Weddings and More

Helpful Hints for Saving Money on Your Wedding Day

2008-05-16T14:06:00.002-04:00

My husband, a CPA, printed out an article for me he recently saw on The Vanguard Group’s Web site relating to saving money on your wedding day. So, I thought I would share some of their ideas with some additional comments by me in italics.

Some questions to ask:

Have you set up a budget for your wedding?
How will you pay for it?
Will you be going into debt to finance your big day? If so, how long will it take to pay if off? (It’s really not a good idea to start off your new life together with new debt.)

Here are some simple suggestions for paring down some of your expenses:

1. Trim your guest list. Your reception will usually be about 50% of your budget, so by trimming your guest list, you will save money. For example, if your wedding costs $125 per person, cutting just eight guests will save you $1,000.
2. Don’t do engraved invitations – do thermography. This method still has the raised lettering, but just doesn’t have the copper-plate engraving which is very expensive.
3. Think about getting married on a Friday evening or a Sunday. Many venues will give significant discounts on these days and you can still have your sit-down dinner for a much less cost.
4. Consider having your ceremony and reception held at the same place. You’ll only need to decorate one place and you’ll save on transportation, too.
5. Wine and beer only. Save a lot of money by having a wine and beer bar only.
6. Nix the extra dessert. Wedding cake will be plenty to serve the guests.
7. Want an extravagant, multitiered wedding cake? Have your baker do a “fake” cake with Styrofoam decorated with icing and serve guests sheet cake made from the wedding cake recipe you choose. No one will be the wiser. If you want to do the traditional cake cutting ceremony, then have your baker do one tier with real cake and the rest with Styrofoam. Or, if you don’t particularly like the idea of a “fake” cake, (I know I don’t) you can still save money by having your baker create a smaller version of your wedding cake to serve less guests and have additional sheet cakes that will be cut up in the kitchen and served to guests.
8. Eliminate favors. Most get thrown out, unless their edible. If you have 125 guests at $3 per favor, you will save $375.
9. Seasonal flowers. Always try to choose flowers that are in season during the time of your wedding. They are less costly than forced blooms.

By sticking to a budget and using some of the above cost-saving tips, you can still have an elegant wedding, but not go in debt.

Bling, Bling!

2008-04-11T19:38:00.003-04:00

Just received my copy of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine spring issue. The picture on the cover is shown above showing several different styles and cuts of diamond rings. Wow! Gone are the days of the single round, solitaire diamond engagement ring. There are such a variety of styles to choose from these days. Makes me want to get engaged all over again. Or maybe, I'll just hint to my husband to upgrade my ring for our 15th or 25th Anniversary. Don't get me wrong. I love my engagement ring. It's a sapphire surrounded with diamonds - modeled after Princess Diana's, but on a much smaller scale, of course.

I just love diamonds and wouldn't mind wearing one of these beauties once in awhile.

Makeup For Your Big Day

2008-03-18T15:20:00.001-04:00

Make your wedding day picture-perfect. How? By preparing your skin one to two months in advance of your wedding day. "How do I do that?" you ask? If you are a DIY bride, then all you need to do is use the right products, and you will have that “storybook look” that will last until the last dance.

The skin care and makeup I recommend is Mary Kay. I use it and love their products. Visit my beauty consultant’s site at www.marykay.com/leahfontana to see the latest in skin care and makeup products. On the home page, go down to “What’s New” and click on “Bridal.” If you want to have a little fun, too, be you own makeup artist by taking their Virtual Makeover.

Happy shopping.

No Winner

2008-03-10T11:12:00.002-04:00

Sorry. No one submitted any Valentine's Day proposals, so there was not a winner for my first contest. Oh, well. Look for another contest in the future.

Have a great Monday!

Happy Leap Day!

2008-02-29T15:44:00.002-05:00

An extra day of the year we get every four years. That means you have an extra day of planning for your wedding - 24 more hours! Isn't that great? I'm sure it probably won't seem like you have that extra day, though. Oh, well. It was a good thought anyway.

