Wedding Favors?

Wedding favors are great way to show appreciation to your wedding guests.  But let's be honest, nobody really wants a tin of mints, box of chocolates, or an ornament with someone else's name on it.

Consider donating money to your favorite charity in lieu of wedding favors.  You could select a charity that would personally relate to you.  For example, if someone in your family has breast cancer, you could donate to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  This will add a personal touch to any wedding reception.

To make guests aware of the donation cards can be placed in the reception area.

In addition to donating to a good cause, the bride and groom will find that this can be more economical than spending five to ten dollars per person.

Guests are excited to know that in honor of their presence a contribution will be made for a good cause.

What's First?- Budget or Guest List

When you are in the beginning stages of planning your wedding it can be overwhelming and you don't know where to start.  Some brides try to figure out their budget first, while others try to figure out their guest list.  The truth is, they go hand in hand.
  Your budget determines how many guest you should invite for the type and style of wedding you have envisioned.  And, your guest list determines your budget.  If you think about the whole wedding planning process and everything that is involved it starts to add up quickly.
  To keep the process manageable and stress-free as possible I highly recommend developing a budget from the very beginning.  It is also a good time to realize what services are most important to you.  For example, if you have always wanted uplighting at the venue to give it a certain style but linen isn't as important to you- adjust your budget so that you can make sure you can afford the services that are most important to you.  Some venues actually rent linen out free of charge when you book with them.  This is a good way to save money on a service that is less important to you and allow you to spend money else where.
  Typically, the more guests you have the larger the budget.  There are so many variables involved such as the venue, caterer, and rentals that are more expensive the more guest you have.  All of these aspects can have a huge affect on the wedding planning process so it is a great idea to develop the budget and guest list at the same time.  Happy Planning!

Bridal Show

 

Yesterday we were at the Perfect Wedding Guide Bridal Show at the Benton Convention Center.  We were surrounded by great vendors and great brides!  We had a great time meeting brides and their family and friends!  We noticed a lot of brides are planning further in advance.  One reason is that a lot of brides and grooms are paying for their own wedding so they are saving money for a longer period of time.  Most of the brides we met have some type of idea of how they want their wedding day to be but they are unsure about the small details.  That is why were are here to help.
There are no rules when it comes to planning your wedding.  The brides we met yesterday had many great ideas.  One bride we met asked what colors she should use for a winter wedding, she didn't want to go with dark colors because that doesn't reflect her personality.  We suggested she choose colors that are fresh and inviting such as ice blue, mint green, or silver.  She loved this idea and was glad she didn't have to go with dark colors.
Other brides were concerned with their budgets and wanted to know if they could afford a wedding planner for a small wedding.  We gladly told them that we do large elaborate wedding or small intimate weddings.  We believe all brides should have a wedding planner so we have packages for all budgets.  We had a great time yesterday and here are a few pictures from the bridal show!

Preparing for Bridal Shows

This Sunday we will be at the Perfect Wedding Guide Bridal Show in Winston-Salem.  We are very excited to meet new brides and potential clients.  Our main goal is to get to know brides on a personal level.  We believe we must know our bride before we can start helping them plan their wedding day.  We want to hear what our brides want from us.  At the bridal show that is exactly what we will be doing.. listening to brides!

We have spent a lot of time preparing for the bridal show.  Not only have we been working on tablescapes and gathering information to give to our brides.  But most of our planning has been bride focused.  We understand that bridal shows can be very overwhelming so we are going to make sure that the bride has a pleasurable experience as soon as she steps into our booth!