Local Treats Your Guests Are Sure to Enjoy

I know I’ve written before about using items created locally in your wedding, either as a favor, in a guest room gift or other detail. Martha Stewart Weddings even did a story on regional wedding favors.

If you’re getting married in a city that’s important to you and your fiancé, or you’re getting married in a destination many guests may not be familiar with, it’s a nice idea to incorporate the location into your details. But how do you pick an item that represents the local area?

Kirei Nest, a new registry blog I wrote about last month just launched a new feature, Locale Lovelies, where local folks (bloggers, shop owners, artist) from every state will write posts about their home state and which local items they would suggest for wedding details.

The first in the 50-post series is for the state of Alabama and includes sweets as well as recommendations on what to do and where to eat if you’re getting hitched in the town of Florence, AL.


Image from MarthaStewartWeddings.com

A Shower Gift From the Groom

This maybe something that only I think is appropriate but I’ve seen it at several showers and I really think it should be a staple at showers everywhere: The groom should give a gift to the bride.

It doesn’t have to be an expensive gift or even jewelry, but it can be something special that she opens at the shower, whether he’s there or not.

I’ve seen groom’s give lingerie or even an item from the registry that he knows she really wants. However registry gifts may backfire as it did in the ‘90s comedy Father of the Bride. Remember when Brian gave Annie a blender as a wedding gift and she interpreted the gift as his way of thinking that the wife belongs into the kitchen. His explanation was that she liked to make a certain type of drink that you need a blender for.

Anyway, if you don’t want to tell or suggest to your groom that he should or may want to buy a gift that you open at the shower you can have a relative or friend tell him that he should/may want to. You never want to tell him what to do but suggestions are almost always welcome.  I wouldn’t necessarily tell him or suggest to him what the exact gift should be. That I think is something you want him to think of all himself.

PS – It is traditional for the groom to get the bride a wedding gift and for the bride to get the groom a gift too. Many grooms will give their brides a piece of jewelry that they can wear at the wedding, such as earrings or a necklace, but you can both agree ahead of time that you are or aren't exchanging wedding gifts or put a cash limit on the gift.

I remember telling Dave that we don’t need to spend money on a gift but I did expect a card/note from him the morning of our wedding. I gave him a card/note too and I also made him a CD to listen to while he got ready that morning with some wedding-related songs. Our favorite, that he surprised me with a few months earlier, was Somebody’s Getting Married by the Muppets.

Here’s the video from The Muppet Movie, it’s in two parts:




Isn’t it cute?

The Golden Rule

"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you"

With all the wedding shows that feature brides at their worst, it's important to remember that these shows are produced and I'm hoping these women are asked by producers to be horribly mean to vendors and family members.  You have to assume that they are acting otherwise why would their fiances want to marry them.  

When planning your wedding, assuming you're not being taped for a television show, remember that you should treat people with respect and as you would like to be treated.  Just because you're a bride doesn't mean (no pun intended) that you are allowed to treat people like they are your personal wedding servants.  And this includes your fiance, parents, vendors and bridesmaids.

Nothing happened where I can share a story to get this point across.  I was just watching TV and saw an ad for one of these wedding reality shows and felt the need to write a post on the subject.

Save-the-Date Card Giveaway at Oh So Beautiful Paper

Save-the-date cards are a fun way to let your friends and family know the details of your wedding. They can be as straightforward or as whimiscal as you want. Unlike a formal invitation, save-the-date cards aren’t an essential item that you must have. If you’re looking to cut costs, cutting the save-the-date card is one way to save, but with the fun, informal designs you can create, many couples like them because they are a great way to let your personalities be part of the wedding details.

Whether you were planning on sending save-the-date cards to your guests or not, here’s one way to save money on your stationery budget. Visit Oh So Beautiful Paper to enter their save-the-date card giveaway, where you can win 150 save-the-date cards from Delphine Press. The letterpressed cards will come in two ink colors on Mohawk's beautiful Strathmore Writing Recycled Bright White paper. 

Here are the details:

Visit the Delphine Press Web site and browse their wedding collection to choose a favorite design. Once you've picked your favorite, create an inspiration board - including the design you've selected - showing how that design fits in with your overall wedding style. 

