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Tag: wedding planning help

  • 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.
  • hashtag ideas

    How to Get Your Guests To Use Your #Hashtag

    Here are some great ways on how to get your guests to use your #hashtag from our friends at Brides.com. Couples spend a lot of time and creativity coming up with a unique & perfect wedding hashtag. This is so they can easily see all of their guests’ photos in one place. Hashtags should be created & used from the get go. Use it at all events leading up to the wedding such as engagement dinner/party, bridal shower, bachelor/bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, etc.

    Get your bridal party to spread the word.

    When your bridesmaids post sneak-peeks of them trying on their gowns, bridal shower, bachelorette party etc, ask them to add your hashtag to their captions. Guests are likely connected to your wedding party as well. This will help to begin laying the groundwork for getting the hashtag out to other guests. Start using your hashtag before your wedding day by including it on your save the date, website, invitation, and welcome bag. Guests are more likely to remember and use your hashtag after the repeated exposure.

    How to Get Your Guests To Use Your #Hashtag, make it easy!

    Choose a hashtag that’s easy to remember to increase the chances of your guests actually using it. Rhymes, play on words on first/last names, and puns are all ingredients for an awesome and memorable hashtag. Include your hashtag throughout your reception on small frames on bars, on menus, on seating charts. You can also include it on video screens if you incorporate video production into your reception. Here’s another way on how to get your guests to use your #hashtag. Have your DJ or band leader announce it right before introductions and throughout your reception as well.

  • To Do Checklist

    Week of the Wedding “To Do” Checklist

    With only a few days left before the wedding reception, it’s  totally understandable that a few things on your growing Week of the Wedding “To Do” Checklist might slip your mind.  You should use the whole bridal entourage (including the future spouse) for help on the to do list. Keep track of your master checklist, but delegate tasks as needed. You will need all the support you can get. It’s best to get all of your to do’s in order sooner than later, so you can kick up your feet up and enjoy every second of your wedding reception. Below is a checklist to help with wedding week to do’s.

    Wedding Dress, Shoe and Jewelry “To Do’s”

    Try on your full wedding dress, including shoes and jewelry. Practice walking down the aisle and make sure everything looks and feels comfortable. Try going to the bathroom in your dress as well so there are no surprises.

    Go to your jeweler to get your engagement ring professionally clean so it’s extra sparkly on your wedding day especially for pictures.

    Break in your wedding shoes. Wear them for a short period of time each day around the house and walk around on a few different surfaces.

    Things to get ready for your Wedding vendors.

    Shoot all your vendors an email or give them a quick call on the Monday before the event. Be sure to confirm arrival times. This includes your hair and makeup team!

    Send off your pictures to take list to your photographer and designate a responsible family member or member of the wedding party to regularly check in with the photographer on the wedding day to ensure they are all your key pictures are being taken.

    Get any checks or final payments ready for vendors. Check your contracts for payment deadlines.

     

    Other Week of the Wedding “To Do” Checklist Items

    Be sure to give your email a last minute read through and answer any emails that are filled with pressing wedding questions a few days before you get to your wedding day.

    Reach out to the last-minute stragglers who haven’t RSVP’d yet to see whether or not they’re coming to your wedding. It’s better to know the final count sooner than later for seating arrangements, final venue bill, or for those guests who might show up and have nowhere to sit.

    Sit down with your spouse-to-be and finalize the seating arrangements. Be sure to send a copy to those who need it, like the wedding planner, photographer and designated bridesmaid.

    Make sure your marriage license is in order and assign someone to keep track of it on your wedding day to ensure it’s signed correctly and doesn’t get lost in the mix.

    Take care of any work to do assignments so that you don’t have a Week of the Wedding “To Do” Checklist work tasks floating around in your head. Work should be the last thing you want to think about heading into your wedding weekend.

