Radio Interview with Simply Celebrations & Events

I had the wonderful opportunity to be interviewed on Empire Radio Now last month. If you want to know more about my company and what I do for couples planning their wedding day, check out the interview. Give me a call if you would like help with your wedding planning.
https://empireradionow.com/nancy-skipton-2-22-17-wedding-and-event-planner/

Wedding Website - How do I make one for my wedding?

So you are planning your wedding and you need to let your guests know details about:

• Where to stay during your wedding
• Where you are registered
• give your guests directions to your wedding ceremony and reception.

A personal wedding website is the best place to do all of this. But you say "I don't know how to make a website!" And I say "You don't need too." And you can match your invitations to the same look as your website depending on which design you pick. One company gives you this option - Wedding Paper Divas.

Wedding Paper Divas offers FREE wedding website templates to match more than 30 of their bestselling wedding invitations. This means that you can now easily create an ad-free personal wedding website complete with online RSVP capabilities and more—and keep it FREE for one year! Get started now to ensure that everything will be beautifully designed and perfectly coordinated as you prep for your big day.




Click "Create Site" to check out what WPD has to offer.
 

With Wedding Paper Divas templates, you can put together your own wedding website easily with your own photos, online guest RSVP, share your story of how you both meet and became engaged...and so much more.

Wedding Paper Divas makes it easy for you to get it done and check one more thing off your list.

5 Creative ways to “number” your reception tables

Your ceremony is over and you are married. Wow! The first part of your day is complete. Now comes the fun part….your reception. While you and your husband have pictures taken, your guest will be heading to the reception. Once they arrive, where will they sit? If the food at your reception will be served buffet style, open seating works perfectly. However if the meal will be plated, you will need to do place cards and perhaps also assign tables. Doing the seating chart is a fair amount of work and is straight forward…..not a lot of room for creativity. You will need a list of all your guests, which entrée they will eat and where they will sit. Place cards and table numbers do not need to be fancy or expensive, but these can be a place you show your creative flair or continue the theme of your wedding. Here are five ways to be uniquely you with your table assignments:

• Name tables instead of numbering – use your favorite wines or types to label your tables: Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, etc. Your place cards could be bottle shaped or the color of each wine type.

• Label your tables with names of states you have visited together or lived in – each table could have a story about being in that state: the state where you met each other, where you each grew up, where you vacationed together or went to school. Place cards could have a ribbon matching a color in the state flag or a picture of the state plant or bird. You could do cities instead of states. Have fun with this!

• What if you and your groom are big readers, you could use favorite author’s names or book titles. You can really take off with this one. Your place cards could be bookmarks with the guests name, entrée and author/book. You could include your names and wedding date and their place card can double as your favor. Your guests now have a keepsake from your wedding to use again in their favorite book or magazine.

• Add some bling to your guest tables and use gems as the names. You could go really glamorous with this one. If your base table cloths are white or ivory, you have a great “canvas” for adding some color to your tables. The Diamond table could have rhinestones around the center of the table and the place cards can have a “diamond” glued to it. Think your birth stone, his birthstone and then your whole bridal party for gems to use. Craft stores have rhinestones in many colors and shapes.

• Let’s say you love to garden. What is your favorite thing to grow? This one has lots of options. Pick your favorite culinary herbs and spices for table names. Try flowers, vegetables, fruits, or shrubs. Your place cards could have a picture of the plant, vegetable, fruit, etc. Your favors could tie in with corresponding seed packets for your guests. Or choose wildflowers and there is actually handmade paper that has wildflower seed embedded in it. The paper can be used for place cards and table sign, and then the really cool part: seeded paper can be planted and the seeds will produce wildflowers. From table décor to place cards to table sign into a guest favor. Eco friendly and creative too!

Part of the fun part of wedding planning is being able to infuse the personality of you and your groom into the day. Be uniquely you all the way to your reception tables. I would love to help you create unique ways to name your tables. Seating charts can be a chore and you can hire me to do these for you.