Submit your completed inspiration boards (in jpeg format, please) via e-mail to beautifulpaperblog@gmail.com with the subject "Save the Date Contest". Include a brief description of your wedding style as well as the two ink colors that you've chosen for your save-the-date card with your submission.

You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, July 3 to submit your entries. Nole will post the finalists on Oh So Beautiful Paper on Monday, July 6 and announce the winner later in the week.  Good luck!

Wedding Planning Tip:  Don't forget that whoever you mail a save-the-date card to also receives a wedding invitation.  You can't mail out save-the-date cards and then decide that you need to cut the list and half the people who received a card are no longer invited.  Limit your save-the-date card mailing list to guests that you know you will never cut -- close relatives and friends.

Save-the-date image above from Delphine Press

License to Wed -- No Relation to the Movie

When getting married in the United States it’s very important to learn what your state’s laws are regarding a marriage license. And when I write your state, I mean the state that you are getting married in. If you live in Chicago, IL but are getting married in your hometown in Wyoming, you need to get a marriage license in Wyoming.

Every state has their only rules and regulations. Some states have age requirements, others want the bride and groom to take blood tests and there are some states that have waiting periods between the date you apply for the license and the date you actually say “I do.”

The easiest way to find out what you need to do is to search your state’s government Web site or just Google your state and “marriage license” and the information should pop up in the results page. You can ask your wedding planner or officiant if he or she knows what you need to do.

It’s also important to check marriage license requirements if you’re getting married abroad. Some countries have residency requirements. I think a friend who married in the Caribbean had to be there for a few days before the license was valid, while some European countries want a minimum of 30-days residency before a license is legal.

If you are marrying abroad you may want to get hitched legally in the U.S. before flying off to your destination. This way you won’t have to worry about license requirements there.

And when you do apply for a license, make sure that both you and your fiancé are there with the appropriate identification. You may need several forms of ID before the state will give you the necessary paperwork.

One more thing: Check with your officiant if he or she will mail in the license for you or if you are supposed to do that. The last part of the process is having the officaint complete the form and then someone mails it back to the state. Then you’ll receive a marriage license in the mail.

RIP Michael Jackson

In light of the sad news of Michael Jackson's passing, I felt it was appropriate to post the Triller wedding dance video:

NYC Wedding Event: How to Save Money

Figuring out how to save money on the wedding is a very popular topic these days. There are lots of ways to save, but it's important to know how to save effectively and not just randomly cut your budget. (See yesterday's post on using an iPod as your DJ)

Many Web sites and magazine articles have featured ideas on where to cut costs but sometimes you need to ask a professional what would work best for you.

This coming Saturday, June 27th, The New York Wedding Workshop is hosting How to Design on a Dime. This workshop will teach couples how to maximize their wedding look and style no matter what their budget is. Starting with invitation design right through to tabletop and every decorative element in between, you'll learn what is worth splurging on as well as where you can save.

Brides and their guests will leave the workshop with a list of New York City and online decor shopping resources, how-to guides to create breathtaking paper products and referrals for decorators and florists who will actually give you a proposal that is within your budget parameters.

The event will be held from 10 am to 1 pm at Sharon Schuster Photography Studio, 147 West 15th Street, and will feature the following vendors: Double Happiness Creations, Sharon Schuster Photography and Seth David Cohen Videography.

There are still some tickets left and to help you save money, I'm giving away some! Email your name and wedding date, along with how many tickets you want to fromiwilltoido@gmail.com.

iPods and Your Wedding

With all the talk on how to save money on your wedding the idea of a bride and groom being their own DJ is not so surprising. However, there are some things to think about if you decide to go this route.

As the bride and groom, no matter how much you like the idea of being a DJ, at your wedding you should not be managing a playlist. Let someone else oversee your iPod so that you don’t have to be running back and forth to make sure a good song – or in the instance of special dances, the right song – is playing.

Putting together a playlist for your ceremony and cocktail hour is easy, but a reception playlist for dancing is a little more difficult. A professional DJ or band can feel the crowd and know when to play certain songs to get the crowd on the dance floor.  The playlist you create may not get the job done and you don't want to be surfing through to find a better song.  

As for sound quality, your at home iPod speaker is probably not sufficient enough to fill a hall, so research larger speaker systems to ensure that the music is loud enough.