I was thinking, wouldn't it be funky to get married today? Later in life, you could say you are celebrating your 8th Anniversary but in reality you've been married 32 years.

I wonder how many, if any, are really getting married today. There must be some couples out there crazy enough to do it. It is Friday. Many couples get married on Fridays. Are you one of the couples crazy enough to get married today or did you get married on Leap Day? Let me know - I'd love to hear your story.

Best Proposal Story Contest

2008-02-15T13:53:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was one of the most popular days to get engaged. Did he pop the question to you yesterday?

If so, send me your story. I am running a contest for the most creative, unique proposal. Was it a surprise? Was it captured on video? Where did he propose?

If your story is chosen, you will receive a Kate Aspen scented Hearts & Vines frosted-glass votive candle favor, tossing garter (as pictured above) and a FREE one-hour telephone consultation. Total prize value is $70.

Contest will run for two weeks. All entries must be received on or before Friday, February 29. Winner will be announced on this blog on Friday, March 7.

Don’t delay! Send your story today! Don’t forget - contest ends Friday, February 29!

Kate Aspen Favors

2008-01-28T16:33:00.000-05:00

I am so excited! I just became a retailer for Kate Aspen designer-inspired favors for weddings and baby showers as advertised in Martha Stewart Weddings magazine.

I have used these favors for some of my clients and everyone loved them. They are unique, fun and beautiful.

Check them out. You'll love what you see.

Wedding Cakes...again

2008-01-24T20:46:00.000-05:00

Okay. Soon after I write about wedding cakes last month, Martha Stewart comes out with her new book, Martha Stewart's Wedding Cakes. I just ordered mine today. Can’t wait to see it. Anyone who knows me knows I loooooove cake. My mouth just waters when I see a great looking cake. I’m hoping to use this book to show my clients when they are not sure what style and type of cake they want for their wedding. Hmmm, makes me want to go make a cake right now and eat it up. See ya in the kitchen or at the bakery.

Seating Arrangements

2008-01-11T13:57:00.000-05:00

If you are planning an elegant sit-down meal for the reception, you may decide to assign seats and/or tables for ease and to generate good conversation among your guests who have similar interests.

Assigning seats and/or tables, however, can be an organizing nightmare and cause a lot of stress. The reason being, the table assignments usually cannot be made until one or two weeks (sometimes days) before the wedding. Why? Because your RSVP date on your wedding invitation is usually two weeks before the wedding day. Also, guests who respond late or say they’re coming, then call a few days before the wedding to say they can’t come after all (after you have spent hours arranging the table assignments.) This could mean rearranging some of the tables at the last minute. Aghhh!

How do you avoid this? Simple. Don’t have assigned seats or tables. Have buffet style or food stations instead and let guests sit where they choose. However, if you really have your heart set on a formal sit-down meal using table assignments (my personal preference), then you’ll need to allow enough time the last week before the wedding to make the seating arrangements, including possibly having to make last minute changes. The key here is to be flexible.

To make this as easy as possible, I have developed seating chart tips for you to follow to make your seating assignments go as smoothly as possible. Make a chart listing table number and draw 8-10 lines under each table number. Then, write the guests’ names on each of the lines for every table. The most preferred seating is to have 66” round tables seating eight or ten people at each table. This, however, depends upon your reception site and space available.

Etiquettely Speaking

If you decide to have a head table, the wedding party would sit as follows: the bride sits to the right of the groom; the Best Man sits to the right of the bride; the Maid or Matron of Honor sits to the left of the groom. As much as possible, the other positions alternate between men and women. You may also wish for each attendant’s spouse to sit with him or her.

For the most formal, traditional seating at the parents’ table, the guests should include both sets of parents (if not divorced), grandparents, the officiant and his spouse. If you decide to do place cards to actually pre-assign each seat at the tables, then the parents’ table should be arranged in the following manner:

Groom’s father is on bride’s mother’s right
Groom’s mother is on bride’s father’s right
Officiant sits on bride’s mother’s left

The bride’s mother determines other places at the table. Never seat stepparents at the same table. For example, the bride’s parents are divorced and remarried. Since the bride’s mother is considered the hostess, her table will be the “official” parents table. Therefore, the bride’s father and his wife would sit at another table. The officiant and spouse should sit at the “official” parents’ table.

