Posted on February 4, 2010 by nlcf28
A Sample Save the Date from Wedding Paper Divas!
I am getting married later this year, but we’re already getting some of the gifts we registered for! Should we send thank you notes now, or wait until after the wedding?
Good question! First of all, thank YOU for writing thank you notes!
The “rule” is that you should send a thank you note as soon as you receive a gift. That way, there’s not a lot of time that passes between the gift giving and the thanks — which is very much appreciated by the gift givers! Plus, this will make it so much easier on you. You won’t have a billion thank you notes to send at one time if you stay on top of the thank you cards.
Also note: you should handwrite the cards! Don’t use pre-printed thank you cards. It’s not thoughtful and it shows less gratitude.
Remember to check & re-check who sent the gift; the last thing you want is to thank the wrong person for the gift!
Also, if you’re looking for what to write in a thank you note: greet the guest, express gratitude for the specific gift, give an example of what it will be used for, and thank them for attending or for thinking of you. Wedding Paper Divas suggest that if you do not like the gift, say something like “Thank you! I will think of you everytime I use it.” Just remember, someone spent money on you and that is very kind!
Hope this helps!
~ Natasha
Filed under: Wedding Advice, Wedding Planning | Tagged: gifts, notes, registry, thank you, thanks | Leave a Comment »
Posted on February 2, 2010 by nlcf28
A few days ago, one of the morning shows featured a Save-The-Date video that had “gone viral.” How funny to see your Save-The-Date on tv, when it’s supposed to only save-the-date for your friends and family! Anyway, it was such a clever video, it got me thinking about all the creative ways you can let people know that they should save that date for your wedding!
Save the Date with a personalized photo! This photo is from The Wedding Lens!
Remember: always include your names, the date, and the location on the STD. If possible, include your wedding website on there too so couples can be updated as needed.
1. Video: As I mentioned above, try sending out a video that you make at home. The one I saw on the morning show went WAY farther than you need to, so don’t use that as an example. (The STD was done was a movie trailer!) Consider just having you & your significant other talking in the camera. Or hold up signs. Or show photos of your favorite spots and include a shot of a card with the STD information on it.
2. One site suggests doing something creative (like using Scrabble letters to spell out the STD information) and then take a photo. Use that as a card that you can mail out.
3. Postcards! There are two ways to do this. a) One way is that you can create your own postcard. Use a photo of yourselves and insert the STD information. Or just provide the STD information. b) The second way is to use regular postcards (perhaps of the location of your wedding?) and write the STD information as the message on the back of the postcard.
4. Take photobooth photos together, while holding the Save the Date information. Then you can either affix it to a postcard, create a postcard from the photos, OR just scan it if you want to send digital STDs.
5. Go digital! In our continuing effort to encourate people to be more eco-friendly with wedding planning, try sending electronic Save-The-Dates! You can do any of the things above and email them. It even saves you postage!
Looking for more information on STDs? Check out our posts on How to Address Save the Dates, When to Send Save-The-Dates and Invitations, More Save the Date Ideas!
Do you have any creative Save-The-Date ideas you would like to share?
~ Natasha
Filed under: Wedding Advice, Wedding Design, Wedding Planning, Wedding Trends | Tagged: invitation, mail, save the date, sending, std | Leave a Comment »
Posted on January 28, 2010 by nlcf28
Photo from The Wedding Lens!
Over the holidays, I went to the UK to visit family – including my niece, who aspires to be a wedding planner. She was telling me some of the traditions that take place in the UK that are so very different from the US traditions that I know so well. I thought it would be interesting to discuss – and bring in some of our UK friends to help us out!
1. Walking down the aisle. In the United States, it is traditional for the wedding party (bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girl, ring bearer) to walk down the aisle before the bride. In Britain, it’s the opposite: Brides are the first to walk down the aisle. The bride is the first to be seen so as to emphasize her importance and ensure full attention is on her.
Also, in the U.S. it is common for bridemaids and groomsmen to walk down the aisle arm-in-arm. This NEVER happens in the U.K. Interesting, right?
2. Bridesmaids. In the U.S., bridesmaids are usually friends or family of the bride or groom — around the same age. In the U.K., there are older bridesmaids (who are the brides/grooms age, roughly) and younger bridesmaids (who are around 10-12 years old). And the younger bridesmaids (it seems to me) wear something that parallels what the bride wears – a white dress, usually, that might have a colorful sash.
3. Hats. In the U.S., no one wears hats to a wedding. In the U.K, women wear hats — big ones too! And, if not hats, then something on the head (which, aside from the bride’s veil) just wouldn’t happen in the US. Check out these ban.do from our UK friends!
