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HOT WEDDING TRENDS FOR
2006
Things are changing and what makes a wedding
great is to express individualism in a day that is definitively all about you.
Here are some fresh new ideas for the 2006 bride that are trendy and easy to
incorporate into your day:
Idea #1
Many brides shy away from buffets because they believe that the long lines take
away from the elegance of the day. These lines can be significantly
abbreviated by having your caterer set up multiple stations throughout the room
instead of one long buffet table for all to serve from at the same time.
As a personalized touch, consider serving all of your favorite foods or the food
that you ate on your first date. Take it a step further and tell the story
of why you chose each entrée in the menu.
Idea #2
Every bride labors over what to give their guests as a gift.
This choice can have a significant impact on the wedding budget. Here’s an
easy fix. Consider personalized chocolates. They can be customized
to fit anything and everything. For example, one bride gave the gift of
chocolates molded in the shape of dominos. She attached a small card that
told the story of how she and her husband met over a game of dominos at a pool
party. It was a smashing hit. It was reflective of the couple; it
was romantic and cost effective. How can chocolates tell your story?
Idea #3
An easy and cost effective way to add your signature to the wedding day is to
collect photos of you and your groom. About a dozen or so is a good
number to work with. Have them framed and spread them throughout your
reception, i.e. the sign-in table, the cake table, your sweetheart table etc.
The photos could be from your childhood and work through time progressively to
your engagement photo. These make for nice conversational pieces for your
guests.
Idea #4
Remember the old bouquet toss? Maybe most of your guests are already
married or maybe they're too mature to jump for a bouquet or maybe you just
don’t want to do it. Another option to give away your bouquet is an
Anniversary Dance. Start off all married couples on the dance floor.
Have your DJ or band start to play a medley of love ballads. Your DJ
should then start to ask the guests to leave the floor by asking all the couples
married less than two years to leave the floor, then those less than five years
to leave the floor, then seven years to leave the floor and so on until you have
the couple that has been married the longest to remain dancing. When you
get to that couple that has been married the longest, give them the microphone
and let them share some advice to the married couple for having a long and happy
life together. In exchange, the bride gives her bouquet to the wife and
the groom gives the garter to the groom. Very classy!
Idea #5
If children are an inevitable part of your wedding reception then make
accommodations. Set up a children’s table with activities that are age
appropriate such as coloring books, puzzles, or hand-held games. You might want
to make sure that their linens aren’t the specialty fabric that other guest
tables may be covered with. Another option is to have a separate room set
up with a sitter and children’s activities such as movies, a magician or a
clown. There are professional sitter services available specifically for
use at special event functions. Make sure to check references.
Idea #6
Make sure to hire a wedding coordinator to manage your wedding day. There
was a time when wedding coordinating was only for the rich and famous, but we
all want the perfect day. Consider “Day-of-Event” wedding coordinating.
It is usually offered at a set price that is known up front. You get to have all
the fun of planning your day while still taking the time to enjoy your guests
when the time comes. This is the latest trend in the coordinating business
and it’s one of the services offered by Special Event Solutions.
Call or e-mail us to set up your free consultation today!
 HOW TO SAVE
MONEY ON YOUR WEDDING FLOWERS
The cost of weddings is on the
rise. The business of weddings has been called, “the recession proof
industry”. We know that brides don’t have an endless supply of wedding
funds so we wanted to offer tips on how to save money. This week the tips
are related to saving money on your wedding flowers:
TIP #1
Avoid getting married in the month of February or May. Thanks to
Valentines Day and Mother’s Day these are months that the flower industry
experiences high demand which results in high costs for the consumer. A
bride can expect to pay as much as 25% - 30% more for flowers during these
months.
TIP #2
Ever considered getting married around Christmas or
Easter?
These are times when most churches and reception halls are
already decorated for the holiday. These holiday decorations
could significantly reduce the amount of décor that you would
need to pay for to make your wedding beautiful.
TIP #3
Consider using more greenery in place of large flower
arrangements. Ferns and ivy are considerably less expensive
than a large spray of flowers. These plants could be available
through a rental company or your florist as a rental instead
of a purchase.
