Greenville's Wedding Festival Show, January 3rd at the Hyatt

I just wanted to remind everyone that this Saturday is the wedding show. If you are planning to attend be sure and stop by our booth. I love to meet readers of my blog.

Attending the show is really exciting for brides and grooms. It can also be somewhat overwhelming. Avoid show burn out by following these easy steps:

Have in mind what you are looking for. Don’t let every pretty thing you see sway your plans.

Vendors will have lots of “sign up now for a discount” offers. Unless you have done your homework and know that this is the vendor you want to hire, don’t be pushed into a decision. Ask for a day or two to get back to them. This will allow you some time to go home, review things and check references. Sure you may lose out on the vendor, but better losing out than hiring a vendor that turns out to not be what you want.

Wear comfortable shoes, this is not the time to bring out the stilettos. You are going to be doing lots of walking and standing.

Stop by every booth you’re interested in and pick up their information. Yes, you are given a bride’s bag when you arrive at the show, but be aware vendors had to pay to put their information in that bag. Not every vendor’s info will be included. So go by the booths and pick up the information. Do not count on it being in the bag.

Print out your email, address and phone number on a sheet of stickers. Instead of having to take time to fill in each give away card, you just slap on a sticker and go.

Speaking of email addresses, be sure you set up a new email account to give to wedding vendors. You don’t want all those “hire me” emails coming to your personal account. Make one you use only for the wedding.

See you at the show!

Time to Do A Little More Trimming - Trimming Your Guest List

Now that all the tree trimming is done. Let’s talk about another kind of trimming, trimming your guest list. This is a question that comes up with just about every one of the brides I meet with. You can’t afford to invite everyone to your wedding so just where do you make the cut?

Two things you need to do right away, decide on your budget and find out just how many people your site can hold. Both of these determine the number of people you can invite. Try to figure out your cost per head. Remember to include not only food cost, but the cost of alcohol, invitations, and cake. More people means more tables, more linens and more centerpieces.

Once you have an idea of cost, decide how many total guests you can invite. Next compile a master list of the people you and your fiancé want to invite. Add to this list those people your parents want to come and the ones his parents want to invite. Organize your list by categories: family, work friends, school friends, wedding party, etc. This way if you decide to cut all work friends from your list, you can easily do it across the board.

You can also cut your list down by asking a few questions. Have we seen this person in the last year? Is this a relative that would be deeply offended? Are we inviting dates? How about children? The best rule of thumb is either all or none. If you invite one person’s children and not someone else’s you are asking for trouble. Same applies with relatives. If you invite one aunt you better invite them all. You don’t have to invite dates, only the people that are in long term relationships. But if you don’t invite dates, make sure there will be lots of singles there. You don’t want you best dateless friend leaving early because she has no one to dance with.

Want a secret to cutting down on your list? Don’t have the wedding on Saturday, have it on a Friday afternoon and I can almost assure you that your “will not attend” count will increase.

Summit Pointe Conference and Events Center

I was invited earlier this week to tour Summit Pointe, by the very sweet Jennifer Rowe. Jennifer is their Director of Sales. This was the first time I had been to Summit Pointe and it was worth the trip.

Summit Pointe is located in Spartanburg, an easy drive down I-85. The site has two beautiful ballroom areas perfect for your ceremony or reception. There is a nice outdoor area, front lawn and lobby area, ideal for the cocktail hour. The conference center is adjacent to Hampton Inn and Suites, so hotel rooms for your out of town guests would not be a problem. Also, there is plenty of parking, which is very important in choosing your reception site.

They have an onsite catering staff and a pretty extensive menu to choose from. So if you are looking for an event venue in the Spartanburg area be sure to check it out.

Weddings Lead World in Clones

David's Bridal

Science is way behind the wedding industry, at least as far as clones are concerned. Brides have been cloning bridesmaids for centuries. Each bridesmaid in the same dress, same hair, same jewelry and even same shoes has been the way of weddings for years. It started as a plan to fool evil spirits by not letting them easily pick out the bride. It has continued as a way to make sure bridesmaids did not outshine the bride, I believe.

Well the good news is we are slowly moving away from the clone bridesmaid and into an era of truly finding what looks good on the girls and what they feel good in. “But, how do I do this and still have some unity to my overall plan” you ask? Start with unity in design but maybe not color. Pick the designer and the material, but let your girls pick their color. Pick one color, say pink, but allow your girls to pick the shade of that color that best suits them. Or maybe you pick the designer, color and the material, but let each girl find the silhouette they are most comfortable in. Some may prefer halter tops, some strapless and others sweetheart necklines with capped sleeves. The idea is there is a sense of unity without producing a row of clones.