I would limit the iPod to the ceremony and cocktails and then spend the money on a professional for your reception.  It's still less than hiring someone for the whole wedding.  Maybe he or she will let you use/rent their speakers for the ceremony and cocktails.  

And if you're not sure what to put on the ceremony, cocktail or reception playlist, there are plenty of wedding Web sites that offer suggestions.  Or you can hire a company to create a unique playlist just for you.  AudioStiles is one company that can create a playlist for you. You can talk to their music experts about what you're looking for and they can either give you the names of songs or upload a complete playlist to your iPod.

Wedding Day Hairstyles: Using Flowers

Thinking of wearing a flower in your hair? Here are some tips to ensure that your wedding day ‘do is picture perfect:

1. Tear photos of hairstyles with flowers that you like out of magazines and print out images you find online to show your hairstylist what you want.

2.  Schedule a trial to see if the style  you want looks right and make sure to use the same flower that you plan on using at your wedding.

3. Don’t forget to take photos of the final ‘do you decide on so the day of the wedding there is no question as to what your hairstylist should be doing. Remember to get photos from every angle: right, left, front and back

4. Determine if you are going to use a real flower or a silk flower and who is supplying it: You, your stylist or the florist.

5. If you are choosing a delicate flower, like a gardenia, ask your stylist to stick around to replace it after family portraits and the ceremony so you have a fresh bloom in your hair for the reception.

6. Don't just buy one bloom for your wedding day. Buy or order several just to be safe.

Showers Require Planning Too

A friend just told me a story about a shower she not only attended but was involved in planning.  The bride's sister arranged for the party to be held at a friend's house and then asked other close friends of the bride to take care of decorations.

Too make a long story short, basically the sister didn't check what supplies were available at the house where the party was to be held, so when the women with the decor showed up to set up there were no tables or chairs or even a place to put the food - which by the way only half of the order showed up because the caterer said that was all that the sister ordered.

Anyway, my point is that planning a shower involves a lot of logistics: a place to hold it, seating for all the guests, including tables, decor (can be as limited or as extensive as you want), entertainment/activities and food for your guests.  It's obviously not as involved as a wedding is but whoever is hosting/planning a shower needs to make sure that the basics are available.  

It's okay to delegate responsibilities  to bridesmaids, moms and anyone else who offers to help but make sure that whoever is "in charge" is really overseeing all of the other tasks so that you don't have guests showing up with no place to sit.

I suggested that they could have thrown blankets or sheets on the floor and made it a picnic style party since the wedding will be outdoors on a farm, but the sister ended up driving by a garage sale a few blocks away on her way to the shower and after realizing they didn't have any place for guests to eat she drove back and picked up a table and chairs for the party.  

Philly Event Recap Clip

In case you couldn't make it to the Wedding Inspirations event in Philadelphia earlier this month, wedding videographer Dave Williams created a short film featuring the vendors involved. It was such a fun event in a really cool section of Philly, Liberties Walk.

I really enjoy doing events like this one because it's great for me to get to know vendors in local areas, and I always love talking to brides.

Here's the clip:



And if you're a vendor planning a wedding event I'd love to learn about it, and possibly get involved!

Preventing a Wedding Day Hangover

If you're looking for the perfect movie for date night then The Hangover is what you want to see.  This hilarious story of a bachelor party gone bad will have both you and your fiance rolling in the aisles.

Now since this film revolves around a wedding I watched it for both enjoyment and for blog research.  I don't want to give away anything so here's the one extremely important tip that I took away from it that you definitely want to follow: Do not have the bachelor/bachelorette party the night or two before the wedding, especially if it will be out of town.  In fact I would say the closest you should get to the wedding date would be the weekend before, but I recommend two weekends before.

You would think that most people would know not to have a wild night the day or two before the wedding.  Who wants to risk a hangover the morning of their wedding or worse, if you're planning an out-of-town party you could be delayed by traffic or a cancelled flight.  (Don't worry I didn't give anything away.)

While I'm pretty sure the crazy events that take place in The Hangover will not happen at your fiance's bachelor party, you don't really want to take a chance that the groom (and his groomsmen) may not make the wedding because of one wild night.

PS - I don't usually rate movies, but I have to say this one you definitely want to see.