Wedding Trends That Take The Cake

There are several things you should consider when choosing your wedding reception location. Shopping for your site is a lot like finding a mate–you obviously want charm and personality–but make sure that all of your needs are met. Looks aren’t everything! Use these tips to help you to find your perfect match.

What’s your budget?

If you’re planning a wedding reception of about 200 – 300 guests, you might expect to spend between $10,000 – $16,000 for the reception hall, your food, your bar service and any additional reception hall rentals. Use this handy budget guide to create a realistic budget for your wedding and reception.  Once you know how much you have allocated to spend, you’ll be able to shop around for the best location within your budget.

What is the size of your guest list?

First, make sure the room is large enough to accommodate the number of people on your guest list. The space will look large, when empty, but wedding essentials–such as tables, chairs, a buffet, a bar, the band or DJ and the dance floor–will take up a lot of space. Also, you’ll want to make sure that your guests have plenty of elbowroom. To get an idea of the actual “living space” of your venue, ask if you can visit the reception site while another wedding is being set up.

What’s your style?

When considering reception site, consider the color palette of your party. Your site doesn’t have to be done in the exact colors as your planned decorations, but it shouldn’t clash either. Also, consider your theme. Besides the basic banquet hall, you might consider a country club, a mansion, a museum or other venue that suits your wedding reception theme a bit better than the typical site. Last, try to visit the reception site at the same time of day that you’ve chosen for your reception, so you can get a feel for exactly what the lighting will look like.

Do any of your guests have special needs?

When choosing your venue, take into consideration any special needs that your guests might have. If you have elderly guests or guests in wheelchairs, make sure that there are bathroom facilities available to them. You don’t want them to have to travel up and down stairs to get where they need to go.

Are there enough parking spaces?

Make sure your reception site has ample parking or is near a parking garage or a street where it’s legal to park. If parking is a problem at your ideal location, look for other ways to get your guests to the reception. Your site might have a shuttle or van service available to take your guests from wedding to reception and back. If not, you’ll have to make these arrangements yourself.

Read next week’s post, “Wedding Reception Planning: Questions to Ask before booking your Location,” for great tips on what to ask your potential reception site managers.

Check out Best Little Wedding Shop for Discount Wedding Invitations.

Even the best laid wedding plans can go awry, as seen in these “Wedding Disaster” videos from YouTube.  Enjoy!

Here are a variety of wedding disasters…some are hilarious!

Trying to pick out your wedding gown? You may want to avoid these…

Remember…wedding vows are a serious matter. Apparently these brides forgot…

Feeling a little stressed? Check out these Bridezillas…

Ladies…don’t let your man make a grand entrance. At least not one like this!

Here, on the other hand, are some GREAT entrances…

Finally, here are some potential “Wedding Disasters” that you’ll have no control over, but if this happens at your wedding,  you’ll end up with your own YouTube viral video to share.

You might not be able to avoid every “Wedding Disaster,” but you can get started on the right foot by ordering your Affordable Wedding Invitations from Best Little Wedding Shop.

Lisa Bakewell

You’re engaged, and you’re ready to start planning for your big day! The best place to start? Right here…with these 13 Top Wedding Resource Sites!

Best Little Wedding Shop: The Best Little Wedding Shop has been serving brides across the country since 1995 has decided to make their top-quality product line available to brides across the world. In this fast-paced world, brides find it easier and faster to shop online for their Wedding Invitations & Bridal Shower Invitations, Wedding Accessories and Wedding Favor needs.

Team Wedding : Team Wedding wants to be a part of your wedding planning team. Just name a wedding topic, and they can help you with it! Browse by category or state for some terrific planning tips and resources.

Brides.com : Brides.com has a wide range of galleries and topics for you to research, and they have tools that you can use such as budget, to-do list, guest list, and seating chart guides.

The Knot: The Knot has tools, great articles, videos and honeymoon ideas. Check out their photo galleries and wedding planning tips, plus peruse “Grooms + Guys” and “Maids + Moms” for some specific wedding strategies.

MyWedding.com: MyWedding.com offers and “Ideas and Trends” blog, free wedding websites and over 100 local wedding guides to help you plan your wedding.

Perfect Wedding Guide : At Perfect Wedding, you can find vendors, get ideas, go shopping and attend events. This is a terrific comprehensive online wedding guide for brides and wedding planners.

Green Elegance Weddings : Offers eco-friendly wedding tips for couples who want to leave a small green footprint when they get married. They offer wedding contests and green wedding news too.

