{Photobooths and Props}

Photobooths seems to be popping up at receptions more and more frequently... at least that's what I'm seeing from the albums my friends are uploading to Facebook. 

At any rate, those suckers can cost a pretty penny, and as such, brides have sought less expensive (and more creative) alternatives.  Brides have also started incorporating props at the reception to punch up the experience. 

Mustache rides? 

Image courtesy of Flickr

Image courtesy of ManoloBrides

Image courtsey of Wedding Chicks

Image courtesy of Land Locked Bride, using Smitten Sticks

Word Bubbles, Image courtsey of Hello Lucky

Image courtesy of The Design Grove

IKEA Engagement Sessions

We all know (from this post) I have a small obsession with IKEA.  So imagine my utter jubiliation when I stumbled across these engagement sessions @ IKEA!

UGH! A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!!!

Check out some of the teasers...

Sarah Maren Photography

Cinematic by David M

And even though I couldn't swipe another great picture, here the link from an IKEA shoot from Thomas Ward Photography

A Peep Toe of Color

Over the last few years, brides have gotten away from the traditional pointy-toe, white slingback.  What have they replaced it with you may ask? A pop of color and loads of personality!

Brides are taking advantage of underutilized creative real estate and adding pops of colors to the pumps and peep toes of their choosing.

Take a look!

Row 1: Corry Parris Photography, Sedona Bride; Row 2: AMB Photo Company, Kelly O'Shiro Events

Want a Jaw-Dropping Ceremony Idea?

Recently I've been swooning over the idea of wedding ceremonies held under large, aged trees.  There is something about them that screams enchanting and whimsical.

Row 1: Bustle, Polka Dot Bride, JanyandDave, Project: 10K Wedding; Row 2: Native Escapes, Bridal Inquirer, Sakura Photography

I think the other reason I'm totally in love with the idea of "meeting me down at the old oak tree" is because of its symbolism.  These trees have stood the test of time.  Weathered the storms.  And despite it all, it's still standing, reaching toward the heavens, and it's roots, firmly planted in the ground.

Who wouldn't want the foundation of a marriage based on those things?

For Maria

I love yellow. It's so fresh. Revitalizing.

Dress- Sorelle Bridal Store, Earrings/Bracelet- Anthropologie, Shoes- Kaboodle, Suit- J.Crew, Reception shot- Chelsea Elizabeth Photography, Lemon Meringue Cupcakes- Rachel Rae Magazine

Purple Inspiration Board

Selecting the color of your wedding is probably one of the more important decisions you make when planning your wedding.  Ultimately, it determines the entire feel of your day.  Modern- black and white, clean lines; Natural- pastels, wheat, natural wood... I could go on for days.  And until you fully commit to, let's say, a bridesmaid's dress, the possibilities are endless. 

Here's one I threw together for a friend of mine.  The wedding will be next June, and she's going for an elegant look.  Because it's still early summer, I'm hoping to keep things light and airy by staying in hues of purple, lavender, and amethyst, and also, by putting the groom in a grey suit, rather than a black tux.  This eliminates, or at the very least minimizes, the complete formality of the wedding.  Having a groom stand up in a monkey suit in the middle of summer, outside, is no way to make him, or the rest of your bridal party comfortable.  And I'm not saying a wedding shouldn't be a serious or formal occasion, but think there's more to a wedding than bowties and cumberbunds. 

Bridal gown: Maggie Sottero, BM dress: Dessy, Tux: Men's Warhouse, Cake: The Knot

The Budget

Monica: (To Chandler) How great are you, you little saver?! I mean, the-the amount you have is exactly the budget of my dream wedding!
Rachel: (starting to cry) Ohh, you guys are so made for each other.
Chandler: Well, you’re not suggesting that we spend all of the money on the wedding?
Rachel and Monica: Ah, yeah!
Script courtesy of FriendsCafe

Determining how much to spend on, lets face it, a party, can be pretty daunting, and often the souce of much frustration during the planning.  Is $100 a head too much? Yes.  Do I really need programs? No.  Will my guests care if I don't provide them a favor? No. 

Sticking to preset guidelines (and percetages) is a great way to make sure you stay on budget.  That being said, I've always maintained that a couple should have one big splurge.  Something that regardless of price, within reason of course, they want to have.  Whether it be a premier photographer, a dress, a photobooth, food, it's one thing that they weren't willing to compromise on. 

Now, if splurging happens to be your middle name, I suggest you think about changing it.  Brides often talk about having champagne tastes for a beer budget.  Or that their eyes are larger than their stomach.  It's important to keep this in check while you're planning.

