Your Wedding in Three or More Acts

Mark Niemierko of Niemierko wedding planning in London shares a great wedding planning tip:

Think about your wedding in different acts.  Each part of your wedding is a different stage and each one can have a different theme.  You don't need just one theme throughout your whole day.

Traditionally a wedding has three acts - ceremony, drinks/cocktail hour and dinner/dancing - but you can add more such as a separate dessert area, an after party/night club.

And think about how your guests are going to get from one area/part of your wedding and make each act an experience.

By having different stages/themes it keeps your guests excited, interested and guessing what is coming next.

Beware of Bracelets

I was flipping through the Winter 2011 issue of New York magazine’s Weddings issue today and I saw a tip from a jewelry designer that I wanted to share.

Bracelets have been a popular bridal accessory over the past year or so but it’s important to pick a bracelet that won’t snag on your wedding dress and your veil. It’s very possible that a bracelet that has a lot of stones or small pointy things (sorry I couldn’t think of a better description) can snag the fabric of your wedding dress and even tear a hole in your veil.

If you do decide to wear bracelets make sure that the material it is made of is smooth and can’t harm your dress or veil in anyway. Or just wear it for photos and take them off for the reception.

Shopping for Bridesmaids Dresses

Shopping for bridesmaids dresses is not easy.  You have to find a dress that will fit and flatter each girl and that's not even the headache of trying to schedule shopping appointments when everyone is available.

When you find a bridesmaid dress that you like schedule an appointment for as many of your bridesmaids to go with you to try it on.  For those who can't make it, see if it's available in their area and have them make an appointment and email you a photo of themselves in the dress so you can see what it looks like.

Once you've picked a dress make sure each bridesmaid gets her measurements done correctly, the sales consultant can give them directions, and confirm that everyone has ordered their dress in a timely manner.

You should always check the store's return policy but I'm gonna bet that once ordered you can't cancel the order for a full refund so only place the order, or have the bridesmaids place their orders, after they've all tried on the dress, you've decided that it's the right color and style for your wedding and you are satisfied that everyone looks great.

Don't worry too much about picking a bridesmaid dress they can wear again because no matter what you choose they probably won't wear it again.  Sorry, that's the truth.

Making a Party Playlist

If you're like me then you have no idea how to put together a party playlist.  I am always eyeing the iPods of friends to see what songs they have on when we're over for a cocktail or dinner party.  My playlists are built by decade or artist so guests will either get an all Elvis playlist or an all '80s playlist.

When having guests over for a pre-wedding celebration like an engagement cocktail party or a more formal event like your rehearsal dinner you may want to put on some background music.  While a wedding-themed playlist can be fun for the first 10 minutes, you may want something a little more sophisticated for the rest of the night.

Pandora.com is the perfect, free, service to help you put together the right playlist for your party.  You enter the name of a song or artist and they will create and play a playlist for you with music by that artist and similar sounding songs.  You won't end up with a playlist of one artist.

The songs will play continuously at no charge and you can play the music directly from your computer or attach a pair of speakers to your computer for more/better quality sound.  And speaking of sound, remember to keep the sound loud enough to hear the music but not loud enough so that your guests have to yell over it.

And while you can use pandora.com to help find the right songs for your wedding ceremony, cocktail hour and reception playlist, I recommend hiring a professional wedding band or DJ for your wedding day.

Bridal Market Starts This Week

Starting on Wednesday wedding dress designers and bridal accessory designers will show buyers and editors their latest designs.  While wedding websites and blogs will feature the images from bridal market in a matter of hours consumers will not be able to purchase or order the items until 2011 - probably January at the earliest but most likely late February/early March.

Keep this in mind when browsing the Spring 2011 designer runway galleries.  If you are shopping for your wedding dress remember that you probably need to purchase your wedding dress six months before your wedding day, which will allow three months to manufacture the dress and then three months for your fitting.  And the more detail on your wedding dress the more time needed to make it.

Tips for Choosing Your Wedding Date

A lot of couples are getting married this weekend, and more specifically on Sunday, not because it's a three-day weekend or because a Sunday wedding may be less expensive, but because this Sunday's date is October 10, 2010 also known as 10-10-10.

