How is everyone today? Recently I had an inquiry from a bride to be on how should she choose a caterer for the reception. I have compiled a list on tips that I hope will aid anyone else having the same dilemma.

Catering is one of the most expensive, and important, elements of your wedding day. Choosing the right caterer who’s within your budget and meets your needs can be tricky. There are plenty of options available and most companies are more than willing to work with you in order to satisfy all your wants and needs for that special day.

The type of wedding reception you host makes a big difference in the kind of caterer you need. For a formal, three-course, sit-down meal, a high-end caterer with extensive knowledge and an excellent list of referrers is your best option.

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I hope everyone is doing well this week. The more wedding dates I see lately the more I see a 10-month to 8-month time period before the wedding day.

What should you be doing and planning in this time frame?

Below is a short list of suggestions where your planning should be at. As always, it isn’t set in ‘stone’ just guidelines to help you if you are having a problem with planning. Click to continue…

Good morning! Since so many weddings are upon us and I have received comments on our lovely brides being stressed! I thought I’d take this opportunity to try and get you beautiful brides a little calmer. This week we tackle the Bridal Emergency Kit. When I was doing this blog I was surprised to see so many items, but you can’t go wrong if you have them! I hope this helps take some of your stress off and enjoy, it’s your day!

The bride’s emergency kit is a bag of wedding day necessities as well as emergency items you hope you don’t need, but would be in a bind if you didn’t have. In general, it is left in the bride’s dressing/changing room for easy access at the wedding site and is assigned to a mother, bridesmaid, or guest to bring to the Click to continue…

Today’s topic was question from one of Facebook Brides to be, Christine. Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to help you.

Wedding Reception Order & MC duties

The ceremony went lovely; it is time for your reception. Is there a specific order of events that should take place? This is what I am going to explore today.

A wedding reception timeline serves as a checklist and helps the bride and groom form a mental image of the wedding reception order of events.

How to coordinate the events all depends on your wedding MC. It is recommended the reception program and script is prepared weeks in advance so the Emcee can familiarize himself with the flow of events. Click to continue…

I received a question today from a bride (Rachel) with a dilemma.

“Im having issues with my fiance’s family living in Cali and mine in TN. I’m not sure what to do about it. His mom can’t travel, my family cant afford it. what to do?”

Every time I worded and reworded this in a ‘search’ I got reasons to Elope. This answer though didn’t give me anything to do with the question asked.  Although, getting married on a romantic cruise for two did sound inviting in its own right.

After two hours of searching I threw the question out to my Facebook page. I received a lot of good advice and help from my brides- to- be that follow our page. The input and help was fantastic, thank you!

The answer below I received from one of our business friends. I believe she gave me the tip we were looking for. This week my blog credit is for my bride, Rachel ( hardest question yet!) and our friends at Simply Elegant/Affordable Events  for taking the time to answer and help with Rachel’s question. Please visit them and show support.

Her comment/answer to me was as follows:
    I have seen this on many occasions, for the affordable factor. Have your dream wedding that you want! What we have done in the past is on the day of the event a video stream is done for the parents that couldn’t come due to reasons …beyond everyone’s control. That way they are part of the big day and able to watch the event via the internet.
    One family had theirs at a “Library” in their town with some of the guests who knew the bride it was so wonderful for everyone! When it was time for the bride to dance with her father we had him call in- He did an emotional story about the bride, on how much he loved her. Personal flowers were sent to the  mothers and fathers, we also sent a couple of table things, it was like they were in the same room with everyone else.
    We had three events taking place at one time, It was a great day for everyone! The other two were “Pot Luck” Dinners. To this day it was and is one of my all time favorite events. So much love and no one felt left out.
    Many well wishes, this can be achieved so that everyone can have a great day. Even if no event for the other two you can still have the same dinner, send them the flowers, and a CD of some of the music of the day. There are many ways this can be done. If there is “Will there is a Way”xoxo
I truly believe this is a fantastic, affordable option..Unless you want to Elope.
Until next week, Happy Wedding Planning! Keep coming up with these topics to stump me, I truly love the challenge! Either contact me on FB or my email is ann@weddingcountdown.com

Be Well!
-Ann

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Good Day! I do hope everyone had a wonderful week!

I chose this topic today because of email I have received. This topic is for my brides. It would seem some of the chosen brides-maids are giving their brides a lot of grief. They are making the bride’s life more stressful as they are trying to plan their wedding. Here is the information I have gathered on the duties and expenses of a brides-maid.

Brides-Maid is a woman who attends on a bride at her wedding. Please remember it is an honor and a privilege to be chosen by the bride to be a part of the wedding.

As a Bridesmaid you have a strong supportive role you must play during the entire wedding experience. Although the Maid of Honor may be there for the bride, your friend will also need your comfort and opinions as well. Possibly by thinking role reversal, “seeing yourself as the bride to be”  may influence your behavior as a brides-maid.

BEFORE THE WEDDING
· Help in going with the bride to look at different locations for the wedding. Ask if you can participate in this process since it can be a very stressful.
· Many times a bride may outsource her invitations but if they need to be addressed by the family, your help will be key in reducing the load of tasks to complete.
· Go with the bride when she is shopping for her wedding dress as well as the Bridesmaid Dresses.
· Help keep order and organization with the other bridesmaids.
· Attend and help out during the rehearsal dinner.
· Field messages for the bride and her family. Make sure you are up on any changes.

