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Tag: Tips to Help You Enjoy Your Wedding Day

  • Ways to Ensure Your Wedding Guests Have an Awesome Time

    Ways to Ensure Your Wedding Guests Have an Awesome Time

    A stunning venue and gorgeous centerpieces are some of the first things that come to mind when thinking of a beautiful wedding. But the picture-perfect décor doesn’t ensure an epic party on its own. Try the following simple but effective tips on ways to ensure your wedding guests have an awesome time. These tips will have your guests raving about your wedding for many years to come.

    Don’t Let Your Friends and Family Speeches Take Forever

    Many fun events have been detailed by long boring speeches. To keep the party popping, ask your speech givers to keep their toasts short and sweet.

    Hire a Great Band or DJ

    After all, music can, in fact, make or break a party.  Look for a high energy performer that will follow your lead on what music your family and friends like. Be careful not to choose an over the top annoying personality to be your MC. A great mix of music for your family as well as your friends discussed ahead of time with your entertainer will have everyone up on their feet until it’s time to go home. Seamless song transitions and the ability to read the crowd is where  top a notch entertainment company comes into play.

    Ask for Song Requests

    Asking your guests to request a song via the invitation response will ensure everyone will have a great time and dance the night away. Give this list of songs to your DJ. That way, if the dance floor thins out, the DJ can play songs off of the request list. This pretty much ensures that the person who requested the song will get up and dance and encourage others to do so as well.

    Remember to Thank Your Guests

    It’s important to break the ice and talk to your guests to let them know how much you personally appreciate them coming to share in and enjoy this fun celebration. Make it simple and short. Encourage them to have a great time and that you expect to see them on the dance floor on this joyous celebration.

    Keep Guests in the Loop with Your Wedding Day Timeline

    Usually the best weddings are the ones that are organized and follow a timeline. When the events of the day unfold in a timely and organized manner, your day will have a smooth easy flow. The bridal party and guests are not just left standing around wondering what’s next. They will know where they should go or what they should be doing.

    Throw in an Element of Surprise

    Surprise your guests with something special or unexpected at your wedding. You could secretly organize a “Flash Mob” of select family and friends sitting all around the ballroom. They can suddenly assemble on the dance floor and bust out into an organized dance. Or the bride and groom could perform a secretly practiced & choreographed dance routine for their first dance. That will really start off your reception with a ‘wow’ factor. This will have everyone recording, sharing on social media, and talking about it all night.

    Opt for a Short Ceremony

    If possible, try to keep your ceremony simple and short in length. A long, drawn-out ceremony takes away your guest energy level from the onset. Sometimes it is hard to be recovered for the reception.

    Provide Transportation

    If you’re hosting a destination wedding or your wedding is in a remote location, provide transportation for your guests from their hotel to your wedding and back. This way people don’t have to worry about driving home intoxicated, which guarantees that they can party a little harder.

    Allow Your Guests Plenty of Free Time

    This is particularly important if you have a destination wedding or a bunch of guests in from out of town. Many of your guests probably haven’t seen each other in a while.  Give them a chance to catch up before the real party gets going. Back to back activities after a long trip will run them into the ground and have them lacking energy for your reception. Let them have some time and space to explore your venue and they’ll be refreshed and excited at all of your reception events.

  • Small Wedding Ideas for an Intimate Affair

    Small Wedding Ideas for an Intimate Affair

    Have a smaller percentage of your guest list, but keep the whole the celebration. Have you been overwhelmed by the thought of gathering 200 plus of your “closest” family & friends together for your wedding day? You can have a reception with just your closest family & friends. But still with all of the things that will make your wedding feel like your personalizes wedding. Incorporate specific preferred options like entertainment, invitations, dinner, white dress, cake, and any other detail important to both of you. Shrinking it down to a cozy, intimate size guarantees you’ll love where your money goes and have tons of memories with “every” single guest. With an intimate wedding there are planning changes to make, details to consider, and a larger budget to work with now with less invited guests. Here are a few small Wedding ideas for an intimate affair.

