valentine's Day--and the story of its patron saint--is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? 

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. 

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl--possibly his jailor's daughter--who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and--most importantly--romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.

Origins of Valentine's Day: A Pagan Festival in February

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial--which probably occurred around A.D. 270--others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to "Christianize" the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. 

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat's hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.

Valentine's Day: A Day of Romance

Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity and but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”--at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine's Day should be a day for romance. 

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

source:  http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day

Finding the Perfect Site

For this last Beginning Planning Tips series, I am going to focus on finding the perfect site for your wedding and/or reception.  Ask yourself what site is right for you and your fiancé.  What are you exactly looking for in a site?  What should you ask before making an obligation to a particular site?

When visiting potential sites, ask yourself, “Could I see myself getting married here?  Will my guests be comfortable, create an intimate atmosphere, or be dazzling?”    What meaning would you be conveying to your guests with your choice?  Today, you have so many numerous and assorted choices from beautiful estates to destination weddings.  However, no matter where you decide to have your wedding, there are really only two types of locations:  in-house (all inclusive) and off-site.

In-house (all inclusive) means just that.  The site provides pretty much everything from food and beverage to linens, china, tables and chairs and service personnel.  These sites would be your hotels, country clubs, etc. and are perfect for you if you want the convenience of having everything under one roof, so to speak, in order to coordinate things in one fell swoop.

Off-site venues usually provide very little, if any, services.  You basically just rent the space and you are left to fill “in the blanks,” meaning you would have to hire vendors separately, such as the caterer, rental supplies, décor, etc.  This type of site would be perfect for you if you want the liberty in choosing your own vendors, decorating pretty much the way you want, etc.

However, your ceremony site might determine your reception site.  This would hold true particularly if you marry in a house of worship.  If this is true, your choice of reception site will be limited because it would be most ideal to have it located close to your ceremony site to allow your guests ease in traveling.  The ideal situation would be to have your ceremony and reception held in the same location.  Besides making it very convenient for your guests (not having to travel to another location), it could also save you time and money with your décor, flowers, etc. that could be used for both events.

Here are some questions you should ask when visiting potential sites:

o        Do you have my wedding date available?  This may be an obvious question, but remember there are other brides competing for the same time on a Saturday

o        What are the restrictions, policies, etc.?  Many sites have written rules about décor, parking, etc.  Make sure you read everything before signing anything.  You don’t want any surprises.

o        How many guests can the space accommodate?  Usually, you’ll receive two numbers:  one for a buffet (or standing) reception and one for a sit-down (seated) dinner.  Don’t forget to ask about including a dance floor.  This and other tables (buffet, etc.) takes up space.

o        How many hours does the rental fee include?  Ask about overtime charges.  Is set-up and clean-up included in the stated hours?

o        What else is happening at the site the day of my wedding?  Some sites will book more than one event on the same day.  The best, of course, is to have the site exclusively.  But, if that is not possible, be sure there is ample time between the other event and yours to set-up, etc. and so as not to confuse your guests by possibly ending up at the wrong event.

o        Are there any hidden costs?  You want to be sure you are aware of any additional costs, such as valet parking, cake cutting fee, or a corkage fee if they allow you to bring in your own wine.  Depending upon your guest count, or minimum you have to meet, you may be able to negotiate some of these charges.  Better to find this out now rather than be surprised at the end.

While looking at various sites for your wedding and/or reception, remember to have fun.  Think of it as shopping.  Who doesn’t have fun shopping?  Well, maybe not your fiancé but he’ll probably enjoy this type of shopping. 

Have fun!

I hope you have enjoyed this little series of Beginning Planning Tips.  Feel free to comment and share with your engaged friends on Facebook and Twitter.

What should I talk about next week?  What are your frustrations, questions or thoughts as you are planning your wedding?

photo credit:  Love to Know.com   

How to Choose the Best Date for Your Wedding

In my series, Beginning Planning Tips, to date, we have covered your budget and the guest list.  Today, I will help you determine the perfect date for your wedding.

Many factors are involved when trying to choose a date; the month, the actual day of the week and whether your guests can or cannot attend.

As you are determining the date that will work best for you, think about the following points:

Holidays.  Holiday weekends, such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, could work fantastic because people usually have extra vacation days which would make it easier for families to come together.  However, keep in mind, holidays could also mean higher costs at your chosen site because of being a busy time of year.

Speaking of vacation days, think about your and your fiancé’s schedule.  Can you both take off a week or longer at the time you would like to have your wedding?  Special projects you may be involved in may not allow you to take a full week or two off.  If that’s the case, consider delaying your honeymoon for a later date.  Plan ahead if you are considering going during peak months.  Hotels and flights get booked up well in advance for the more popular months and locations.

Location.  When choosing a date, you must consider where you would like to have your wedding and reception.  If you have your heart set on the museum you have admired and dreamed about for your reception, you need to call and verify whether the date you have in mind is available.  Places like that get booked well in advance – sometimes two years out.  Therefore, you need to have other venues in mind as an alternative.

Day of the week.  We all know Saturdays are the most popular and the most customary day of the week for weddings.  However, there are only 52 Saturdays in a year.  Therefore, consider a Friday evening or a Sunday as an alternative.  Especially, if you want that museum.  You may still be able to have your location you’ve always wanted, but just have to have it on another day of the week.  Another benefit of having your wedding on a day other than Saturday, is most sites and vendors will give discounts for the “non-popular” days in order to get the business they may not have had otherwise.

In relation to choosing a location, it is best to have your wedding and reception held in the same place.  However, this is not always feasible.  If your wedding and reception do need to be held at two different locations, you must ensure your date is available at both places before making any deposits, which are usually non-refundable.

