In Case of Emergency, Push Here

As a wedding planner, you learn the do's and don'ts of how to deal with problems on the wedding day. I'm sure many of you have seen the movie "The Wedding Planner," Jennifer Lopez's character does a great job at masking problems throughout the movie. She carries around a "fanny pack" of all the must haves in case of any wedding emergencies. If you don't have a wedding planner you will want to have these on hand, and if you do have one, make sure they all of these items in their kit!

Emergency Kit:

• Antacid
• Antihistamine, cold remedy
• Any prescription medications
• Aspirin, Tylenol, or Advil
• Band Aids
• Hard Candy or flavored cough drops
• Pepto-Bismol, or other upset stomach aids
• Smelling Salts
• Tampons
• Sunscreen (if outdoors)
• Dusting powder for before pictures are taken
• Hair Spray, brush, barrettes and/or bobby pins
• Hand lotion, handy wipes
• Kleenex
• Makeup
• Perfume, deodorant
• Nail Polish and remover
• Small hand towel
• Toothbrush and Toothpaste
• Mouth wash
• 'Throwaway' garter
• Clear nail polish for those run away panty hose
• Earring backs
• Emergency buttons
• Flat shoes or ballet slippers if necessary
• Iron
• Pantyhose (extras)
• Safety pins
• Masking tape
• Sewing kit, including thread matching the wedding party's attire
• Directions to reception with extras
• Phone numbers of all the personnel
• Small flashlight
• Cell phone (duh!)
• Something to drink (bottled water, bottles juice, etc.)
• Straws (avoid lipstick smudges and spills)
• Cake knife
• White bread (to remove red lipstick stains)
• Colgate tooth paste (teeth, and to dry up acne)
• white wine (to remove red wine stain)
• Preparation-H (reduces under eye swelling)
• Super Glue
• Razor
• Bug Spray (if outdoors)

 Always remember to keep calm and cool when any emergency arises. Wedding days are stressful, but there are plenty of  solutions to any problem you may come across. If you have a wedding planner, their job is to help with any emergency and have learned to deal with many problems. There are worse things than a tear in your dress, (we can sew it or add something to mask it for the time being) even if it does seem like the end of the world. If you freak out, it will just make you, the people around you, and the situation many times worse!

Christmas Weddings

Christmas is everyones favorite holiday. Well mostly everyone... Many families get together around this holiday, churches are packed and decorated, why not have yourself a merry little christmas wedding?!

 Wedding Colors

Most churches are decorated in red and green, other reception sites are probably already decorated for the holiday for parties and other holiday events. You have a cheaper decoration idea all set up for you! You can incorporate other colors into the red and green so it's not as traditional:

• silver and white
• silver and light blue
• burgundy, forest green, and gold (as long as the existing decorations aren't too primary)
• gold and cream 

Christmas Wedding Invitations

When choosing an invitation, don't go so over the top with the holiday theme that it looks just like a holiday card. Opt for a thick white or cream, non-folded card with a border and/or engraving. You can incorporate the christmas theme by using it in your border with snowflakes, holly trim or a simple drawing of a pointsetta. An issue you might encounter if you send your invitations 2 months earlier is most people have plans by then, you can send a save the date a few months prior and send an invitation 3-4 months prior to ensure the most important people come!

Wedding Cake

 For me, I feel as though the dress is the main focus of the ceremony, and the cake is the main focal point of the reception. An always popular cake is having each tier look like individually wrapped presents. Another option is an all white cake with edible poinsettia flowers cascading down the side of the tiers, but there are really quite a few other options.

Bridesmaids and Groomsmen Attire

One of my favorite ideas for Bridesmaids dress ideas for the holiday season is a long gown with a faux fur muff instead of a bouquet. You can incorporate your wedding colors, or go with a basic black gown and add sparkling jewelry in your wedding color with a beautiful bouquet. Groomsmen always look fantastic wearing basic black with a red vest and tie. 

 Wedding Gown

Wedding colors are not important for your wedding gown, and I would recommend not going for a red or green gown.... Go for something you are comfortable in and look beautiful in. You can always incorporate a red sash around your waist to bring out some color, or even go for a gown with sparkle to bring out the snowiness of the season!

Flowers and Decor

Flowers can be expensive this time of year since many are out of season. Instead of bouquets you can always do the fabulous faux fur muff, and for centerpieces you can buy ornaments in bulk and fill vases with the ornaments. Muffs may not be on your list of favorite things, so you can always have a bouquet with mostly poinsettias. Fake snow can sometimes look tacky, but they have better looking products nowadays. You can always use fake snow on the table tops and place ornaments and flowers in the center of it. Poinsettias aren't super expensive so you can use those as centerpieces and add a gold trim to the outside of the vase. Pine cones are also a really inexpensive table decor to add.

These are just a few of the many options you can use? What else would you guys add?

Five Friday Faves

Happy 11/11/11!
In honor of Veteran's Day I though I would share a few of my favorite pictures of military weddings! Veterans should be honored and so should those serving in the military today! Another thing is they have beautiful weddings and traditions!

