The Secret behind Inexpensive Wedding Invitations
It’s a complete myth that you can’t find quality elegant inexpensive wedding invitations for your upcoming nuptials that fit your style.
Keeping Organized for Bridal Shower Thank You Notes
After a particularly well-attended bridal shower, it can sometimes be a little daunting to get started on your bridal shower thank you notes.
Wedding Woes that can Wait
Planning a wedding seems to happen all at once - all of the decisions feel equally important and relevant when you're first engaged and you're caught in a flurry of congratulations and furious planning.
Using Style and Design in Sophisticated Wedding Invitations
Set the Tone with Sophisticated Wedding Invitations
Sophisticated Wedding Invitations
Though backyard barbeques and events featuring mason jars are becoming more and more popular, there are still brides working to create weddings that highlight the finer things in life. If you really don’t want guests showing up to your high-class to-do, think about utilizing the services of sophisticated wedding invitations. Sophisticated wedding invitations will feature high-quality materials with simple designs and understated elegance. Sophisticated wedding invitations will often employ some of the more traditional elements of wedding invites, such as thin segments of tissue paper between the invitation and the RSVP, simple cream envelopes, and elevated wording.
While black and white dominate the aesthetic of many sophisticated wedding invitations, there are some modern twists to the classic design. Many sophisticated wedding invitations employ the use of bold blocked colors to make an elegant statement. Shop around and don’t think that you don’t have options for your sophisticated wedding invitations.
Your sophisticated wedding invitations will set the scene for your wedding, and they’ll let guests know what to expect before they arrive. Most guests look to the invite for clues to the formality of the event, so let your sophisticated wedding invitations lead the way with grace, simplicity, and understated beauty.
Literary Wedding Inspiration
Theme weddings have a habit of borrowing from literature. While finding inspiration in great novels, plays, and poems can be a fun way to personalize your wedding day, it’s easy to go over the top. That’s why, if you don’t want a theme wedding, many people simply don’t bother. Here are some low-key ideas inspired by some of my favorite authors (without stepping into the bounds of “theme-y”:
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald was the author of the famous American novel The Great Gatsby, and his career was absolutely saturated with stories of high society in the 1920s. Though his stories were timely critical comments on excess and wealth, his worlds still serve as inspiration for weddings the world over.
Keep it Simple with:
Mint Juleps, Martinis, and Bubbly
and
Feathers, White Dinner Jackets, and Low Waists.
J. R. R. Tolkien
I’ve never met anyone who wouldn’t drop everything for the chance to live in J.R.R. Tolkien’s pastoral domicile: the humble Hobbit hole. The Shire, the mythical serene landscape within Tolkien’s Middle Earth, is perfect in every way. Weddings in the Shire employ the gratuitous use of flowers and the outdoors, plenty of ale, and a plethora of pastels.
Keep it Simple with:
Beer and Ale and More Beer
and
Bright Colors, Flowers, and Airy Fabrics.
Edgar Allen Poe
Poe was the author of such famous short horror stories as “The Black Cat” and “The Premature Burial” and poems such as “The Raven” and “Annabel Lee.” Chilling and weirdly romantic, his works have haunted our hearts and minds for decades. While few associate his stories with uplifting happy endings, fans of his enchanting language know exactly why he inspires light and dark weddings everywhere.
Keep it Simple with:
Wed Wine and Cognac, Red Wine
and
Lace, Red Roses, and Buttery Silk.
Keeping your DIY Reception Decorations Professional-Looking
Working Out the Kinks in DIY Reception Decorations
DIY Reception Decorations
When you're planning a DIY wedding, some of the more technical paper goods can be daunting. Menus, place cards, and even table numbers can easily look amateurish and cheap if you aren't careful where and how you print them. When you DIY reception decorations, it's important to find a kit or a guide to keep everything on track and stylish. You don't want your DIY reception decorations to be shadowed by cheap paper goods!
DIY reception decorations can be fun, but when it comes to paper goods, I recommend a kit. DIY reception decorations kits will keep everything uniform and cohesive - the biggest issue for any DIY bride. If you try to hand-write and hand-cut your DIY reception decorations, they might not look very professional. On the other hand, if you ask a print shop to design them for you, it isn't really DIY (and where's the fun in that?). Yes, your best option is a kit that provides you with the software you need to design DIY reception decorations that you can really be proud of. The kits will come with cutouts for your menus, place cards, and table numbers, but the design will be all on you.
So have fun designing and printing your own DIY reception decorations!
