Welcome to Your Wedding World, where fantastic weddings begin! Plan your entire wedding right here. From time saving tutorials to elegant decor you’ll find everything you need to create a day to remember.
This year we have been seeing feathers in a lot more places than craft stores, fly fishing shops, and feather boas. Feathers have been appearing in women’s hair all over the world. Who knew that such an item would be considered such a gift from our flying friends. So many different groups of people have been able to enjoy them in their own special way by still reflecting their own style. From the bohemian crowd to the red carpet in Hollywood, hair feathers have been exploding and are considered this years hot accessory.
We wanted to recommend a special way to enjoy this hot accessory. Why not add some beautiful hair feathers to your bridal up-do? Hair feathers add some flare and personality to your special occasion. Set yourself apart this season with a few feathers added to your gorgeous up do. They are classy, fun, and can even be curled & flat ironed to accommodate your hair style. Make sure you only purchase authentic hair feathers so ensure a classy look on your wedding day. Hair feathers come in a variety of sizes, colors, and thickness. Our friends over at featherhairextensions.com have a beautiful, exquisite variety of feather hair extensions for you to choose from. Feather Hair Extensions are a great addition to your bridal party, with the large variety of colors to choose from, you are bound to find one that matches their dresses. We were blown away at how easy featherhairextensions.com makes their shopping experience. If you aren’t planning on using a salon professional for the hair styling, featherhairextensions.com sells all the tools needed for installation along with complimentary step-by-step instructions so you can do it yourself!
So you have something borrowed, new, and old. But now you need something BLUE… don’t know what to do?
“Something Blue” represents love, good fortune, and fidelity. There are unlimited ways the color blue can be incorporated into the wedding day. Keep in mind there are many shades of blue and one may work better than another for the bride depending on how the blue item will be used. Some brides will not want blue to be a dominant wedding color and so they will prefer to limit the blue color to less visible areas. The something blue item is also an opportunity for the bride who loves blue to embrace the color blue as one of her wedding colors.
- Paint the broom blue, tie a blue ribbon on the broom, or decorate the broom with blue flowers for the Jumping the Broom custom
- Use blue confetti
- Wear a blue Garter
- Decorate with blue balloons at the reception
- Have the groom wear a blue suit
- Wear an ice-blue wedding gown or a blue sash on the wedding gown
- Use blue ribbon or flowers in the bride’s bouquet or on the groom’s boutonniere
- Make the huppah (a Jewish ceremonial canopy) with blue material or decorate it with blue flowers
- Paint the bride’s toenails or fingernails with blue nail polish
- Have the florist use blueberries in the table centerpieces
- Apply blue eye shadow
- Wear blue-tinted contact lens
- Sprinkle the bride’s skin lightly with sparkly blue body glitter
- Wear blue shoes
These are just a few ideas… like we say in every post… BE CREATIVE! There is no right or wrong idea! Like always, HAVE FUN!
We’ve talked to several parents of brides recently and there was a common frustration that kept arising: the budget. No matter how hard they tried to stay within their budget there were several “hidden costs” that they didn’t think of or consider. We took the feedback from several parents and wanted to share with you hidden costs that you can prepare for. This way you can create a more accurate budget. Hopefully this will help you and decrease the amount of unwanted surprises.
1) Gratuity
This is the killer if you weren’t prepared for it. You will have several service people assisting you in the wedding. The catering staff, food servers, delivery people, photographer assistants, wedding planner assistants, etc. will be expecting a gratuity. It is their livelihood. Most of these people work minimum wage and depend on the gratuity to pay their bills. They shouldn’t be offered this gratuity without providing you stellar service so make sure you feel that they did. Write down all the people who you are expecting to provide services to you. The day of the wedding will be hectic, so have your gratuities already pre-planned. Take white envelopes and place the gratuity inside. Seal the envelope and make sure you write down the persons name on the outside.
2) Postage
Lots of energy and time is spent on finding the right wedding announcement & invitation. Make sure you are accounting for the postage costs before having them made up. Odd sized, thick envelopes can be extra costly. Find out how much each invitation will cost to ship and include that into your budget. One of our bride’s invitations cost nearly $2 a piece. Between the bride and groom there were 600 invitations sent out. That was almost $1200 that was not budgeted. OUCH!
3) Overtime
Photographers, Videographers, Catering Staff, DJ, Musicians, etc. all should give you set hours in their price quote. If you are having too much fun and the event stretches out then most likely you will be running into overtime fees. Find out exactly what time your service providers expect to be finished. Ask them what their fee is for overtime in case you would like them to stay. Many times the DJ & Bartenders will be asked to stay an hour or two longer in the reception party is rock and rolling. If you do want to pay overtime fees, make sure you advise them in the contract that they are excused when the agreed time has been met. Let them know you will not be paying any overtime. Even one hour of overtime can be painful!
