Wedding Wednesday: April (Bridal) Showers

"April Showers bring May Flowers," so...  what better subject to explore this month than bridal showers?  (Can you guess what I just might talk about next month?)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lemsipmatt/9555874853/

Who should host the bridal shower?  
Nowadays, anyone that wants to.  Close friends, co-workers, family members...  It doesn't have to be the bridesmaids, and for that matter, it doesn't have to be just the girls.  Co-ed showers can be all kinds of fun.  After all, two people are getting married, not just one.  The only rule to follow is that anyone invited to a shower needs to also be invited to the wedding.  An exception to this is if you are having a small ceremony with only a few guests, or a destination wedding far away, and you have friends or co-workers that wish to honor you with a shower.  

If a co-ed shower isn't your thing, a cute ritual that I came across in my research is to have the groom show up with a bouquet of flowers just before the gifts are opened.  This is especially nice to do if a lot of your guests have not yet met your fiance.  Here's an even better idea- have your guy show up with a bouquet of individual stems and let him present one to each of your shower guests.  He'll look extra-dreamy to all of the other girls!!

  

When should a shower take place?
Generally showers are thrown 2 weeks - 2 months before the wedding.  By then the bride and groom have their guest list and gift registries finished.  You need both of those things to get your own invitations out.  

The first thing to do when picking a date is to make sure that the bride is available.  (Very important!!)  If you are having difficulty finding one date that works best for all of your friends, maybe a couple of different people can host showers.  Between the 2 (or more) dates everyone should be able to make it to at least one.  Multiple showers are the best way to go if you are wanting to include different groups of people at each, such as one for only family, or college buddies, or co-workers,...  This way you have the chance to try some wilder ideas without offending someone's grandmother.    

If anyone is invited to more than one shower for the same bride, please stress that they are not expected to bring a gift to each of them.  They weren't invited to increase the present pile, but because the bride wanted to include them.  There is a very good chance that the bridesmaids especially may fit into multiple categories in the bride's life.  

What is expected of the host?
The party is in honor of the bride (and maybe the groom), but the person (or people) throwing it is expected to act as host for the event.  You will be in charge of inviting guests (with a list from the couple), planning the decorations, food, & activities, helping the bride to keep track of who gives which gift for thank you note purposes, and cleaning up afterwards.  Make sure you greet each guest as they arrive and have a timeline planned out beforehand to keep the party flowing smoothly.  

If these things are not your strong suit, there are event planners out there (ooh...me, ME!!) that have plenty of experience doing all of this.  If you use your bride's coordinator you may even be able to work out a discount on services. 

Today's post lists some of the basics for getting your shower planning under way.  (In other words, all facts and not a lot of fun.)  Throughout the month I will be getting into the good stuff:  games, themes, decor, food...  

Keep an eye out for more every Wedding Wednesday!!

Wedding Wednesday: A Real Wedding Without a Coordinator

Recently I was asked to be a photographer's assistant at a wedding.  Score!!  Photography has long been a hobby of mine and I have dabbled in it enough to mostly know what I am doing.  At this point I wouldn't expect someone to pay me to take care of the entire wedding, but I felt perfectly comfortable following around a professional and taking the candid shots.  I had so much fun doing this!!

The hard part of the day for me was seeing a lot of the things that I would have done as a coordinator NOT GETTING DONE!!  I had to keep repeating to myself, "You are getting paid to take pictures today, not fix the other stuff.  Focus on the job you were hired to do and stop thinking about how much help you could have been."  Instead, I mentally noted a few things to blog about later.         

Let me first say, the wedding turned out to be a beautiful, touching event.  At the end of the day, the bride and groom were happily married and everyone had a good time.  It was a really fun group and they knew how to enjoy themselves.

Now the wedding planner in me gets to have her say.

No timeline.
We arrived early to look around because the photographer that I was working with had never shot at that venue before and it was located an hour away from us. Other than when the ceremony started, it looked like there was no set schedule for anything else.  They kept asking the photographer when/ who should get dressed to be ready for pics.  She wasn't the designated person in charge (no one was) so the wedding party wasn't  listening to her.  This made the photos go slower than they needed to, which threw everything behind (the imaginary) schedule.  Guests were waiting outside of the doors while we finished up pics when they should have been entering to be seated.