    Keep the Guest List Short

    A small wedding is only small if the guest list is as small as possible. Not sure how to cut it down? One handy suggested tip is to look through your text messages and calls, and only invite those you’ve spoken with in the last three months. We speak more often to those who matter most. Another suggestion is would you take this person out for an expensive intimate dinner? Or would you have this person and their guest into your home for an intimate dinner or as a weekend house guest? Thinking about how close your relationships are will help ensure you are truly comfortable with those you surround yourselves with on your intimate wedding day. Of course, other people will want to know you’ve tied the knot. Make a list of those who will want to know the big news, and send out a wedding announcement after the fact.

    Alternative Venues Choices

    Fewer people on the guest list means you open up your choices to a multitude of different venues when choosing a nontraditional venue. Restaurants are at the top of the list. They’re unique spaces that have everything you need in one place. Just make sure you love everything (the style, the menu, and the existing décor) as being able to change it is less likely. Also recommended are hotel suites, many of which have beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces as well as galleries, gardens, wine bars, and nightclubs. You can have it in an intimate affair in a place that is meaningful to the couple. Family homes can pose many challenges for events with a large guest list, but work well with a smaller group.

    Rethink Traditional Options

    If you’re still in love with the idea of a space that’s more of an expected wedding venue like a hotel ballroom, museum room, or a dining room at a country club rethink it.

    The challenge with a traditional venue is making sure it feels full with an intimate amount of guests and not like a lot of guests didn’t show. Design comes into place here in making a large space feel intimate as you have the opportunity to get really creative with seating and table layouts, as well as adding things like a lounge or creative bars and food stations. Consider an extra-large round table for 20 to fill more space, or mix up how the venue is usually used by having the ceremony where others might have dinner and vice versa. With a smaller group, you can think outside the box about where you host each part of the celebration. Also, when you’re looking at venues, keep the size of your celebration in mind. Privacy is of the utmost importance, especially with a small guest list. Before you book anything, make sure the venue won’t have another wedding at the same time as yours. You really want to feel like you have the place to yourselves.

    Traditional venues are full of unexpected spaces that are perfect for smaller celebrations. Consider areas that are often overlooked, like the library of a large historic estate for example.

    Know What You Need

    Every wedding, no matter the size, will need entertainment, food, a bar, staff, rentals, and some décor. Keep those options in mind as you’re making plans.

    Even tho it’s more intimate, it’s a great idea to hire a wedding planner. Even if it’s only for a day of coordinator since you have more of a budget to work with. To have someone there to facilitate the flow of the day. You can enjoy it instead of worrying about whether alcohol or food is running low. Top priority service for any wedding is important but with an intimate celebration, the service should be over-the-top excellent.

    Skip What Isn’t Important

    As you’re determining the details, decide what is important to you and your partner and skip the things that don’t matter. Many couples choose to skip some of the traditional dancing and other formalities at a small wedding. Know your crowd and replace it with an activity everyone will enjoy. Or keep it in the timeline if your loved ones love to dance. Of course, if you do love dancing, keep the DJ set up or band’s size in mind so not to overwhelm your intimate wedding space. Be sure to hire a simple DJ/MC team or smaller group of musicians. That way you can have the formality of special dances and other formalities without it being over the top.

    You can easily skip some of the typical add-ons that couples try to get into their budgets.  For example, there’s no need for a photo booth, printed ceremony programs, or wedding favors. You will be spending much more one-on-one time with each guest, so some of those extras aren’t worth the cost.

    Splurge Wisely

    Your budget will go further with fewer guests, so use those extra funds to really enhance the evening. You can hire live musicians like violinists for your ceremony and a jazz trio to play for cocktails. A top notch photographer is also a great investment. With fewer people at your tables your guests will really relax. That will create an intimate atmosphere. Hire a trusted photographer who will capture the laughter, the tears, and the clinking glasses, etc. since those are the moments you’ll treasure most. You can also upgrade the dinner menu. Make it an indulgent seven-course meal, complete with a choice of fine wines and spirits. Valley says. With an intimate group, you can really personalize every detail of your menu.

