Engagement Party Etiquette

When to Have It:

Engagement parties typically take place very shortly after the couple has become engaged. Actually, in its most traditional form, this party is when the betrothal is publicly announced for the first time. In these days of social media, that type of “surprise” announcement is likely to be old news; however the father of the bride can still raise a toast to the engaged couple, even if everyone already knows they are planning to be wed.

Whom to Invite:

As with a bridal shower, only people that you will invite to the actual wedding should be invited to the engagement party. It is just a matter of simple etiquette. It is not polite to ask people to come make a fuss over you for getting the ring, but not include them in the main event (the actual wedding). For this reason, the party should not be scheduled until you have roughed out the guest list for the wedding reception. By the way, engagement parties can be as large or small as you like, so just because someone will be invited to the wedding doesn’t necessarily mean they will be asked to all of the pre-wedding parties. It depends on your relationship with them and whether or not they live nearby.

What Happens at the Party:

A betrothal party is not terribly different than any other gathering, expect for the toast from the bride’s father. It may be that a few other people will also be inspired to stand up and give their best wishes to the happy couple, although it is not mandatory. Given the celebratory nature of the event, you will likely want to have champagne on hand. But besides that, it is pretty much just a nice cocktail party, garden party, or barbeque, depending on the style of gathering you most enjoy. If the engagement has actually been kept a secret until that point, then people are just invited to a party, and the groom can give his fiancee her wedding jewelry engagement ring at the celebration.

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Tips on Managing Out-of-Town Bridesmaids

Selecting the bridesmaid dresses is often the most challenging aspect of having out-of-town bridesmaids. It just won’t be practical to get everyone together to shop for bridesmaid jewelry and dresses. If you think about it, however, it might not be an entirely bad thing, given how hard it is to get a group of bridesmaids to agree on the same dress. What generally works the best is for the bride to go shopping with whatever bridesmaids live locally. Together they can choose a dress that will hopefully suit the needs of all the ladies. It is important to know for special orders, the entire group of dresses needs to be ordered as one batch so they are made from the same dye lot of fabric.  Generally it is most convenient to do this at the store nearest the bride.

Another important part of keeping your bridal party organized is to give them very clear deadlines. For instance, if everyone needs to order their dresses together, it will create huge problems if one attendant is holding up the entire group. Be very clear with everyone about when the bridesmaid dress deposits must be placed to avoid this situation. This is where having a good maid of honor can really pay off. It is no fun for the bride to spend her time harassing delinquent attendants, and it is great if the maid of honor can be the one to keep everyone on track. The bride also needs to make sure that her bridesmaids have plenty of advance notice about things like booking airfare and reserving hotel rooms.

As for things like bridal showers, it is not up to the bride to plan her own parties. Whomever decides to host a shower should invite all of the bridesmaids no matter where they live, with the understanding that no one will be upset if they are unable to fly in for the party. Do make sure that your bridal party knows the timing for your wedding weekend, including the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, so they arrive in town plenty early.

Many brides like to host a ladies’ luncheon the day before the rehearsal for a chance to thank her bridesmaids and to give them their bridesmaid jewelry gifts. It takes a bit of extra effort to organize a far flung group of bridesmaids, but it will be worth it to be surrounded by your best friends on your wedding day.

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Modern Ideas for Wedding Cupcake Displays

Cupcakes are often arranged in towers that make mimic the shape of a tiered wedding cake. While it looks quite pretty, if you think about it, this erases some of the distinction between cupcakes and the standard wedding cake. So if you want to make cupcakes feel creative again, think beyond the old-fashioned tiered stand. One simple idea is to make large Plexiglass circles and connect them with a vertical brushed steel rod. The cupcakes will appear to “float” on the clear bases, which will look very cool. This would be a fantastic display for a reception in a venue with a modern industrial flavor.