Besides that, we had to keep prompting the couple to do that next thing we needed to take photos of, like cake cutting and the bouquet toss.  These things need to be done in a timely manner, early enough so that any guests that aren't into partying late can enjoy the festivities and be on their way.  If you don't plan them out, there is a really good chance you will forget to do them altogether.  You might regret that after the fact.

No pre-decided photographs.
The photographer had to ask more than once for the bride and groom to give her their list of family shots that they wanted taken.  I witnessed the groom stare at the sheet blankly for a minute, then pass it off to his mother who had to quiz him while he dressed.  I can only assume there was a similar situation in the bride's dressing room.  This led to incomplete lists once we started photographing, plus the bride's mother couldn't read the groom's mother's handwriting and missed calling a couple of names in group shots.  Also, since this led so far into ceremony time, people setting up decorations and food kept wandering into the background of the shots.  (It was an extremely windy day, preventing us from doing any photography outside until after the ceremony was over.  Gotta preserve the girls' hairdos!!)

After the ceremony, the bride had one special shot she had found on Pinterest that she wanted, but didn't tell the photographer until that moment.  The bride knew about it ahead of time because it involved a prop, but rather than have a chance to be prepared, the photographer had to figure out how to execute that shot while guests looked on (hungrily) waiting for the dinner to start.  She's a rock star, so she figured it out quickly!!  Still, it would have gone smoother with just a little heads up beforehand.

Unfinished decorations.
The ceremony and reception were to take place in the same room.  Ceremony chairs started in the center of the room with reception tables to the left and right.  During the receiving line, the tables were to be moved to the center. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this in theory, but if you are going to have this setup, everything visible needs to be decorated before anyone arrives.  The ceremony chairs and aisle decorations were ready when guests sat down, but the centerpieces for all of the reception tables were bulked together in a pile on a couple of the tables, in full view of all of the guests.  It looked like craft projects were being done while the event was taking place.  It would have taken very little effort, looked much more put-together, and saved time later to have centerpieces already placed the way that they would be during the reception.  The decor was short and simple, so the tables could have been moved into place with everything already set up. 

The cake table was gigantic and only held a small cake in the center.  The light-up words "I DO" were on the table to begin with, but since no one was overseeing the whole thing, a couple of family members moved them before everything got started.  When the bride and groom went over to cut the cake, the bride had to ask for plates because they had not been set out.  Also, while the marriage certificate was being signed at the head table, the bride stopped in the middle of signing to yell over at a family member that they were putting the wrong decorations on the head table. 

When we left for the evening, I noticed a pile of wooden signs on the front porch.  These signs were adorable and were meant to be directional pointers leading up to the venue.  (It was kind of hard to find.)  Some had the couple's names, my favorites were "Almost there" & "Excited Yet?"  Apparently they ran out of time to put them up, or perhaps they were just forgotten about completely.  They would have been such a sweet addition to the decor, and it's a shame that someone took the time to make them and they didn't get used.     

One last thing that threw a kink in the works was a phone call interrupting a very special moment.  Granted, this could happen even with a coordinator involved, but I try my very best to have anyone with wedding day questions to call me first, then as a very VERY last resort, I go to the bride or groom myself with the question if necessary.  If your family or friends have your number and you are paying attention to your phone, these calls could still sneak by me.  We were right in the middle of taking the pictures of the bride's mother helping her daughter get dressed when Mom answered her phone and walked away to give someone directions that had gotten lost.  Mood-breaker!!  It's wise to give everyone close to you the number of a designated cousin or friend that can field these questions for the day.  They can let you know if it's an emergency. 