FrugalBride.com: Canada’s number one online wedding magazine, FrugalBride.com,  is a great resource for brides that offers wedding bulletin boards, frugal wedding crafts and budget tracking worksheets for weddings. They also offer a “Bride’s Planner,” a “Groom’s Planner” and “Vendor Tips.”

GayWeddings.com: If you’re planning a non-traditional wedding, GayWeddings.com discusses gay and lesbian wedding questions that you may have. They also offer products, resources and information networking to same-sex couples seeking to affirm their life-long commitments to each other through commitment ceremonies, civil unions, domestic partnerships, civil marriage and other alternative weddings.

InStyleWeddings : Want to plan a classy, celebrity-style wedding? The InStyle Wedding website can help you plan your dream wedding. Even if you can’t afford a lavish wedding, you can get fabulous tips and ideas here.

WeddingChannel.com: If you’d like the answers to all your wedding planning questions, WeddingChannel.com is a great resource, and they also provide tools like bride checklists and budget calculators.

WeddingSolutions.com: WeddingSolutions.com offers “Real Reviews from Real Brides Like You,” “Celebrity News and Gossip,” wedding registries and a multitude of wedding resources and advice.

DestinationWeddings.com : DestinationWeddings.com offers a full service “one stop shopping” approach which has one goal in mind–to make the planning and coordination of your Destination Wedding as simple and stress-free as possible.

Lisa Bakewell

Photo Credit: aus_chick

Looking to shave your wedding budget? Then look no further than your guest list. Trimming the fat here can save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars! Use these tips to keep the dough from flying out of your wallet.

Can’t decide? Then don’t! It’s that easy. Sure, you may feel like the bad girl if you don’t invite certain friends and family, but if you have doubts, face it…the person doesn’t mean that much to you.

Use the rule of  “thirds.” Split your guest list three ways…A third of your guests should be from your family, a third from his and a third should be friends that you and your guy want to invite. If your family…or his…wants to invite more than their third of the guests, ask them to pay.

Invite them all or none at all. If you and your man aren’t going to invite all of your co-workers, don’t invite any of them…especially if your workplaces are small. If you do decide to invite your co-workers, though, make sure the boss is invited, as well.

Invite them to both events. If you invite a guest to your wedding, you MUST invite them to the reception. You’ll look cheap…and like you’re hunting for gifts…if you try to invite guests to the wedding only and not the reception.

Make your wedding a no-kid zone. This might not be possible for immediate family, but friends and extended family should understand. The kiddies won’t be drinking your alcohol, but they’ll still need to eat. And don’t they tend to waste the food anyway? Keep your wedding kid-free, where possible.

Haven’t seen someone for years? Might want to leave them off the list. Unless it’s a “must invite” family member, you may look like you’re “gift shopping” if you reach out to someone you haven’t seen in a long time.

Will they actually travel to your wedding? It might be as easy as making the call. If your friend or a family member lives a considerable distance from where your wedding will be held, ask them if they’ll be able to attend. If not, take them off your list and just send an announcement once you and your man have wed.

Weddings aren’t a reciprocal event. Just because someone invited you to his or her wedding, doesn’t mean that you have to return the favor.

Leave off plus-ones. This might be tricky, but if you really need to shave serious money off of your budget, you may consider leaving off “and guest” on your wedding invitations. Sure, you might feel that this is a little tacky, but could save you a bundle. Plus, who knows? Maybe a couple of your “single” guests may hook up and have a really great time.

A couple of caveats:

• Be sure to consult with your parents before cutting people associated with them. Some of your parents’ friends may be offended if they’re not invited, and this may put a strain on their relationship. If you’re not sure…ask!
• Limiting dates may help lower your wedding expenses, but be sensitive when it comes to spouses, life partners or long-term relationships. These guests should always be allowed a “plus-one” invite.

To shave even more money off your wedding budget, order Discount Wedding Invitations from Best Little Wedding Shop!

Lisa Bakewell

The perfect time for the new adventure that your marriage will bring might just be springtime! Spring is considered a time of rebirth and renewal, and isn’t that just what your wedding signifies? Also, spring is not the most popular time for a wedding  (summer and fall are), so you may have an easier time getting top-notch vendors and venues. You may even get discounted rates! Use these tips to help you plan your spring wedding:

Think. What are your favorite parts of the season? Do you love the flowers? Do you want an early wedding so that you can enjoy the whole summer with your new hubby? List what you love most about the season…even if it’s just the fact that it may be easier on your budget…so that you’ll have a clear picture of your wants and needs while planning your wedding.