     

  • writing your wedding vows

    Writing Your Special Wedding Vows

    Tips on Writing Your Special Wedding Vows

    Exchanging vows during your wedding ceremony is one of the most intimate and nerve racking moments of your life. Standing in front of the person you love & making that life long commitment in front of all your guests can be overwhelming. Here are some tips on writing your special wedding vows we found at brides.com It’s a moment of laughs, tears, and a request for tissues so that your mascara won’t run and stain your veil.
    -You don’t have to make your vows perfect, just speak to your spouse. Right from the heart in your own words as if it’s just the both of you.
    -Don’t make your vows all mushy. You can add some humor about the both of you to get your guests laughing.
    -Keep your vows under 2-3 minutes. That’s just enough time to keep your guests’ attention. It’s also long enough time to say and express your feelings without rambling or being repetitious.
    -Don’t wait till last minute to write your vows. Give yourself time to brainstorm on what you’d like to say. If you wait for the night before your wedding you may be overwhelmed. When you are a bundle of nerves you won’t seem to string together a sentence.
    -Skip clichés, instead use specific details of your relationship with your spouse. Make it very personalized and geared towards sharing your passion, commitment, and connection. Writing your special wedding vows makes the ceremony all about your relationship. Isn’t that what all of this is about?
  • Unity Ceremony

    Unique and Special Unity Ceremony Ideas

    Looking for ways to make your Ceremony your own? Unique and Special Unity Ceremony Ideas represent the ritual of two becoming one. There are traditional ways to add these ceremonies. These touches will make your special moment even more heartfelt. Here are some common and not so common ideas from BRIDES.com.

    -Lighting a Unity Candle

    Unity Candle

    This usually involves the couple lighting one large candle from two smaller family candles. Usually lit by each of their moms, this represents the coming together of two families.

    -Pouring of Sand

    Sand Poring

    The couple takes turns pouring colored sand from smaller vases into another larger vase. When this is done they blend their sand together to make a pretty colorful display. This is a great unity-ceremony ideas for blended families. The couples children can also add sand to the family vase to show the coming together of 2 families.

    -Handfasting Ceremony

    -In Handfasting the bride’s and groom’s right hands are bound together during a portion of the wedding ceremony. Thus symbolizing their commitment to each other.

    -A Lasso Ceremony

    This ceremony usually takes place after the vows have been said. The officiant or designated person or persons drape a floral garland or rosary around the couple, twisting it into an infinity symbol. At the end of the ceremony the lasso is removed and the couple saves it as a symbol of their love and unity.

    -Releasing a Wish Lantern

    Wish Lantern

    This ceremony is very moving. The couple releases a paper lantern into the air, allowing their love to pass into the universe as one.

    -An Anniversary Capsule

    Before the ceremony, gather up important mementos from your relationship: ticket stubs, hotel room keys, cards, etc. Some couples also write a love letter to each other. This ceremony is a reminder of the durability of the love and the lifetime commitment of marriage. During the ceremony, all these items of love are sealed in a box, and then you can open it on your 5-, 10-, or 20-year anniversary.

    -Circling Ceremony

    -In a Circling Ceremony, a Jewish wedding tradition, each partner takes turns circling around the other. This is typically seven times each. This symbolizes the creation of a new family and the circle of protection and love each is placing around the other.

    Adding one of these Unique and Special Unity Ceremony Ideas will make your ceremony more personal. With that not only do you create a memorable moment for your yourselves but a special moment you guests will take with them.

  • Word, writing, text Guest List. Business concept for Planning Wedding Or Event Important Guests Lists written on notebook book paper on the wooden background Today

    Trimming your Wedding Guest List with Minimal Drama

    Couples are usually trying their best to stay on budget when planning their wedding. One way is to limit the guest list. But how can you do it? We found these helpful tips at Brides.com.

    Trimming your Wedding Guest List with Minimal Drama

    ⁃ Your wedding is a celebration of close family and friends. Try to avoid inviting family or friends missing in action or you haven’t spoke to in years, who are really not part of your life anymore. Shy away from sending reciprocating invites to people that invited you to their weddings years ago. Unless you are still good friends with them this would be a good way to trimming your wedding guest list with minimal drama. Draw the line or give limitations on friends invited by your parents and in-laws, especially if you’ve never met them before.

    ⁃ Work friends could inflate your wedding guest list by a couple of tables. If they are coworkers who you just have an occasional casual lunch with or share workspace with, you can just have a happy hour celebration. Have something with them after work one day instead of inviting them to the reception.