Stick to the Fun Parts of DIY Wedding Bunting
DIY Wedding Bunting: Style and Convenience
DIY Wedding Bunting
For your wedding, DIY wedding bunting kits offer a fun way to decorate your space with some personal and stylish flair. DIY wedding bunting offers all of the fun of DIY without the special skill set that only serious crafters come pre-equipped with. Few of us even know what bunting is, let alone how to measure and purchase the proper amount of materials for the job. No, a DIY wedding bunting kit gives us all of the fun parts of crafting (bonding with your bridesmaids over mimosas) and none of the frustrated hours at the craft store. DIY wedding bunting is a fun mini project that will really add a bit of professional style to you wedding - but I do recommend a kit... for your sanity.
So where can you situate some DIY wedding bunting in your ceremony or reception space? While it does fit in almost anywhere, there are a few places where DIY wedding bunting really shines. Think about including some over your otherwise bare ceremony arch. DIY bunting is an inexpensive alternative to flowers and adds a colorful (and understated) touch to your photos. The dessert table is another place where DIY wedding bunting works well. It makes the table look like a part of the decor, and it doesn't look weird if that's the only place you feature DIY wedding bunting. It really is that versatile!
Wedding Planning as a Student
There are many reasons to be planning a wedding while in school: timing, finances, or even, you know, because you want to. So whether you're finishing up your master's, bachelor's, doctorate, or otherwise, here are a few tips to keep wedding planning running smoothly all the way through graduation:
Begin planning NOW
While most engagements last about a year, time will go a little faster for a student. Students often lack consistency in their schedules (with major changes happening sometimes four to six times within the course of a year), and many of us have jobs in addition to a full time class load. My biggest tip is this: get as much planning out of the way as you can right at the beginning of your engagement. The earlier you do the big stuff (guest lists, venue deposits, etc) the less daunting other wedding planning tasks will seem as your semester trudges forward. The biggest benefit here is peace of mind. When things get really hectic later on you can always think "Well, at least we have a caterer."
Do the fun stuff over break, and the little stuff after class
Fun decisions are things like finding a dress. Trying to fit that in the middle of October will leave you not enjoying it as much as you should. Your mind will be clouded with thoughts of midterms and lesson planning and thesis writing. Weddings should be fun, and if you rush through the fun decisions, you'll regret it later. School should be your number one priority, but that doesn't mean that your wedding can't be as exciting and amazing as anyone else's. The little things - putting together programs or stamping save-the-dates - are great little tasks to occupy your time after class. They can sometimes be therapeutic, and it's nice to think about marrying the person you love after an especially long day.
Use your resources
A university is an amazingly diverse place, and it's an opportunity to explore subjects and activities that people outside of college don't have access to. Why not take a glass crafting class and make some handmade toasting glasses? Post flyers in the art department and find students to make your invites or even craft personalized stamps? Hire that startup rockabilly/bluegrass fusion band to play your processional? Colleges are a place of inspiration, and using the resources you have around you is what takes something that sounds like a burden and makes it a fabulous and unique addition to your day.
Feminine Wedding Cake Servers in your Budget
Finding Feminine Wedding Cake Servers
Feminine Wedding Cake Servers
A serving set that you can keep as a memento after your reception is sometimes the last thing on a bride’s mind as she juggles vendors and deadlines in the weeks and months leading up to the big day. When you do find the time to go hunting for some beautiful feminine wedding cake servers, you may be disappointed in your selection. If you hunt in a place like a kitchen store or restaurant supplier, your cake server won’t feel special or particularly “wedding-y.”
If you really want to find feminine wedding cake servers that fit perfectly into your day, consider purchasing several of your wedding staples as a set. These sets usually come with not only feminine wedding cake servers, but ring bearer pillows, flower girl baskets, garters, guest books, and other important trinkets for your wedding. These packages are often less expensive as well. Feminine wedding cake servers can add to the cohesiveness of your wedding – you just have to plan ahead! Find feminine wedding cake servers that fit your style and your budget by not saving their purchase until the last minute.
Invitation Tips, Dos, and Dont's
You shouldn’t send tiered invitations (B-listing) or hold a tiered reception (where certain guests are only invited to certain parts of the reception), but you should tier your first draft of your guest list. Who must be invited, and who can’t be invited without inviting three other people? Immediate family (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles) may be one tier while cousins and great aunts and uncles are another. Instead of cutting individuals (which can cause some family tension), try to cut your guest list off at a tier. Maybe you invite family but not friends – it all depends on what your guest max is. Invite all significant others
If one of your adult guests is in a relationship, you should invite the significant other. While some people may say that it’s okay to not invite someone who is only a “casual” boyfriend (or you should only invite couples together if they’re married), you begin to tread in dangerous waters when you start making those decisions and distinctions yourself. Your definition of a “serious” relationship may be different from someone else’s, and you don’t want to split up a couple who identifies as a unit in social situations. They may be offended, and you could end up with a “regretfully declines” from someone you really wanted there.