Weather.  This is always a concern for choosing a date if your dream is to have a beach wedding or outdoors on the lawn of a beautiful estate.  You must have a “Plan B” in place.  Weather is the one thing that is uncontrollable and, therefore, having an alternative plan will allow you to relax and be stress-free.

Family.  When you are thinking of a date, consider other milestone events happening within your family, such as other members of the family getting married, a golden anniversary or significant birthday.  If you are really set on your date and it happens to be on or near the same date as one of these milestone events, ask those family members if they would mind having your wedding on or around their event.  You could even acknowledge them at your wedding with a special toast or dance.

Considering the above points, you will find the perfect date.  Once that’s set, now the fun begins with planning out all the details.

For next week, look for ways in finding the perfect site for you.

photo credit:  marthastewartweddings.com

Don't Bust Your Budget with Your Guest List

As promised last week, I am continuing with my Beginning Planning Tips by talking about your guest list and how you can avoid busting your budget.

Using the budget tips I gave you last week, you should have a specific figure in mind for your wedding budget.  Based on that figure, you should now begin creating your guest list.  Have a good chat with your fiancé and begin envisioning what size of wedding you would like.  Do you want it small and intimate or a large party where you invite everyone under the sun? 

Okay.  Come on back down to earth now and begin writing down a realistic list of those you positively want to invite and those whom you may include if you decide to do a larger fête.  If you are having trouble deciding who the “positively” want to invites are, think of it this way.  Are those people close enough (and I don’t mean location-wise) to you that you would invite them over for dinner?  If not, those would not be the “positively” to invite people.  It’s also a good idea to give each set of parents a specific number of how many they can invite; however, you do not have to promise to invite everyone on their list.

The quick nuts and bolts?  The more guests you have, the more it will cost.

To guide you further, consider the following tips when creating your guest list:

1.    Dividing the number.  You could do this one of two ways.  The number of guests could be divided in half, with one-half for your family and one-half for your fiancé’s family.  However, if one of the families lives out of town, they may politely yield part of their number.  Another option is to divide the list into thirds.  You and your fiancé would have one-third while each set of parents get one-third each.

2.    The average number of invited guests that attend a wedding is about 80 percent, but don’t guarantee your guest count on that alone. 

3.    Etiquettely speaking, this is how you would handle inviting singles, couples living together, engaged, etc.  For singles, just invite that person.  There is no need to add “and guest,” especially if you are limiting your guest list.  For singles where you know they are currently in a serious relationship, it would be considerate to invite both.  Never a question - one member of a married or engaged couple is never invited without the other.

4.    To eliminate the question of whether you are inviting children or not, the names that are written on the inside envelope are the ones actually invited.  If a guest still asks you if they can bring their children, you can tell them that your reception space can only accommodate so many and you have reached that capacity, or you could simply say your budget doesn’t allow any more people than you already invited.  Be sure you stick with this.  You don’t want your friends to see other families with children when you turned them down.  If you are not having any children, the only children that should be at the reception would be those who are actually in the wedding party. 

5.    Having a destination wedding is another way to avoid the guest list dilemma.  For a destination wedding, you would only invite your family and the closest of your friends for a great weekend of fun.

As you gather your guest list, you may be shocked that your list is bigger than what your budget can afford.  Remember, setting priorities and determining what’s most important will help you tremendously in determining how many people you really can accommodate. Trimming the guest list or rethinking your reception décor are pretty much your only options.  Be creative.  You can and will find that happy place and still have the most fantastic wedding.

Next week, we’ll look at ways for deciding on a date for your big day.

photo credit:  theknot

Budget Help

For those of you who may have been recently engaged over the holidays, congratulations! 

Now that we are a few weeks into the new year, the early excitement has come down a bit and you are being hit with the reality that you are really getting married.  You are probably asking yourself, “Now, what do I do?”  “Where do I begin?”  Most likely, this is your one and only wedding that you will ever have and you want it to be perfect.  Therefore, I thought it would be great to give you some Beginning Planning Tips over the next several weeks.  The first one and probably the hardest to maintain is:  the budget.

Let’s look at what a budget is not.

A budget is not…

•    … throwing a dart at a target.

•    … the total amount in the parent’s bank account or your bank account.

•    … what one or more girlfriends spent on their wedding.

•    … necessarily what you see on TV (those are inspirations)

A budget is…

▪    A study of the range of what wedding products and services cost in your area, balanced against your individual style and personalities, inspirations and fantasies.

▪    Influenced by the number of guests you choose to invite.

A budget line item is not…

▪    “I only have $800 left for videography. Will you take that?”

▪    “Oh, my third cousin, Sam, is going to take the photos.”

A budget is:

▪    $1 Million

▪    $50,000

▪    $25,000

▪    $7,500

In other words, a budget is a specific amount of money set aside for all your wedding expenses.

Plan for about half your budget going towards your reception for food and beverage.  Other significant items to consider are:

•    Fees – officiant, ceremony site, wedding planner

•    Wedding attire

•    Photography/Videography

•    Flowers

•    Décor

•    Gratuities

•    Entertainment – ceremony and reception

•    Transportation

•    Gifts

•    Stationery – invitations, programs, menu cards, etc.

•    Accessories – aisle runner, cake knife/server, favors, etc.

A bride with $12,000 to spend, should be able to experience as much happiness on her wedding day as one with $50,000. But that presumes she has enough information, common sense, and critical thinking to make consistently good decisions, and then does so.

Sit down with your honey at your favorite coffee shop, set your priorities with what’s most important to you, get creative and use self-control when spending those budget dollars. 

You can and will have a fantastic wedding.

Next week, we’ll tackle the guest list.  That alone, could put a major dent in your budget.