Obviously this is just a quick list to get us started. If you know of other traditions that are different between the US & UK, share em!
~ Natasha
Filed under: Wedding Planning, Wedding Trends | Tagged: bridesmaids, Britain, hats, traditions, U.K., U.S., United States, wedding | Leave a Comment »
Posted on January 26, 2010 by nlcf28
An invitation photo (from The Wedding Lens) that came with an RSVP card!
I just received a wedding invitation in the mail that came with an RSVP card – that also asked what we wanted to eat at the wedding. That’s a pretty typical RSVP card these days, right? Right.
So how about trying something a little bit different?
1. The traditional (very traditional) RSVP to a wedding involved a person handwriting a note that indicated whether they would be able to attend or not. In other words, there was NO RSVP card. RSVP cards developed in response to people’s laziness in writing a note!
For example, ask guests to RSVP with a postcard from the location where they are from. Not just that, our friendly blogger & wedding planner Zoe Lingard suggests asking the guests to write a brief note (it has to be brief anyway since it’s a postcard!) saying how they know the couple or telling a nice story about them. Then, you can hang those postcards with clothespins on a clothing line at the wedding. It’s a nice way to reflect where people are from and to gather stories.
2. You send the postcards for people to fill out. One clever couple decided to send out beautiful post cards (antique ones from the location where they were getting married) and on the back simple had them reply with a M_________ ___will attend ___ will not attend. When the couple got the postcards back, they put a sticker over the return address with the table number of the couple. That way, they didn’t have to use MORE paper and they were able to recycle the cards!
3. Use an RSVP card, but leave room for something else. Like what? Like song requests or advice to the couple.
4. In an effort to be green: Don’t use an RSVP card and ask people to reply via email or your website. If you do this, please please please remember Grandma and/or other folks who may or may not have access to (or know how to use) this technology. For those folks, consider one of the paper forms of RSVPs OR ask them to RSVP via telephone.
5. Include a larger envelope with the RSVP card and ask guests to enclose a photo from their wedding day. You can use those photos to display at the wedding too! Note: this might alienate any singles you are inviting!
Do you have creative RSVP card ideas? Share ‘em!
~ Natasha
Filed under: Tips, Wedding Advice, Wedding Planning | Tagged: cards, creative, RSVP, stationary | Leave a Comment »
Posted on January 21, 2010 by nlcf28
In addition to our wedding trends for 2010, our friends and partners at Wishpot have shared their thoughts with us! Hope you enjoy their monthly guest post!
This month Wishpot brings you our favorite wedding trends for 2010. From sashes to sleeves, these new trends are bound to leave you saying “I want that in my wedding!”
Sleeves are no longer seen as “old and boring” this year. Many brides are deciding to add sleeves onto their dresses to create a more elegant and distinctive feel that still leaves them feeling sexy and chic. Dresses like this gorgeous short sleeved dress are sleek and slimming to any bride’s figure!
Birdcage veils are definitely a new hot trend for this year. They give you a graceful look without the hassle of the long traditional veil. Such a gorgeous new trend for any kind of wedding!
Sashes, sashes, sashes! Everywhere you look these days plain white wedding dresses are getting spiced up by colorful sashes around the waist. From less expensive dresses to Vera Wang, this trend can be seen anywhere this year. Sashes accentuate a woman’s curves and can be a slimming tool as well.
These days everyone is going green, even when it comes to your big day. Many brides are turning to eco-friendly wedding favors like these eco-friendly natural bamboo coasters from beau-coup! From wedding favors to recycled bridal gowns, green is the way to go this 2010!
Gone are the days when brides only wear white. Brides are now turning to different colors for their gowns like this Vera Wang dress shown above. You will definitely stand out walking down the aisle in a non-traditional dress with some flash and color!
For more ideas and tips for your wedding visit www.wishpot.com/weddings!
Filed under: Feature | Tagged: guest post, wishpot | 1 Comment »
Posted on January 19, 2010 by nlcf28
Photo from The Wedding Lens
We received another question that builds upon one of the previous question/answers that I recently wrote. I think it’s an interesting topic because it comes up in almost every wedding planning situation. So here we go:
I read your recent blog post called “Should I invite someone because she invited me?” But it doesn’t really answer my question. Your answer focuses on weddings that happened years ago, but what if the wedding you were invited to was really recent? My fiance and I were invited to a wedding very recently and we decided not to go. We like the person, but my fiance has only seen his friend twice in the past ten years. He was surprised we were invited at all. We would rather not have to invite this friend and his now wife because we barely know them now, though we don’t want to lose them as friends either. Help!!!!