Sometimes a minimalist display will give your cupcakes the most visual impact. Install narrow white floating shelves on a wall in your reception space at staggered intervals. Display cupcakes in orderly rows on the shelves. If the walls and shelves are white, be sure that the cupcakes are in a color that will stand out against the background. In other words, vanilla cupcakes with white frosting would not be the best choice, but chocolate cupcakes with green frosting would be terrific. If you wish to have a picture of you cutting the cake while dressed in your gown and bridal jewelry, your baker can make one extra large cupcake to place on a pedestal in front of the cupcake shelves. It is also fine to skip the cutting ceremony and just feed each other a ceremonial first bite of cupcake.

A big trend in weddings right now is a long table with several cakes instead of one large central cake. You can use this idea as the inspiration for your cupcake display as well. Set out a long table, and place several pedestals or display bases on it, then load each one with your sweets. This is an excellent display option if you plan to have several flavors, because then you can put a different flavor on each base. As for the bases themselves, there are a number of different possibilities. For a rustic wedding, use polished wood slabs. Another neat idea is to use clear Plexiglass boxes and stuff them with flowers before topping with cupcakes. Round flowers such as hydrangeas or carnations work especially well for this display idea, which combines the romance of flowers with the clean lines of modern design.

There are also some very easy ways to make your cupcake display more interesting. One idea is to use a low rectangular tray with shallow sides. Nestle the sweets in among faux jewels for an elegant touch. If you are wearing pearl bridal jewelry, oversized faux pearls would look great, or use a bed of sparkling crystals if Swarovski wedding jewelry is more your style. For a bed of pearls, use a pearlescent frosting in a sweet pink color or for the crystals choose an icy blue with a hint of shimmer powder in the icing.

Planning a Wedding Around a Blush Colored Wedding Dress

When you have chosen a blush colored wedding gown, it will affect all of the other color choices in your wedding. While white goes with everything, blush does not. However, blush does combine beautifully with a number of other hues. It works particularly well with low-contrast colors to create a faded vintage look. If you wish to wear a veil with a blush gown, a soft cream or ivory tulle will work well. Bright white just won’t go, but matching the blush color in tulle could be a bit odd looking. A cream veil will flow softly into the blush color of the gown without totally blending in.

An important color choice you will have to make is about your bouquet colors. A soft, romantic bouquet will be ideal. You could carry garden roses in shades of peach, apricot, pale yellow, and soft pink. Tie it with a cream satin bow to complete the bouquet. It can also look nice to add touches of soft green as a contrast to the warm flower hues. Add some green hydrangeas or silvery-green lamb’s ear foliage for a beautiful effect. Another option is to carry a creamy ivory bouquet of cascading orchids. The flowers will stand out nicely from the color of your gown.

Choosing bridesmaid dresses can be a bit tricky when you are not wearing a white or ivory bridal gown. There are several directions that you can consider to pair with a blush gown. One idea is to play up the faded vintage style by dressing your attendants in chiffon dresses in a tea stained color. When you stand together, it will look almost like you have stepped out of an colorized black and white photograph – so pretty. Vintage inspired crystal bridesmaid jewelry will complete their attire.

Another option is to choose bridesmaid dresses in a color that will contrast with your blush gown, such as robin’s egg blue. They will look pretty in the pictures surrounding you, and you as the bride will still “pop” in the group photos. Clear crystal bridesmaid jewelry will look very nice. Or you could take your inspiration from the royal wedding, and choose ivory bridesmaid dresses. Paired with a blush wedding gown, it will make a very interesting look. As long as the bridesmaid dresses are fairly simple and your blush gown has an interesting silhouette or details, there is no danger that they will upstage the bride in their ivory dresses.

Easy and Affordable Rehearsal Dinner Ideas

There is a lot of wedding advice out there on how to save money on your reception, but less attention is paid to the rehearsal dinner. The great news is that you really can have a very affordable party that everyone will enjoy. Start by choosing your location. The best ones are free. You could reserve a pavilion in a local park, have it in your parents’ backyard, or use a private room in a family style restaurant. There is no need to spend extra money for a party site that charges a room rental fee.