Indoors or outdoors? If you live in a warmer climate, you may consider holding your wedding outside. If your weather is kind of “iffy” in the springtime, you may want to keep it indoors. Also, keep in mind that spring brings rain, so any time spent outdoors may require an umbrella or an awning.

Timing is everything. As mentioned before, since springtime isn’t the most popular time to have a wedding ceremony, you may find that vendors and venues are more available. Still, you’ll want to pick your date, venue and vendors in a timely manner. Also, keep in mind that proms are held in the spring, so limos and tuxedos may be rented early. Plan for this.

Choose your colors. When choosing colors for your spring wedding, keep in mind that you may want to stay away from the bright colors of summer and winter. Consider pale, muted colors instead to reflect the season.

What to wear? When deciding on wedding attire, keep in mind that the weather can be sketchy. One day it’s warm, the next it’s cold. Some days are dry and some are wet. For this reason, you may want to avoid satin shoes (rain) and pick dresses that are versatile. If you choose sleeveless dresses, give your bridesmaids wraps as their bridesmaid gift to keep them warm, if necessary.

Consider a hint of color. Even if you want a white wedding gown, you may want to add a sash in a pastel color. Or how about a hint of all-over color? Embroidery in a light color would work well for this.

Think spring when decorating! What could be more festive than using the colors of spring to decorate your wedding reception? Pale greens, lavenders, pinks, roses and blues would all work well.

Accent tables with gingham fabrics, ribbons or even polka dots. Fill white baskets with an abundance of spring flowers for a fabulous centerpiece, or why not use an inexpensive terracotta pot with a moss or ivy-covered Styrofoam ball inside of it? Rose petals spread around the tables would be the perfect touch too.

Pick your flowers. Spring flowers include roses, peonies, irises, tulips, hyacinth, lilies and Gerber daisies. Choose a variety of these blooms to make the perfect spring bouquet!

Have fun with your wedding stationary! Save the Dates, affordable wedding invitations, place cards and announcements can all be quite whimsical and colorful. Use a matching theme and consider using some fun font styles to accent the whimsy of the season.

Favors should be fun! Keeping with the theme of whimsical fun, some good options for guest favors might include personalized seed packets or bulbs. Individual flower bud vases, personalized with your names and wedding date, might be nice too.

Lisa Bakewell

Recycled Paper Wedding Invitations…

Looking for a wedding invitation that has Mother Nature’s seal of approval? Best Little Wedding Shop has a great collection of Eco-friendly, recycled paper wedding invitations, proving that you don’t have to sacrifice style to “go green”! Order your favorite design today and do your part to help save the environment!

One of the most obvious ways to make your wedding invitations Eco-friendly is to use recycled paper. Recycled paper has greatly improved in durability and quality, and when one ton of 100-percent recycled paper is used, it saves 7,000 gallons of water and enough energy to power an average home for six months. Recycled paper also saves about 17 trees from being cut down to make the paper.

Naturally Ever After Wedding Invitations® come in unique styles and themes that you’ll fall in love with! This unique “designer line” offers Eco-friendly wedding invitations with natural earthy tones which are stunning!

Other Green Trends…

Seeded paper is also a trend in Eco-friendly paper products. They also make a unique wedding invitation that your guests will love, since your guests will be able to plant your wedding invitation! Seeded paper is handmade and contains a mix of wildflower seeds. Pressure is carefully controlled during the production of the invitation to help guarantee seed germination. Once you’re guest is ready to plant the flowers, all they have to do is plant the wedding invitation in a pot or in a sunny spot in their garden.

Another option for an Eco-friendly wedding invitation is one made of tree-free paper–paper made without using wood. Today, tree-free paper accounts for about one third of paper produced in developing countries. Plants like the African kenaf, hemp, flax and cotton are all used to make tree-free paper. Crop leftovers like rice and banana stalk fibers can be used, as well as cotton rags.

Looking for Eco-Friendly Wedding Gifts?

If you are looking for eco-friendly wedding gifts, try Green Earth Bamboo for bamboo sheets, bamboo clothing, bamboo towels and bamboo socks.

Seems that everyone wants a summer wedding, but creating and having a romantic winter wedding can be both glamorous and magical. Create your winter wonderland wedding by using these tips!

Attire

Why not create a romantic, Hollywood feel to your big day? Put your groom in long black tails and pick a golden-era-styled dress for yourself. Paired with a white faux fur wrap or a red silk cape, you will be stunning! For jewelry, consider anything diamond or diamond-like to add sparkle and shine.

For bridesmaid dresses, you may want to pick dresses with rich fabrics, such as satin, heavy silk, brocade or velvet. And don’t forget an attractive wrap for the bridesmaids to wear on the day of your wedding. This would make a great bridesmaid present, as well.