  • Maid of Honor Responsibilities to Help the Bride

    Maid of Honor Responsibilities to Help the Bride

    Maid of honor responsibilities to help the bride aren’t quite what they used to be. Your choice will need to be on her toes in a very different way. The maid of honor is in charge of the bachelorette party and bridal shower. She also leads the rest of the bridesmaids throughout the planning process and on the day-of. A bride will traditionally appoint a sister, female relative, or best friend as the maid of honor. It is a privilege reserved for the closest person to her. Here are some of her roles.

    Ensure Bride enjoys Events leading up to Wedding

    Brides have a lot to do while at their wedding. While your maid of honor should be your go-to source for an extra set of hands, it’s more important she ensures you enjoy every moment of your engagement leading up to the wedding. From getting mani-pedis to a full-blown girls’ night out, your MOH is first and foremost your best friend. That’s the role she should take most seriously during the planning process.

    Shopping Consultant

    Brides usually make an event of wedding dress shopping so your maid of honor should be at the top of your guest list to help you. She should be from fitting room to fitting room, as you try on way more wedding dresses than you ever intended. She should be willing to give her honest opinions and constructive criticism.

    Point Person

    Brides usually don’t have time for wedding guests bugging them about such details as what time the ceremony starts and where you’re registered. Brides.com suggests give all the information to your maid of honor, so she can be your guests’ point person. When questions arise she can take pressure off you and point them in the right direction.

    Bridesmaid Wrangler

    Your maid of honor is also your bridesmaids’ go-to. She can try to keep the peace between any conflicting personalities in the group because the last thing you need is to be mediating fights between them. You need someone to delegate & assign tasks concerning any pre-wedding events. She will be available to answer any questions the bridesmaids may have about where and when they should be on the wedding day.

    Party Planner for Pre Wedding events

    Maids of honor lead the way when it comes to planning the bridal shower and bachelorette party. From reaching out to family members and bridesmaids to help with the details of planning to keeping everyone’s budgets in mind, maids of honor become expert party planners during the wedding process.

    Your Record Keeper

    If you’re opening gifts at your bridal shower, your maid of honor should keep track of who gave you what. This is another one of those maid of honor responsibilities to help the bride that will give you an easier time writing those thank-you notes later.

    Timeline Tracker Helper

    While you might have a planner or coordinator who will take the helm when it comes to your wedding day timeline, it’s worth sharing with your maid of honor as well. She’ll be able to watch the time in the bridal suite, making sure hair and makeup appointments are moving along, and let you know when it’s almost time to get in your dress.

    Another Maid of Honor Responsibilities to Help the Bride, Food Provider

    A hungry bride can get cranky and uptight, especially when the reception is many hours away. Your MOH should check in periodically to see if you or the rest of bridal need something to snack on while the bridesmaids are getting ready or before the bride leaves the bridal suite for your ceremony or reception. You may be too excited to think about food so if she can provide a quick healthy light snack it will help you fend off hunger pains for you and the bridal party.

    Social Media Point Person

    You should spend the morning of your wedding relaxing and staying as unplugged as possible, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be documented. Give your maid of honor your phone so she can get behind-the-scenes shots of the champagne toasts, happy tears, and the moment you slip on your dress. Let her know if you want these moments to be private or if you’re all about Instagram, you could also ask your MOH to post to your accounts throughout the day. Don’t forget to give her your hashtag.

    Bathroom Companion

    This isn’t the most glamorous task, but you’ll appreciate it: a little help from your MOH getting the dress, heels, and hair into the ladies room for a final go before the ceremony begins. It’s a moment full of laughter and some tricky maneuvers, which no one will forget. It gives new meaning to BFF.

    Toast Maker

    Some brides opt to have only family members give speeches at their receptions. Others forgo speeches entirely. But your maid of honor should always be game to deliver a speech—and not embarrass you during it.

    Dance Partner

    You’ve made it to the reception, when hopefully all the planning stress has melted away and you’re finally married. Celebrate on the ballroom floor and grab your MOH for plenty of boogying to your favorite jams. As much as you’ll want to get down with your new spouse, don’t forget your main dance floor partner through the years. Selfies are welcome.
  • Ways to De-Stress on Your Wedding Day

    Ways to De-Stress on Your Wedding Day

    The morning of your wedding day is supposed to be a time of excitement & jubilation. But with cameras in your face, bridesmaids running in and out of your bedroom or hotel suite, and a future  mother-in-law criticizing your hair and makeup choices, the entire day can start off feeling more like a stressful occasion. Don’t let yourself become overwhelmed and consider trying one of the Ways to De-Stress on Your Wedding Day.