Wow, you’re right! I didn’t really answer that question directly in my post about whether you should invite someone because they invited you, but I started out with some of the things you should consider when figuring out the guest list. I still think the “use your best judgment” is the most sound advice, though I recognize that doesn’t give you much to go on!
Again, you should consider 1) the size of the wedding (both yours & theirs); 2) the closeness of friendship; 3) the desire to have them present.
It sounds like in your case it’s not that you DON’T want them there per se, but you have other people who you are close to. And it sounds like you decided not to attend their wedding because of how you’ve already grown apart — especially if your fiance was so surprised he was invited at all. After all, talking only a few times over the course of 10 years is a pretty good indication that you’re not that close anymore. I think that your fiance’s friends would be hard pressed to be “offended” if they’re not invited.
Consider putting these people on your B list as an alternative solution. You have your primary list of folks you want to attend and if enough of them don’t attend, put couples like this on the B list. (Or even a C list, if you want!) That way you haven’t completely eliminated them from consideration until the very end of the process. It gives you time to keep mulling it over.
Here’s another blog post on how to develop a guest list – hopefully that will answer any other questions!
Good luck! And if you have other questions, please email me at natasha@theweddinglens.com! (Or check out our link to submit wedding questions)
~ Natasha
Filed under: Tips, Wedding Advice | Tagged: guest list, invitation, invite, wedding, wedding question | Leave a Comment »
Posted on January 14, 2010 by nlcf28
Beautiful wedding dress! Photo from The Wedding Lens
If you’re really into being green, there are TONS of green wedding tips out there. But sometimes it’s not doing everything, it’s just doing something. If you’re trying to be green, consider being green with your wedding dress (which, of course, doesn’t have to be the COLOR green – just get it or get one that is eco-friendly!)
- Consider a pre-owned dress. Try a wedding dress that is from your family or even a second hand shop. There are also tons of websites that carry wedding dresses that have only been worn once (or even not-at-all)! For example, check out Green Hanger Shop’s website. They have so many beautiful dresses and they’re great with customer service. It will save on environmental materials AND save you money. Just remember that if you go an online route, know your measurements!
- Buy natural. If you purchase a new dress, get one that is made from natural, organic materials such as organic silk. This will make your impact on the environment just that much less. You can ask retailers in advance whether they have natural dresses so you don’t need to waste your time with shops that don’t have them.
- Donate when you’re done. When you’re done, donate your dress to a charity that can sell it; it will create funds for them and save someone else from having to purchase a new dress.
- Re-sell when you’re done. You can go right back to the Green Hanger Shop to sell your dress again. Someone else can rewear it and you’ll get to recoop some of what you spent the first time around.
- Choose a simple dress that you can wear again. Everything is better if you can wear it again! You don’t need to get an ornate one-time wearing dress. (But if you do, please consider the above advice and donate it when you’re done.) Check out our colorful wedding dresses, which might be more rewearable than just plain white.
Did you do something green to find your dress?
~ Natasha
Filed under: Tips, Wedding Planning, Wedding Trends | Tagged: attire, dress, eco-friendly, green, green wedding tips, wedding dress | Leave a Comment »
Posted on January 11, 2010 by nlcf28
With a new year comes new trends and traditions, here are a few of the top wedding trends that may affect your wedding planning decisions – or not!
Turquoise bridesmaids dresses! Ahead of the 2010 trend... Photo from The Wedding Lens!
Color: The color of the year is turqoise! It’s flair & sophistication all in one color and it’s a color that can be incorporated into many parts of the wedding. Turquoise can add a touch of color in the form of earrings, necklaces, napkins, ribbons, and even printing colors for invitations and programs.
Style: The style trends are simple and homey. In this economy, people are looking to have simple, traditional weddings in smaller locations (even at home!). This is also consistent with the other latest style trend — to be as eco-friendly as possible. Simple, fewer guests, less travel, local/in season flowers, local organic food — incorporate however many “green” things into your wedding as you’re comfortable doing. Be rustic, vintage, simple, and green all in one.
Location: The new location: close by! People are cutting back on traveling, both because of expense and because of aspirations of being green. (Less travel means less gasoline means less toll on the earth!)
Cake: Buttercream is the cake of the year!
Photos & video: People will incorporate more video presentations, more digital photos. This also means using online photo sharing websites so people can share photos easily, without having to print them. And online photo sharing means couples won’t have to buy anti-eco-friendly disposable cameras – which requires printing a million photos just to get one clear shot and requires disposing of the camera. Lots of waste. Go digital!)
Any other trends you see coming up? Let us know!
Happy New Year (a little late!)