Decide about +1s nowIf you allow your single friends to bring guests, prepare for your guest list to grow significantly. You may alter who gets a +1 depending on various factors, such as how far your guest is traveling or if they’re attending with their families, but whatever you do, decide now what your plan is before you deliver any numbers to vendors or venues. You don’t want to quote 100 people to your venue when adding +1s would bump your guest list to 150. Be clear on your invites
The best way to guarantee a final guest list even close to the original number you intended is to be clear in your invitations. If you aren’t inviting children to your wedding, only write the names of the adults invited on the invite, and be sure to add “(2) seats reserved in your honor” to the RSVP. If someone RSVPs with more names than you intended, make a quick phone call to your guests to clarify who the invitation was for. Most people will understand, though you should be prepared for a few “regretfully declines” when you aren’t willing to invite everyone.
Favors and Send-Offs: Wedding Recessional Sparklers
A Recessional Alternative: Wedding Recessional Sparklers
Wedding Recessional Sparklers
When the bride and groom retreat to their wedding getaway car after the ceremony or reception, it's always fun to have the guests throwing rice, flowers, or any other number of colorful accessories. The effect is beautiful in pictures, and most of your guests will love to be a part of a lighthearted wedding tradition. There are some venues, however, that aren't so keen on allowing things thrown about willy-nilly, even if it is for a wedding. Wedding recessional sparklers help add a beautiful sparkle of color to your wedding day without any of the mess that venues get so testy about. Wedding recessional sparklers come in a variety of colors and styles; you don't have to stick with the traditional shower of rice or birdseed as you make your way off into the sunset.
My favorite types of wedding recessional sparklers are the ones that serve as both a send-off to the bride and groom and a favor for your guests. Wedding recessional sparklers that come in fun shapes (such as hearts and stars) make for great gifts for those who have come to witness your marriage. Place out two wedding recessional sparklers at each place setting - one for the send-off and one for your guests to keep. Everyone will love the sentiment of wedding recessional sparklers on both the day of your wedding and for the next firework occasion - maybe even your anniversary!
Tips for Stress-Free Wedding Planning
While there’s really no such thing as “stress-free wedding planning,” there are some opportunities that you will find to make your wedding planning a little easier for everyone involved. While each family has its own frustrating quirks, and everyone is likely to have an opinion the second an engagement ring slides onto your finger, here are a few ways to keep things light, fun, and as close to stress-free as wedding planning could possibly be:
Pick Your Battles
Even when planning the smallest possible wedding, you will have to compromise with someone, even if they aren’t contributing a dime to your wedding. That’s just how being a part of a family works. There are some topics that are off the table for discussion (which denomination your ceremony will be composed regarding, for example), but there are some smaller things you might have to let go of. A good test for which details are a part of the “let it go” category is the “10 years” question. Will you remember which cake flavor you went with in 10 years? What boutonnière style your mother wore? Probably not. If something really is important to you, stand your ground, but think about the potential hurt feelings you create when doing so. If your aunt won’t bend on a provocative dress she wants to wear to the ceremony, is it really worth the energy to fight her about it? Chances are good you won’t even notice her during the big day. Weigh which issues mean the most to you, and which you’re willing to compromise on. Know which hills to die on, so to speak, and you’ll spare everyone unnecessary hard feelings. Accept Help and Try not to Ignore Reality
Planning a wedding can sometimes get you swept up in zombie “get-it-done” mode. You know that you’ll be able to do get it done in the way it needs to be done (whatever it is), so it’s sometimes hard to shift that responsibility or task to someone else who wants to help. If your future sister in law wants to help you deal with the photographer and prepare favors (even if you don’t care for the way she ties ribbons to programs), try to let her help. The more you spread the work around, the easier and more manageable all of these tasks and responsibilities become. Remember, trying to make everything perfect by doing it yourself will not only lead to stress on your part, but some unmet expectations on the big day. Your wedding will be awesome because you’re getting married, not because all of your cocktail napkins are embossed in the same direction. When help is offered, accept graciously, and don’t heap unrealistic expectations on those who offered their hand. Include Your Future Spouse
The wedding industry is very bride-centered, so it can sometimes be hard to remember that you are, well, including a second person in this whole affair. That person often has opinions, even if they don’t voice them as often or as vivaciously as you do. Try to really talk and listen about your future spouse’s wedding expectations to make sure you’re both on the same page. If your fiancé hates large crowds and loud music, maybe your wedding shouldn’t be packing 300 people into an after-hours club. You might have had the “perfect” wedding dreamed up from the moment you could say “I do,” but that was before you met the person you’re marrying now. Your wedding should be equal parts of the both of you, and it’s worth it to adjust your expectations accordingly. Take a Step Back
Organization was going to be the last point on my genius list (because let’s face it, a wedding binder with color-coded tabs never hurt anyone), but it isn’t nearly as important as a big cup of perspective as your wedding day draws nearer. The end result of a wedding isn’t a cake or a reception or honeymoon, it’s a marriage. No matter what happens in the weeks and months leading up to your wedding, you will be married when it’s all over. Isn’t that awesome? You get to be legally linked and bound to someone who loves you unconditionally. You get to send holiday cards as a social unit. That is so much cooler than a ceremony harpist.