The other tables and seating assignments can be arranged however you would like using the following suggestions for grouping guests together:

The Beginning

• Divide your list into groups. Separate family, close friends, co-workers, etc. Design a floor plan of the reception site including total number of tables and how many guests will sit at each table – again, round tables of eight or ten are usually a good choice.
• If you are going to have a dance floor, the best place is directly in front of the band in the center of the room or in the center of the room flush against the stage area. Tables can then be placed on both sides and/or in front of the dance floor – never behind the band.

Establish Good Conversation

• When assigning tables, if there is a group you have put together that is larger than one table can seat but too small for two tables, consider dividing the group in half and seat at tables that are next to each other. You can fill in the extra spaces with people that don’t really fit into any particular group.
• If you have a lot of unmatched guests, place guests together whom you think would be compatible. Think of ages, interests and/or marital status when you are assigning tables to this particular group. For example, a widowed friend would probably not appreciate sitting next to four newlyweds.
• If after assigning all the tables and there are empty seats, divide the empty spaces among several different tables. It looks better to have two tables of eight rather than a table of ten and a table of six.

Be Aware

• Try not to place feuding families or friends at the same table or near each other (unless you need some extra free entertainment.)• Be sensitive and seat elderly and/or disabled guests away from the music or speakers, especially if it will be hard for them to get up and move around during the reception.

Happy seating!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-03T15:58:00.000-05:00

I'm back. After taking a nice, long Christmas break, I am back to business. Happy 2008 everyone! I can't believe we have just started another year. Time passes by faster and faster as I get older and older.

Several days ago, I received the winter 2008 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. On the front cover was a picture of Jessica and Cody - the couple who won Today Throws a Martha Stewart Wedding. The wedding took place on October 5, 2007. The theme was "Breakfast at Tiffany's." They were one fortunate couple to have won this fabulous wedding, especially done by Martha Stewart. I wish I could have been there. It looked truly amazing. You'll have to pick up a copy to see for yourself.

Okay, this has nothing to do with the "Breakfast at Tiffany's" wedding, but Martha in her "Good Things" section had a great idea for the bar. If you are having a signature drink at your reception, you can write up the drink recipe by either having a calligrapher do it or DIY on the computer, on colored paper that matches your color scheme. Get a small shadowbox from a crafts store (actually, Martha Stewart Crafts at Michael's has them - I just saw it yesterday), line it with a printed fabric or paper that will coordinate with the card you have the recipe on, and pin it inside the box. See the picture above. You can then stand the box on the end of the bar. Place a few rocks or mini-sandbags inside to weigh it down so it won't be easily toppled over. What a great idea - simple, yet adds a touch of elegance to enhance the ambience of your reception.

Wedding Cakes

2007-12-18T16:22:00.000-05:00

Gone are the days when a wedding cake was always white with very little decoration and a plastic bride and groom on top. Today, you can just about decorate your cake any way you want. Weddings are becoming more and more personalized, so why not do it with your cake, too?

You can personalize your wedding cake by taking a particular element of the wedding décor and design the cake around that theme. Bakers can decorate cakes with the look of embroidery, lace, appliqué or elegant drapes or swags. Think Martha Stewart style. :-)

Many brides will use the lace or detailing from their wedding gown as a design for their wedding cake. Bring in a picture of your gown and talk to your baker to incorporate the lace or pearl beading detail into the cake. Keep in mind, however, the more detail you have, the more expensive the cake.

Here are some other ideas:

• Have a wedding cake with an unusual shape, such as, a wedding cake that resembles a stack of presents. This is a fun cake, and generally has two or more square layers, is heavily decorated and tied with a bow.

• Get sentimental! Copy or use the cake top your grandparents or parents used at their wedding.

• Have your monogram intertwined in icing on your cake as decoration.