    Just Let It Out

    Sometimes just finding somewhere quiet to sit like on the floor, a pillow, or on a chair and just take a few deep breaths through your nose and then let out a few big sighs. As you exhale, open your mouth and sigh your breath out, relaxing your mouth and your jaw as you do so. So so a few times and each time let the sighs be a little louder.

    Eat Breakfast, Even If You’re Not Hungry

    It’s a long day, so you might have too many butterflies in your stomach to even consider eating breakfast. It’s essential to have something healthy in your body to prepare you for your big day ahead. Food really does impact your behavior and emotions. Even a simple snack will help to put you into a more positive, stress-free state with extra energy to get you through the day.

    Turn to Aromatherapy

    When you add essential oils to slow and deep breathing, it helps stress just melts away. You can do this while you get your hair or makeup done. Pick one of your favorite essential oil scents such as lavender, Roman chamomile, orange, or rose for maximum stress relief. You can choose a calming roll-on oil blend and apply it to the palms of your hands. Rub them together to warm, cup your hands over your nose and mouth, and take a deep breath. Hold your breath for a count of three, then release slowly. You can also use a dropper bottle in the shower. Just drop a few drops of, for example,  lavender on the shower floor. Turn on very hot water for a few seconds and adjust to the appropriate temperature. This turn into an aromatherapeutic session. Do this before you go into hair and makeup and you’ll feel relaxed and ready for your big day.

    Do Stretching Exercises

    Stretching before getting ready will do wonders for your stress levels. Slow down and take some time for yourself is exactly what you need before you start your big day. A nice relaxed stretching session will increase blood circulation and allow your muscles to relax and get endorphin filled blood to your brain. This will elevate your mood. You’re also likely to breathe deeper while stretching, which will lower your heart rate, stabilize your blood pressure, and lessen any anxiety you may feel! Even a quick 10-minute stretch will help you be more present and enjoy the magical day you’ve planned.

    Massage Your Face

    Stress can have a visible reaction on your face. When you’re stressed out, the sympathetic nervous system increases the heart rate, changes the salt balance in the body, and even affects your posture. Our friends at bride.com say, shoulders rotate forward, which tightens your upper chest muscle, and decreases circulation and the flow of lymph drainage to your face. This can make your face look puffy. Since you don’t want to walk down the aisle with a puffy face, try a few at-home face massages. It will instantly reduce swelling. Though this can be done with your normal skincare products. Place your palm in the middle of your eyebrows and apply pressure. Hold for five seconds, then release pressure in an upward motion up to the hairline. Repeat this motion two more times, once in the middle of the forehead and once at the hairline. Then do the same at your temples. Use both palms to apply pressure on both temples for five seconds, and repeat two to three times. To help contour your cheeks and reduce swelling use your thumb, find the pressure point located right under the highest point of the middle of your cheek. With both thumbs, apply even pressure upward and into the cheekbone then hold for a few seconds. Lastly, place your hands under your ears and gently glide down to your neck to further drain the lymphs and release tightness and stress. Also consider a simple 30 minute full body message by a professional masseuse to start your day relaxed & stress relieved.

    Release Good Vibes from the Get Go

    One of the best ways to relax on the morning of your wedding and ensure you’ll have a good day is to simply manifest it. Start off by setting some intentions and expressing gratitude for the wonderful day ahead to create positive vibes. The entire day will be a whirlwind so possibly get your hands on a crystal and keep it on you the day of your wedding. Find crystals that give a calming effect and is known for helping relax the mind. You can even tuck it into your bra.  Crystals like amethyst, lithium quartz, and lepidolite all have a good reputation for reducing anxiety, calming frayed nerves, and releasing tension.

