Monday Musings: Frenches Are The Best

Yes, I love our dogs a bit too much!

Fabulous Friday: Its Fall!

While I am definitely a summer gal, Fall is my second favorite season of the year ~ apple picking, pumpkin carving, comfy cozy sweaters and watching the leaves turn are just some of the lovely things to look forward to in fall. That and the crisp weather. Oh, so excited Fall is here again!

A great interview with Abbey from Style Me Pretty by Calligraphy by Jennifer, very insightful!

Good tips on hiring a wedding photographer, a must read!

Some excellent tips on creating a functional registry ~ my bonus tip: if you plan on having children, get enough baking sheets, trays, pans and molds as possible, saves you from having to purchase them in the future!

My biggest pet peeve in wedding planning is the unattainable inspiration for your decor ~ there are so many beautiful ideas and images out there but never any pricing to go along with them, here's the honest truth about your chosen inspiration.

Deciding on where to break your budget down based on priorities? Check this out for some good tips!

Happy Fall Weekending!

Defining Your Wedding Day Floral Style

Once you've gotten your venue booked and your wedding style decided, its time to fuse those two and decide on your décor design. The optimal goal in design is to encapsulate elements from many sources:

Venue ~ what does the room look like? What elements should you play to? Is it formal/informal? Is it light and airy or dark and romantic? How does the location play into the venue? Is there a ton of history or something that the area is well known for?

Wedding Dress ~ is your wedding dress modern or vintage? Beaded or not? Is it body hugging or more princessy?

Bridesmaid Dresses ~ what color is their dress? Are the girls all wearing the same outfit, or different?

Couple Wedding Style ~ are you really into flowers or not? Do you want something sophisticated, elegant, modern or over the top? Do you prefer non floral elements like berries & fruits? Are you more ethereal and into candles to set the mood?

These are all questions that will come into play as you decide on your décor design. Weddings are meant to be cohesive (i.e. have some element that runs throughout from your Save the Dates/Invites through to the end of the wedding evening), therefore, what can you do in the design concept to run throughout the wedding experience?

Amass your inspiration boards, cut outs and other items that you love into a large collection. Spend time with each image ~ what do you love about it? When you start to meet with Florists, bring a list of Flowers you love (and that are hopefully in season when you are getting married) as well as a list of flowers you dislike. Bring your images to show what you like ... even if it's a simple detail like the color of a ribbon ~ your florist can find inspiration in that. Remember that you have time and you can change the elements if you find something better for your taste.






(sorry ~ i scanned these in and forgot to tag where I found them. If you know, PLEASE tell me so I can give full credit ~ thanks!)

This post was originally published on June 9th, 2009

You Can Negotiate With Caterers

Depending on the type of venue you have chosen, you may need to find a caterer for your wedding. If that is the case, also keep in mind that no costs are fixed. A good catering company will be willing to give you multiple options in food, beverages and pricing to try and work within your budget. Optimally meet with three caterers: you'll get a wide variety of menu choices and pricing. Then choose two that you would like to have a tasting with (always ask beforehand if there are charges for tastings). Once you've had your tastings, you'll be able to negotiate on a full stomach. Choose the elements most important to you: presentation, quality of food, inventiveness of food, whatever it is. Let the caterer know what you liked about the tasting/menu and what you didn't (perhaps nothing!). Ask where to trim to save. Perhaps you can change the style of dinner service which will free up some serving staff or if you know that your crowd just wants alcohol and doesn't care about top shelf drinks, perhaps moving away from pricier bottles is a smart move for you. Or ask if you bring in your own cake is there a cutting fee. Or, if you just do stations and nothing passed during the cocktail hour, how would that affect the overall price per head. Don't be afraid to think outside of the 'traditional' catering box, be adventurous!


(courtesy of cnib.ca)

This post was originally published on June 8th, 2009

The Game Plan on Wedding Vendor Negotiations

After all your hard work and research, you've picked a few venues that fit the bill for your wedding. Perhaps you've already narrowed it down to the most fantastic place for your wedding. How do you go about negotiating with the venue to ensure that you are getting the best pricing and deal for you? Firstly, ask. Even if its the most outrageous request in the world, just ask. The worst that can happen is the venue says no. If that happens, ask for something else. Aim to be reasonable though in your request (i.e. if its $195 per person for Food + Top Shelf open bar, don't say, our budget only allows for $50 per person. Rather, ask where you can trim off the menu + bar to bring costs down). Go into your negotiations with a game plan. What are your must haves (top shelf, lobster, outside cocktails, whatever it is) and work around your must haves with things you care less for (bathroom attendants etc). Once you've gotten a contract that you can live with, take time to read the contract that the venue provides (this is applicable to all vendors), the contract spells out the can do's and the cannot do's of the place and any other requirements that you must be aware of. You want to make sure you are comfortable with the venue's policies. If you don't understand any clause or term, just ask. I read contracts all the time and still ask lots of questions when I don't understand anything. You won't know until you ask. When you eventually sign the venue's contract, you want to be 100% aware of everything related to that location.



(courtesy of saweddingvenues.com)

This post was originally published on June 7th, 2009

Monday Musings: Enjoying Life

Let the good times roll!



{taken by me at a Tom Petty concert in August}

Determining Your Wedding Day Style

Style is an individual experience. Your personal style and your soon to be's personal style may be similar and it may be very different. The one thing that is a definite though, is that you need to find YOUR wedding style. Something that captures and embodies what you want the wedding to be. Whether it is a traditional or modern feeling, a specific theme, something beachy, fun, city like or rustic and charming, spend time with your soon to be and put thought into your wedding style. Start by defining your personal couple style. Next, start to think about how you visualize the wedding day. What does the alter look like? How do you feel when you walk into the reception? What is the goal for the evening? Does the venue or area you've chosen elude to a specific style or theme? Once you've picked a style, start researching that style on blogs, in magazines and in life. Clip images of things you like. All this information will help your vendors enormously when it comes time to design the wedding day.






(courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings)



This post was originally published on June 6th, 2009