Why Butlering Is Important at Your Reception

For any wedding that Willrich Bridal produces, we always have drinks and hors d’oeuvres bultered throughout the cocktail hour. Butlering refers to waiters walking through your crowd with drink or hors d'oeuvres presented on a silver tray.

There are several reasons to do this. First is to cut down on the crowd that immediately lines up at the bar upon entering the reception site. Nothing is worse for a guest than having to wait in long lines for a drink. Having a signature drink elegantly presented by a waiter upon entering the reception is such a great touch. Butlering will also help cut down on your final alcohol bill, since many guests will take a signature drink rather than your more costly alcohol served at the bar. It is an elegant presentation that costs little or nothing at all. Most sites include butlering in their price, a few do charge but it is a fee that is well worth it.

Having your more costly hors d’oeuvres butlered will also save you money in the long run. Instead of being set out where guests can walk up and take several, they are elegantly presented on a tray with guests taking only one at a time. Most guests will not grab several off of a butlered tray. Since they are not being used in a display, you can get away with offering less of the expensive hors d’oeuvres without your guests being the wiser.

Love Note Favors

source

source

We've talked before about wedding favors and I know I'm always in favor of food or candy. But if candy just doesn't do it for you then how about something useful. I mean really useful to your guests. I recently saw the idea of personalized sticky notes (you can say something cute like "We're Sticking Together") along with a pencil with your names on it, all tied together in a pretty package. How cute is that and how great that it is something your guests will actually use? Pictured above are notes in a cute love dispenser, another really cool and useful gift. I love the idea of a favor being something that will actually be used.

White at the Oscars

Source

Did you watch the Oscars last night? Well, white and red were certainly the colors of the night. I thought the fashions overall were actually pretty great; glamorous, stylish and restrained. Now the question is, are brides copying red carpet fashions or are the red carpet divas pulling from bridal fashion. Either way, I imagine these runway fashions will be gracing the bridal aisles before you can say Winner!

Source

Notice that the whites are not dead whites, there is the palest pink, palest mint and silvery white, colors that make the skin glow rather than turn dull. This is a trend already starting in the wedding industry. Let's hope it continues.

Source

More Cool Ideas For Cake Stands

My blog about cake stands got a lot of attention. So I’m back to show you a few more.

Holly at Holly’s Cake’s was kind enough to send me some more examples of creative cake stands. Holly, along with floral designer Renee Burroughs, has used everything from grapevine orbs to old fashioned bird baths for cake stands. So as you can see, there is no excuse for just sitting your cake on a table and stopping there. You can let your imagination run wild when it comes to cake stands.

Grapevine orbs support this cake

An old fashion bird bath is used as this cake's stand

Notice the fish swimming in the stand

Lite blocks of ice make a beautiful stand

An Inexpensive but Beautiful Centerpiece For Your Reception

I’m always on the lookout for economical and DIY friendly ways to have pretty centerpieces for your wedding. The February issue of Better Homes and Gardens offers just that in the picture above.

All you would need is a hurricane vase or bowl; roses purchased either online or at your nearest Costco and ribbon in your wedding color. Cut rose stems to six inches and tightly pack them in the vase. Use glue dots to attach ribbon to the vase and you have a centerpiece. Surround the base of the centerpiece, with rose petals and votives to dress it up even more. It is easy, inexpensive and beautiful.

Water Bottles For Your Guests

The Knot

Making your guests comfortable at your wedding, should be your number one priority, or if not number one certainly in the top 3. One of the easiest and least expensive way to do this is to offer your guests water.

If you are having an outdoor wedding, this is a must. Containers of iced down bottles of water should be set up at the entrance to your ceremony. Make sure that your groomsmen know to offer the water to your guests as they are seated. The last thing you want is overheated, dehydrated guests waiting on your grand entrance.

As guests are leaving your reception, this is another perfect time to offer your guests water bottles. After all that dancing, eating and talking your guests are going to be thirsty on the ride home. Having bottled water offered as they are leaving will have them feeling pampered and loved, exactly the feeling you want your guests to take away with them.

Happy Valentines Day To Everyone

I love Valentines Day, hey it’s my birthday too, so to me it’s extra special. So many people will get engaged tonight. Balloons, candy, roses and diamond rings just seem to go together. But let me tell you what doesn’t go with Valentines Day….your wedding day. While it may seem like the perfect romantic day to get married, it’s not.