So whenever wedding stresses seem to get overwhelming, and the DJ won’t call you back after four weeks of frantic emails, grab a beer and watch some crappy reality TV with your future spouse. When all of the relatives have gone home and you’ve returned every duplicate stand mixer, you get to be married to someone who loves you. Keep it all in perspective before you break someone’s fingers for ordering hydrangeas instead of peonies.
- A textbook example of a stress-free bride
Even when planning the smallest possible wedding, you will have to compromise with someone, even if they aren’t contributing a dime to your wedding. That’s just how being a part of a family works. There are some topics that are off the table for discussion (which denomination your ceremony will be composed regarding, for example), but there are some smaller things you might have to let go of. A good test for which details are a part of the “let it go” category is the “10 years” question. Will you remember which cake flavor you went with in 10 years? What boutonnière style your mother wore? Probably not. If something really is important to you, stand your ground, but think about the potential hurt feelings you create when doing so. If your aunt won’t bend on a provocative dress she wants to wear to the ceremony, is it really worth the energy to fight her about it? Chances are good you won’t even notice her during the big day. Weigh which issues mean the most to you, and which you’re willing to compromise on. Know which hills to die on, so to speak, and you’ll spare everyone unnecessary hard feelings. Accept Help and Try not to Ignore Reality
Planning a wedding can sometimes get you swept up in zombie “get-it-done” mode. You know that you’ll be able to do get it done in the way it needs to be done (whatever it is), so it’s sometimes hard to shift that responsibility or task to someone else who wants to help. If your future sister in law wants to help you deal with the photographer and prepare favors (even if you don’t care for the way she ties ribbons to programs), try to let her help. The more you spread the work around, the easier and more manageable all of these tasks and responsibilities become. Remember, trying to make everything perfect by doing it yourself will not only lead to stress on your part, but some unmet expectations on the big day. Your wedding will be awesome because you’re getting married, not because all of your cocktail napkins are embossed in the same direction. When help is offered, accept graciously, and don’t heap unrealistic expectations on those who offered their hand. Include Your Future Spouse
The wedding industry is very bride-centered, so it can sometimes be hard to remember that you are, well, including a second person in this whole affair. That person often has opinions, even if they don’t voice them as often or as vivaciously as you do. Try to really talk and listen about your future spouse’s wedding expectations to make sure you’re both on the same page. If your fiancé hates large crowds and loud music, maybe your wedding shouldn’t be packing 300 people into an after-hours club. You might have had the “perfect” wedding dreamed up from the moment you could say “I do,” but that was before you met the person you’re marrying now. Your wedding should be equal parts of the both of you, and it’s worth it to adjust your expectations accordingly. Take a Step Back
Organization was going to be the last point on my genius list (because let’s face it, a wedding binder with color-coded tabs never hurt anyone), but it isn’t nearly as important as a big cup of perspective as your wedding day draws nearer. The end result of a wedding isn’t a cake or a reception or honeymoon, it’s a marriage. No matter what happens in the weeks and months leading up to your wedding, you will be married when it’s all over. Isn’t that awesome? You get to be legally linked and bound to someone who loves you unconditionally. You get to send holiday cards as a social unit. That is so much cooler than a ceremony harpist.
So whenever wedding stresses seem to get overwhelming, and the DJ won’t call you back after four weeks of frantic emails, grab a beer and watch some crappy reality TV with your future spouse. When all of the relatives have gone home and you’ve returned every duplicate stand mixer, you get to be married to someone who loves you. Keep it all in perspective before you break someone’s fingers for ordering hydrangeas instead of peonies.