• A never-fail simple, yet elegant decoration is using fresh flowers. Some favorites include roses, carnations and pansies. These flowers can be made into cascade designs or other styles. For a simply stunning look, have one single, perfect bloom on your cake, such as a lily or orchid. Using fresh flowers to decorate your cake looks great and does not need to cost a fortune.

So go ahead - have your cake and eat it, too.

The photos above are from Martha Stewart Weddings, fall issue.

WEDDING GIFTS

2007-12-05T16:07:00.000-05:00

Have you received a damaged wedding gift and don’t know what to do or how to handle it? Well, here are some tips for you as well as information about exchanging gifts.

Damaged gifts - If the store name is indicated on the box or some other way, notify the store where it came from and ask them what their policy is for handling damaged merchandise. If you know that the gift was insured, you should notify the sender of its condition. If you do not know the store from where the gift was purchased nor whether it was insured or not, it should be assumed that the sender sent the gift in perfect condition and probably got damaged through the shipping process. Unless the sender asks about it, unfortunately, you will have to assume the loss yourself.

Exchanging gifts - If you would like to exchange a gift because it was a duplicate or want to exchange it for something more useful, then by all means, do so. However, a gift from a close friend or relative should never be exchanged without informing them first and asking permission to do so. It is also in poor taste if you exchange a gift for a cash refund.

Photo Image Cookies

2007-11-30T15:55:00.000-05:00

How cool are these? What a great idea as a favor for your wedding guests. You could have your engagement photo on the cookies or have a variety of photos of you, your groom and both of you together.

Mrs. Beasley’s photo image cookies will take any photo, image or logo and scan it onto an edible high-quality iced Shortbread cookie. The cookies are printed with an edible food coloring sugar paper that is glazed onto a vanilla iced cookie.

You can get the cookies in one of three different shapes: rectangle, circle or heart. The image lasts approximately four to five weeks before fading and are edible up to three months. The price is only $3.50 per dozen and includes 4-color processing and individual packaging. You can add some embellishments for a little extra cost.

If you are planning an anniversary party for your parents, you can have their wedding photo scanned on these cookies. The ideas are limitless. Man, I’m getting hungry for some cookies. I'm off to the kitchen.

Great Tips for Your Rehearsal Dinner

2007-11-15T11:23:00.000-05:00

My clients often ask me, "Who do I have to invite to the rehearsal dinner?" Since this question, as well as others, come up pretty regularly, I thought I would write my tips on the blog on how to have a great rehearsal dinner and who should get invited.

Traditionally, the Groom’s family is responsible for planning and paying for the rehearsal dinner. Sometimes, they have no idea what should happen at the rehearsal dinner. The following ideas should keep your rehearsal dinner lively, interesting and running smoothly.

The rehearsal dinner should be fun and upbeat. It can be casual and festive. Keep the décor understated, as you do not want to upstage the wedding day.

You want to create an ambiance that is favorable to lots of toasts and well wishing. The groom’s father may want to start things off with a toast to the bride and her family. Then the Best Man can toast the bride and groom. Next, the groom may want to offer a toast to his bride and her family. These toasts do not necessarily have to be serious. They can include a funny story or anecdote. Most important, try to make it an early night so everyone will get enough rest for the wedding day. You may want to use this time to thank your parents and future parents-in-law and propose a toast to say "thank you" for all their love, support and help for a wonderful wedding!

You can also use the rehearsal dinner as a place to give your attendants, parents, etc. their thank-you gifts, if you did not have a separate groom’s dinner or bridesmaid’s luncheon.

As you plan the menu, avoid serving any of the main dishes that will be served at the wedding. The rehearsal dinner is also a nice time to have a Groom’s Cake. You could honor your man by surprising him with his favorite cake designed to match his personality, hobby or favorite sport. You could also choose to show a video montage with baby pictures, pictures of each of you at different ages, and ya'll enjoying the beach, zoo, park, or whatever you enjoy doing together.

Keep the dinner low-key – this will help conserve energy for the next day. You also don’t want to upstage the bride by having something more extravagant than what is planned for the wedding reception.