~ Natasha
Filed under: Tips, Wedding Advice, Wedding Design, Wedding Planning, Wedding Trends | Tagged: 2010, new year, Tips, trends | 1 Comment »
Posted on January 8, 2010 by nlcf28
I recently wrote a blog post on how to find your wedding venue. I discussed a number of questions about the costs of the venue — which I think are important enough to reiterate! I also am adding questions to this list that you should keep in mind before actually signing any contract with a venue. If you’re looking to double check questions that you should ask, be sure and check out the Here Comes the Guide questions to ask when evaluating a wedding location.
Photo from The Wedding Lens
General questions on costs/facilities to ask
- Seating/guests
- How many people can they seat/fit?
- How much is the deposit/down payment? Is it refundable?
- Does the venue provide chairs? Do you need to rent chairs?
- Do they charge for the chairs/setting up chairs?
- Facilities
- Is there a dressing area for the bride & groom?
- Are there bathrooms accessible to guests?
- Is it wheelchair accessible?
- Food, drinks, & catering
- Does the venue provide food, drinks, or other catering? Do they have preferred vendors?
- If they have food & drinks for weddings, then find out a price range, you will select your final food/drink options later. Most venues give a per person rate. (Be sure to check whether each price option includes a buffet, a seated dinner, an open bar, limited drinks, etc.)
- Can vendors use the kitchen facilities? (Are there kitchen facilities on site?)
- Is there a per-person cake charge?
- Is there an additional charge for linens and utensils?
- Is there a service charge for serving the meals?
- Music, Dancing, Flowers & Decorations
- Does the venue have a dance floor? Does it cost extra?
- Does the venue permit amplified music?
- Is there a sound system? Can an outside DJ or band use it? Is there a cost
- Do they permit decorations/flowers? Can you bring in decorations from outside or does it have to be done through the venue? What is the charge?
- Miscellaneous
- Do they charge for clean up
- Does the venue require wedding insurance? (Check out the blog post on wedding insurance if you have no idea what this is!)
- Are there restrictions on the site? (no confetti, etc)
- Do they have any other costs and fees? (service charges, etc)
Specific Questions to ask yourself to make sure the venue is right — at the right time
- Go to the venue at the time of day you want to get married to make sure the lighting is right and sufficient.
- Is there sufficient lighting? Ask the venue if there is additional lighting available.
- If it is outdoors, are there coverings or tents that can go up if it rains? Can you bring in umbrellas? (Are there charges for tents? What is the charge?
- Do you like the people at the venue? Can you work with them?
- If they require a certain vendor, is that okay with you? Do you like the vendors?
Questions to ask about the contract before you sign
- What happens if one side or the other has to cancel? Do you still have to pay fees? Can you get reimbursed if it’s their fault?
- Is there a contingency plan if it’s outdoors and it rains?
- Are they requiring you to do something you do not want to do or incur costs that you dont want to incur?
- READ it thoroughly! Make sure you understand it. Take your time, don’t feel strong-armed into signing it. If you can, have someone else who isn’t involved in the process read it too. They might see something you didn’t.
~ Natasha
Filed under: How-To, Tips, Wedding Advice, Wedding Planning | Tagged: ask, catering, ceremony, contract, food, location, questions, reception, venue | Leave a Comment »
Posted on January 6, 2010 by nlcf28
This is the fifth part of our series on green wedding tips. Another area of green wedding tips that people should think about is favors & centerpieces! And here are some different ideas for favors.
Consider stacking your favors, like boxes of tea like this, as the centerpiece! Photo from The Wedding Lens
- Donate as the favor. Instead of buying things that might get tossed into a drawer, consider donating money to a charity as the favor. Have the DJ announce this donation, instead of printing paper notes that say so. If you do want to print cards that tell guests of the donation, consider printing one per table instead of one per guest. Tip: Don’t say that you donated “on behalf of” your guests! You don’t want people to get upset that you donated on their behalf to an organization that they may not support.
- Plant a tree as a favor. Plant a tree (or many trees) as the favor to your guests. You can tell them (via a DJ, not printed paper!) where you planted and what kind of trees you planted.
- Give seeds. Give seeds as the favor so that people can plant on their own plants or flowers. You can print stickers or order seeds that have your names & date of the wedding on it, if you want to make it more personal.
- Give a basket of green products. Come up with a list of some green products and items and give those as the favor. For example, seeds, cleaning products, or other biodegradable products.
- Make the favors the centerpieces. By using the favors as the decorative centerpiece, you don’t have to use more flowers or purchase other decorative items. And hopefully the favors will be useful and re-useable.
Have other ideas? Tell us!
~ Natasha
Filed under: Tips, Wedding Planning, Wedding Trends | Tagged: centerpieces, eco-friendly, favor, favors, green, green wedding tips, wedding favors | 2 Comments »
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