Location

You can get super-creative with location for your winter wedding. Why not choose a bed and breakfast, a lodge or inn with a fireplace or an historic mansion? Be sure to find out what seasonal decorations your wedding venue uses too. You may be able to save a lot of money if your wedding site is already heavily decorated for the season!

Invitations

Wintry motifs make a great theme for your wedding invitations. Also, you could go with metallics or white on white for a dramatic announcement of your big day. Check out these great invitations from Best Little Wedding Shop.

Menu

Go ahead offer the chicken or steak as your entrée, but consider adding wintry touches to your menu, such as pumpkin soup or a squash dish. Also, consider serving hot chocolate, eggnog, spiced wine or mixed coffee drinks.

Cake

Choose a white on white cake and decorate with marzipan snowflakes, Swiss dots, fresh white poinsettias or a snow globe. If you’d rather not have a traditional cake, though, why not choose a rich dark chocolate cake or a cheesecake with a raspberry filling or sauce? Not in the mood for cake at all? Chocolate covered cherries or strawberries might be just what you’re after!

Flowers

Winter flowers offer you an abundance of choices. Want an elegant look? Go for silver and white. Flowers you might use include dusty miller, baby blue eucalyptus, white roses, white mums or beautiful lilies. If you’d like to celebrate the season with more color, consider red and green. Using red roses, ornamental berries and holly and pine greenery will give your bouquets and flower arrangements a festive look.

Décor

Simply decorating your tables with white poinsettias will set a wintry mood to your reception. Also, pillar candles with pine branches or cranberries paired with floating candles will do the trick. Consider using strands of small white lights strung around doorways, over tables and on archways to add a rich and festive mood.

Favors

Favors for winter-themed weddings offer a lot of inexpensive choices. Why not give an ornament or a snow globe featuring a bride and groom? Also, inexpensive cocoa mixes in an attractive tin would work nicely. Sweets, such as cookies or candy would make a nice treat, as well. 

Things to Consider

Winter weather can be a problem depending on your location. Make sure that your guests don’t have to walk too far or spend a lot of time outside.

Make sure your receiving line keeps your guests out of the cold. If your ceremony space has a large entryway or vestibule, you may be able to wait there and have your guests greet you after the ceremony. If you hold the receiving line at the reception, make sure you’re far enough inside the building, so that guests won’t have to wait outside if the line gets backed up.

Remember to consider the holiday travel season when planning your wedding. Lots of commitments and higher travel costs might make it inconvenient for your guests to attend a late December or early January wedding. Book your date and get your save the date cards out early.

Lisa Bakewell

The big question has been asked, and you’ve given the positive response. Now you’re engaged, and you want the whole world to know…today! Well, hold on a minute. Rather than shouting the news from the nearest rooftop, you should be aware of proper engagement announcement etiquette. After all, you don’t want any hurt feelings, right? So, before you start planning the wedding, use these tips, and you’re more apt to keep everyone happy.

First of all, your formal engagement announcement should be made within one to three months after you and your husband-to-be become engaged. And, typically, your engagement will last about a year prior to your wedding, so there will be plenty of time to plan–for you and your guests. Immediately after you’re engaged, though, you should get an engagement ring (if you choose to have one and haven’t gotten one already) and you should tell those closest to you about the engagement.

Family

Etiquette states that the parents of the bride should be told about the engagement first, then the groom’s parents. Typically, the bride’s parents are told first, then the grooms immediately afterwards. While an in-person visit would be nice, if your parents live far away, a telephone conversation would be fine. Make sure that both of your are present, though.

If there are children involved, you should tell them first. Hopefully, you’ve prepared them for the possibility that you may be getting married. This may be a tough time for them, but reassure them that your new spouse won’t replace them.

Grandparents, siblings and other relatives should be told immediately, as well. A simple phone call or family dinner to announce the news is great!

Friends

Your engagement announcement to your friends can be an informal get-together or even a phone call. A get-together with friends, though, would be a nice way to celebrate your upcoming nuptials!

When you’re ready to tell the world of your engagement, you may want to consider the following resources:

Newspapers

Contact your local newspaper(s) to submit your engagement announcement. If you’re uncomfortable doing this yourself, either set of parents would be glad to help or do it for you. Before submitting the announcement, though, consider having an engagement photo taken.

Wedding Website and/or Blog

A simple way to make your announcement to the world is by publishing the news online. Websites, even a simple one-page design, will work great, and blogs are easy to create (and oftentimes free). If you have a Facebook or MySpace account, these forums would work well too. Update the site(s), periodically, with additional wedding news and announcements. Be sure to include your gift registries, hotel information and other pertinent wedding information.