Here's a general breakdown:
Reception: 48%-50% (this includes rental fees, food, and booze)
Ceremony: 2%-3% (this includes rental fees, officient, and donation)
Attire: 8%-10% (your dress, hair and make-up, and his tux)
Flowers: 8%-10%
Entertainment/Music: 8%-10%
Photography/Videography: 10%-12%
Stationery: 2%-3% (this includes postage too!)
Wedding Rings: 2%-3%
Parking/Transportation: 2%-3%
Gifts: 2%-3%
Miscellaneous: 8% (this includes favors, tips, etc)

Image courtesy of Bridesmaid.com

A New Love

Ohmaigosh!!!

I have a new love.  Looking for some pictures I stumbled across Bridesmaid.com. Swoon.

Contracts and Vendors 101

The Cleaners.  Often a good place to take laundry that needs to be diligently rid of stains, wrinkles, or other unpleasantries gathered from a weeks worth of wear.

However, the cleaners can also refer to the unfortunate circumstance of being ripped off, dooped, conned into believing that the deal you're signing for is actually worse that you think.

It isn't until you walk into your favorite bar in the light of day, with the unflattering florescent lights on, that you see the contract for what it's really worth.  I am a firm believer, unfortunately, that vendors relish in the after-engagement glow of soon-to-be-brides, knowing that the bride will often forget to ask or overlook something inherently missing from the contract.

When signing contracts with vendors it is extremely important to read between the lines and scour every last detail.

• Flexibility
• You don't have to take and sign a vendor's contract for face value.  If there's something you'd like to change, add, subtract, talk about it with the vendor and get it in writing.  This might include making sure the venue for your outdoor ceremony has an alternative indoor space (like a ballroom) available in case of (gasp!) rain.
• Refunds
• Where in your contract does it talk about a refund.  Should something ever go wrong, do you have a way out? Or, does the vendor have the upper-hand indicating that all bets are off if you fail to pay on a specified day, nullifying your contract, leaving you high and dry.  If a DJ plays a song on your "DO NOT PLAY" list, are you able to deduct part of your final payment?
• Details
• Reading every line of your contract is crucial to fully understanding what you're getting yourself into.  I suggest always bringin a highlighter to contract signings, and go through and highlight any sentence that causes concern- and let the vendor clarify any questions once you've gone through the entire contract on your own.  It's also perfectly acceptable to take the contract and "sleep on it."
• Never Forget
• It's important to include the following on every single contract:
• Name of the vendor (and the person you will be in contact with throughout the process)
• Direct contact numbers
• Wedding Date
• Date and time vendor should arrive at location
• Payment total and payment schedule

**Remember**

NOTHING is guarenteed to you until you put down a deposit.

Until there is a deposit, you have no contract... no guarentees.

Could you sign please?

Guests books are a funny thing. 

Originally, a guest book was a way to document who attended a gathering, and act as a souvenir of the wedding day.

Nowadays, brides are looking to more functional ways to keep memories alive. 

At Wedding Bee there's a really great article for unique guest book ideas, ranging from typing everyone's name on an old typewriter to a makeshift photo booth with instant Polaroids placed in a book.

Lately though, I've been digging the idea of artwork as a way to remember the day.  When guests arrive, have them grab a piant brush, pick a paint (in colors already selected by you of course) and hit the canvas!  At the end of the day, not only are every single guest contributing to your day, but you've got a piece of original artwork to hang it your place!

You can give your guests free reign over the canvas and get ideas like this:

Images courtesy of Contemporary Painting and Fine Art America

Or, if you're not willing to relinquish complete artistic freedom to you guests, have them paint inside the lines!

Image courtesy of Bruce Gray

Choosing a Photographer

For me, photography was my must have. My splurge for the wedding. 

I've always loved photography.  I took a couple classes in high school and dabble in it on the weekends, but nothing special.  What I do know about photography is that it has a way of capturing emotion like none other.  Yes, a painting reflects the emotions of the painter... but photography, it captures the emotions of others.  And with a keen eye, a photographer has the ability to capture every emotion on your wedding day.

My approach to choosing a wedding photographer was a bit, you could say, unorthodox.  I got recommendations from several women on The Knot and checked out their websites.  I had found one that I was interested in and contacted them immediately.  They told me they weren't able to hold our date without a deposit.  I think on some level what sold me initially was they mentioned that if we weren't the right fit, they would refund the $200 and that would be it.  At that point it was worth the leap of faith and I sent the check out.  Two weeks and a half-hour meeting later I was completely sold on the husband-wife duo.  I had picked my photographer!

Choosing a photographer is like choosing your insurance agency.  Let's put it this way-- it's oober important.  You're trusting the individual(s) you choose for your day will do they best job they can that day.  That they will protect your memories.  You believe that they will guide you through one of the best days of your life, capturing the first glance, the first kiss, a sweet stolen moment, a tearful father-daughter dance.