  • Things You Should Practice Before Your Big Day

    Things You Should Practice Before Your Big Day

    Practice makes perfect. Your wedding day is no different. You’ve got to put in the work to ensure everything falls into place. From scheduling a hair and makeup trial to learning how to bustle your wedding dress, here are some things you should practice before your big day.

    Your First Dance

    You should always consider taking dance lessons especially if they have two left feet. Having formal lessons under your belt before the wedding can alleviate the stress and anxiety associated with dancing in front of a large crowd. Plus, it’s always good to get the basics down.

    Vows and Speeches

    Even if you’ve written down notes and will have them with you at the wedding, it’s still a good idea to practice reciting your vows or saying your speech out loud a few times so you get comfortable with it.

    Your Hair and Makeup

    A hair and makeup trial is definitely a must. It’s important to make sure that your stylist knows what you want and can successfully do it for you. You don’t want to be upset & heartbroken as a bride if you’re not feeling 100 percent comfortable and amazing on your wedding day.

    Posing for the Camera

    Couples should do an engagement photo session in order to not only help them get comfortable with the photographer but with each other in front of the camera as well. For most couples their weddings is really the first time a they will be professionally photographed together, so it will make everyone much more relaxed if you get a little practice session in first.

    Walking Down the Aisle

    Another item to add to your things you should practice before your big day is pacing. You will be nervous on your wedding day especially before your ceremony so many wedding planners encourage couples to practice their walk down the aisle. Having butterflies on your wedding day is completely normal and being able to walk down the isle confidently and comfortably at your ceremony will allow you to be more present to what’s going on and will bode well for pictures and videos also.

    Bustling Your Dress

    If you have a wedding planner, they can usually quickly figure out how to bustle your wedding dress without any instruction. However, it’s definitely a good thing for you, your mom, and your maid of honor to have down just in case to avoid delays in formalities and festivities at your wedding.

    Walking in Your Wedding Shoes

    Another great thing to consider from our friends at brides.com is always practice wearing and walking in your wedding shoes. You’ll want to break them in and ensure they don’t give you blisters which will put a damper on your celebrations. You also want to gracefully walk down the isle and then into your ballroom on introductions.

    Ending Conversations Gracefully

    As you greet your guests, you’ll find that everyone will want to hold a conversation with you. If you let them go on too long it’ll take your night away. Practice phrases and sentences that warmly and concisely express your gratitude for your guests’ presence and then a polite closure that helps you move on to the next table. Something like, “I am so happy you could be here! Thank you for coming. Please, enjoy your dinner and the bar is over there when you’re ready for a refill.” This makes you a gracious host and happy bride as well.

  • Wedding Planning Websites and Apps

    Wedding Planning Websites and Apps

    If you’re just starting your wedding planning or just checking off some of the last things on your wedding checklist, here are some helpful Wedding Planning Websites and Apps to use as you plan your wedding while still maintaining your sanity.

    Latest trends and etiquettes

    • Brides.com will keep you up to date with the latest trends and etiquettes.  You will also be aware of some overlooked, expenses, formalities issues, and planning suggestions as you plan your wedding.

    Do a quick search and narrow results by type

    • If you don’t know where to start WeddingWire is a comprehensive venue and vendor database. There you will find more than 200,000 local listings and 2.5 million reviews by real couples. If you’re clueless about where to get married and who to hire, you can do a quick search and narrow results by type, location, price, and/or rating. When you’re finished locking in the big-ticket items, you’ll find checklists, budget templates, and etiquette tips as well.

    Your personal assistant

    • If you’re planning not to hire a Wedding Planner, WeddingHappy is a free app that can serve as your personal assistant. It’s preloaded with tasks to guide you through your to do task list. It even alerts you as you approach deadlines for things like when to mail invites or pay deposit for your DJ or band. The same way a planner would do in real life. You can share your events with your fiancé, parents, or maid-of-honor/bridesmaids so everyone is up to date and has access to the same info.

    Invitation design

    • For awesome invitations that won’t break the bank try Minted. This site works with indie artists and graphic designers to offer chic, ready-made invites, save-the-dates, ceremony programs, and escort cards. Templates can be customized, down to the card size and paper stock. If you are on a tight budget you can print your suite at home. You can even take the file to a local copy shop. Minted also offers bespoke invitation design in case you don’t have an illustrator on speed dial but still want a hand-drawn map of your wedding location or a watercolor rendering of you and your fiancé.

