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.