You can alter the skirt lengths among your girls. It used to be the rule that all dresses were long. Not today, today you can have short, tea length, long, or mix them all up. If some of the girls have great legs and want to show them, let them. If some prefer to cover up their legs, fine. Maybe go with short skirts for the girls and long for the maid of honor. Get the idea?

Same for hair, not every girl wants her hair up, or looks good with her hair up. The idea is to clean up their looks, but not make them into clones on the wedding day. Don't worry, they will not outshine the beautiful bride on her day, no matter how they are dressed.

Fascinating Fascinators

Absolutely Gorgeous

Ever wonder what those gorgeous little bits of tulle, feathers and bling delicately angled on the bride’s head is called. Well it is called a fascinator. A tiny piece of millinery attached to the hair, by a comb, clip or headband. Once all the rage, they had fallen out of popularity until recently when they began experiencing quite the come back.

Jennifer Behr

We are seeing them quite often now, worn in the place of a long cumbersome veil. If you’re looking for something a little different with a slight vintage feel, this may be just the thing. There are scores of places online where you can purchase them. Check it out.

Being Beautiful on Your Wedding Day

The Knot

We talked about hair yesterday; let’s talk a little about makeup today. Yesterday, we said don’t make any drastic changes to your hair before the wedding. The same holds true for your makeup.

Don’t change how you do your makeup for your wedding. If you never wear a lot of makeup, don’t wear a lot on your wedding day. I know some people think you need more for pictures, but this isn’t true with today’s cameras. So there is no need to pile the makeup on for the wedding day. You want to look back at your pictures in twenty years and see a classic elegant bride. Stay away from trends and bright colors. Save the blue eye shadow for the club, not the wedding.

The one thing you do need to look out for is shine. A shinny face drives photographers crazy. Be sure to blot your face and skip the shinny foundation or eye makeup.

I always suggest my brides have someone do their makeup that knows how to do it for photographing. This is not the same as getting it made up for just any day (hence the shinny info). A good makeup artist will know how to apply the makeup for a fresh dewy look that stands up to the heat and excitement of the day.

If you are having someone else do your makeup it goes without saying to have a test run done. Many brides chose their portrait day as a good day for this. This way you get to see the makeup with the dress and veil on. Also, you will know if the photographer is having any problems photographing it.

Remember, right before the wedding is not the time to go have a facial, or to change to a new brand of makeup. Make any changes at least a month before the wedding, so if there is any breakout or redness it has time to clear up before the big day.

How to Have a Great Hair Day On Your Wedding Day

The Knot

Let’s talk a minute about wedding hair. Next to picking the right dress, the bride worries most about the right way to wear her hair on the wedding day. After seeing more than my fair share of brides, here are my suggestions.

Don’t go to great lengths to grow your hair out for the wedding. Wear it in a style you are used to wearing, or at least a cleaned up version of that style. Changing your hair drastically for a wedding is just begging to be unhappy with your hair on the wedding day. Your fiancée loves the way your hair is everyday, don’t make him wonder who this girl coming down the aisle is. Don’t make huge changes.

Try your style out before the wedding day. I tell my brides to have their hair done for their portraits exactly as they plan to wear their hair on the wedding day. If it doesn’t work you still have time to change it before the wedding. Having it done for the portrait, also ensures seeing how the hair works with the veil and the dress. I have had girls that so hated their hair, we did their portrait pictures over. Portraits can be done over, weddings can not.

If your wedding is outside, seriously consider the updo. There is a reason that updo’s have remained steadfastly popular over the years. Neither wind nor heat, affects most updo’s. The same can not be said for leaving your hair long and loose. Nothing removes curls faster than wind or heat. Not to mention the frizz that dampness brings out in some girls hair. I have seen many a stringy haired bride by the end of an evening of heavy dancing. With a well done updo, your hair looks as beautiful at the end of the evening for those send off pictures as it did when you walked down the aisle. If you just can’t live with the idea of an up do, maybe an elegant pony tail would work for you.