THE WEDDING DAY and RECEPTION
· Assist the bride on her wedding day. That could include helping her into her wedding gown, helping her with her shoes, or helping her with makeup or hair touchups
· Assist other bridesmaids on the wedding day with last minute hair or makeup touchups or dress adjustments.
· Participate in before and after wedding pictures.
· Give a bridesmaid speech and toast at the wedding reception.
· Participate in any special functions or events at the wedding reception. For example, the throwing of the bouquet, dancing, welcoming wedding guests.

EXPENSES to be expected

Many maids of honor and bride’s maids have asked what are their obligations to pay for things during the pre- wedding and wedding process.
· The Dress(and all alterations)
· shoes.
· Jewelry to accent the dress.
·  Hair for the wedding day
· Help cover to pay for the bride’s hair on her big day.
· Buy a bridal shower gift or contribute to a gift

· The bachelorette party planning. It is traditional for the girls to help out in the cost.
· Gift for bride and groom on wedding day.
· If traveling, any and all travel expenses including gas, parking fees, airfare and accommodations.

Please realize it is hard enough on the bride to plan a wedding. She understands not everyone may like the dress, style, color she may choose. She will do her best to accommodate her bride’s maids and make them happy, sometimes this is just not the reality of things. Please remember you are part of HER big day.

Lastly, keep a positive attitude and have fun! This is a celebration! If you remain calm, relaxed, and enjoying this time your bride will as well.

I hope I have helped a little today. I have seen this issue quite a bit with brides-to-be. Most haven’t said a word to their brides-maids. I do hope you are not one of the ladies I have received an email about.

What is the biggest stresser you are having planning your wedding?  Are you having the above problem? How did you handle it?

Have an awesome week! Until the next blog and any topic you’d like me to cover I can be reached at ann@weddingcountdown.com feel free to drop me a line, or if you would like a certain topic covered.

Thank you!

ann

Good Day! Last week we discussed choosing your wedding style. Well, onto the next step, let’s get organized! Here are some helpful tips to get you on the road to the perfect wedding day.

So you have decided on the wedding date. Where do you begin to start organizing for the wedding? Planning a wedding is a daunting, but exciting prospect. Your wedding will be the biggest occasion you will ever organize. Hopefully you have given yourself at least 12 to 18 months before your wedding date. Every element of the wedding day that needs to be arranged/booked/purchased at a set time during this period can be accomplished in this time frame.

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Good Day! Our blog last week discussed your wedding budget. I felt the next step naturally would be, whom would you invite? Here are some tips that I hope make your decisions a bit easier!
Once you start to finalize the basics of your wedding plans, choosing who will be invited will become a simpler task. These basic plans include,
1. What you picture your wedding to look like.
2. The Wedding Budget
3. The Wedding Date. Keep a few dates in mind in regards to those most important can attend.
4. The Ceremony and Reception. If there is one place in mind that you have your heart set on, call early on and see if there is a head-count limit..

Once you have these essential plans worked out, it will be less of a hassle to sit down and plan out a guest list. Keep in mind that in some occasions, the bride and groom only get a third of the invitations, and their parents get another third of invites, depending on who all is paying. But to make it fair, there should be four lists composed altogether:
1. One from the Bride,
2. One from the Groom,
3. One from the Bride’s parents
4. One for the Groom’s parents

This will help you on narrowing your list. If a name appears on all four lists, then that person is a “must-add” and therefore is invited. Also remember the bride and groom are part of the list. Here are some tips to narrow down your guest list:

• Find Out Who Can Come
  Talk to friends and relatives early on to find out can make it and who can’t.
  List the “Must Haves”
  For example, the name on all four lists, the bride, the groom, the maid of honor, the best man, etc.
• Work from Your Inner Circle Out-If there is a lot of people you know; you must realize that there is a limit to who can be invited. Starting with those that are closest to you will help narrow down who will be able to attend.
• Do It Together Both of you are getting married. It’s easier if you and your fiancé sit down together and collaborate on the list and work together with narrowing down names.
• Don’t Assume Cancellations
  Many people make the mistake of over-inviting in hopes a few will have to cancel. Don’t make the mistake of over-inviting and then having to worry about not having enough seats for everyone. Just assume everyone will be attending, and it will help you narrow your list.

Once you’ve made a guest list, you may find that you’ve gone over with your limit with invitations. You may have to cut the list due to your budget. This is the hard part – you’re going to have to cut a few people from the invitation list. Here are some decisions you may have to face:

• Decide whether or not you will be inviting children
• Ask those that are single not to invite dates
• Don’t invite people you haven’t spoken to in years
• Don’t invite those that are heavy drinkers

Once the cuts have been made, and you’ve finally formed your guest list, you can start writing out the invitations. Although you may have had to cut a few people from your list, keep them in mind with a “plan B” list. That way, if you do get a few seats left after making your list, you have those that you can invite. Just remember to send those invitations out as early as you can so they don’t think you used them as a last resort.

Have you had any problems creating your guest list for your wedding?
How many people will you have?

As always thank you for stopping by and I hope your week is wonderful to you!
-Ann