US Postal Service

Though this is a more expensive method, announcing your engagement through a card sent in the mail is the classic way to announce your upcoming wedding. Check out these great wedding engagement announcements from Best Little Wedding Shop!

A note about engagement parties: While engagement parties are generally a part of engagement, it is not mandatory to have one. If you do, though, remember only to invite those people who you plan to have at the wedding.

Lisa Bakewell

Thanksgiving is one of the biggest “get-together” holidays, and since your family may already be celebrating, why not consider making it your wedding day? It’s the perfect occasion for an elegant, yet relaxed celebration, because autumn offers natural, simple décor and great, inexpensive comfort foods. Consider using these creative tips to plan your Thanksgiving–wedding style!

Flowers and Décor:

Since this time of year is naturally beautiful, lean on Mother Nature for your decorations, and choose warm wedding and reception colors.

• Incorporate reds, rusts, oranges, yellows, browns, gold, cream, wine, and burgundy into the theme of your wedding. They are rich, deep and warm–and very inviting.
• Choose table runners that accentuate the colors of the wedding.
• Dim the lights to foster the “at home” feeling.
• For centerpieces, lay a few leaves around the table.
• Use fall flowers like mums, yarrow, daises, and roses, dahlias, lilies, yarrow, orchids, hydrangeas, sunflowers, baby’s breath, colored leaves, to create decorations and bouquets.pheasant feathers, tallow berries, and dried wheat to your bridal bouquets and decorations to complete the autumn look.
• Group gourds and pumpkins around the room. Remember, pumpkins are not only orange. You can find white and blueish ones, as well.
• Carve out pumpkins and put votive candles inside.
• Use leaf or pumpkin shaped floating candles in a bowl placed on a autumn decorated plate.
• Lay out seasonal fruits sprayed with a golden sparkle on gold plates with votive candles randomly placed on top.
• Fill cornucopias with seasonal produce and plants.
• Create a white candle arrangement mixed with cinnamon sticks tied with fall colored ribbons.
• Create a posh Thanksgiving ambiance by draping lush velvet throughout your party space.

The Meal:

The Thanksgiving wedding meal should be pretty easy. There’s no need to try to be creative since many guests look forward to turkey with all the trimmings.

You might also consider serving:

• Warm apple cider or mulled wine for a seasonal flavor
• Soup in a hallowed out pumpkin is unique and festive
• Desserts such as pumpkin pie or a baked apple desert–or even a tiered pumpkin pie!

Tip: Consider incorporating your family recipes into your wedding menu, and serving the meal family style.

Attire:

Dress for you Thanksgiving wedding can be either casual or formal.

• Choose a wedding dress in off white or cream with gold beading or leafy embroidery.
• Consider wearing a warm shawl to cover your shoulders since the weather will be cool.
• Choose fall colors in a warm material for bridesmaid dresses. You may also want to consider long sleeves.
• Tan, beige, or brown tuxes with ties that match the bridesmaids fall color dresses will work well for the groomsmen.

Favors:

• Make homemade goodies like fudge, candy apples, or jams and present them in festive packaging.
• Fill mini burlap bags with coffee beans, bulbs, or other treats. Use a label with your monogram or wedding date and secure with a ribbon.
• Give miniature bottles of maple syrup as a sweet treat.
• Fill miniature wood crates lined with straw with goodies for a rustic touch.

Invitations and Stationery:

• Send out save the date cards as soon as possible since your wedding will fall on a holiday weekend.
• Dress up ordinary wedding invitations and wedding with inexpensive silk fall leaves included in each mailing.
• Emboss off white or ivory invitations with pressed autumn leaves for a beautiful touch.

For a great selection of Save the Date Cards and Wedding Invitations, visit the Best Little Wedding Shop website.

Lisa Bakewell

Photo Credit: aus_chick

Why do traditional brides wear white? Why do father’s typically “give away” their daughters? And why do brides and grooms save part of their wedding cake? These questions and several others are smartly answered in an article for mental_floss magazine written by Jenn Thompson, titled Bizarre origins of wedding traditions.

Photo Credit: Ashley Palmero

A few of our favs from the article:

If you find these tidbits interesting, be sure to read the article. You’ll love Jenn Thompson’s tongue-in-cheek historical look at wedding traditions!

Also, don’t forget to take a look at all of the traditional wedding invitations,  favors and accessories  from Best Little Wedding Shop.

Lisa Bakewell