When planning for the photographer, consider everything you will want to be captured. Many brides like the photographer in the room while they are getting ready, putting on makeup, etc. This could be a few hours before the actual wedding and reception. Don’t lock yourself into anything unrealistic so you won’t be disappointed.
4) Rental Equipment Transportation
So you order tables, chairs, plants, etc. and you think the fee comes with transportation? WRONG! Make sure you get a clear breakdown of any costs that will be accrued by renting equipment for the wedding. Find out what the transportation costs are and when those are expected to be paid.
5) Cake Cutting Fee
Catering companies may add on a cake cutting fee per person at your wedding. This fee includes them cutting and serving your cake. If the catering company asks if you would like them to help with this, they aren’t just being nice. Its a big profit to them at $2-$5 per person. They may offer this service just as you are cutting the cake and not in the original quote. Make sure you agree to or decline this service at your consultation. This could be another costly surprise.
6) Wedding Dress Alterations
Sometimes brides will get extra excited about finding a phenomenal deal on a dress. They forget one thing… the alterations. Alterations can be very costly especially when the dress needs several changes to accommodate your body type. If you find the dress you love, find out what the alteration costs will be upfront. It could cost as much as the dress. Sometimes it is worth it to buy the more expensive dress that needs less alteration. You have to whey out the options. Just make sure you add in the cost of the alterations with the dress when budgeting.
These are a just a few of the top hidden costs that were shared with us. I am sure there are others. The most important thing to do when planning a wedding is “put on your thinking cap”. If you aren’t analytical, then ask your relative or friend who is to help you when meeting with all your service providers. Asking someone who has been through a wedding themselves is always great. Ask as many questions as you want, don’t feel like you are bothering anyone. This is YOUR money we are talking about. If you don’t know what to ask, then simply just ask, “Are there any extra fees that could pop up unexpected?” or “Does this price include everything I will need for your full service?”
We know weddings can be expensive and with hard economic times, we are all on a tighter budget than we used to be. Please keep visiting our blog for great money saving tips on weddings! Its our goal to help you create a beautiful, special event no matter what budget you are on!
I know exactly what you are thinking… no I am not crazy.
Yes, you heard me right, TRASH YOUR DRESS! What’s it good for after a wedding anyway? Stuffed in the back of your closet?
Alright, calm down… I am not literally saying “trash your dress” as in “throw it away”. I am referring to a fun style of photography!
After months and months of stressing to make sure everything about your dress was perfect, it’s time to blow off some steam and have fun F-U-N!
“Trash the Dress” photography takes an elegant gown and puts the bride in an environment that is totally out of place. Preferably a place that reflects the bride’s personality and personal style. Trashing the dress doesn’t always mean you have to harm the dress… you are just taking the dress to an element that it would normally never be in. Some brides do not care about damaging the dress and don’t mind it getting a little tattered, torn, wet, muddy, or even burned (see below).
This is a fun way to enjoy and have fun with your dress in another setting. It feels great to have fun in a piece of clothing that has caused so much strain and stress in your life. It’s actually exhilarating. Some brides will do this a few weeks or months after their wedding. We have also seen women who have been married for twenty years and decide to do something fun with the dress since it hasn’t been worn in decades. There is no etiquette here as to when this needs to be done, I mean come on, you are trashing a wedding dress. There is nothing proper about that! 
Talk to the photographer who is shooting your wedding about including a “trash the dress” session with your photography package. He or she may not do this sort of photography. You will want a photographer who is ultra creative to do this for you. Take some time and look up other trash the dress photo shoots to get some inspiration. Don’t be afraid to get creative and even a little silly. This shoot is to express who YOU are. Your fun side.
Choosing wedding colors can be a haunting task. No decisions can be made until the bride has chosen her main wedding colors. The cake, decorations, bridesmaids dresses, venue, flowers, food, etc. are all based on the colors of the wedding. Most people go for the traditional white and black with a typical accent color. Most commonly chosen accent colors are red and pink. Twice a year Pantone interviews all the top designers on a panel at New York’s fashion week to determine what the hot colors of the year and season will be. Above you will see the pallet of the top ten colors chosen by leaders in the fashion world. These colors were compiled to work with each other and depict the hottest trends in the market today. Having this pallet of ten colors should help narrow down your choices. Which is your favorite color combinations?