You may want to consider assigning seats. This way you can balance the energy of the room, encourage guests to meet new family and friends and avoid any embarrassing situations that could arise when family members who don’t get along well are seated near each other.

As referred to above, family members from both sides may not have met before the rehearsal dinner so it’s a good idea to introduce everyone at the dinner, if they were not at the rehearsal. You can do this formally by "going around the table" or informally by "mixing and mingling." A nice idea would be for the bride and groom to make the introductions and say something personal about each person.

Even though it is not a requirement, it may be a good idea and a nice gesture to send out invitations to the rehearsal dinner. The invitation should include where and when the rehearsal will take place as well as where and when the rehearsal dinner will take place. Type of dress and directions to the dinner should also be included. If you do decide to send invitations, they should be less formal than your wedding invitations.

Finally, who should be invited? The “must haves” to invite are those individuals who are part of the wedding ceremony. Spouses and/or fiancées of all adult attendants should be invited. The ring bearer and flower girl should be invited along with their parents. Parents and grandparents of the bride and groom should be invited as well as the Officiant and his spouse. If your budget and site space allows, it is a nice gesture to invite special friends who have traveled to the wedding from out of town. You may want to ask local guests to provide transportation for the out-of-towners.

Happy rehearsing and enjoying a great dinner afterwards.

How do I change my name…

2007-11-09T16:10:00.000-05:00

…let me count the ways. One! That’s right. You only need one way to change your name after you are married. There’s a great name change service called missnowmrs.com. They will help you through all the paperwork, forms, etc. that you need in order to change your name. For a small fee, they will provide all the forms you need to simplify the process of changing your name as well as filling out the forms for you, if requested. Go to their Web site at www.missnowmrs.com and check them out. You will see how simple it really is.

A New Trend

2007-11-06T16:09:00.000-05:00

In September, a friend of mine sent me an article published in the New York Times entitled, “Will You Marry Me? Say Cheese!” by Kathryn Shattuck. What does that mean, you may ask? Well, with the advancement of technology and such Web sites as MySpace and Facebook where people post pictures of themselves all the time, why shouldn’t you document the most important event of your life and share it with others? Yes, I mean having pictures taken of your actual marriage proposal.

Anna Post, author of “Emily Post’s Wedding Parties,” says, “The trend is on the rise to have all the moments documented in your life.” She further states that she finds the idea of photographically preserving a marriage proposal “wonderfully romantic.”

My husband “sort of” did this, albeit not with photography, but he did record the proposal on cassette tape, unbeknownst to me at the time. It was a great way to preserve and document his marriage proposal. He had pre-recorded music that we listened to as we walked around on Federal Hill in Baltimore, MD. When he knew the last song was playing, we sat down on a bench overlooking the Inner Harbor. When the song finished, he distracted me somehow and quietly turned on the record button on the tape player and proceeded with his proposal. Afterwards, on the car trip home, he suggested playing the cassette to “hear the songs again.” When the last song finished and I started hearing his voice of what he had just finished saying, I was so surprised, shocked and ecstatic that he had thought of recording it so we could always listen to it. It was a great way to document the proposal and have it forever. We did take pictures prior to the proposal, but he never thought of having a photographer hiding behind a bush to take pictures. However, that seems to be the current trend.

With the onslaught of photojournalism type of wedding photography today, it just seems natural to also take pictures of the actual proposal that begins to tell the story.

With that being said, however, the groom better know his bride really well and know whether she would go for this kind of thing for such a private, intimate moment. She may not be the type who wants that special moment photographed and witnessed by someone hiding in the bushes. In the New York Times article, one bride said, “I thought it was a little stalkerish to know that this person was following you to get these great pictures,” said Briana King, of the secret photo session in December 2004 that Christopher Joralemon, now her husband, arranged with Gruber Photographers. A crew armed with telephoto lenses and dressed like tourists trailed the couple, who were on a stroll through Central Park — ostensibly to attend a holiday brunch — where they’d met at a dog run seven months earlier. “But the end product was good,” Ms. King said. “It was a little weird but definitely worth it.”

