Wedding Basics

Wedding Basics ( Page 6 )

Wedding Guest List Etiquette Questions

Wedding planning sometimes feels a bit like a minefield, right? The constant dodging to the right and left, avoiding offending someone or making some sort of grave social faux pas can leave you feeling frustrated and exhausted. We have compiled some of our most requested guest list etiquette questions here:

When should I send my save-the-dates?

Do I have to invite an estranged family member?

How can I cut my guest list?

Prioritizing your guest list

Can I invite guests to just the reception?

Who should receive a “plus one” and who can I invite solo?

For more etiquette answers check out Planning & Etiquette!

Photo Credit: K and K Photography

Choosing the Best Undergarments for Your Wedding Dress

You said yes to the dress and you’re knee-deep in planning, but there’s one element that you’ve probably missed—and it’s the (ahem) foundation for looking great on your wedding day.

Underwear, y’all. We’re not talking wedding night prettiness…we mean the real stuff that keeps you looking great underneath a well-fitting formal dress. If you’ve been to the lingerie department of a major department store, you know there are a million shapewear and undergarment options. You also know that there’s no way in h-e-double hockey sticks that you’re going to drag your perfect dress around town to find the right underpinnings to go with it.

Va Bien Underpinnings App

Thankfully, there’s an app for that. Our friends at…

Chelsea Shows Us How to Create a Vintage Saucer Centerpiece

This centerpiece is full of drama and personality but couldn’t be simpler to make!

Total Cost: $15 – $20

Supplies:

-Flower Clippers
-Vintage Saucers: We collected saucers at thrift shops and found a few on sale. They were easy to find for under $1 a piece. We used 12 saucers for a 6 foot long table.
-12 flower stems (for a 6 foot table)

Flowers that work well for this project:
Dahlias (pictured)
Garden roses or very open roses
Peonies
Zinnias
Asters

Steps:1. Clip off the stems so that the flower can sit flat.

2. Line up your saucers in the center of the table. Just eye what looks good to…

Our Favorite Registry Items

You’ve registered for the basics…you think. But your registry is looking pretty blah, pretty ecru, pretty nothing like you at all. Here are a few of our favorite registry items that you can use to spice up your registry and give it a more personal touch.

Bloomingdale’s has a ton of terrific registry items ranging from the demurely classic to crazy, bold modernism. Personally, I like their classic serving items best, such as this gorgeous crystal pitcher (what a stunner!) and this handy, but sweet, trivet.

If you want to build up your kitchen, go beyond just a stand mixer and try to invest in products such as high-quality knives, glass nesting bowls that make baking prep a breeze…

Defining Wedding Themes

If you spend any time perusing real weddings or glued to Pinterest, you have probably been introduced to commonly used descriptions like vintage, retro, and rustic. And this may have left you a tad confused…Can you have a modern vintage rustic wedding? Well, probably not. But to help you decipher these themes, we wanted to provide you with basic definitions of each.

Vintage Think antique, feminine styling. These weddings generally featured very muted color palettes and lots of lace, burlap, linen, and delicate flowers.

Retro This is vintage’s sassy cousin. Highly nostalgic with a bit of a wink, retro weddings are fun and merry. The color palettes are usually bright and happy. Not to make too broad of a statement, but vintage is generally pre…

Helpful Tips for Choosing Your Wedding Colors

Right after securing the venue and finding the dress, selecting your wedding colors is a major decision. Color can influence mood and theme (something we will discuss in a future post), setting the tone for your big event. When trying to decide on what palette to use, first consider three basic factors:

What colors do you love (and hate)?

This may sound like a really basic question, but sometimes brides are tempted to go with what is trendy over what they love. Big mistake. In ten years no one will remember that orange was the hot shade of 2012, but if you have never been fond of the color, chances are you will wince every time you see the photos of…

Tips for a Modern Green Wedding

Modern weddings are a great way to go green! Recycled, repurposed and renewable resources are the way of the future. You can find recycled, fair trade and sustainable products in our wedding shop. If you are tired of vintage weddings and shabby chic, this wedding theme is for you!

You’re Invited!

These Wonderful Gown wedding shower invitations are printed on 100% recycled paper and are the perfect way to announce the shower for your eco-friendly wedding. Colors and fonts are customizable.

Forever Fiances’ signature paper is handmade from 100% post consumer waste paper – the paper we put in the blue bin. Their signature paper is also embedded with wildflower seeds so you and your guests…

Liven Up Your Photo Booth: Tips for Your Photo Props

Chances are, your wedding reception you will feature a photo booth to entertain your guests. You already know all the reasons why a photo booth is a great choice, but often overlooked are the props that will appear in those photo booth pictures.

Why props are important
The purpose of the photo booth is to entertain, but also so that you can get more images of your guests while your photographer focuses their professional lens on the dance floor, the cake cutting, and other important shots. One person standing alone in a photo booth can be just plain awkward. You need to have another element in the picture to act as a seed of creativity.

There will also…

How to Survive Wedding Dress Shopping: Five Simple Rules

Shopping for a wedding dress is supposed to be fantastic. You sip champagne. You giggle with your friends. You find the perfect dress. Everybody tells you that you are gorgeous. The End. But sometimes it just doesn’t go this way. Wedding dress shopping is often overloaded with emotions and expectations. Here are five simple rules to follow to make your experience positive and fun!

Bring people who love you. Keep the crowd small and kind. You are going to want honesty, but not the “brutal” type. The bridesmaid that hasn’t said one nice thing during all of the events? She can stay at home. Besides, you know that expression about too many cooks in the kitchen?

…

Personalize Your Venue!

Now that you have booked your venue you probably still hope to transform it a little. If you take advantage of a few simple tips, you can create a one-of-a-kind wedding in even the most popular venue!

Don’t forget the lighting!

Seriously. The expenses are definitely adding up and you are looking for places to cut. And it may seem like lighting is the easiest choice. If nothing else, you can hand your guests flashlights, right? But lighting is the fastest and most effective way to immediately change the mood of a room. From colored lights to add depth to hotel ballrooms to lights and candles surrounding an outdoor garden, lighting can make all the difference.

Create rooms

Especially if you have…