So, there are some of the things that were setting off my OCD during the event.  You may think a coordinator is an added expense that really isn't necessary, but these are only the tip of the iceberg of things that need to be managed.  Even if you are a super organized person with lists upon lists, more than likely you haven't done this before.  A coordinator does this a lot, and probably has seen or heard of almost every possible scenario of problems that could pop up.  If it's new to them, they have the expertise to deal with it in a productive way.  Plus, all of the time the coordinator can save you by knowing the answers to questions and keeping the entire process on time and on track can actually save you money in other areas.  We really are worth it!!  

Wedding Wednesday: DIY Craft Ideas

According to my JoAnn Fabric & Craft Store app, March is National Craft Month.  Seems like a good excuse to talk about a couple of DIY ideas to use for your wedding. 

 These painted hangers are a nice & special touch for hanging your wedding gown and bridesmaid's dresses on.  They can cost quite a lot each to have painted for you.  

Don't think you can wield a paintbrush steadily enough to pull this off?  No problem!!  Craft stores carry decals that can be rubbed directly onto the hanger with a popsicle stick.  

Paint pens have made me look like an actual artist in the past!!  This marvelous invention is a pen that writes with paint instead of ink.  Perfect for handwriting names or sentimental sayings onto projects.

When you are done, paint on a layer of Mod Podge to seal it all in. 

Personalized clear glasses are a really nice project too.  It's a very thoughtful touch that your wedding party can take home to remember your wedding every time they drink out of it.
Click here for a good tutorial on painting and heat-setting your glasses.  I used this as a guideline to make some glass coffee mugs for Christmas gifts, and they have held up nicely.

A few sample ideas for some patterns that you can try.  

Next is the very best tip I have ever come across for making this craft work.  (Yes, once again, thank you Pinterest!!)  

Print out or draw your design on a piece of paper, tape it INSIDE the glass, then trace. 

Oh yeah!!  Way easier than trying it freehand.  

Go ahead, set aside an evening or afternoon and give one of these a try.  You can do it!! 

Wedding Wednesday: PURPLE!!

Even though the 2014 Lake of the Ozarks Bridal Show (#LakeBridalShow) is over for this year, I still have it on the brain.  

I had such a great time meeting so very many different brides and grooms.  There were a lot of fun people there that I can't wait to work with!!  

While looking for a little inspiration for this week's blog, I decided to use the GORGEOUS "Concord Grape" tablecloth at the back of my booth, that Connie Duglin Specialty Linens was kind enough to let me borrow, to inspire me.   Plus it's my very favorite color in the world.  (And my birthstone!!)

Not only did I fall in love with this tablecloth the minute I saw it, but so very many people stopped to comment about how gorgeous it was, it was nice to know that it wasn't just me thinking so.  Next step, check out Pinterest and some other online pages to see similar things to go along with it.  

Purple Rose Pomanders

Purple Ombre Rose Cake

Both of these options have the same look of the tablecloth, but on a little bit smaller scale.  I wouldn't use these ideas right on top of each other, but in the same room would definitely work.  Throwing in a nice solid tablecloth or accent material in a complimentary color (like pink or silver) would work beautifully.  

Now for some fashion accents.  The heel on the left would look gorgeous on a bridesmaid or maybe even as a pop of color peeking out from beneath a long white gown.  The heels on the right might seem a little loud for most (not all) weddings, but I LOVE them, so how about for the bachelorette party?  Sounds like a great excuse to me!! 

Purple Strappy Heel

Purple Sparkly Heel

This ring isn't traditional at all, but so romantic with the double-hearts and swirling gold.  

Amethyst double-heart ring

Lavender is a great scent and flavor to use all around the reception.  This Lavender Lemonade would be a really nice, extra touch.  The link below also gives tips on the kind of lavender to use.  

Lavender Lemonade

Most of the decorations here are in white, but the lighting gives the entire room a purple glow than sets an amazing mood and makes the room look even more decorated than it is.  Great lighting is a very worthwhile expense if you can find a spot for it in your budget.

Purple Lighting

Well, there are just a few purple ideas to wet your creative appetite.  All it takes is one item that catches your eye to get the ideas flowing.  Before you know it, an entire wedding has formed around that one thing.  "Themes" sometimes just happen on their own when you let inspiration take over.