Wedding Invitations –3 Local Design Companies to Choose

A beautifully designed and custom wedding invitation sets the tone for your wedding day. It gives your guests a glimpse of what they will experience on your wedding day. Your invitation is the first look for your guests and you want to show them your style as a couple.


There are three local companies I want to showcase because I personally know each of them and know they will take great care of any of my wedding couples. All of these three ladies can create a fabulous invitation and other wedding papers for your day with style and grace and with some of the best customer service you will ever receive.


Paper Passionista is a wedding paper company privately owned and operated by Gayle. She knows the wedding industry from more than one perspective. She has planned weddings, owned a wedding retail store and now offers mobile invitation design. She comes to you for your convenience. Her website has many options for you to consider. Take a look and give her a call for a consultation. http://www.paperpassionista.com/


Paper Fling is a retail location based business in Kirkland owned by Ruth. I have worked with her several times and my couples loved her designs and her customer service. She will guide you through the process step by step to create your wedding invitations based on your wishes and your budget. She knows how to work with couples and has done some beautiful invitations for bridal couples of mine. This is her website and she is waiting to help you with your design. http://www.paperfling.com/index.html


Valerie's Invites is one more company for which I trust to refer my clients. She can do completely custom designs or assist you in choosing a customizable design from one of her many suppliers. Just as the other two companies can, Valerie can help you with menu cards, place cards, table cards or ceremony programs. See what she has to offer here:  http://valeriesinvites.com/


I only recommend companies that I have checked out in person and that have worked with clients of mine. These ladies do excellent work and will take great care of you.

 

20% off from Wedding Paper Divas on Invitations & MORE

Do you need save the dates, invitations or other wedding paper such as menu cards, place cards, or ceremony programs? Now is the time to see what Wedding  Paper Divas has to offer you. Take advantage of the opportunity to buy your wedding papers during this great site wide promotion. Offer expires 8/5/2014 at 11:59 pm (PT). 

Shop now for 20% off

Enjoy 20% off your order using the code SUMMER14 at checkout There is no minimum purchase required for this promotion. This promotion code cannot be combined with other offers. Offer not applicable to previously placed orders, shipping, taxes, rush processing charges, and excludes photo books, calendars, gift certificates and items from their Thermography, Letterpress, Foil Stamping and engraving collections and our professional printing service. Offer is valid only on Wedding Paper Divas.

To take advantage of this offer click the shop now link below and get started.

Shop now for 20% off

Here are a few examples of their beautiful invitations:

Call or email Nancy if you need help with planning your wedding paper for your wedding.
206-601-6957
Or
nancy@simplycelebrations.com

How Will You Create Your Wedding Invitations?

There are so many ways for you to create your wedding invitations or other wedding papers such as  Save the Dates or ceremony programs.

• You can order them online and design your items there.
• You can also go to one of the many retail locations for invitations and wedding papers and have an in-house designer help you create your invitations or other items.
• If you have the DIY talent and desire, you can create these yourself from scratch.

How you go about this depends on a few variables.


If you are crafty and have the motivation and the time to make your own, this can be very satisfying and rewarding. This direction has personalization and customization written all over it. However if you run screaming when some one mentions crafting and you have nightmares about using a glue gun or a decorative paper punch, this might not be the best way for you.


Designing and ordering online has its benefits and its pitfalls. Where you go matters. Customer service, ability to customize and the number of options vary from company to company. You may have to proofread your invitation online and not get to see, touch or feel the quality of the paper in person until your full order arrives. Some online companies will send you samples or proofs via snail mail. However this method is very convenient and usually less expensive than going to a printer who specializes in wedding invitations and wedding papers. There are some really great companies online if you chose this method.

