Happy Planning!!

When it comes to planning a wedding there are a lot of things to consider. From venues for the ceremony and reception to entertainment, but there is one thing that can help even the most organized bride—The wedding planner’s checklist! In most cases it take 10-12 months to plan a wedding.

Around 12 months the main concerns are choosing the wedding date, style or formality of the wedding, the location for the ceremony and reception, deciding the budget, and hiring a wedding coordinator if needed. The budget is extremely important to set within the first month of planning because it is what helps the bride and groom narrow down vendor selections depending on the expenses necessary. Choosing the style or formality of the wedding can be difficult—it can either be very formal with black tie or semi-formal with cocktail attire. Depending on the wedding style decision, the ceremony and reception sites may change based on the formality of the wedding. For instance, if it is a semi-formal wedding the bride and groom may not have their ceremony in a church or the reception may be at their home. While a formal wedding would be placed in a church and the reception would be at an upscale hotel, ballroom, or club. Wedding coordinators can be an excellent investment for people who do not want to be stressed with the details of the wedding on the actual wedding day. A wedding coordinator typically takes care of everything from invitations to day of preparations, which can create a stress free day for the bride and groom.

Eight months before the wedding the bride and groom should focus on the entertainment such as caterers, band or DJ, photographer and videographer, and wedding officiant. Other than entertainment the bride should focus on finding her dress, which is the most exciting part for every bride!! She will also need to pick out the bridesmaids dresses. The bride and groom will also need to start compiling names and addresses for the guest list at this time. It is important to start compiling a guest list even though invitations are not sent until 3 months before the wedding. This saves the bride and groom a lot of time when it gets closer to the wedding.

Five months before the wedding the groom should pick out the tuxedos for his groomsmen and himself. Shop for wedding band, choose the wedding cake, and begin preparations for the honeymoon are all arrangements that need to be made within the final months of the engagement.

After finalizing on all the details of the wedding, the bride and groom must not forget the most important part—The Marriage License! And other than that its time to sit back and allow them to enjoy their big day!!

Woohoo Holidays!!!

This year’s 2010 winter weddings will be embellished with extravagant flowers and eye-catching colors. Instead of using the traditional winter wedding colors such as red, white and pink; this season will be bold and bright with the use of aqua, purple, yellow, orange, and jewel tones. Many brides are opting to decorate with a winter wonderland theme incorporating a variety of blues with silver and white. Yellow and bright turquoise are being seen as a fashionable winter color trend to brighten up any winter wedding day.

Flowers that are popular this coming season will include blooming branches, amaryllis, anemones, peonies, narcissus, tulips, jasmine, and calla lilies. Jasmine is popular during the winter months because of their elegant and romantic scent. Blooming branches add a very elegant and wintry feel to any decor. They are very popular when decorating for a elegant and romantic fairytale wedding.

Amaryllis and anemones are star-like flowers that come in a variety of reds, pinks and white. They are very delicate and elegant flowers that create a romantic setting.

Peonies are simply beautiful. These flowers can make a statement all by themselves. They are perfect for a winter wedding especially in all white. Peonies also come in a variety of reds, pinks and white.

Tulips are going to be seen a lot this season with the trend of bold and bright colors. Tulips and calla lilies come in a variety of colors and are perfect for boutiques. For instance, tulips and calla lilies both come in a variety of purples which can add a beautiful twist to a traditional winter wedding.

A Night to Remember!

Wedding invitation trends for 2010 range from traditional to modern/contemporary. Invitation themes include Eco-Chic, Art Deco, Tribal Prints, Damask and Lattice Patterns, and rich color combinations with jewel tones. Invitations are beginning to reflect the bride and groom’s fashionable, instead of formal, personalities.

The Eco-Chic theme is nature-inspired with decorations of tree silhouettes, hummingbirds, nightingales, and mockingbirds. This theme also represents the ever-so popular tradition of incorporating love birds into the wedding decor. Eco-Chic will complement the outstanding “go green” movement.

Letterpress wedding invitations have really hit the mainstream and are becoming the norm in 2009 and 2010. Letterpress offers a unique and modern look to any invitation. It is the reverse process of engraving, which gives the invitations a completely different look and a touch of sophistication.

Art deco is perfect for the modern and trendy couple. The designs vary with contrasting colors and patterns inspired by the 1970s. Monogramming is very popular within the art deco theme as an addition of personal nostalgia. Monogramming can be done in a variety of ways--they can represent the bride and grooms first initial and save the change of last name until the reception where they have officially been announced as husband and wife.

Tribal prints and damask patterns are growing in popularity for upscale weddings. The classic damask patterns are modern and sophisticated themes for any wedding invitation. Other than black and white, other 2010 color combinations will include purple and grey, grey and turquoise, blue and black, or jewel tones. The damask pattern can represent a vintage feel and in comparison to the damask pattern many brides are having invitation made personally to match their gowns, floral, or decor of the wedding. For instance, the invitation covered in lace if the brides gown is an all lace gown which expresses that the wedding will have a more formal appearance.

Invitation designers are making bold, strikingly beautiful invitations with a variety of color, stripes, jewel tones, and different sizes. Bold colors are being used to contrast with a white font to really make the invitation pop. The colors being used can reflect the colors of the wedding in most cases. Couples have been making the invitations with pouches, pockets and different colors. For example, the main invitation will be one color, the font and ribbon will be another color, and the envelope will be a third color. Stripes and jewel tones can be incorporated into an invitation for a very formal and modern look. Embellishing the invitation with small rhinestones, tiny pearl-toned beads, or miniature Swarovski crystals can make a low-key invitation into a fashion statement.