    ⁃ An unruly guest can put a damper or ruin the reception of your dreams. Avoid inviting people with a track record of being unruly at previous weddings or is always getting kicked out of clubs or bars. You’ve spent so much time planning and investing funds into this day, don’t take that chance.

    ⁃ Another way to trimming your wedding guest list with minimal drama. is make it an adult only wedding. Most couples would welcome a night out away from the kids and routine for a little bit where they just kick up and enjoy.

    ⁃ Avoid giving your plus ones to guests who are not in a relationship. Especially if the plus one is going to be someone you’ve never met before. This avoids the awkwardness of meeting someone for the first time at your wedding reception.

     

  • Time Management DASH OF CLASS PLATINUM

    Time Management Tips for your Wedding Day

    After months of investing much time and money into your wedding day & reception, you want to be sure you will enjoy it and take it all in! If you have your ceremony on premises and a possible viennese hour, the 4 to 7 hours can really fly by. Even though the average reception is 4 to 5 hours, dancing time may be limited to only about 2 to 2 1/2 hours because of formalities & dinner courses. Here are some helpful tips on how to enjoy, mingle, and dance the night away at your wedding reception with your family and friends.

    Helpful Time Management Tips for your Wedding Day

    ⁃ If you’re having an on-site ceremony, be sure to have a “first look” before the ceremony. Taking most of your formal pictures with your spouse-to-be, family, & bridal party before so you will not have to take them during cocktail hour and then be rushed to your introductions into your ballroom.

    Picture time

    ⁃ If you are not having an on-site ceremony, give yourself 2-3 hours between the end of the church ceremony and arrival to your reception venue so you are not rushed. By doing that you can enjoy the day with your family & bridal party. Some couples want to make a stop to at a picturesque-location which takes time as well. Try to get to your reception hall at least one hour before cocktail hour so you can take the majority of formal pictures with family and bridal party at the venue. This will allow for a little time to kick back, relax, and have a bite to eat before mingling in cocktail hour.

    Your Cocktail Hour

    ⁃ Most couples are now electing to mingle during their cocktail hour. This gives you the chance to say hello and have brief conversations with the majority of your guests in an informal atmosphere. Doing this will not make you feel obligated to visit each and every table during your reception. If you’re possibly having 150 to 200 guests for example, that’s 15 to 20 tables you may have to visit and say hello to which will cut into your dancing and partying time.

    Time to Toast!

    ⁃ Recently, couples are having multiple maid of honor‘s and multiple best men which are doing toasts as well as parent’s possibly doing a welcoming. It would bode well to give a gentle respectful restriction on the time allotted (such as 2-3 minutes for each) before the reception, such as at the rehearsal dinner. If there are many toast/speeches(ie, more than 4) it would be well advised to split them up and possibly have some after the first dance and others during the first course when you have a captive audience. This is a great way to make everyone happy and will not cut into dancing time.

    Special performance or presentation

    ⁃ If you’re going to have any family or friends sing/perform, it would be prudent to have them do so during downtime such as during salad, appetizer, or main course, etc. so as not to cut into dancing time. This would bode well if you have any type of couple photo montage presentation as well.

    Dessert time isn’t always sweet

    ⁃ After your cake cutting (and possible Viennese tables) we advise for couples to stay away from their sweetheart/main table. That is usually the time that some guests may be looking to leave early. This is the first place they will look for you and if a line forms by your sweetheart table you will be stuck there. You don’t want to miss your last dance set. This is the time you want to party it up with your immediate family and friends especially now that all the formalities are over. You should be mingling and dancing around the dance floor area. Guests leaving can give you a quick hug and goodbye and you can continue partying to the end of the reception.

    Time to say Good-Bye

    ⁃ If you are providing transportation for your guests to and from hotels or a particular central meeting place, think about the time you should have your first shuttle/bus come. Keep in mind after the reception ends there is a time of mingling, socializing, & saying goodbyes. Too many times couples have the shuttle/buses come too early before the reception ends. The entertainment is making announcements regarding the shuttle/buses being outside your venue essentially chasing your guests off the dance floor and out of your ballroom. This is the last thing you would want to do after all the time and money invested into your reception.