    Custom wedding website

    • For a custom wedding website that looks totally different try Riley & Grey. It is where design-minded couples go to create their wedding hubs (reasonable $35 per month). Modern templates are added every few months, so you won’t use the same one as your friends or family members who are getting married after you. Your site will not only be beautifully laid out but also user friendly, with zero clicks required. Simply scroll down to go between tabs like close “People” tab for bios for those involved in your wedding party. Even a “Place” tab for tips on where to stay, eat, and drink near your wedding venue. You can also embed links to travel site Kayak for flight bookings and Google Maps for directions to your ceremony & venue.

    Free money management site

    • For tracking your wedding (and life) budget you can use Mint. While not made specifically with weddings in mind, Mint is a popular free money management site. It’s easy to use, syncing with your bank account and credit cards so you can monitor your spending and move funds around as needed. (And it probably will be needed.) Create a wedding budget and stay on track, thanks to weekly email summaries and text reminders when payments are due.

    Keeping your planning crew informed

    • For keeping your planning crew informed and on point use Google Drive. Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PDFs, photos, etc, can be uploaded, stored, and shared in Drive for seamless viewing and editing by anyone with a Gmail account. You can pull up your guest list, budget, or vendor contacts during a venue walk-through. The mobile app is there in a pinch. Need to share important dates with your fiancé, parents, and planner? The hub links directly to Google Calendar, so no one can complain about being left out of the loop. Hopefully some of these helpful Wedding Planning Websites and Apps will be what you need to keep everything organized.
  • Keep Calm Enjoy Your Day

    Tips to Enjoy Your Wedding Day

    You spend a lot of time planning your wedding day. So it’s only fitting that you want to actually enjoy it especially all the little moments. But stress and worry can take over and keep you from enjoying the all the time and hard work you put in. Our friends at Brides.com came up with some tips to enjoy your wedding day. So keep in mind the most important part of a wedding is the celebration of your love and beginning of your lives together. If brides don’t stay present, their wedding day will go by in the blink of an eye without actually experiencing or enjoying it. 

    Be Comfortable

    • If you’re not used to wearing heels, be sure to buy a comfortable pair of shoes and break them in before your wedding day. Don’t be distracted with aching feet and blisters on your wedding day. This also goes for your strapless bra or corset.

    Is It In Place

    • Hiring vendors that are reliable, experienced, and talented will remove so much of the worry. They will take care of what’s happening behind the scenes the week leading up to the wedding and the day itself. If you made the investment of hiring a wedding planner, all of the details will be handled. Walk into the ceremony and reception knowing that everything and everyone are in their place and ready to have a good time.

    More tips to enjoy your Wedding Day

    • There is so much to do in the days leading up to your wedding. But rather than leave everything to the last minute tackle them as early as possible. This way the stress of your last-minute projects and to do’s doesn’t linger on your wedding day. Make sure things like your programs, escort cards, welcome bags, and DIY projects are done well before the week of your wedding. Setting the tone with a calm, restful week will put you in the right frame of mind and be mentally present on your wedding day.

    It’s A Very Long Day

    •  You don’t want to deal with a growling stomach. Start your day with a good breakfast, and then take short breaks for snacks. Have light appetizers before you put on your wedding dress, before the ceremony, and before you’re introduced into your ballroom.

    Take A Moment

    • You’ll probably have very little time alone with your spouse on your wedding day. Take a moment after your ceremony for some quiet time. Go to the bridal suite or another private area to take in and cherish the special moments of your day. Let your planner and caterer know about your plans ahead of time so they can have things as champagne, water, and a sampling of your hors d’oeuvres ready for you.

    Put It Away

    • Leave your phone in your purse, or give it to your maid of honor. Phone’s are a daily distraction, and will be on your wedding day, too if you don’t put it away. You definitely don’t need something else pulling your attention away. You’ve hired a professional photographer, so you don’t need to take photos. Also anyone you’d think to call or text will be there in person that day.