Give Big!

Giving back is a huge part of my business philosophy.  It is really important to me for many different reasons.  One of which is, I work in weddings, which is really fun and rewarding, but can occasionally feel materialistic and over indulgent.  I have many clients who are looking to give back through their weddings.  They also share my feelings of sadness seeing all of the beautiful flowers going into the garbage at the end of the night.  Floranthropy!  Floranthropy, is a Seattle non-profit company that helps people give flowers from their big event to local charities.  Started by a bride in June 2011 when she donated the flowers from her wedding the the hospital her Mother was a patient at.  She realized that there was a need for this service and began Floranthropy!
The flower arrangements would last a week, if not longer after the wedding if given the chance.  While doing some research for me this week, my assistant Charlotte found this amazing website.  I have not yet used it, but am really excited about it! 
 
Here is some information from their website:

"Floranthropy brings social responsibility to your celebration or event. We pickup and deliver event floral arrangements to re-purpose them in local hospitals, shelters, nursing homes, schools and other facilities. Many hospitals and social service centers do not have donation sites and do not provide pickups. Our donation pickup and delivery service provides you with a one-stop solution for giving green. Recycle and re-purposed your floral arrangements today.  If good karma isn't enough, it’s tax deductible too!

• Donate Wedding & Event Floral Arrangements

• Donate Corporate Event Floral Arrangements

• Donate Bar & Bah-Mitzvah Floral Arrangements

• Fundraisers: Online Donation Drive & Registry (Coming Soon!!)

• Provide Tax Deductible Receipt" 

If you've used it, I would love to hear about your experience, good or bad.  I'm excited about finding a this resource I can share with all of your and my clients.  I look forward to using it and giving back!

Want Your Wedding On TV?

 
TLC's Four Weddings is Casting Brides in Seattle.  Are you planning a Honeymoon winning worthy event?  Apply online here.

Blended... I'm not talking about cocktails!

Are you getting married, and have children? Why not include your children (or child) in the celebration that will join your blended family together.   Weddings offer a number of ways to include the whole family.  There is the ceremony itself, adding special reception moments, and during the planning process as a whole.  

Here are 5 ways you can include everyone in the wedding:

Planning

1. Your (or your partner’s) kid(s) can help with many of the planning pieces: from picking the wedding colors and theme, to tasting cake and the wedding meal.  The wedding vendor meetings can be a great bonding activity for everyone involved. Bring the kiddos to the fun and appropriate meetings.  I would avoid bringing children to any meeting that is just talking and likely to be boring for them.  The photographer or wedding planner meetings might be prime examples.   Keep the children involved in the parts they care about and are fun.  The wedding becomes a shared event that is important to all when children’s’ opinions are included. 
2. A great unifying piece is sending a ‘Family Wedding Invitation’.  There are many options on wording to include both the couple and children’s names.  Check with your invitation company for options and examples.

Ceremony 

3.  If a family ceremony is less traditional or more then you are looking for, you can include one or two of the elements.  Choose from any of these: Walk down the aisle together, include the children in your wedding party, have them read a poem, recite their own vows, or be included in yours, family unity ceremony with a candle or sand, etc.  
4. Family ceremony: This wedding is about more than joining the two of you.  It is now about joining a family.  You can talk to your Officiant and opt to have a family oriented ceremony.  They can provide suggestions on how to best do this in your situation.  These ceremonies are centered on not just the joining of a couple, but instead the creation of a new family.   All of the traditional aspects of the wedding are transformed to include all members of the new union. Note: Depending on the age of the children, they may not be able to stand at the altar during the entire ceremony with you, or be able to recite a poem, so finding the right fit for your participants is important.

Reception

5. The reception is generally more than 60% of the wedding day.  If you want to continue to share the spotlight here are a few ideas: create a ‘Family Table’ in your seating arrangements, where the entire family can sit together during dinner, and guests can come by and congratulate everyone, not just the bride and groom. Special Dances: Include your children (or child) in a special family dance, in additional to any traditional dances you may be doing, ie. father/daughter dance, or mother/son dance. There are a number of songs, out there that can really capture the relationship between Father/Daughter and of course Mother/Son songs.

If you are about to blend your family; including your children (or child) is a great way to allow them to be a part of the commitment that you are about to make to your new husband or wife. Because in the end they are joining the commitment as well.

Websites used:

1. http://www.alleventsadviser.com/plan/planning/including-your-kids-in-your-wedding/

2. http://bridalmusings.com/2012/09/mother-son-wedding-dance-songs/

3. http://voices.yahoo.com/stepfather-daughter-wedding-dance-song-ideas-5933588.html?cat=23

Behind the Veil! Finding your Perfect Look!

You have your dress ordered and on it's way! Your shoes, undergarments are maybe even accessories are selected.  As your final fitting approaches, it is now time to select your veil.  There are so many different options for veil style and length (if you are choosing to do one at all).  Here's a cheat sheet to help you have the verbiage that goes with picking your perfect style!

Picture courtesy of Soolip Wedding Planning Hollywood, CA.

Better Homes and Garden's Invitation Advice!

 

I love Better Homes & Garden's Magazine!  I subscribe to the monthly magazine as well as get the daily emails.  Today's email caught my eye! With wedding season quickly approaching; the start of Spring is just a day away, I thought I would share it with all of you!  There is some wonderful information that I totally agree with in this article, and my comments are included in purple!  Enjoy!

Cordially Invited: Wedding Invitation Tips

Expert tips on choosing, ordering, addressing, and mailing wedding invitations.

By Katherine C. Nugent for Simply Creative Weddings

 

With satin ribbons tied gently, elegant papers matched perfectly, and graceful swirls of letters cascading across the page, a wedding invitation is the announcement of a dream-fulfilling day. It speaks of promises to be made and the gathering of family and friends. It is a guest's first glimpse into a milestone event.
The wording of a formal wedding invitation follows a specific style that celebrates all parties involved while stating the details of the day.