The Knot

And not all hair is about the bride. Make sure your groom gets his haircut at least a week before the wedding. If the cut is not perfect, it has a few days to grow out. If he is going from a longer style to shorter, he has a chance for his tan to match up. Nothing is quite as strange looking as a tanned groom with a very white scalp showing through.

How to Have All Your Wedding Questions Answered

Thinking you can’t afford a planner and will just ask a friend to help out? Have a friend that wants to one day be a planner and offers to help? Maybe you feel sure you and your Mom can handle everything needed that day. Well if any of these are you, you might want to think about our Ask The Expert Package. If you purchase this package we will meet with you and your friend or mother, whoever will be handling the planner’s duties on that day. We will cover all the things they are going to need to know to make your wedding day flow with ease. We will talk about timelines, seating, the best way to handle rehearsals, processionals and recessionals. We will cover what happens during the reception and what happens when everything is over. I can not stress how important this knowledge is in making your wedding day a success.

For more information, check out our website. Call us to set up an appointment.

Come Be My Friend

Guess what? I’m on Facebook and Twitter. I’d love for you to come by and make me your friend.

What You Need To Know About Thank You Notes

Let’s talk about writing thank you cards. You’ll have thank you’s to send out for shower gifts, wedding gifts and at this time of year Christmas gifts. So what are the rules for thank you notes and when should they be written.

The rule you will hear quoted most often is for gifts given before the wedding you have two weeks to get the thank you out and no, you can not wait till after the wedding to open the gift or write the thank you. People want to know that their gift was received. For gifts received after the wedding you have up till two months to send the thank you. My suggestion, don’t put them off. Write them as soon as you open the gift and before you use it or put it away. It doesn’t get used until the thank you note is written.

Now what are the other rules for thank you notes?
1) They must be handwritten. No you can not type an email, no you can not just use a fill in the blanks form. These people took time and money to choose you a gift, the least you can do is write a note.
2) You should always include a reference to the gift in your note and an expression of your appreciation for the gift.
3) You can choose from dozens of different kinds of thank you notes. They can match your wedding stationary, they can be completely different. It doesn’t really matter. The only rule is you can't use your married initials or monogram until after the wedding.

We actually used our engagement picture on the front of the notes, that we ordered through Shutterfly. It was quite the crowd pleaser. People that had never met my husband enjoyed seeing a picture of us.

Thank you notes are not the most fun part of getting married, but they are an important part. It's not such an awful job if you don't put it off.

Flower Trends for 2009

The Nocturne Trend

Yesterday, I told you about the UBA meeting I recently attended. The speaker at that meeting was Kristi Podsiadlo from Dahlia a Florist here in Greenville. She did a great presentation on color and theme trends for 2009. These trends come from The California Cut Flower Commission.

According to Kristi, the key influences of the trends will be handcrafted, wood, oversized and metallic. These influences will be found in the five top trends for the upcoming year.

They are Chinoiserie – a French term for the interpreting of the Chinese style from the 17th century. This is seen in single bloom arrangements. A simplicity of style where the beauty is in the simplicity and precision.

Nomad – bright colors with tribal handicraft influences. Designs have a woven feel with all the colors of a bazaar.

Whisper – This is the influence of hushed tones. Neutrals and texture are important. Flowers have a very unarranged feeling.

Nocturne – this is your over the top look, opulent and luxurious with a dark edge to it. Deep rich colors with dark feathers are often used. Lots of shimmer and glittery elements. It is an updated baroque style.

Habitat – this is your woodsy feel, lots of mosses, nests, vines and wood. Things found in nature. Items under glass are important in this design. It has a slightly scientific feel to it.

Which one of these trends speaks to you? Use that as a starting point in deciding on your style for your wedding.

Upstate Bridal Association and How It Affects You as a Bride

Last night we attended the December meeting of the Upstate Bridal Association. We have been a member of this organization for a good many years now. I really enjoy these meetings. Each time I learn something new from the presentations provided. The UBA is made up of some of the best wedding vendors in the upstate. Members have to be recommended to join, and then they have to be reviewed by the executive committee before they are allowed to join. Members are required to abide by a code of ethics and professionalism.

Now how does this affect you as the bride to be? Well when you start your quest for good, honest, reputable vendors this gives you an excellent place to begin your search. Is the vendor you’re interested in a member? You can find out online. If they are members, you know you are looking at someone that is in this business to stay, someone with a good reputation, years of experience behind them and a connection to other vendors in the business. All of these qualities are what you want when hiring vendors for your special day. Check it out.