Then there is the food to consider. You truly do not need to have fancy food at your pre-wedding dinner. There are really two main reasons why people have rehearsal dinners. The first is to show hospitality to your wedding party and out-of-town guests, and the second is to allow the bride and groom’s sides of the family to get to know one another a little bit. A casual gathering will definitely serve these purposes. You could have a cook out in the park, get barbeque from a local place, have a pasta buffet, or even just order pizzas. As long as you have plenty to eat and drink, everyone will be happy.

Another way to make your pre-wedding dinner easy and affordable is to choose inexpensive decorations. You really do not need to hire a florist to create grand centerpieces, rent custom table linens, or anything of the sort. A simple way to make the dinner tables pretty is with potted flowering plants. Stick with whatever is in season to keep the cost low. Flowers like potted geraniums, pansies, or mums are perfect. You can pop them in baskets or cover them with pretty fabric to hide the plastic pots they come in. For about $5 a table, you will have great colorful centerpieces. As for the tablecloths, if you are having the dinner at a restaurant, just use whatever they provide. No one will give it a second thought.

People get so crazy about weddings sometimes that they forget that it is not necessary to go overboard with entertainment and “wow” moments. This helpful wedding advice definitely pertains to the rehearsal dinner as well. Think of it like a big family holiday dinner, only with more people. You wouldn’t feel like you had to hire a band for Thanksgiving, would you? The same applies to your pre-wedding party. The entertainment is conversation and eating, just like at Thanksgiving. People will have plenty to talk about, especially with a wedding coming up the next day. You provide the food and drinks, and let the rest take care of itself.

Planning a Golf Course Wedding

A golf course at a country club can be a wonderful location for a wedding – especially if you love to play golf. There are some special considerations for planning this type of wedding, particularly if you want to hold your ceremony outside right on the golf course. Learn the ins and outs of planning a stylish golf course wedding.

The first question to ask is if the country club will allow you to get married on the golf course. If the answer is yes, there are a number of follow up questions you should ask. Will they permit you to use any type of chairs you like, or will you be restricted to their plastic chairs? If you are renting chairs and other supplies from a party rental company, does the club charge a fee to have one of their staff members supervise the rental company when they make the delivery? Some country clubs can charge as much as 40% of the rental fee for this service. Find out what the rules are about shoes worn on the golf course. For instance, the course may charge you if ladies wear high heels and punch holes in their perfectly manicured lawn.

Another big consideration when planning a golf course wedding is the golfers. Will people actually be playing during your ceremony? You wouldn’t want your guests getting popped in the head by a wild golf ball or to have your vows drowned out by the sound of motorized golf carts. Speaking of golf carts, find out if the club will let you use one on your wedding day. I have seen some truly wonderful pictures of the bride in her gown and bridal jewelry riding in a golf cart with her groom with a “Just Married” banner across the back. You will also surely want some photographs of yourselves playing a little golf in your wedding attire. I love pictures of brides in strapless gowns and pearl bridal jewelry swinging a golf club!

With all of the nitty gritty details worked out, you can move on to the fun part – the wedding style! Classic and understated will best suit a golf course wedding. A simple A-line strapless wedding dress is ideal for the bride. Her attendants will look great in knee length dresses in a classic color like navy or pink. Timeless wedding flowers like roses, peonies, or hydrangeas in low vessels will make wonderful centerpieces. And for the wedding favors, nothing could be more perfect than a box of golf balls customized with your wedding date.

If timeless and classic is your style, a golf course could be an excellent location to get married. Just be sure to ask all of the right questions so you know what to expect. With everything in place, your wedding day is sure to be a “hole in one”!

Ideas on How to Raise Money for Your Wedding

A lot goes into planning your dream wedding, and when I say a lot, I mean a lot of cash! Even a “low budget” wedding can easily cost $5000, and most weddings run five or six times that. Before you resign yourself to going into debt or eloping, check out these practical ideas on how to raise money for your wedding.