You can go to a craft store (i.e., Michael's, Joann's, Hobby Lobby) and buy the boxes of pre-made invitations and, using their templates, print your own invitations. This might be for you if you are not looking for something very unique or customized. One drawback here: your at home printer may or may not be able to "process" the paper if it has a raised border or design on it. You may want to buy one box first to be sure your printer can handle the invitation first. Otherwise this seemingly cost effective method might get expensive fast and also it is labor intensive for you to print your own.


Going to a wedding invitation designer is frequently more expensive than all of the above methods. But if you are a person who wants to actually touch the different types and thicknesses of the papers, this way might be for you. The designers I know will show you all different types of qualities of papers as well as embellishments and a huge variety of fonts and font colors. The designer will walk you through every step by your side in person. If you appreciative this in person experience, this is the best way for you.


So think about what best fits you and stay tuned for a few related posts to come.


Let me know what you think about this post in the comment area below.

Maintain Your Engagement Ring

Everything worth having in life is worth receiving regular loving care. This goes for marriages, relationships, your home, your car and also for your jewelry. I learned the hard and stressful way when I procrastinated on my engagement ring maintenance.
As I stepped out of the shower one day in June, I looked down at my engagement ring as I often do every day. This time the view was shocking instead of full of lovely memories of my wedding day. I saw empty prongs with a missing center diamond!

The next few minutes were spent saying “No, No, No” and a frantic search around the tub, the drain and floor of the bathroom. No diamond in sight. My heart was sinking and my stomach was tightening. I had lost my diamond from my ring. Needless to say, not much got done for work this day. After searching all the floors of my home and the dismantling of the shower drain with no results, I made the dreaded phone call to my husband. With tears streaming down my face, my husband, being the calm loving man he is, assured me that we would get it fixed, repaired, whatever it takes. He called our jeweler and made an appointment for the following Monday to have the broken prongs looked at. Two of the four prongs had broken off at the top.

The rest of my day was spent scouring the house, the furniture, our bed, sinks, everywhere for the missing stone. I knew it was somewhere in the house because I looked at it the previous night before going to bed. Later when my husband got home from work he went under the house and cleaned out the P Trap in hopes the stone would be found there.  Ladies you do not want to have to do this. It is beyond icky!  Still no diamond found! The only good thing about this ugly activity was I knew then and there that my husband would do anything for me.

That night I went through the house one more time with a bright flashlight and all the lights in the house off….searching the floors and rugs. As I went through the half bath down the hall with my flashlight, I was feeling I would never sleep this night. Searching around the back of the toilet and toilet topper I saw a little glint. Could it be? In the cabinet over the toilet on the bottom shelf was a small round shiny object: MY DIAMOND! Yes! Yes! Yes! Happy tears and running through the house yelling “I found it! I found it!” One of my luckiest and happiest moments!

I was lucky that my center stone did not dislodge outside of my house. Don’t let this potential loss happen to you. Here are some steps to preventing this very upsetting experience.

1.       Twice a year inspections - My jeweler warranties the integrity of the ring if you bring it in for twice a year inspections. Add this to your reminders on your calendar so you do not forget to schedule this inspection. They will check your ring for wear and tear, for the integrity of the prongs and to check if the stone is still in the setting properly. At this same time you can usually get your ring cleaned professionally. It will sparkle like new!

2.       Regular cleaning at home – Clean your ring at home monthly.  It depends on the type of stone which cleaner you should use, if any. Ask your jeweler what the proper care is for your stone(s). A toothbrush is a good tool for a light gentle cleaning under the center stone and around the setting. Very mild dish soap is what I use. Rinse well.

3.       Remove when doing yard work or other hand work - Ladies, most of us wear our diamonds every day not matter what we are doing. We do house cleaning, yard work, as well as many other things. We risk bumping or harming our engagement ring during some of these rigorous processes. I know that I always feel weird without my ring on but I take it off now when doing yard work, scrubbing and some types of food prep as well. Have the same safe place to put your ring every time you take it off. When I told one of my friends about my experience, she shared with me that she had lost her center stone while gardening.

