Candle Concepts

Before I decided on black vases with white flowers as my centerpieces, I was leaning towards a floating candle display.  These can be done beautifully and inexpensively!  Here are a few photos for inspiration...

Photos via Pinterest

Bride to Bride Tip #6: Attend a Bridal Expo at Your Venue

Bridal expos and shows are so fun!  Everything you could possibly need is in one space - from photographers, florists, DJs, bands, favors, etc..  You can even sample food items and watch a bridal fashion show with wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, mother of the bride styles, and even tuxedos! Since I've been engaged, I've attended around 6 bridal expos/shows and each one has it's own appeal.  What I like best is that the venue where the event is hosted will bring in vendors from the surrounding area which is very helpful.

When we finally booked Addison Park as our venue, I attended not one, but two bridal shows there (and I'm looking forward to October when another one rolls around).  At these expos is where I found my invitation lady (Unforgettable Invitations), my photographer (Michael Romeo of Michael Romeo Creations), and lots of inspiration for florists and even a DJ company!  I really like how each of these vendors are within a 30min or less drive from my venue - and lots of them were considered house vendors :)  This makes it easy and convenient for me as well as those who will be taking part in our wedding.

If you can attend a bridal expo or show at your venue do so!  Trust me, you won't regret it!  At these events, you find so much inspiration and usually leave with bags of goodies (including coupons!!).  You get to see what your venue will look like (they usually have a few table options set up), you can sample cocktail hour food items, and you get to see local vendors and meet with them :)

Bride to Bride Tip #5: When it Comes to Photography.. do Your Research!

Two of today's posts actually coincide with each other and they are about one of the most important elements of a wedding - photography!  After all is said in done, these are your memories of your big day and my Bride to Bride Tip for today is researching a great photographer is essential!

Like your wedding venue and the entertainment, the next large portion of your wedding budget should be investing in a prime photographer!  Photos can make our break the memories of your big day... could you imagine skimping on a photographer and getting back horrendous photos?  I couldn't!  That's why I did my research when contemplating a photographer.

 

Ultimately I chose one of my venue's house photographers - Romeo Creations.  I was fortunate enough to see Michael's work on a variety of occasions and I knew that's who I wanted to photograph my wedding!  Not only was seeing the work an important part of my decision making, so was reading reviews from other couples - all of which were fabulous!  :)

The following are some of my tips for researching a fabulous photographer:

1. Narrow down your selection to 3 - there are so many wonderful photographers out there that it could take months to finally select one.
2. Meet with them to talk about what you want - they should be very accommodating!
3. View their work - both online and in person!
4. Read reviews from other couples who have used them!
5. Consider a house photographer of your venue - these professionals usually know the best places to take pictures!!!!!!!
6. Experience level is also important - you'd like a photographer who's been doing it a while and has mastered the craft!
7. Personality is key also!  You want to make sure you have chemistry with your photographer!
8. Show them sample photos that you really like and get their feedback!

Photo via Zazzle.com

Mermaid Mania

I always wanted a mermaid style wedding dress (probably because I've been a tad obsessed with the mythical creature since I was a toddler) and that's ultimately the style I chose :)  Below are some of my favorite high end designer mermaid styles that I used as inspiration when I went shopping...

Vera Wang - Gemma (literally my absolute dream dress!!)

 

Vera Wang custom design (replica is available as part of her White for David's Bridal collection!)

 

Pnina Tornai (exclusively sold at Kleinfelds in NYC)

Bride to Bride Tip #4: Create a Budget & Stick to it as Best You Can

Creating a budget for your wedding is essential!  It's always a good idea to manage how much you are spending... especially when it comes to an event like a wedding where spending can easily get out of control.  If you have family who is helping pay, it's also nice to try and record that in with your budget as well.

Sometimes it's very easy to go overboard so if you can create a budget before you begin your plans and stick to it as best you can, the better off you will be!