And similar to 07-07-07 and 08-08-08, a number of couples think that the repetitive number means the date may bring them good luck.

I wish the best of luck and all the happiness in the world to each couple getting married on 10-10-10, but here are some other things to keep in mind when picking your wedding date:

1.  Choose a date that doesn't conflict with a business event or other family function that important wedding guests may have a conflict with.

2.  If you are having a religious wedding ceremony check with your officiant that there are no religious restrictions to having your wedding on the date you are thinking of.

3.  There are some holidays and events that may keep guests away, or at least in front of a TV set during your wedding, such as the Super Bowl, Thanksgiving Weekend and Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

4.  Make sure that other engaged friends or relatives haven't picked that date and are about to send out their save-the-date cards.

5.  If it is very important to you that you hire a specific vendor, such as a caterer or photographer or planner, make sure that he or she is available on your wedding date before signing a contract with a venue or other vendors.

Wedding Invitation & Stationery Trunk Shows

You often hear of wedding dress trunk shows, but there are also trunk shows for wedding invitations and stationery.

Similar to a wedding dress trunk show, at a stationery store you can expect to find a stationery designer  or representative from the company.

He or she will have the entire line available to look through and talk to you about all your options - especially customization options.

And similar to a wedding dress trunk show the stationery company/store will also offer you discounts and/or promotions.

Some stationery stores may require an appointment so you may want to call the store ahead of time to see if scheduling an appointment is necessary.

Next week Spark Letterpress Love will be having a trunk show at Kate's Paperie in New York City. There are three promotions being offered when you purchase a Spark Letterpress Love wedding invitations, thank you notes and social stationery.

Sick Day

I never like to miss a ay to post but I am so horribly sick - and so is Dave - that I can't even think straight.

So a really quick tip re: getting sick.

If in the weeks leading up to your wedding you start feeling sick - like a cold, sore throat or flu - get to the doctor asap and start treating it.  Don't let it linger because it may get worse and you don't want to be sick on your wedding day.

I can just see a sick bride walking around with the reception site with a hospital mask and air kissing everyone.

Bringing (Uninvited) Baby and Kids to the Wedding

My sister went to an engagement party over the weekend and she called me the morning of the party to ask an etiquette question:  Would it be okay to bring her baby to the party?

My first response was what happened to the babysitter.  Nothing they (his parents) were still planning on babysitting.

My second response was to ask if the baby was invited to the party to begin with.  She wasn't sure.  So I asked if the envelope the invitation came in read : Mr. & Mrs or The Smith Family?  She hesitated but said just to the two of them.  So I told her I didn't think it would be appropriate to bring the baby.  It was clear to me that she wasn't invited.

She asked me if there was any way she could bring the baby and I told her that she could call and ask the host if it was okay but since the reason wasn't that the babysitter canceled at the last minute she would have to just ask nicely and hope that her friend said it was okay.  Which she did.

If you get a call from a guest who at the last minute wants to bring their kids it's up to you to make the cal based on space, money and your relationship to the guests.

In some instances there physically will be no more room at the site.  If the kids are over the age of 4 their parents may expect you to cover their meal - that will cost you money and you also have to find out if the caterer can do a kids meal at the last minute.  Is your wedding kid-friendly?  Your guests won't know in advance but you will - think about whether there will be other kids there and what entertainment will be there for the kids.

In the end it's your call and be prepared for the parents to say that if the kids can't come they can't make it.  I would hope this won't ruin your relationship but you know your guests better than me so make sure that you are comfortable with your decision - financially as well as emotionally.

Dessert Course Idea

If you and your fiance are thinking of serving a dessert course in addition to wedding cake here are two ideas you may want to consider:

1 - Select two dessert items and serve each one to every other guest.  Since many of your guests will be couples and likely to share with each other, every guest will get to enjoy both desserts.

2 - Give each guest a tasting plate with two or three desserts in a smaller size so that each guest can enjoy a little bite of each one.

I like the idea of a dessert medley or dessert tasting plate because not everyone likes chocolate or pies or mousse.  These two options allow you and your guests to enjoy several desserts and pretty much guarantees that everyone will find something on the dessert menu to eat.