4.       Insurance – Most homeowner’s or renter’s policies have an extra “rider” you can purchase for jewelry. This can cover accidentally loss or theft…it depends on the policy. There are also separate companies who insure just jewelry. I found a really informative article on TheKnot.com about this subject. I encourage you to read it. http://wedding.theknot.com/getting-engaged/engagement-rings/articles/engagement-ring-insurance-101.aspx?MsdVisit=1

I hope my experience will end your procrastination to have your precious ring checked twice a year. See my ring below all fixed.

 

 

 

Ladies, don’t let my experience happen to you. I found my stone and was very fortunate.  Make the appointment to maintain your engagement ring so YOU don’t ever lose YOUR bling.

 

 

 

Getting Married? Attend a wedding show or event.

If you are engaged and looking for quality vendors for your wedding day, consider attending a wedding show or event. The Puget Sound area has some excellent wedding events to attend and check out local wedding professionals.

As a professional wedding consultant , I will be at Seattle Wedding Show coming next year on January 11^th and 12^th, 2014. Come by and meet me and other vendors.

Below are some suggestions for attending any wedding event to make it a more valuable experience for you:

·         Go to the show online and pick out your top 5 vendors that you want to see and consider for your wedding. Write down the booth numbers and company names. Shows can be overwhelming when there can be 200 vendors or more at a show. This way you have a plan of who is most important for you to see.

·         Many wedding events have vendor drawings and you may also want specific vendors to contact you after the day of the show. Consider pre-printing some labels with your crucial contact information.  I cannot tell you how disappointing it is as a vendor to have a drawing and not be able to decipher the handwriting of the winner. Your labels should have the info you want to share: Name (Bride/Groom), phone, email, wedding date, and your mailing address (if you wish). Any office supply store will have labels you can print at home and then peel off and place on entry forms or contact forms at the show. Quick and easy for you and easy to read for the vendor.

·         You may find the perfect vendor for you at the wedding show. Go to the show with your checkbook and credit card so you can book a vendor that day if you wish. A few words of advice: Do not feel pressured to sign right then and there. Read the entire contract before signing or making a “deposit” to hold a vendor for your day. Most vendors take a “first payment” which is frequently non-refundable. I suggest making an appointment with a desired vendor for the week following the show. This will allow you to meet and ask questions in a less hectic environment than the show floor.

·         An additional way you can improve your wedding show experience is by considering your comfort. Wear comfortable shoes – you may be walking the aisles for 2 or more hours. Choose clothing that can be worn in layers. When the show floor gets crowded it can get quite warm and at the beginning of the show it can be chilly. Bring a handbag that is not heavy with items already before the show even starts. Your back and neck will thank you after the show.

·         Do bring information you already have for your wedding day. A small binder is a great way to have all your info gathered in one place. You can add the vendors that you meet and like at the show to your binder for easy locating later. You will be thankful later that you did this when you don’t have to sort through everything you picked up at the show.

 

Wedding shows and events are fun and sometimes overwhelming. If you start off prepared, you will enjoy it so much more.

The Wedding Ceremony - When Sarah marries Sam

So finally Sarah and Sam are engaged. This is an exciting and exhilarating time for a newly engaged couple. It can, however, also be a time filled with concerns and questions about how to plan their wedding ceremony.

Let me tell you a little about Sarah and Sam, my fictional couple for this post. Sarah and Sam just got engaged after being together for several years. They both live in and grew up in Washington State. They are very excited to be taking the step of marriage in their relationship. They are both in their middle to late twenties. Sarah is not very religious but Sam grew up going to church. Some of their family and friends are very happy for them. However there are others who do not support their engagement and upcoming marriage. Sarah’s parents were divorced when she was fairly young and her mom has remarried. Sarah is close to both her step Dad and her father. Sam’s parents have been married for almost 30 years. They are uncertain if they can be supportive of Sam’s marriage to Sarah.