A couple of budget tips that I've found helpful (some of which I have been using) are:

1. Have your ceremony and reception in the same place:  We are doing this and it is saving us several site fees as well as transportation cost (limo prices can get crazy!).
2. Choose a "pretty" venue:  This may sound a little odd but if you book your wedding reception at a venue that is beautiful without all of the added odds and ends, then you most likely will not have to spend a lot on extra decor/decorations.
3. Look for a reception venue that does its own catering... this will save you lots of time, money, and stress!
4. Have your rehearsal dinner at home:  My fiance and I are in the process of moving into our first home together and we plan on holding an intimate rehersal dinner at our new house.  This works out well for us because we both come from families who adore cooking so we are not only saving money on a venue, but also catering fees!
5. Choose an off season month and less popular day for your nuptuals:  It's AMAZING how the time of year and day of the weekend can affect the cost!  We originally wanted to do a Summer wedding on a Saturday and after venue shopping forever, we've decided on a Sunday (part of a three day weekend) in November and we've saved over $60 a person!!

Those are a few tips that I found extremely useful!  Click here for a wonderful wedding budget worksheet!!

Invitations are so Important!

In a previous post, I let you guys know that I feel that place cards are an area that you can skimp on... while I firmly believe that, one area I feel is very important and not worth skimping are your invitations.  Invitations are so important and I feel they set the tone for your wedding.


When I chose our wedding invitations, I went in with one thing in mind... I needed to have a pocket design!  I've gotten so many invitations with cards and envelopes falling out all over the place and I wanted to have a sleek invitation that was as practical as it was beautiful and the answer to my dilema was a pocket design.  What I liked most about this particular design is that it's all intact.  Your invite is in one space and all of your cards are neatly placed in another.

I went to a bridal show at our venue and met the incredible woman from Unforgettable Invitations.  She hand makes them (although she has other options which are not as expensive) and creates a design that is specific to your likes and wants.  I chose an invitation that is very simple, yet elegant.  On the front is our wedding information (your basic invitation) with a monogram design with rhinestone details and on the back is a pocket with our response and direction cards inside it.   They cost around $10 a piece and we need around 100 of them.  Since they are rather pricey, I am sending one invitation per household... if I had went for a cheaper style, I probably would've sent them out differently.

Yes, I know this is rather pricey for invitations, but I am getting direction cards and place cards for free with my venue so I didn't feel as terrible about spending the extra money here.  Besides, they are exactly what I dreamt of!  I wish I could share a photo of them with you guys but I don't want to ruine any surprises for my family and friends who read this blog :)

Photo via joyfulheartdesign.com

Bride to Bride Tip #3: Do as Much in Advance as You Can

My fiance and I have been together for almost nine years and we've already been engaged for two and we are in no big rush to have our wedding... instead, we'd rather take our time, save our money, and plan our perfect event at our leisure.  Now, if you'd rather get married asap, the more power to you!  Weddings require so much planning, saving, and consideration that my opinion is it's best to take your time.

My third Bride to Bride tip is do as much in advance as you can.  Since we got engaged, the first thing we tried to accomplish was selecting and booking the perfect venue.  This was the most important and time consuming step since there are an incredible amount of beautiful places to choose from and when venue shopping there's a lot to consider!  Once we selected one (it took us around 4 months to find the perfect place for us), we then chose our color scheme and I began to grab little things as often as possible (like the guest book, unity candle set, cake topper, garter...).

We booked our venue in October 2011 and we aren't getting married until November 2013 - now that's an incredible amount of time and obviously everyone is different, but for us, the more time the better.  We are paying for the bulk of the wedding and we need the extra time to save our pennies and make all of our decisions.  Also, this gives us time to research DJs and photographers (who are so important), book a florist, and carefully plan all other details.

What I like about having a significant amount of time is that I don't feel stressed at all!  I know several brides who were engaged and married all within the same year and towards the end they were stressing about everything!  I didn't want to be like that... I have enough going on and I feel that planning your wedding should be a very enjoyable experience.