When you get married, you will be combining your stuff with his stuff (assuming you do not already live together), so you will end up with a lot of  excess. Instead of paying to store your duplicates or cramming your closet full of instruments you no longer play or clothing that doesn’t fit, why not sell it? Put your better or designer items up on eBay or Craig’s List or take them to a resale shop. Whatever is left over you can clear out at a yard sale. Don’t forget to look through your jewelry box; with gold and silver prices sky high, you may be able to get a nice amount of cash for those earrings or necklaces you never wear. Even if you only get a little bit of cash, it will be enough to cover your bridesmaid jewelry gifts or your bouquets.

Are you planning a DIY wedding and crafting like crazy? The homemade look is very hot for weddings these days, but not all brides have the talent to make their own cake toppers, paper flowers, guest books, beeswax candles, ring bearer pillows, invitations and so forth. If you are lucky enough to have the ability to create beautiful things, why not make a few extra and sell them online? There are lots of websites geared towards individuals selling their handcrafted goods, especially for weddings. You might be pleasantly surprised at how much you can get for your handicrafts.

Lastly, instead of raising more money, consider bartering to spend less. If you have a professional service you can exchange (say, building a website) for something you need (wedding photography perhaps), you might be able to use a local barter network to make it happen. A few tips about bartering: only hire someone for your wedding that you would if you were paying, have a contract, offer equal value in return. When you can go cash-free for a few of the big ticket wedding expenses, it becomes far easier to afford all of the other things, like the food, a d.j., your wedding gown, the bridesmaid jewelry gifts, and so forth.

Elegant Yellow Spring Wedding Centerpieces

What could be lovelier for a spring wedding reception than cheerful yellow flowers? The sunny hue simply screams spring, and there are numerous beautiful options for yellow flowers in the springtime. Get your wedding planning underway with these ideas for elegant yellow spring wedding centerpieces.

Tulips are one of the signature flowers of spring, and they make marvelous centerpieces. For a classic style, long stem Dutch tulips in a vibrant yellow will look elegant and sophisticated in a clear glass footed urn. They would work well for the kind of bride who plans to wear a classic silk strapless gown with pearl bridal jewelry. If you like something a bit more moderns, try a bouquet of sunny yellow tulips submerged in a clear glass cylinder. It would look wonderful on a table set with grassy green silk linens.

Yellow centerpieces can also be very grand. A lush arrangement of ruffly French tulips, freesia, plump garden roses, and creamy orchids would be spectacular for a formal spring wedding. You could choose a cut crystal vase or a formal silver tall fluted vase. Picture it in an opulent hotel ballroom with chandeliers and quilted cream silk dupioni tablecloths. Surround the centerpieces with votive candles in cut crystal holders.

Flowering branches are a wonderful option for springtime centerpieces. Tall forsythia branches will look fantastic “planted” in cache pots. You can decorate the branches with tiny hanging lanterns, strings of crystals, or yellow orchid blossoms. This is a great centerpiece design for a space with very high ceilings like a tent. Create a romantic atmosphere by draping the tent ceiling with gathered ivory fabric and using gold chiavari chairs at the dinner tables. The neat thing about flowering branch centerpieces is that they look impressive, but are simple enough to assemble that you can make them yourself if you choose.

No discussion of yellow spring flowers would be complete without mentioning daffodils. They are the quintessential sign of the season, and come in a terrific assortment of yellows, whites, and oranges. For a sweet afternoon reception centerpiece, plant mini daffodils in glazed ceramic pots. Use moss around the base of the stems to cover the dirt. You could also use regular sized daffodils in several varieties as a classic floral arrangement for your spring wedding. Use them on their own or mix them with tulips for a riot of spring blossoms.