As Sarah and Sam start to think about their wedding day, they have many of the same questions and issues that other couples have. They, as a couple, have never had to consider the aspects of planning a wedding ceremony.

·         Who will walk down the aisle with Sarah or Sam? Will it be Sarah’s Step Dad, her father, or both of them? Sarah now needs to think about what this decision will mean to each of her “dads”. Will Sam walk down the aisle with parents or alone? Maybe Sarah and Sam will each walk down the aisle alone or together and not be “given away”.

·         Will they have friends and family in their wedding party and if so, how many people? Neither of them wants to alienate any of their friends or family by not choosing one of them. Who will stand up for them and support them? Many they will be unique and have a Man of Honor or a Best Woman.

·         Which family members will sit in the first few rows at the ceremony? Will Sarah’s Mom sit in the first row with her husband along with Sarah’s Dad or will this a point of contention? Will family or friends who don’t support them decide not to attend at all? Will Sam’s parents come around and be there for them? How will Sarah and Sam feel about this possibility?

·         Will they write their own vows or go with a more traditional ceremony based on Sam’s religious background? Perhaps Sam’s family, trying to be involved and supportive, will give lots of unsolicited advice about what they should or should not do. How will the couple address this in a strong but loving way so they can have the ceremony that they really want and still be respectful of Sam’s parents?

·         Who will perform their ceremony and marry them since Sarah does not belong to Sam’s church? Will they even be able to marry in Sam’s church or will they need to consider getting married by a non-denominational celebrant at their reception venue instead?

These are a few of the many decisions Sarah and Sam will need to make for their wedding ceremony. Just the same as other couples, they will have some easy and some challenging moments during their wedding planning. They now can plan their wedding ceremony in Washington State and say “I do”. Until now, this was not a legally recognized option for same sex couples. But now, with some family support, love and good wedding planning, all the details will come together on the day that Sarah marries Samantha.

A Mountaintop Wedding

Last summer in July, one of my bridal couples got married on the summit of Crystal Mountain. What a unique location to have a ceremony! The view was beautiful. Below is a link to a video clip from their mountain top ceremony and reception at the base lodge.

http://vimeo.com/26824377

This couple was such a pleasure to work with on their wedding planning. She was very creative in her choices for place cards, centerpieces and table markers. He was a fun loving man, very in love with his wife to be. Their video captures their spirit and their love for each other.

A few things that made this wedding interesting and a bit of a challenge:

There was snow still on the mountain that day in mid July. In fact that was their last day of skiing that year.

Guests rode gondolas to the summit for the ceremony. A few of the guests were not aware of this beforehand and found this mode of transportation a little scary. Planning was essential for the logistics of getting 100 guests up the mountain for the ceremony and down for the reception. All this and still keeping on the timeline for the day’s events.

Due to mountain weather being unpredictable and able to change in a moment, this venue has 7 different layers of back up plans depending on the couples’ preferences. My couple was lucky and it was mostly clear with a great view of the Cascade mountain range.

The summit is 7012 feet in elevation. Winds and cold are challenges for the usual wedding wear such a strapless wedding gowns, high heels and updo hairstyles. Some thought should be given to stable aisle markers and ceremony décor not only because of the wind but because everything has to go up and down on the gondola. These things all worked out for my couple but not without a few challenging moments. They even had a harpist who brought a full size harp up in the gondola for ceremony music. By the way she had to take out an extra insurance rider for the harp under these conditions.

I love working this venue even with my fear of heights in the gondola, the interesting logistics and the multiple back up plans needed for a successful mountaintop wedding.

How to Be Certain About Your Wedding Choices

Do you find yourself second guessing your every decision?

Are you afraid to pick your wedding day vendors?

Not sure what you really want?

Are others telling you what to choose?
 

Indecision can hurt you while you are planning your wedding. Being in limbo is very uncomfortable. Some of this is normal and comes from this being a new experience, doing something you have never done before. Planning your wedding is most likely the most expensive “party" you will ever plan. Yes, this can be scary.