Having a photographer following you around like paparazzi might be a little scary or unsettling, but the pictures will be worth a “thousand words” and something you will never be able to recreate.

Don't Forget...

2007-10-31T15:42:00.000-04:00

...to turn your clocks back one hour this weekend - officially at 2am on Sunday, November 4. You really want to make sure you have done this prior to going to bed after your wedding Saturday night. You don't want to arrive too early for your flight and you'll probably need and want that extra hour of sleep after dancing all night.

Bridesmaids and Groomsmen Goodie Boxes

2007-10-23T14:39:00.000-04:00

I was looking at a past issue of Martha Stewart Weddings and saw in her “Good Things” section an idea for a Bridesmaid Goodie Box. All of a sudden, I thought, “What a great idea. I could start offering these to my clients as well as those individuals who want to purchase them separately.” At the same time, I also thought, “Why limit it to just the Bridesmaids? Don’t the Groomsmen need goodies, too?” So, I put my thinking cap on and started coming up with all sorts of ideas and decided that, “Yes! I am going to do these.”

To help keep the cost more affordable, I am going to use brown (guys) and white gloss (girls) gable boxes (pictured at top right) instead of the plastic lunch box style (pictured on left) that Martha had which are more expensive. The gable boxes will be simple, yet still have an elegant flair to them. The standard goodie boxes will be filled with bottled water, cheese & crackers, white grapes, cookies, chocolates and mints. However, the customer could opt to customize each one according to their Bridesmaids’ and Groomsmen’s own personal favorite treats. For example, if you know one of your bridesmaid’s favorite chocolate candy is a 3 Musketeers bar, then we would substitute the chocolate for the 3 Musketeers bar and so on.

If you are reading this and you are not the bride but maybe a bridesmaid, then consider purchasing these for all the bridesmaids as a gift for the bride. It will be one less thing she has to worry about on the day of the wedding. Or, if it’s not in your budget to provide one for everyone, then you may want to just purchase one for the bride. We’ll be sure to dress it up for a special presentation.

For my clients, I will provide a goodie box for the Bride and Groom for free. For the wedding party, the goodie boxes may be purchased for only $15 each.

If this is something that might interest you, whether you are a client or not, please contact me. I would be more than happy to supply these for your wedding party. And, while you’re at it, order one for yourself. You, the bride especially, need to make sure you eat something before walking down that aisle.

Victorian Ribbon Ceremony

2007-10-10T16:02:00.000-04:00

Photo courtesy of Carlson Craft

Back in Victorian England, charms were placed into the wedding cake that brought luck and foretold the future. These charms were attached to ribbon and were hidden within the layers of the wedding cake.

Currently, I do not see many brides using these charms anymore. In fact, I have only had one bride that did use them. I guess the only couples that would use them would be those who wanted to do something a little different or are having a Victorian theme wedding – one of my favorite themes, by the way. Hence, why I decided to write something about these charms, which, of course, can be used whether your wedding theme is Victorian or not. Here is the lo-down on how the ribbon ceremony traditionally takes place:

The bride should, in advance, determine how many women of marriageable age she will have in order to have the appropriate number of charms. These women were traditionally the bridesmaids, as they were always single. However, these days that may not always be the case, so this is why you would want to pre-determine who the bride wants to receive the charms.

Traditionally, there were six charms:

1. The Heart – “Love will come”
2. The Clover – “Good luck”
3. The Engagement Ring – “Next to marry”
4. The Anchor – “Adventure awaits”
5. The Flower – “Love will flower”
6. The Horseshoe – “Lucky in life”

Today, and presumably since the bride usually has more than six women who are dear to her, other charms have been created. Some other charms you may find are:

The Wreath – “A happy home”
The High Chair – “Blessed with children”
The Rocking Chair – “Longevity”
The Airplane – “Travel and adventure”
The Satchel – “Good fortune”
The Mirror – “A Happy Life”

If you want to pull the charms out of your wedding cake at the reception, consult with your baker and let her hide the charms when assembling and icing the cake. The charms should not be baked into the cake. It is easiest to have the ribbons draping from the back of the wedding cake. This is the best photo opportunity set-up for the ribbon-pulling ceremony. The ribbon-pulling should occur before the cake is cut and should be announced by the Master of Ceremonies. If you wish, each bridesmaid can read out loud what her charm means after she pulls it – usually the charm’s meaning is on the ribbon.