Why you ask? Well first there is finding a venue that is available. Most venues are booked a year in advance for valentine parties, every singles group in America is having a party tonight. Along with that goes all the DJ’s and bands, they are all booked for all those singles parties. On top of that is the fact that vendors, being the human beings that they are, have spouses and families that would like to see them on holidays, especially Valentines Day, so if a vendor is available you can bet the farm you are paying a premium for his services.

And now the biggie, flowers for your valentine wedding are going to be outrageous. This is the most expensive time of the year for flowers. The cost of roses skyrocket, along with most every other flower available and florists are worked to death. I don’t think you want a tired, cranky florist with overpriced or unavailable flowers doing your arrangements.

Same is true for bakers and caterers. All those valentine goodies, at all those valentine parties, have to come from somewhere. Don’t pick this time to compete.

Let me clue you, guests are not going to be happy having to give up their valentine plans to work around your wedding. Plan to have a lot of no’s on your RSVP’s (of course this could be a good thing, since your budget is going to be so tight from everything else).

So moral of the story, get that diamond on Valentines Day, but choose another date for your wedding day.

Wedding Trailer

Remember the beautiful wedding of Jack and Jessica a few weeks ago? Well Cinematic Impressions has posted the trailer for their wedding video. You can see it on Cinematic's blog by clicking here. Alyssa and Chris, the owners of Cinematic, are so talented and just the best to work along side. Take a minute and enjoy their great work.

Help with a Survey

I'm part of a nation wide survey for brides and grooms. So if you could take a minute and help out that would be great.

We want your input. If you wouldn't mind, please click on the link below and answer 9 quick, easy questions about different design aspects of wedding vendor's websites. I promise, this will only take a few minutes of your time! http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=1152739

We won't record anything about you other than what state or country you are from - we don't even ask for your email address so no spam or anything like that.You will likely see this link on lots of other blogs and sites - this survey is being shared all over the blog-o-sphere so please take the survey only once.

If you have additional comments on the subject, please feel free to email me with those and I will share them with the other wedding vendors who are participating! We can't wait to hear what you have to say!

(If you are a wedding vendor and would like to participate, just copy this post to your blog and email emilie {@} emilieduncan {.} com - She will send you the results once we have closed the survey in March)Thank you in advance!

More Feathers For Your Wedding

Renee Burroughs - Florist/Designer

Holly Cakes

Ginny Burt - Photographer

Yesterday, we talked about how feathers are all over the magazines for weddings this season. I know looking at these you probably thought, well that all looks great, but how can I translate that to my wedding. So I contacted some Greenville area vendors and asked how they were using this trend in their work. As you can see, there is no shortage of ideas.

Dave McMillan - Florist/Designer
PPR- Rentals

Richard Sanford - Photographer

So if you love feathers, no matter what your budget, this is a theme that can work for you.

Birds of a Feather

Colin Cowie Wedding Chic

Several weeks ago, we discussed the new trend of using feathers for weddings and receptions in What's Hot In Tabletop Decor. Well this is a trend that is picking up in popularity. You can hardly open a wedding magazine without seeing feathers everywhere. I think it will get a lot more popular before it fades away.

We’re seeing feathers in everything from the over the top, “you must be related to royalty to afford this” weddings, to the simplest of garden weddings. I think it can be very, very pretty when handled correctly or it can slide over into a little yucky/tacky if you’re not careful.

Here’s how the experts are doing it.

Ok, this dress is not actually feathers, but it has the look.

This one is actually feathers. I'm not sure who would wear this other than Mrs. Big Bird, but to each his own.

Jenny Packham, Bride & Bloom

Feather wraps are everywhere and in every color. Nothing says Hollywood glamour like feather boleros.

Alyce Design, Brides

Charleston Weddings

Grace Ormonde Wedding Style

Personally I love this boutonnière, but then I'm a bling and feathers kind of girl.

Colin Cowie Wedding Chic

Ok, it's over the top and says "my daddy is a sultan", but I like it.

Flora's Divine Cakes, Brides

This peacock cake is beautiful and the perfect way to put feathers on a cake.

Next we will look at some ways area artists are using feathers for weddings in this area.