What Brides Are Thankful For

“Marrying My Best Friend.” This is the number one thing that brides say they are grateful for in their lives. Even better than getting to have a lavish wedding, shop for bridal jewelry sets and designer gowns, and eating wedding cake is the marriage that comes out of the wedding. Knowing that you have found that one special person who truly understands you and loves you for exactly who you are – flaws and all – is priceless.

“My Mom.” For all of the conflict that mothers and daughters can have while planning a wedding together, most brides are still very thankful to have their moms by their side for the entire process. Sure, you might not always see eye to eye on the best choice of wedding dresses or bridal jewelry sets, but it is still better to shop with your mom than without her. You only have to see how sad brides are whose mothers have passed away to know how much a bride needs her mother. On those days when you forget to appreciate your mother, just remember how lucky you truly are to have her, even if she does drive you a little nuts sometimes.

“Finding My Dream Gown.” A lot of brides care more about their wedding dress than any other part of the wedding (excepting their groom, naturally). It is super exciting to try on fabulous bridal gowns, but there can also be a lot of pressure to find “the one”. In fact, some women say it was easier to find their soul mate than the perfect wedding gown. When you finally slip into the gown of your dreams that makes you feel like a bride, it is an incredible feeling.

“My Bridesmaids.” When you have a middle-of-the-night panic attack about your wedding or a big fight with your mom over the guest list, who is there to calm you down? Your bridesmaids, of course! When your fiance cannot stand to discuss the wedding plans for another minute, who can you call to debate the merits of white versus ivory bridal gowns? Your bridesmaids, naturally. Who throws you a bridal shower, takes you out for a bachelorette night to remember, and wears a dress they hate because they love you? Yep, your bridesmaids again. Truly, what would a bride do without her supportive circle of friends?

Special Supplies for Jewish and Catholic Weddings

Jewish weddings are rich with traditions going back thousands of years. One thing that every couple needs for their ceremony is a Ketubah, which is the marriage contract. Ketubahs are usually beautifully decorated works of art, and they will often be displayed in the newlyweds’ home after the wedding. Because a Ketubah is a customized document as well as a piece of art, it can take a fair amount of time to order one, especially if yours will be handpainted or be written by a calligrapher. Plan on ordering your Ketubah at least a couple of months before your wedding.

Another key element of any Jewish wedding ceremony is the Chuppah, the traditional wedding canopy. The bride and groom stand under their Chuppah during their ceremony, and no Jewish wedding would be complete without one. Chuppahs can be made of many different materials. Some are lavish, covered in hundreds of flowers. Some are humble, made of handmade family quilts. Other Chuppahs fall somewhere in between. Many brides like to make their own wedding Chuppah. One bride I knew decorated hers with a beautiful fringe of sparkling crystals to complement her crystal bridal jewelry.

Catholic brides and grooms need a little extra wedding advice when planning their nuptials as well. If you plan to have a unity candle, you will need the customary set of three candles. There are two taper candles and the large pillar candle that the bride and groom light together to symbolize their union. Be sure to check with your parish, as some do not permit the unity candle ritual to be added to a Nuptial Mass. If that is the case, it can be done during the reception during a special blessing before the meal. Some couples may also wish to include a Catholic wedding rosary (also called a lazo or lasso) in their ceremony, which is a double rosary that joins together above the crucifix.

Another item which some Catholic brides want is a small white Bible to carry instead of a bouquet. It might be a family Bible, or you can purchase a new one especially for your ceremony. Your florist can add a small spray of flowers to the Bible for your wedding. Last but not least, it is always a good idea to have wedding programs at a Catholic ceremony. They are a very useful tool to explain the order of the Nuptial Mass to guests who may be unfamiliar with Catholic traditions. The program is also an excellent place to give instructions to guests about when to stand, when to sit, and what non-Catholics should do during Communion. With a little extra planning, your Catholic or Jewish wedding ceremony will be every bit as meaningful and memorable as you always dreamed your wedding would be.

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