Favorite Arch of Sabers:

After the ceremony, the newlyweds walk through an "arch of sabers" which are curved swords with only one edge. It's not mandatory but it is a memorable part of a military ceremony. Only commissioned officers can carry sabers or swords and participate in this ceremony. Often the military groomsmen participate, but other officers, guests perhaps, may be designated to create the arch. Usually 6-8 officers are included. The head usher usually initiates the commands, starting with "Center face" which is the signal to form two facing lines. When the order "Arch sabers" or "Draw swords" is given, each usher raises his saber, cutting edge up, to form the arch.

Favorite Wedding Reception:

At the reception, if the groom is in uniform, protocol demands that he proceed the bride in the receiving line. The national colors and distinguishing flags may be displayed, exactly centered, behind the receiving line, and if the reception room is large, the bridal couple may want an arch included at the reception instead of during the recessional.

Favorite Cake Cutting:

On command, the saber bearers enter the reception room in formation lining up in front of the wedding cake, facing each other. The bride and groom leave the receiving line, then pass beneath the arch. They may pause and kiss, before proceeding to cut the cake. The groom would then hand the bride his unsheathed saber and with his hands over hers, their first piece is cut.

Favorite Wedding Attire:

Probably the main distinction of a military wedding is that the bride and/or groom, as well as service members in the wedding party, usually wear their uniforms. The type of uniform depends on the style of the wedding, the time of day, the season, and most importantly, the government-issued uniform manual. I love that not only is the groom wearing his uniform, but the bridesmaids are all wearing dresses to compliment his uniform.

Favorite Garter Removal:

Although some military weddings have their own traditions, there are also many traditions they follow that are in most weddings, including the garter removal. I though this was such a perfect picture to post and it captured the moment perfectly!

There are many more traditions you can follow, these are just a few of the ones that I wanted to share!What do you guys think of the military traditions?

The Wedding Dress For Your Body Type

A Bride's gown is the center of the wedding. All eyes and interest are on the bride when she steps onto that aisle runner. The gown sets the tone for the entire wedding. Every bride wants to look like the most beautiful bride, and some aren't sure what type of dress works for them and therefore try on every dress type looking for the right one. These are some of my guidelines and popular gown styles you should become famliar with.

The Ball Gown, also known as the Princess Dress, has a shaped bodice sometimes with a lace up back or a corset type top with a full skirt.The skirt can fall on or below the hip line and is a great shape to create a sense of drama. The tight fitting bodice will balance out the full skirt. This style is suited for pear shaped and full figured body types. Petite women should avoid this style as it can look like it's wearing you and also make you look shorter!

The A-Line Gown is similar to the Ball Gown. It is shaped through the bodice until the hip line where the dress falls away to an A shaped line. The A-line is one of the most typical shapes and is very balancing. Many body types can wear this gown; petite, tall, pear shaped, hourglass, full figured, and thin.

The Mermaid Gown or Sheath is fitted throughout the body flares out at the knee. A sheath is a simple, elegant and sexy shape which can also flaree out at the thigh. Typically best for narrow frames these dresses have a classic and timeless appeal.

The Empire Line Gown falls from under the bust, an empire line dress can have a full skirt (great for hiding hips and thighs) a tulip, bubble or puff shape (great for creating curve) or even a bit of an A-line shape (balancing). The top half itself can vary from dress to dress giving this one style a lot of variance.

There are many different ways to wear each style and many have different necklines, waist lines and bodice styles. If you go to a Bridal Salon, they specialize in knowing and finding what type of dress would work well with your body.

What type of dress are you interested in?

You Don't Need The Most Expensive!

Since I just got my wisdom teeth taken out, which means a lot of TV and movie watching. On Friday I watched about 4 hours of Say Yes to the Dress, and I couldn't grasp how much money these girls spend on their dresses! One girl spent $24,000 on a dress! If you have that much money is it really necessary to wear a dress that expensive once in your life?! Believe me I understand the wanting to look amazing on your wedding day, every girl wants that, but trust me you can find a dress that looks very similar and very beautiful for a lot less!

On that show, many of the girls have a reasonable budget (I still think $3,000 is high but that is just me,) but some are up to $10,000, not to mention quite a bit of the time they decide to go over budget. Every dress designer has a unique taste in their designs, but many have similar styles. 

This dress was designed by Monique Lhuillier, her dresses are sold in Kleinfeld's which is the store Say Yes to the Dress is filmed. Her designs are glamorous and portray sophistication and femininity. This is a mermaid gown with a sweetheart neckline and a dropped waist. It's made of silk organza and is priced around $6,000.

No design will be exactly like the next, but they can have some similarities. This is a Galina Signature Gown sold at David's Bridal. It too is made of Organza silk, but it's an a-line gown with angled draped pick-ups which creates a slimming silhouette. This gown has more of a glamorous design as well with a sweetheart neckline, and has a floral embellishment at the waist which gives it more of a modern look. The skirts look different, but they both look beautiful; both of these designs have similar looks as well as feels. The BIG difference is the Galina Gown is only $750! 

