To Change or Not to Change

One of the latest trends today is finding brides changing into a more comfortable or sexy gown for the reception. They wear the more traditional gown for the ceremony and sometime before or during the reception, they change into something a little bit more lively, sexy and/or comfortable. You probably have seen many celebrity brides do this.

Maybe you just absolutely loved two gowns that you just had to have both. Or maybe it’s a cultural thing. You might be marrying into a culture that wears a different type of “wedding dress.” You would wear the traditional one for the ceremony and the “cultural” style dress for the reception out of respect for your new husband’s culture. It usually is more colorful and, therefore, you would really stand out at the reception and end up with fabulous photos.

However, before setting your mind (and money) on two dresses, consider that staying in that beautiful gown you have been dreaming about may well be worth keeping with one dress. You probably already spent a lot of money on it, wouldn’t you want to wear it as long as possible?

But, if you have your heart and mind set on doing the “change thing,” then think about the following factors in considering a “reception gown.”

• Is the gown comfortable for dancing?
• Will I need to change into different undergarments, shoes, or accessories?
• Will my hair be “mussed” by changing into the second gown? Or, can I simply let it down and put a beautiful hairclip on?

When should I change into the second gown? You may choose to do it during the cocktail hour so you are in your new gown when you and your husband make your grand entrance into the reception. Or, you could wait to change after your first dance. Whenever you decide to make the change, plan ahead. Have a separate room available close by so you don’t have to waste too much time getting to and from the changing room. It’s no easy task removing a wedding dress quickly, so have your bridesmaids help you. Having your ladies there with you will help you change faster so you can get back to the reception before your guests even know you are gone.

Now, if you love the idea of having two dresses, but it is just out of the question, budget-wise, there are still ways you can change the way you look from your ceremony to your reception. If you are wearing a veil, remove it. I did for my reception. You could buy a wedding dress with a detachable train. Depending upon how the dress is made, having the train removed can really make your gown look totally different and guests may think you actually did change into a different gown.

Consider all your options before making your final decision.

(photo above from Vera Wang on Weddings)

Photobooths at Your Reception

You've seen them in malls, maybe recently at a friend's wedding. I'm talking about the photobooth where you go in and have about four to five pictures taken really fast. Wait a few minutes and out pop your strip of small photos.

Well, now there is a new photobooth in town. Maryland-based company, Booth-O-Rama, has designed and built their own photobooth. This baby is 4' wide and can take up to 12 people at a time, and instead of getting that strip of small photos, you get hi-resolution, 4 x 6 prints in just under 12 seconds. It is 100% digital, professional grade equipment.

All photobooth rentals include: delivery, setup, and breakdown, unlimited usage and prints for up to four hours, a personalized banner with your names and wedding date on each print, on-site photobooth attendant and a password protected online gallery of all photos from your reception. For an additional fee, you could have an extra hour, double prints, all images on a CD and an on-site scrapbook to use as your photo guestbook.

It also makes a unique favor for all your guests. Wouldn't this be so much fun?

Great Place to Buy Wedding Items or Sell Your 20 Leftover Centerpiece Vases

I just discovered BravoBride.com. This is an online site where you can buy and sell new and pre-owned wedding items. You can shop for designer dresses, accessories, favors, even engagement rings, plus much, much more.

If you want to sell anything, they allow you to list your items for FREE. How can it get better than that? In today’s economy, who couldn’t use a little FREE every now and then.

Another great thing about using BravoBride is that they donate a percentage of their proceeds to the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Campaign.

You are also “going green” by purchasing items at a great price by making the choice to “re-use and pass along.”

I think I’ll look through some of my leftover wedding stuff and see if I can sell it to someone who needs it for their wedding.

Happy shopping. Let me know if you find a great deal.

I'm Stoked!

I was notified today that I had been chosen to receive the 2009 Bride's Choice Award from WeddingWire.com. Wow! What a wonderful surprise! This is all because of you - my past clients who have helped me become a success. Thank you so much. Below is the press release.

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced that Smooth Weddings, LLC has won the 2009 Bride’s Choice Awards™!

In its inaugural year, the Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and honors vendors from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility. This year’s recipients represent the top three percent of WeddingWire’s vendor community, which includes over 100,000 wedding vendors from across the US. That means Smooth Weddings, LLC is one of the very best wedding planners.

Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride’s Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds through surveys and reviews.

“We are excited to launch this annual award program to honor high-performing vendors based solely on the experiences of our WeddingWire community,” according to Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “This year’s recipients have set the bar high, exhibiting excellent service and expertise in the wedding industry.”

Smooth Weddings, LLC would like to thank our past clients for speaking on our behalf and helping us win the 2009 Bride’s Choice Award!

Toasting Flutes

Looking for unique and stylish toasting flutes for your wedding? Look no further than designs by Vera Wang. Vera Wang is one of my favorite designers.

These particular toasting flutes are simple, yet elegant. I love the shape of these flutes. They are silver and crystal with Love Knots accents – a must for any wedding reception. The flutes are packaged in a white keepsake box, imprinted with the Vera Wang name and tied with her signature ribbon.

You can purchase these at Exclusively Weddings or if you purchase them through me, I will give you a 10% discount. :-)

Happy toasting!

(photo from Exclusively Weddings)

One Way to Personalize Wedding

As you are probably aware, more and more couples are personalizing their weddings with special memories that will last a lifetime.

One of the ways you can personalize your wedding is instead of having a traditional guest book, set up a leather-bound or other type of scrapbook, different colored pens, instant camera and film. Have directions printed and displayed inside of a photo frame, and asks guests to indulge you with a photo along side their message to you. The results will probably be hysterical, romantic and sentimental. You will have a photo of all of your guests and who knows how creative they may be. It will be a treasure to look at for years to come.

Besides the accordion style I mentioned a few blogs ago, another unique type of photo guest book is from Adesso Albums. They come in a variety of colors (black, chocolate brown, lavender, natural, pastel blue, pastel pink, red and white. They have 3” x 3” die cuts to fit a standard Polaroid photo. Shameless plug - I sell the original albums for only $55. Contact me if you would like to purchase one. I currently have black in stock.

(photo above from Adesso Albums)

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Looking for great and unique gifts for your “girls” standing with you on your wedding day? Then, check out some of these ideas.

Personalizing gifts is a great way to say “thank you.” Whether it be a bag, compact mirror or anything else, having their name or initials on something is always special.

Look at these personalized note cards. Even in our technologically savvy world today, it’s still nice to write and receive a hand-written note every once in awhile.

What girl doesn’t like a special place to keep her jewelry?
Look at the customized welcome bags. You can fill these with all sorts of goodies, such as their favorite chocolate or snack, spa items to make them feel really comfortable or include the personalized note cards mentioned above. You could also use these for your out-of-town guests welcome bags.

Check out my shameless, self-promotion plug for my Kate Aspen online store and see what you can find to help your girls have fun.