If you look back at your parents wedding album, your aunts photo album, your cousin's aunt on the other side's album, they all look the same. An unfortunate side effect of getting married circa 1960 to 1999. But since the turn of the century, brides have desired something more... a photographer with a photojournalistic side. This side tends to capture the emotion of the day. It has the ability to tell the story without a single word.

Image courtesy of Canon Rumors

Are you a rude bride?

Some women have planned their wedding since the ripe old age of twelve.

Me? I wasn't one of them.  Yes, I always knew I'd be married, but when Mr.W popped the question it wasn't an automatic switch that flipped and I knew when, where, how, what color, my wedding would be.  I actually find it ironic on some level that I have fallen so absolutely in love with this one day. 

I did however manage to spend over two years planning my wedding. I relished in planning the details, learning the ettiquette, and executing my somewhat illusive vision.  But when it came down to it, I wanted my guests to be comfortable.  I wanted to be sure they were taken care of and felt welcomed and that I had thought of their wants and needs while celebrating my day.

Now I understand that being "your day" has its perks.  The things you want, the way you want things to look, the way the food tastes... they're all your (and your fiance's) tastes.  However, if you've taken the time to invited your closest 150+ friends and family to celebrate with you, wouldn't you want to make them as comfortable as possible?

Things I am thinking of:

• Did you consider which days you would be asking family and friends to travel to attend your wedding?
• Did you put a postage stamp on the RSVP envelope/postcard?
• Did you provide your vegetarian guests with a vegetarian option, or at the very least, take the time to remove the "I only eat meat, deal with it" sign stamped on your forehead?
• Did you provide enough hor dourves during the cocktail hour for your guests while you're off snapping memories with the photographer?
• Did you consider travel time between locations (or the Catholic Gap?)
• Is there alcohol?
• Are you requiring your guests to pay for said alcohol?
• Yes, asking guests to pay for alcohol is tacky.
• Did you indicate to your guests that the reception would be held outdoors and offer to provide pashminas for the women to stay warm?
• Are there coloring books/activities for the little ones?
• Taking the time to remember even your youngests guests really shows that you've made and effort to have them enjoy your day.
• Did you avoid making a scene about whether or not you wanted to do something (i.e. throw the bouquet, money dance, whatever)
• If something went wrong, did you make a big deal about it or did you let is roll off your back?
• Nobody wants to see a pissy bride... period.
• Did you smile, laugh, enjoy your day?
• There's nothing worse than attending a wedding where the bride (or groom) looks as if there's some place else s/he would rather be.

It's a hobby...er, um... okay fine...

Weddings are an obsesssion of mine. I love them. I love everything about them.  Yes, even the hair-pulling-gut-wrenching-penny-pinching-detail-nitpicking-ness that is a wedding.

What's so great about weddings is that each wedding is absolutely unique.  Even those that give it a go more than once don't have repeat weddings.  Different locations, guests, details, dress.  It's all different.  And even if you were to witness two weddings at the same location, you have the very distinct possibility of walking away from each of the receptions with very different feelings.

Good party. Bad party.  Bad food.  Great bar. Obnoxious DJ.  Fantastic photographer.  Everything's different.  I have even on at least one occasion discovered that even using the same photographer as someone else can lead to very different perceptions of how the day came to be.

I spent over two years planning my wedding.  I loved every minute of it.  I spent a majority of that time talking with other brides-to-be.  This no doubt kept my fiance, maid of honor, mother, and family sane. I think what I enjoyed most was taking advantage of how much time I really did have to plan the wedding.  I could do a little, put it away, stop, think about things, stew, gather other ideas, weigh ideas, make a decision, sit on it, finalize the decision, and book a vendor.  I had all the time in the world to think about my ideas and research exactly how I was going to execute said details.

Despite having so much time to plan, there were certain details I didn't have control over. Contrary to what most brides believe is the devine will to coerce Mother Nature into not raining on her wedding day, it drizzled on mine.  I felt exactly three drops during my outdoor fall ceremony. Whatever. I married my very best friend that day (man that sounds corny), and no amount of falling water was going to change that. By the day of my wedding I had changed wedding coordinators six times. SIX! Not once was I ever notified directly by the venue.  Oh well.  You make adjustments and you move on.

The thing about a wedding is that at the end of the day, it's about two people.  Two people committing to spend the rest of their days together.  It doesn't matter that you showed up an extra half hour late to the reception after pictures, or that there wasn't orange ruffy at the end of the buffet. It really doesn't (so long has you the bride didn't make a huge stink about it).

::steps off soapbox::

This blog is meant to chronicle my unhealthy obsession with other peoples' weddings.