A hot new trend at wedding receptions, posh parties, and Hollywood red-carpet events is the simple “candy buffet”. It is a fun, whimsical way to leave your guests feeling like kids again. This is a great, cost-effective alternative to a dessert table or a fun wedding favor to take home with them. They are easy to set up and by choosing candy that matches your color scheme, it will look will fabulous! These are fun for bridal showers too!
Here is what you will need to create a beautiful candy buffet:
1. Lots of assorted candies – stick with colors that match your theme. Colored licorice, jelly beans, M&M’s, colored candy canes, pixie sticks, etc. Get a good mix of different things to make it extra fun!
2. Assorted clear glass containers. Don’t worry about them matching, eclectic looks great here. Be creative! Think of antique jars, fish bowls, wide vases, etc.
3. Stainless steal scoops, tongs, and large spoons. (For serving)
4. Long table & Table Cloths. Bring boxes, cake towers, etc. to add levels and dimension to the table scape.
5. Assorted decorations. Fun pictures, flowers, candles, & memorable trinkets are always awesome!
6. Clear goodie bags to fill up. The guests have to have something to take the candy in!
7. Colored Ribbon Strings for tying the bags up.
8. Labels for candy. When you are using colorful candy, it is sometimes hard to determine what the flavor is – takes the mystery away. Your guests may think a string of green licorice is lime when in fact, its actually sour apple. See what I mean?
This will be the hit of your next wedding reception or bridal shower. You will have such amazing feedback, you may want to even do this at your next birthday party!
Have fun & be creative! If you would like to have the candy bar set up by a professional, ask your catering service if they offer candy buffets on their menu.
Type in “candy buffet” in your favorite web search engine. You will find lots of ideas, websites, and blogs that will inspire you and offer direction as to where you can find unique candies & supplies!
Who doesn’t love cupcakes? I don’t know anyone who doesn’t appreciate the charm and special feeling of a personalized little tasty treat. A new trend this season has been to serve beautiful gourmet cupcakes instead of offering guests a slice of cake at wedding receptions. A cupcake is the perfect dessert portion and aesthetically more pleasing than a cut, crumbly slice of cake. Since a cupcake is a personal serving, it makes all your guests feel extra special, like you baked them their own little wedding cake. If you want to keep tradition of “the cake cutting” at the wedding reception, no problem. Have your baker create the cake topper of a traditional wedding cake to match all the beautiful cupcakes. You can cut the cake topper and serve cupcakes instead of cake slices. In the photos below you will see how to arrange the cake topper and cupcakes tiered using wrapped boxes. You will wow and excite all your guests, I promise! People get excited about cupcakes!
COUNTING THE COSTS…
The cost between a traditional wedding cake and gourmet cupcakes will vary on many factors such as the number of guests, how elaborate you want the cake to be, and the bakery of your choice. Gourmet cupcakes will cost you anywhere from $2-$4 a piece depending on where you go. Wedding cakes can cost you upwards of $800-$1000, again depending on where you go. You will have to out whey your options and budget to find out what will work best for your wedding party.
PS: With cupcakes, you will save money on plates, forks, and napkins since they are not needed!
MONEY SAVING IDEA
Have anyone asking, “Is there anything I can do to help with the wedding?” Say, “Sure! Want to bake some cupcakes?” If they say they aren’t the best in the kitchen, tell them not to worry. Our friend, Lori Lange, editor of recipegirl.com has the DIY easy steps on how to make the most scrumptious, decadent, and most importantly glamorous cupcakes suitable for serving at your wedding reception. The article can be found by clicking here. Put your family and friends to work and save some money! Your only cost is the ingredients and cupcake wrappers!
FINDING A BAKERY
If you don’t have the time to bake the cupcakes yourself there is always the option of allowing a local bakery to handle the cupcakes for you. Luckily, with the growing popularity of cupcakes, there are plenty of local bakeries that specialize just in cupcakes. Simply go to your favorite web search engine and type in “cupcakes” along with your local zip code to find a plethora of cupcake bakeries. Visit a few of the bakeries and pick up their menus. Talk to the manager about purchasing the cupcakes in bulk and see what kind of deal they can offer you. Don’t be afraid to ask for a sample of their cupcakes. You want your guests to only be served the best kinds. Each cupcake bakery has their “signature flavors”. Signature flavors mean they have mastered the cupcake and are top sellers. These are always a hit at the wedding based on their amazing customer feedback, taking the stress of deciding on flavors off of you. Find out if the bakery delivers; you will be incredibly busy on your wedding day so paying a few bucks for the delivery may be totally worth it. Just give the bakery the location of the wedding reception, a contact phone number (preferably whoever the wedding planner is), and a time you would like them delivered.
Good Luck & Happy Cupcaking!!
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