Why Assign Tables?
Just when you think you’re at the finish line of wedding planning you remember something—you were planning on assigning guests to tables. So you find the motivation, get your chilled glass of rose, and get ready to settle in for a night of fun. And you start. And you get about 5 minutes in before you realize this is the worst thing ever. You think, do I have to really do this? Well, I’m some circumstances no; you can get away with an open seating plan, but only sometimes. Trust me, sometimes you will need to buckle down and really assign your cousin Joe to sit with your friend from work to fill a table and that’s okay! But when is it appropriate for open seating and when is it not? Read on to find out!
To Open or Not to Open Gifts at the Bridal Shower
Photography by Justin B. Hankins
Why do we open gifts at bridal showers? It seems like there is a weird shift that happens at some point because I feel like 98% of us are raised with the thought process indoctrinated in us that we don’t open gifts at parties. We don’t talk about gifts, we don’t ask where our gift is, we ignore the gift as we see our friends and family walk in with them; it’s like we have an uncomfortable relationship with gifts as kids. We love them and they are exciting but then we have to treat them as if they are fast food…something we love in private but have to tell the world we don’t like. But then suddenly we grow up, get engaged, and then talk freely about gifts! What are you registering for? Let’s open gifts at the shower! What kind of card box are you having at the reception? Like so confusing! Do we have to open gifts at the bridal shower? Ultimately, the decision is yours, but read on and see both sides of the coin.
Ring Maintenance
I am willing to bet your engagement ring is probably one of the most valuable pieces of jewelry, if not the most valuable thing in general, you own. And it was gifted to you by your wonderful fiancée (isn’t that a fun word to say?!) and now you have to take care of it. Surprised to hear that? Yes that shiny ring on your finger deserves a little TLC from time to time. Read on to learn the tips and tricks to keep that rock sparkling forever.
Insure it
How many articles does this come up? From the second that ring is in your possession, make sure there is some sort of insurance policy on it! Add it to your homeowners or renters and know that you’re covered. Also, jewels and precious metals appreciate over time. Appraise it and adjust the value of it every 5 years or so to make sure that you are insuring it’s full value and not take an unnecessary hit if something does happen to it.
Summer Wedding Myths
Show of hands, who thinks time of year is the be-all-end-all in determining your wedding theme/colors/style? It is important and can help for sure. It may raise an eyebrow to decorate with flamingos and pineapples in January while a snowstorm is going on…but if that’s your style and how you’ve always envisioned your wedding, go for it! There’s a few myths that have come about with summer weddings too and we are here to say they are just that—myths.
1. Summer weddings need to be outside or you’re doing it wrong
The Skinny on All-Inclusive Resorts
Hey guys have you missed the blogs the last couple weeks? I’m sorry but I’m back and ready to share why we took a brief break. I was deep undercover doing some pretty intense research to write this blog. My subject? Getting the skinny on all-inclusive resorts. You’re welcome for taking one for the team 😉
So yes I was gone for 6 days and 7 nights in St. Lucia. We took 2 flights to get there and then once we got through customs we had a car contracted to take us the short distance to the resort. Our flights and accommodations were bundled into one price when we booked online so booking was super easy peasy. We stayed at a property that offered a couple different accommodations. One part was adult only bungalows, more upscale like if you’re celebrating your honeymoon and that was on a completely different part of the property. Then on my side was adult only hotel style rooms and then the family hotel rooms. Due to watching my pennies, I stayed in the family section and it wasn’t all that bad. The rooms were well insulated so I didn’t hear any crying or kids being loud and only had a couple early mornings with little feet running around in the room above me. The food and pools were all mixed anyway so for me, not a big deal.
Hash Tag #Help
Social media is not going away any time soon. Whether you embrace it with all your heart or avoid it like the plague, your guests as a whole will be using it on your wedding day. Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, all the things! What is an easy way to gather the media in a collective spot? Use a #hashtag!