Here are some suggestions to tame these concerns:

·         Know that you are not alone. Feeling nervous about making the "right" decision is normal. Believe that you can do this and if you know you need help, hire a professional to help you plan.

·         Get to the root of your indecision. Is there a real reason why you are struggling with making a decision about a wedding vendor? If you feel there is a real reason for your inability to choose, get a second reliable opinion.

·         Honor your budget. Every couple knows deep down what they can afford to spend on their wedding day. From your total budget, spend your dollars on the aspects that mean our most important to both of you. It is tempting to be impulsive and spend on each new thing that catches your attention. Staying within or close to your budget will leave you feeling better about your decisions after the wedding day.

·         Listen to your heart. When you are fairly sure it is right, trust yourself and go with the decision.

·         Sleep on it. Give it a day or two. Don’t let others (friends, family or wedding professionals) rush you into a decision. If it is right for you, I believe it will still be there in the morning.

·         Don't be a sheep. Just because three of your friends did a cake topper or a candy bar at their wedding doesn't mean you have to do so also. Be yourself and only you. Your personalized wedding will mean so much more to you both than chasing every new trend.

·         Keep a long-term perspective. Remember that your wedding day is only one day in the rest of your whole married life. At the end of the day, you will be married to your love, your spouse.

Trust yourself. You made the decision to say “Yes” to the love of your life. The rest is just icing on the cake.

Call me 206-601-6957 or email me nancy@simplycelebrations.com  if you want some help getting on track. Your “get acquinted” first consultation with me is complimentary.

10 Questions to ask any wedding vendor

As a bride or groom, you will be meeting with several different types of wedding vendors like photographers, DJs, caterers, etc. It is easy to forget your questions when sitting in front of a vendor or sometimes it is hard to know what to ask in the first place. Here are ten general questions to ask any vendor you interview:
 

· Are they available for your wedding date and time?

· How long have they been in business

· Do they have a business license?

· Do they have liability insurance?

· Is the person you are interviewing going to be the person who is there the day of your wedding?

· Has the vendor worked before at your location?

· What is included in the price/package?

· What is the required deposit and is it refundable?

· What are the fees for extra hours?

· Do they do more than one wedding a day?

· What is their back up plan in case of illness or accident?

These ten questions will tell you a lot about a particular vendor. Depending on the answers to these questions, you will probably think of others to ask. Remember this is an interview and you are the one offering the financial opportunity.

3 best ideas from the creative DIY bride

One of my 2009 brides had a flair for creativity. Not only did she have great craft skills but a motivation to keep within her budget. Her ability to craft many parts of her wedding reception herself saved her money and gave her the chance to make her wedding her own. Here are a few of the great ideas she used:

Place cards – This bride found a template to create place cards with a cut out for a swatch of fabric to show through. Each of her twenty-two tables had a 14” square of unique fabric at the center of the table. The fabric in the place card matched the fabric for those guests’ table. Ingenious!! She also added a handmade table number for each table which was also printed on the place card for that table. See the link to get your template and directions for making these place cards.

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/photogallery/place-seating-card-templates#slide_2

The place cards were then attached with straight pins to a foam core board which was covered with fabric. As guests came and picked up their place cards, the pins were pushed into color coordinated pin cushions.

Centerpieces – Many brides will use a square beveled edge mirror for the center of each of their reception tables. So you already know this bride used the twenty-two different fabric squares for each of the guest tables. These served three purposes: 1.) Fabric squares were color coordinated with the guest place cards so each table was unique. These also echoed the wedding colors. 2.) Each served to be the base for the three potted plants that were the floral centerpieces for each table. All the plants, some flowers and some culinary herbs, were potted by the brides and friends before the wedding. The potted plants also served as an additional favor for guests to take home at the end of the night. 3.) The fabric squares were gathered up at the end of the evening and then given to an aunt of the bride. The aunt had promised to make a quilt of all the squares as a gift for the bride and groom, to be displayed in their home.

