The Bones of Your Wedding

To make a wedding work, really work, which means flowing smoothly from moment to moment you have to make sure the under structure or the bones of the wedding are in place. I tell my brides this is like building a car, you can have a wonderful paint job, the best leather interior, and the most expensive tires, but if you don’t have a motor it’s not going anywhere and no one is impressed. (I like to think the mechanic who installs that engine would be the wedding planner.) No matter how beautiful the dress is or how fabulous the food tastes, your guests will not remember it as a great wedding if its running two hours behind because you didn’t have a timeline in place.

So what are the “bones” of the wedding? It’s the non pretty stuff, non fun stuff. It’s the budget you set up in the very beginning and you follow closely throughout the process. Nothing is worse than an out of control budget on everyone involved stress levels. It’s deciding on a headcount and sticking to it, no matter how hard it is. It’s having a timeline in place. Timelines are a big priority, pretty much the whole skeletal system of your wedding. Without a working timeline in place, its a pretty good chance your wedding is going to collapse onto it’s pretty self. This timeline needs to work for all the vendors involved in your wedding, for your wedding party, your guests and you and the groom. Your planner will handle this if you have hired one. If not, you need to do some research and then set up your own. Its terribly important that you take the time to make sure your wedding has good bones supporting it and holding it together.

If you want to know more about these “bones” and every other part of a wedding come to the How To I Do bridal event this Saturday February 20th from 10 to 12 at the Mauldin Branch Library and hear the experts speak. To learn more go to http://www.greenvillelibrary.org/

How Many People Will Come To My Wedding?

Source:  Sara Theisen Design

Did you know the rule of thumb is 10 to 15 percent of invited wedding guess will decline the invitation? Even more, if it is a holiday.

Google Gives You a Great Wedding Gift

What if you don’t have a wedding planner and could use help with keeping track of everything you need to do. Well of course, I would tell you your best plan is to hire a planner, but if that’s just not possible Google Documents may have the help you need.

Yesterday, they released 20 wedding documents designed to help you keep track of all you might need to plan a wedding. There are templates for everything from planning your budget to seating charts. The templates also contain tips from wedding gurus including Style Me Pretty and Michelle Rago. Best news of all, these templates are totally free and since they are on Google you can fill them out and then share them with anyone that needs to see them.

A Visit To The Huguenot Loft in Greenville SC

The Huguenot Loft

A few days ago, I was invited to tour the Huguenot Loft, adjacent to the Peace Center. For the past several years the loft was used as office space, but it has recently been redesigned as one of Greenville’s newest event spaces.

The building features beautiful antique hardwood floors, exposed brick walls and pine beams. Large windows overlook the water of the Reedy River down below. It consists of two large rooms along with rest rooms upstairs and a lobby area that is included in the rental downstairs. It would be perfect for an indoor ceremony and reception.

I was told that the loft will hold a maximum of 500 guests or a maximum of about 400 for a ceremony, and around 300-350 if the bride wants a seat for all guests. Pricing is as follows:

• Saturday- $2,850
• Friday or Sunday- $2,000
• Monday through Thursday- $1,500

This rental fee includes a 10 hour window for the event, 4 hours of event security, a $250 refundable security deposit, up to eight tables with chairs, and the use of the auxiliary space downstairs as well. More chairs, tables, linens, etc. can be rented for an additional fee.

I really liked the space and I’m looking forward to helping a couple plan their wonderful event there.  Give me a call and let's get started.

How Much Wedding Cake Should I Order ?

Did you know there is no need to order cake for your entire headcount? Remember some of your guests do not eat cake, especially after a big meal or if other desserts or sweets are available. Reduce your headcount by 10 to 20% and you should have enough cake without lots left over. This is a great way to reduce the cost of that expensive cake.


200 headcount – 40 people that don’t eat cake (20%) = a cake order for 160 people.

How Many Centerpieces Do I Need For My Reception

Want to know how to decide the number of floral centerpieces you need for your wedding reception?

First how many guests are you expecting to attend? Divide the number of guests by the number of places you plan to set at your tables. Normal is 8 to 10 places at a table.

160 Guests ÷ 8 seats per table = 20 tables.

This means you are going to need 20  floral arrangements for your reception.

How Many Wait Staff Do You Need For Your Wedding Reception

Do you know that the wait staff for your reception should consist of 1 wait person for every 10 guests for your higher end service? We have done receptions where the wait count was as low as 1 per 2 tables or 16/20 guests, but I wouldn’t go any lower than that. You want to be sure that guests are not left waiting too long to receive their meals, or to have their glass refilled. I don’t care how beautiful the room is; if the meal is cold when served to the guest that’s what they will remember.

2010 Wedding Color of The Year - Turquoise

Source:  Cloth Connection

Wondering what “the color” for 2010 is going to be? Well according to the color experts, the company Pantone, 2010 will be the year of turquoise. This beautiful color works well for receptions since it mixes spectacularly with whites or pinks and really pops when used with silver accents. I have even seen it used with red for an off beat but beautiful color palette. There are vast arrays of turquoise linens, ribbons and fabric available. It is a flattering color on most people. So, if you haven’t picked your colors for your wedding yet, this might be just the wow you were going for.