What are some things to keep in mind when determining your unique hashtag? Here are some tips:
1) Avoid the generators
More likely than not, online generators will just spit out generic #MrandMrsSmith type deals. The point of the hash tag is to be memorable and unique so when you’re searching through Instagram you can isolate just your day.
Setting Boundaries During Wedding Planning
In all the months leading up to your wedding, you will have a roller coaster
Summer Jean Photography
of emotions. Some will be wedding highs! You found your perfect dress and it was 20% off, your favorite DJ was available the day of your wedding, everything fell into place at your venue…all good things! But unfortunately, you will inevitably have some lows too. Your favorite, most perfect stationary blows the budget by, well…a lot, none of your top preferred photographers are available, you’ve seen so many shades of blush and cream you want to change your whole color palette just so you never need to see those colors again. How can you make the madness stop? Well, the short answer is, you can’t. Until you say, “I do,” and run through your sparkler send-off none of this will go away. Doesn’t that sound fun?! No? Okay, well in the meantime, here are some ways you can cope:
Who Gets a Plus One?
Niki Marie Photography
You’ve settled in from a long day at work. Had a great dinner, did your work-out for the day (cuz that’s what you do now), and are ready to burrow in on the couch with a glass of wine and are ready to start your…GUEST LIST!! Woot Woot!! So exciting. So your mom is writing out your family members so you’re covered there. Let’s see, so there’s Abbey from grade school, Alex from high school, Alicia, Monica, Lauren, Alexa, and Jane from sorority, Tess and Lena from work…and the list goes on. You think you’re done, you do a victory scroll through Facebook just to make sure you didn’t miss anyone and your count for just friends is already at…wait a minute, that can’t be right. It’s already at 140 FOR JUST YOUR FRIENDS! You call your mom to see where her count is at and she says 80 and then you look over at your person with a scared look in your eye and see where his list is at…he says around 175 for friends and family. Quick math brings you to just under 400. You shudder at that thought and start brainstorming what you can do to fix this. Then it hits you! You included a plus one for all your friends! You ask your fiancée and he did the same thing. Okay so you can work with that. Because when it comes down to it, not everyone needs a plus one. How many weddings did you attend that you didn’t automatically get to bring a person with you? So how do you decide who gets one and who doesn’t and how do you get that idea across to people? Read on dear, just read on…
You Got Engaged Over the Holidays!!!….Now What?!
Happy New Year! We’re a couple days late getting this week’s blog out but we’re back!
Poll: Who got engaged over the holiday season? Fun fact: Thanksgiving actually starts the beginning of engagement season that extends through Valentine’s Day. Between the pretty snow, ample opportunities to see family and friends, and built-in time off work, makes sense that’s when the question gets popped.
So you said, “YES!” OMG your engaged! Look at that rock! Pop the champagne and squeal excitedly and do your happy dance! Feel good? Breathing getting back to normal now? Okay, so what now?
Did the realization kick in you’re going to be planning the biggest weekend you’ve ever had to plan so far? It’s okay! Just take it one-step at a time and you’ll be golden. Here are some tips for the time immediately after you’re engaged:
Save-the-Date Tips
Alrighty…let’s run through the reception check list
Found your person ✓
Picked your venue ✓
Picked your wedding date ✓
Solidified the bridal party ✓
Now what?!
Well, if you’re within 8-10 months of your wedding date now’s the time to be thinking if you need to send a Save-the-Date in the mail.
Is the step really necessary? Do guests really need a heads up or will a formal invitation suffice? Here’s some things to consider:
• Is the wedding a destination wedding? (Which for our sake here, let’s say a destination wedding is if the couple, immediate families, and majority of the guests have to travel to the location where the ceremony and reception are taking place and can’t reasonably make that trip in one day so they have to stay overnight)
• Is the wedding date on a holiday weekend?
• Are there a lot of friends/family in your age range getting married around the same time as you and there will be a lot of overlapping guests?
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