  • Wedding Ceremony Tips from Dash of Class Platinum Entertainment

    Wedding Ceremony mistakes to avoid to achieve great pictures.

    Here are some ideas and tips that will help those special moments at your ceremony with minimal interference.


    -Keep the bridal suite or bedroom where you are getting ready free of clutter. Clutter can slip into the background of the perfect picture moment and make it unusable for albums or frames. Cleaning up once your photographer arrives can also cut into valuable shooting time. So make sure beds are made and clear backgrounds ahead of time.


    -Have your officiant and entertainment announce to your guests to limit cell phone use during the ceremony. Also be conscious of not interfering with your professional photographers photo opportunities. During the ceremony your professional photographers are trying to capture your processional and recessional. Knowing about these Wedding Ceremony mistakes to avoid to achieve great pictures will really help. It is hard to get that perfect picture with having arms with cell phones reaching into the aisle. Unless it’s a close friend or family member, ask your officiant to step aside on your first kiss at the end of the ceremony. Doing this will ensure it’s just the happy couple in this special moment.

    -At the reception, your guests sometimes are stepping right in front of your professional photographer. Trying to get that perfect picture on their cell phone of your grand entrance or first dance can block the opportunity for your professional photographer. So once again, a quick announcement of limited or discrete cell phone use will help your photographer capture those special moments at the ceremony and reception with minimal interference.

  • Wedding Planning Timeline Blog

    Sequence of events to plan your wedding.

    Once the initial excitement of getting engaged wears off, the planning starts. With an average 16 month engagement in the US, there are certain key preliminary decisions to make that will get you started with the sequence of events to plan your wedding. Selecting key vendors such as your venue, entertainment, photographer/videographer, flowers, wedding dress, tuxedo, etc. Doing these steps first will get you on your way.

    Guest List

    Come up with a tentative guest list to help determine and narrow down the venues that you may want to consider that will cater to your number of guests. Start off with the most important guests like immediate family and friends. Continue with extended family, then coworkers, neighbors, parents friends, etc. Then narrow down from the bottom up.

    Budget

    Come up with a budget and figure from where (savings, salaries, credit, etc) and possibly from whom (parents, grandparents, close friends). Funds will be coming to help pay for the venue and all the related costs of a wedding reception. Knowing and narrowing down the number of guests, as discussed above, will help determine your budget.

    Location

    Next step, choose the locations of the ceremony and reception. Will both be at your venue or will the ceremony be in a different location? If in separate locations, you will have to account for travel time and accommodations for you and your guests. If you’re considering a destination wedding it is even more logistically challenging. Consider the extended travel, accommodations, and comfort for you and all invited guests. You’ll possibly have to deal with your vendors via email, phone calls, FaceTime/Skype and forego the comfort level of dealing with many of your vendors face to face.

    Theme

    Choose a theme, season, and day of the week for your wedding day based on your personal preferences. Season & day of the week can dramatically affect your budget. It will help your budget if you chose off peak months such as January & February. Also, considering a Sunday, Friday, or weekday can also significantly reduce your overall budget. The same venues and vendors you would be considering will cost much more on a Saturday and during peak wedding season. The theme or season you choose will affect your choice of decor and floral arrangements/centerpieces as well.

    Wedding Planner

    Hiring a wedding planner is an extra expense up front, but, for those couples with busy career schedules, can save you money & time throughout the whole planning process. By pointing you in the right direction and suggesting the sequence of events to plan your wedding. This also means recommending vendors who fit your personality, style, & budget. They can handle a lot of the grunt work to make it a less stressful & enjoyable experience as you plan your wedding and the smaller celebrations leading up to your wedding with close family & friends.

    The Right Vendors

    Hire vendors who book up quickly such as DJ/Band, photographers, & videographers so you can book someone who fits your style, personality, and budget. Higher quality & reputable vendors book up quickly and earlier in the planning process so don’t procrastinate and continue to check off items on your checklist.
    Start shopping for your wedding dress. Finding the one that captures your heart and fits just right may take a lot of trial & error and many higher end gowns take many months to be delivered once ordered. You want to get it at least several weeks before the big day in case minor fitting adjustments need to be made.