Favors – These were a square two piece glass picture frame that doubled as a coaster. This bride inserted various pictures of her and the groom into these and tied them up with a ribbon. The picture frames gave the guests a dual use. One as a framed memento of the bride and groom and two, as a coaster which could be used for protecting their own tables at home from water marks. Guests, if they chose to, could switch out the picture later and color coordinate it to their home décor. Extra frames/coasters were available if guest wanted to have a matching set.

White Dress, “Green” Wedding?

It is very cool and chic to be earth friendly these days particularly in the Northwest. What most people do not know is that it can also be very budget-wise to be “green”. Even if “fair trade”, “sustainability” and “carbon neutral” are not in your daily vocabulary, you can benefit from incorporating some of these eco-friendly tips to reuse, renew, and recycle:

·         Use rental (reusable) items instead of buying new. There are many local rental companies to supply you with table décor, linens, place card holders, etc. Or if you do buy items for your wedding that can be reused by someone else, there are websites you can list your items on to be bought and used again by another bride. Try Bravo Bride or Etsy for this.

·         Consider asking your floral vendor about which flowers are in season locally at the time of your wedding. Not only will it save you money but you will support local growers and reduce the carbon emissions caused by shipping flowers long distances. Use your altar arrangements twice - once at your ceremony and then have them moved to your reception and use them at your head table or on your buffet. This will save you money and reuse your arrangements. Bridesmaids’ bouquets can be placed in vases along the head table at the reception instead of doing more centerpieces. After your wedding, donate your flowers to a local children's hospital or an assisted living facility. Your flowers will not only be used twice, but will brightened someone else's day. You might even be able to get a tax write off for the donation!

·         If you are not attached to saving and preserving your wedding dress, consider cleaning and selling it on Bravo Bride.  Brides against Breast Cancer will also take wedding dress donations. Your bridesmaids can donate their dresses to Donate My Dress which benefits young ladies who cannot afford to buy a new prom or homecoming dress. If your bridesmaids love their dresses, they can consider having their dresses shortened to cocktail dress length and reuse their dresses for future events they attend.

·         Try to use local vendors whenever possible to reduce your carbon footprint caused by shipping items long distance. Supporting local businesses is great for your local economy and almost always costs you less to buy local and in season.  Consider doing a carbon offset through a company like terra pass.

• Reuse a family member’s items from their wedding. A grandmother’s embroidered handkerchief can be used to dry your tears of joy or as a stem wrap for your bouquet. Your grandma will love you even more for using it. If your mother’s wedding dress was a classic timeless dress and close to your clothing size, you can have it altered to fit you. This is a lot less money than buying a dress new. This can be your something old or something borrowed!

• Here is a very simple cost effective tip you can utilize at the beginning of your planning. Find a venue that can hold both your ceremony and your reception. You save by paying for only one location for your wedding. Your guests save time and gas (emissions) by not having to drive from the ceremony to the reception. All your flowers can easily be moved from ceremony to reception.

• Give favors that are appealing and can serve a dual purpose. A program printed and made into a paper fan for a late summer outdoor wedding can be the program and a favor all in one and keep your guests cooler. OR consider a plant-able favor  like a tree seedling in a mini terracotta pot that makes your guest tables look great and can be planted later and green your guests’ yards. Give favors that are very likely to be used by your guests after the wedding such as cookie cutters with a ribbon matching your wedding colors.

So walk down the aisle in your white wedding gown but think “green” while you plan.

Get Personal for your Wedding Day.