The first line announces the hosts. Traditionally, these are the bride's parents, but now it is fairly common for the bride and groom or others to serve as hosts. A conventional line stating "request the honour of your presence" is appropriate for formal weddings, and "request the pleasure of your company" is acceptable for more casual ceremonies.
 The next few lines vary, depending upon who is hosting the event. Often these lines indicate the hosts' relationship to the bride, followed by the bride's full name. The word "to" has a line of its own and precedes the groom's full name.
On the next lines, the day, month, and year are spelled out: "May 5, 2007" becomes "Saturday, the fifth of May, Two thousand seven." The time, on a separate line, also is written out (e.g., "five o'clock in the afternoon").
The wedding location gets its own line, and the city and state are next. Finally, if all wedding guests are invited to the reception, the last line gives information about the location and time; for example, "Reception begins at six o'clock at the Westover Golf and Country Club."
 There are so many acceptable and different ways to word invitations now days.  It is such a personal choice where you can really express your personality and give guests a glimpse into your wedding day plans!  Have fun with this.  Be playful if your wedding is so, Be goofy if you two are!  Use your invitation as a sneak peak into your world as a couple!
Check a wedding planning book or stationery store for resources for the wording of an invitation to match your needs.

What to Send

Enclosures in the invitation, though not necessary, are a considerate touch and help clarify details. A reception card is useful, especially if the reception will be held at a place other than the wedding site. Using a separate card for this information keeps the wedding invitation clearer.

Another practical reason for a separate reception card: Some guests may be invited only to the wedding, and it's easy to insert reception cards into the envelopes of those who are invited to the reception. The card should indicate the time the reception begins (or say "Reception immediately following the ceremony"), followed by the name and address of the location. Other ideas: Dinner and Dancing to follow, Cocktails and Merriment to follow, Etc. Make it personal! 

Other enclosures to consider are a menu-choice card, a map with directions to the wedding and reception, and a rain-location card if needed.

An RSVP card is customary; with the obligatory self-addressed, stamped envelope, it allows guests to reply quickly and easily and provides the hosts with a head count to determine the amount of food needed. Set the RSVP card return date two to three weeks prior to the wedding. All cards should match the style of the invitation. As a general rule I like my clients to have a RSVP date 4 weeks prior to the wedding day.  This allows plenty of time to connect with guests that have not RSVP'd and find out their response before having to give final head counts to caterers and florist.  Also, if you and your crowd are tech savvy online RSVPing is a new trend.  I'm old fashion and prefer paper, but the choice is yours!

A new trend in wedding invitations is to send a save-the-date card. This announcement goes out three to four months prior to the wedding. The save-the-date card represents the first news of the occasion many guests receive. It allows them to make arrangements as needed well ahead of time. Typically, the card includes general information about the wedding as well as any special accommodations the couple has made for guests (such as meals or reserved blocks at hotels). It is typical now to include your wedding website for guest to find out all information about your wedding.  Also, I personally like when clients send out Save the Dates 6 to 8 months in advance if there is time, especially if a large portion of the guest will be traveling to the destination or if it is a popular summer date.

How to Address

1. Because a wedding is so personal, the envelopes should be handwritten.
2. If time is an issue, enlist others to help address, or consider hiring a calligrapher.
3. Always spell out street names and write out street numbers from one to twelve (e.g., "8th Ave." becomes "Eighth Avenue").
4. Use guests' complete names; nicknames are inappropriate.
5. Children over the age of 18 each should receive a separate invitation, even if they live with their parents.
6. Check the postage. When you have a full invitation assembled with inserts, take it to the post office to confirm the required postage; before purchasing stamps. Remember to ask about postage for invitations going to other countries.
7. Mail the invitations six to eight weeks ahead of the wedding date. For faraway friends and family, even more time is necessary: eight to 10 weeks. If your wedding is during a holiday weekend or you're planning a destination wedding, consider sending all your invitations eight to 10 weeks ahead.

Cost Savers

Careful selection of invitations is one way to cut wedding costs. The amount of postage required can vary substantially, depending on size and weight; nonstandard shapes can be costly to mail. Squares are more expensive then rectangles to mail.  I don't know why I just know it to be so.  Take these types of things into consideration when selecting your invite if budget is a concern!  If you love a square invitation consider using a larger rectangular envelope when mailing to avoid the up charge. 
Stunning invitations, from engraved to those made using less-expensive printing processes, are available from vendors who cater to every taste.  Also, ordering online may save you big bucks.  Check out online invitation retailers to get the best deal!  Wisdom: ALWAYS order a sample first so you know what you are getting.  It is hard to tell the quality from a website without holding it in your hands.
Crafts and scrapbooking stores also carry a vast array of papers, vellums, ribbons, and other supplies for couples wanting to customize their announcements.
The number of invitations ordered will influence the cost. It is usually cost-effective to order 10 to 20 percent more invitations and components than needed. Reordering is costly, and having leftovers is better than running out. Purchasing extras also allows for inevitable "afterthought" guests and errors made in addressing.
The process of creating wedding invitations is an opportunity for a couple to put their own signature on the occasion. This is the first announcement of a moment to be remembered forever.

Have fun!  Make it personal!  Send with plenty of time!  

Rainbow Wedding Network Wedding Show!

This weekend I participated in the Rainbow Wedding Network's Tacoma Wedding Show!  I had a wonderful time!  I met awesome couples excited to start planning their dream days!  Last week I shared my new postcards and booth inspiration. Here is the reality of my booth: 

Wedding Coordinator Testimonial Video

LOVE...Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope today is a magical day of love for you!