Traditionally, the ladies who are going to pull the charms gather behind the cake, along with the Bride and Groom, at the wedding reception. The ribbon-pulling ceremony takes place just after the cake-cutting ceremony, but prior to cake-serving. Each lady takes a turn and pulls a ribbon from the cake. The charm foretells the future. Some couples like to have the ribbon-pulling ceremony prior to the cake-cutting.

So, c’mon. Bring back the old! Have a ribbon-pulling ceremony.

Using Martha's Idea

2007-10-08T20:21:00.000-04:00

Well, I used the Mason jar idea for my gathering Sunday night. Although, duh, I forgot to take pictures, so I just took a picture of them grouped together as you can see. Anyway, I didn't have the vintage green-tinted Mason jars like Martha, but I did have the clear ones and they still looked beautiful. I used them to line my walkway. Since this is fall, I tied orange raffia around the top. Just as Martha Stewart suggested, I filled each jar with a little bit of water. It did make for a very easy clean-up. Since they were standing in the water, the melted wax just sort of "floated" and it was very easy to get them out afterwards.

On a side note, another way I use these Mason jars, and have for several years, is I fill them with homemade hot chocolate mix I make for friends and family to give as gifts for Christmas. I love them.

I love Martha Stewart!

2007-10-03T21:19:00.000-04:00

Isn’t it amazing how she can make the simplest things look so elegant? Take the Mason jars pictured above, for instance, which were featured in the latest Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. Who’d thought you could dress up a canning jar? All she did was take vintage Mason jars, tie gold-rimmed ribbons around the tops and place a votive candle inside and Voila! you have instant lanterns. These would be great for a fall or country-style wedding used either as centerpieces or to line a walkway in the evening. To prevent the candles from sticking to the bottom of the jars, she suggests adding about an 1/8 inch of water before setting the votives inside. Also, be forewarned – the jars will get very hot so you need to take care in handling them after they have been lit for several hours. I have several Mason jars. I think I’ll use this idea to decorate for a small gathering I’m having at my house this Sunday. Love it!

Top Ten Reasons to Hire A Wedding Day Coordinator

2007-10-02T14:15:00.000-04:00

Okay. I know you are like me. You are very administrative, detail-oriented and love to plan. So, you shouldn’t be feeling overwhelmed in the planning process of your wedding, right? Good.

But, what about the wedding day itself? You want to enjoy your wedding; you want to be relaxed and be stress-free, don’t you? Well, what is stopping you then from hiring a Wedding Day Coordinator? Let me answer that with what I call my “Because List” of the top ten reasons why you should hire a day of coordinator:

10. Because the coordinator will create a very detailed schedule of events. This is a very important instrument for the wedding party and all of the major vendors. The schedule ensures that all activities during the reception happen in a timely manner.
9. Because your coordinator will act as your liaison and handle any unforeseen circumstances, so you, your groom and families can rest and enjoy time with your guests.
8. Because your coordinator will ensure your desires for the day are just what you envisioned and planned.
7. Because you want your best friends to remain your best friends after the wedding and not have to “work” on your wedding day.
6. Because you still want to have a relationship with your mother after the wedding. No need to have her running around checking last-minute details, resolving any problems and end up exhausted before the wedding even begins.
5. Because you want to be worry-free and stress-free.
4. Because you want to breathe and relax.
3. Because you want to enjoy your day just like the rest of your guests.
2. Because your Wedding Coordinator will orchestrate your wedding from the rehearsal through the end of the reception. She will ensure everything and everyone is in place from having the ushers ready to seat guests to cueing the musicians, plus much, much more.