Wedding Cake Stands

Just some of the cake setups done for Willrich Brides

Ok let’s talk about cakes. Well not really cakes, but rather what your beautiful wedding confection is going to sit upon. It amazes me the hours brides and grooms will put into choosing the perfect cake for their wedding and then just plop it down on anything. So many times when I ask in a meeting “what kind of stand is the cake to sit on” I am met with blank stares. Or I’m told “the baker is putting it on a board”. Deciding what your cake will sit on is almost as important as what the cake looks like. The right set up can take a cake from looking small and forlorn to looking majestic and beautiful.

Your first decision is the size of the cake table. Most cake artists suggest a 48 inch table. Much bigger than that and the cake tends to look lost. If your only choice is a 60 inch table, then you want to be sure you are using a large cake stand and adding flowers (bridesmaids bouquets and votives are a good choice) to take up space on the table. Check out the pictures above, these are just a few of the cakes Willrich brides have had in the past years. The cakes are beautiful but what I want you to notice is the stands the cakes are sitting on.

Cake stands came in every size and shape imaginable. You can buy them or rent them. Rental companies have them and most bakers have them too. They come round or square, gold or silver, glass, mirror, wood, Lucite or even made of ice. You can get them that light up or even have fish swimming in them, something to go with every cake design. If budget is your main issue, we have used plastic crates covered with fluffed linens to raise a small cake. The effect was lovely.

Notice the different stands used in a display by Holly's Cakes. Each cake stand enhances the cake.

So don’t just settle for the foil covered cardboard board the cake comes on. Get your cake noticed, sit it on something wonderful.

Check out this before and after picture. The picture on the left shows the cake table after the cake ha been raised up using a plastic crate under fluffed linens. Picture on the right is the before. Notice how cake looks small and lost on the table.

M&M's a Wedding Favor Favorite

Platinum Shimmer Collection M&M's

Personally I’m a fan of wedding favors, that being said the wedding favors that I prefer are the candy ones. Let’s face it, very few people need any more tiny picture frames, pear shaped salt and pepper shakers, candles with your name and wedding date or any of the other standard wedding favors. At this point in my wedding planning career, I have picked up truckloads of left behind favors, but candy/cookie favors are different. Guests always are more than happy to take these favors home with them. Favorite among the candy favors are M&M’s.

Whether it’s on a candy bar or placed in individual favor boxes, M&M’s are always one of the most popular candies. Now days you can not only get them in your wedding colors, but you can have your names and even your faces placed on the candies. While on the expensive side, mixed in with the regular M&M’s in your wedding colors they are affordable and make a really cute favor. Their newest offer is called the Shimmer Collection. M&M’s in shimmering gold, platinum and pearl. How perfect is that.

Cole Haan's Bridal Collection

If you spend a lot of time on your feet, like I do on the day of a wedding, you probably already know about Cole Haan’s Nike Air shoes. This combination of style and comfort is hard to beat. I have a pair that I cannot live without. The exciting news is that they now have a new bridal collection. If you want to be able to wear heels yet dance away your wedding day in relative comfort this might be just the shoes for you. Now they are not cheap (nothing good ever is) but not having painful feet on your wedding day may just be worth it

Light Your Reception Tables From Underneath

Source

Want to add an inexpensive wow factor to your reception. Why not light your tables from underneath. All you need is table linen with a sheer texture and a good old fashion large flashlight lantern. Just make sure you have fresh batteries. No cords, outlets or expensive lighting guys needed.

We're on Facebook

Ok, it's official, I have joined the world of Facebook. Willrich Bridal now has a fan page, or at least the start of one. I'm still trying to figure it all out. So search for Willrich Bridal and Special Events on Facebook and become our fan. If you're a current or past bride you can write a review. I'd love to get reviews from vendors too. Check it out!

Wine Bottles as Your Guest Book

source

Looking for an alternative to the tradition guest book at your wedding reception? Why not have the guests sign a bottle of wine or champagne. Then on your first anniversary open this bottle to celebrate. I think it would be so much fun to share a glass of wine and look back over all the well wishes and love your guests had for you at the wedding. What a cute romantic idea.

Help For Your Damask Themed Wedding

Looking to personalize your damask themed wedding? Well here’s a great find, damask packing tape. Imagine all the possibilities. You could use the tape to cover your inexpensive clear votives and make them the perfect match for your tabletop décor. Why not cover your bubble containers, a damask strip for the candy jar or decorate your favor boxes. There is any number of uses. What a great idea.