So when shopping for dresses, there are many options, that is just one example of how gowns can be similar in style without breaking the bank. Do you need to spend $7,000 on a dress you only wear once, EVEN if you can afford it? No. But if you love the dress and there's nothing else like it, then yes maybe splurge on a dress you can afford. I would much rather spend that $6,000, on other things for myself or for the wedding. David's Bridal has so many beautiful dress options for under $2,000 as well as other great bridal salons like Alfred Angelo. People at your wedding don't care about how much your dress costs, they are just looking at you. 

What do you guys think of spending $10,000+ on a dress??

Trimming the Fat

The guest list is a huge part of planning your wedding! You want to incorporate everyone! But if you have a budget of $10,000 for your wedding, it's going to be really really difficult to try to keep each head to under $40 a person. (Yikes!) So deciding on the type of wedding you prefer (small intimate gathering or the biggest party imaginable) will determine where or how many people you have. If you want to have your reception at your favorite restaurant, you won't want to have a huge guest list, since you don't want your guests to have to sit on each others laps, or if you have your eye on a grand ballroom, you need enough people to fill all that space so it looks full! So where do you start??

First you are going to need to figure out where your family fits in your guest list process. Typically, each family will be inviting half the guests, but chances are you don't live in the same time you used to so you will have a list of friends of your own to invite. You may want to split up the guest list in thirds, each family gets a third and you and your spouse will take the other third. In some cases, you could have a ginormous family that them alone can fill an entire football stadium. If you do have a large family you will need to take a real hard look and decide if you really need to invite all of your second and third cousins or even family you haven't seen in years?

You can also make a list of must-have guests and see how many slots are left and go from there. You may not want to have kids come, if that's the case you can address the inner and outer envelope and invitation just with the parents names. Never put "No Children" anywhere as that is impolite. Sometimes it is difficult to exclude all children so you can set an age limit, or just invite the children of your immediate family or members of your wedding party. You can talk to your family about your concerns and your reasons i.e. cost and space, and ask them to spread the word.

Another sixty four dollar question may be to invite out-of-towners or coworkers or dates. Do you invite out-of-towners you know won't show? You don't want them just to think you are inviting them for a wedding gift, but if you don't invite them will they be upset and feel snubbed? One solution is to send them a wedding announcement instead of an invitation. In the case of really close friends, even if they live across the country or on another continent is to send them an invitation, but don't be surprised if they decide to make the trek. As for dates and co workers... for your wedding party, dates may be an exception, or if you know the significant other of that person. If you invite your cousin who has a boyfriend or girlfriend whom you've never met, you may need to exclude them from your guest list. You can explain to your family and friends your concerns and the price, but the only way restrictions will work is if you stick to your decision. If you make any exceptions, you could threaten endanger the bad feelings you were hoping to avoid in the first place.

Another way to cover the list is to be honest about your friendships, like if you haven't talked to a pal for more than 2 years. Chances are you are not the only one who is feeling pressure. Your parents or his parents may try to use your wedding to repay for the weddings they have attended. If your parents are paying, then you may need to accomodate their wants and needs. If you and your fiance are paying, you should feel significantly less guilty about not accomodating their specific needs.

Once you've finished deciding who is going on the guest list and who isn't, you should enter your name to a file on your computer in alphabetical order and to a non-electronic wedding planner. (Invest in one, they are fabulous!) Include each person's mailing address, phone number, email address and his or her relationship to the bride or groom. Make columns that state their RSVP, possible dates if you decide to have dates, a brief description of any gifts received and the date the thank you cards were mailed out!

Five Friday Faves

I just got my wisdom teeth pulled yesterday, and what better way to spend my day today than to share my favorite things with you! 

Favorite Aisle Runner:

 I love the way the flower petals both make the aisle runner and also surround it and are used in vases to accent the colors more, not to mention how it is placed underneath the tree! Beautiful setting!

Favorite Bridesmaids Dresses:

I love that each dress is different AND all dresses can be worn again by these girls to another event. This wedding has a vintage- esque theme and since that is also my favorite wedding theme this is clearly a plus in my book.

Favorite Wedding Cake:

 I love the staggered tier cakes, it's definitely more of a modern idea, but it's stunning especially with the tea candles decorating the  front of the table. I also love love love the fountain in the background!

Favorite Bridal Bouquet:

White is one of the most popular wedding colors not including the wedding gown. What I love about this bouquet is it has more color, not a lot, to make it pop. I always loved the main wedding color to pop and since it's sometimes hard to have white be the main color, the other colors incorporated into the bouquet make it so much easier to look at!

Favorite Seating Cards:

Having more DIY projects included in your wedding makes it more unique and more memorable. It also doesn't break your budget and saves a lot of money. You can always have a party and invite your bridal party to come and help you make them. I love the bottled soda idea and it also doubles as a wedding gift for your guests to take home and that saves you more money too!

What do you guys think? And what are your Favorite things this week?