TIP #4
Schedule a consultation with a floral designer. Take photos of
flower ideas that you like. Make sure to discuss the flowers
that you absolutely hate and then allow the florist the freedom
to use flowers that are cost efficient to create the look that
you love.
 ELIZABETH’S
ETIQUETTE
This
month we will cover the proper Invitation Etiquette.
Q.
When addressing my
invitations, when is it acceptable to abbreviate titles or wording?
A.
It is never acceptable to abbreviate a name or title. If space is an
issue, omit the middle name. When it comes to street abbreviations, it is
proper to always spell it out entirely. For example, “Drive” should never
be “Dr.” and “Circle” should never be abbreviated “Cir.”, etc.
Q.
If I am addressing an
invitation envelope to my long time girlfriend who is married and I don’t really
know her husband very well, how do I address the envelope?
The invitation should be addressed
to the couple. It should read Mr. and Mrs. Johnnie Bell followed by the
address. It should not read, “Lisa Bell and husband” or “Lisa Bell and
spouse”.
Q When is a young person old enough to
receive an invitation separate from their parents?
A
If the young person is over the age of thirteen, it is considered proper for
them to receive their own invitation. If there are siblings involved, they
can share the same invitations. Boys are addressed as The Messrs
and girls are addressed as
The Misses on the invitation envelope. For example: The Messrs.
Johnson or The Misses Johnson.
Q.
Should I put my gift registry information in the
invitation envelope?
A.
No, absolutely not. This is considered distasteful. If you want to
register for bridal gifts, you should leave this information with the parents of
the bride and groom, wedding coordinator and anyone else that is considered a
key contact related to the wedding. They can share the details with
whoever is seeking the information.
Q. I have approximately two-hundred invitations to
send out. Is it
O.K. to use address labels to save time?
A. No. Pre-printed address labels are never
acceptable. Instead,
get help from a friend or family
member that has neat hand-writing or hire a calligrapher to add that extra
special touch.
 THE
CULTURAL CORNER
America is truly a melting pot of various cultures, religions and races.
We mix culture in everything we do. This can be true in your wedding plans too.
In the Cultural Corner we open a window to various cultures specifically related
to wedding traditions. When making your wedding day plan, remember that
the day should be a reflection of you. The wedding ceremony itself is
cloaked deep in tradition so it would only be appropriate if you could find the
right cultural flare to express your culture and individualism.
The
Chinese continue to follow their cultural traditions very closely. After the
ceremony, the bride changes into a red cheongsam. The cheongsam is
traditional Chinese attire but on this day, the bride wears red because Chinese
consider the color red to be lucky. The cheongsam would have a phoenix and
a dragon embroidered in the fabric. The phoenix and the dragon are
symbolic of the union between a man and a woman.
The
reception would have the “double happiness” symbol as part of the décor.
It would be hung in a highly visible place such as near the bridal table or near
the cake table.
Finally,
it is also still common in a Chinese union to honor the family with a dowry in
the form of a pig or chicken etc.
.jpg) UPCOMING
EVENTS
The
Polasek Museum in Winter Park (near Rollins) is planning a bridal open
house on Saturday, February 25th from 11am – 3pm. It is an
opportunity to show their sculpture gardens to potential brides while enjoying
refreshments provided some of the finest catering companies in Central Florida.
Visit
www.polasek.org to request additional information.
The
Orlando Magic and Weddings Noir are teaming up together for the
perfect event. On Sunday, March 12th for just fifteen dollars per
person, the bride can bring her groom to a bridal show and the groom can
enjoy a Magic basketball game with his fiancée immediately following the
bridal event. There will be door prizes and an opportunity to win a
honeymoon getaway.
For additional information contact
dannielle.weddingsnoir@cox.net or look for
tickets to be available through Ticketmaster or a retail wedding vendor near
you.
 Gown
for Sale
Click on picture for full size view
If you're a size 8
and looking for a white wedding dress, we have a bargain for you. We have been
asked to showcase a "never before worn" wedding dress. The seller is asking for
$500. The original price was $782. The tag is still on it. If you're interested
please email Kimberly at:
specialeventsbylaroche@msn.com
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