One of my bridal couples in 2009 took personalization very personally! This bride and her groom came up with some of the best ideas for making their wedding all their own. Even as a trained wedding planner, I was so impressed with their ideas that I feel compelled to share with other brides. Here are just some of the amazing ways they expressed their individuality on their wedding day:

Reception table personalization – Brides and grooms are always looking for ways to name their tables in a unique way that brings out the couple’s personalities. This bride and groom decided to name their guest tables after pets they had owned during their lives and after states one or both of them had lived in. This may at first glance seem hard to pull altogether, but it really worked. They had tables for a horse, a childhood pet of the bride. There was a table named after their pet cat as well as Washington state and New York state tables.

Menu Cards – Each table had a different menu card even though the menu was the same at each table. One side of the menu card gave the details of the salad, entrees and dessert. The other side of the menu card listed the name of the table, either a state or a pet. Then a short paragraph followed telling a story about the pet or the significance of the state to the couple. Then there was a section about the centerpiece which was a two tiered mini wedding cake. There were instructions to have a designated person at each table to cut the table’s cake right after the couple cut their own cake. Each table had a different flavored cake and guests were encouraged to visit other tables to find their favorite cake slice.       

                                                                              

Favors – Can you guess what the favors were? Think states and pets! Each table had cookie cutters in the shape of that table’s pet or state. How cool is that!! It gets even better when you know that on top of each table’s centerpiece cake was a cookie in that shape with either the state’s abbreviation or the pet’s name. On the head table was the Washington state cookie cutters as favors with a cake topper cookie in the shape of the state and labeled “WA”. Such attention to detail!

Flowers – The wedding flowers in general were the picks of the bride and what she loved in her color scheme. One special touch was two free standing arrangements of a specific pink flower which held significance for the groom’s family. A member of the groom’s family had passed away way before her time. The pink floral arrangements were first placed on either side of the ceremony arbor and then moved inside by me to either side of the wedding picture table. This touch meant a great deal to the groom’s fam

ily and included in memory a missing family member. Very touching way to honor loved ones who could not be there!

Wedding picture table – The final idea that I found so wonderful was a table of framed wedding pictures of family, friends and other relatives. The parents of the bride and groom had pictures from their wedding day along with grandparents, aunts, uncles and close family friends. This was done to honor and recognize the many long term marriages that this family had. The pictures were all dated and had the names of the wedding couple pictured. Some pictures dated back to the 1940s. One of the pictures even caught the eye of a random person staying at the same resort where the reception was taking place. This lady told me she recognized a woman in one of the pictures. She gave me the name and I checked my guest list. Unbelievably, this person (not a guest at the wedding) knew this wedding guest from two decades ago. After checking with the named wedding guest, a reunion ensued between the two women. This story still touches my heart.

This couple took their story and their history and artfully incorporated these aspects into their wedding ceremony and reception. Think of special moments in your lives and share these stories with your wedding guests. These memories will create new moments for you as a couple and make lasting impressions on your guests.

Planning tips for you at Bridal 4-1-1 workshops

Bridal 4-1-1 Workshops

Wedding Tips from Professionals

Planning Advice for your wedding

Q & A with up to 16 different vendors

Wedding Checklists, Giveaways, DIY Advice

If you are planning your wedding and have questions or concerns, these workshops are for you! Every bride has questions and sometimes no one to ask. Come listen to wedding professionals with answers. The workshops are designed to help you learn to interview potential vendors such as photographers, florists, DJs, wedding planners, officiants, caterers, etc. The workshops will provide you with information to make wedding planning decisions with ease, choose the best wedding dress or wedding flowers for you, and connect you with wedding professionals with DIY solutions.

Each workshop is a series of four 2 hour sessions with up to four wedding vendor presentations each session. Sign up for one session or all four. The first workshops will be held in Tacoma and Seattle/Tukwila starting in March 2011 . Future workshops are planned for Auburn, Gig Harbor, Sumner and other upcoming locations .

$10.00 per person for each session through January 31, 2011. Starting February 1, $15.00 per person.

Call 206-601-6957 or email nancy@simplycelebrations.com

For more information and to buy workshops, go to www.bridal4-1-1workshops.com