…and the number one reason for hiring a day of coordinator…

1. Because you can’t afford not to. (See reasons 2-10 above)

Creating a Web site for Your Wedding

2007-09-18T20:35:00.000-04:00

Technology. How can we live without it these days, you may ask yourself. However, you may still think that weddings are still a big No-No for using this wonderful technology we call the Internet. Think again.

A long, long time ago, there was a time that you would not have even thought about using anything but your hand to send save-the-date cards or even invitations, let alone have your very own Web site just for your wedding details for the world to see – well, at least your family and friends.

I, for one, still would not use the Internet to send invitations. I still like the old-fashioned snail mail way. However, I am all for technology and the many ways you can use it to help serve you and your family and friends. How? By having your own wedding Web site.

You can include as much or as little detail as you want. It’s a great way for guests to purchase a gift directly from your registry online or to get maps and directions to the ceremony and reception sites.

You can post pictures of you and your groom, engagement party or other pre-wedding events as well as write a story of how you met and how he proposed. It helps bring your friends and family closer before the wedding by being a part of your planning process. You can even have your own blog now to keep everyone updated on your plans. You may even want to keep your wedding Web site up after the wedding for awhile to post pictures from the ceremony, reception and even your honeymoon. This would help those who could not attend feel as if they were there.

If this is something you would be interested in having, please contact my Web site designer. Barb will be happy to help you design your very own wedding Web site. Contact her at: info@wnetdesign.com.

To Open or Not to Open...

2007-08-10T13:39:00.000-04:00

Have you been wondering whether it was proper etiquette to open wedding gifts prior to the wedding?

I was listening to a radio station the other day and one of the DJ’s is getting married soon and he was asking this same question. His fiancé wanted to go ahead and open the gifts but he didn’t think it was right. He thinks you are suppose to wait until after the wedding.

Nope! It is very much proper etiquette to open gifts as you receive them prior to the wedding and write the thank you notes at the same time (preferably within two weeks of receiving the gift.) There was a time long, long ago when brides use to display their gifts as they received them prior to the wedding. As friends and family would come to visit, they would view the beautiful display of gifts. In fact, guests really aren’t suppose to bring gifts to the wedding at all. They should always be sent prior to the wedding, but we live in a very different and convenient world today so guests bring their gifts to the wedding instead of mailing them.

So by all means, open your gifts as you receive them and knock out as many thank you notes as possible, ‘cuz ya know after the wedding, it will take awhile to get back into the swing of things and start writing all those thank you’s. The sender will also appreciate hearing from you sooner than later knowing that you did receive their gift.

So, what are you waiting for? Start ripping that paper off!

Saving Money for Your Bridesmaids

2007-07-06T14:15:00.000-04:00

You’ve asked your closest friends to be your bridesmaids. You have picked out the perfect dress you want them to wear BUT it will cost them an arm and a leg to purchase.

You know you don’t want them to stress over the money for the dress just to be in your wedding. Some may even bow out because they just can’t afford to purchase a dress that they may wear only one time.

When choosing your bridesmaids dresses, consider their budgets, too. Just as you want to save money on your wedding, you can also ensure your bridesmaids don’t go broke wearing that expensive dress.

How can you still have them wear a beautiful and elegant dress for your wedding but not have them go in debt?

There are plenty of retailers out there that sell beautiful dresses/gowns off the rack or online that would be perfect for your wedding. Places such as, J. Crew and Chadwick’s as well as department stores, such as JC Penneys, Macy’s, Nordstrom’s, etc. Most of them have formal wear sections in their catalogs, online or at the stores themselves. They are usually very affordable (look for sales) and come in styles that can easily be worn again.

When my daughter was getting married almost six years ago, we looked through the Chadwick’s catalog, JC Penney’s and Macy’s where she found the perfect dress, in the color and sizes she needed and they were drastically reduced for sale.

So, start thinking “outside the box” and don’t think you can only get your bridesmaids dresses at bridal shops where they mark them up so high just because they are for a “wedding.” You do have choices now. Go shopping and see what you can find so your bridesmaids won’t have to “break the bank” for your wedding.