Fall By the Numbers

Just thought I would share a few FALL facts about weddings....

• 14% of weddings take place in September, the most popular month for weddings
• 12% of weddings take place in October, the third most popular month
• 6% of weddings take place in November, which ranks ninth in popularity

By these numbers, you would find some of the best deals among vendors in November (off season) and be ready to pay a little more out of the pocket in September (peak season). Astonishing what a few months can do to the budget of a wedding!! 

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DIY Guest Book Alternatives

As you know I am BIG for DIY projects and bringing quirky elements into your wedding! One place to start is the GUEST BOOK… so everyone has signed it, now what!! For many newlyweds, after their wedding they find they have no use for it and it gets packed away to collect years of dust!! But with these guest book alternatives, you can remember the words of wisdom of family and friends for years to come!!

1. Photo books or Instant Photos… A picture says a 1000 words. Capture the moments with a Polaroid camera or pre-make a photo book for guests to sign.

2. World Atlas… I know that I want to travel the world with my significant other! Why not have family and friends sign where their favorite travel destination is and leave some ideas of things to do while there.

3. Artwork… After guests have signed it, the artwork can be displayed in your house for all to see.

4. Wine Bottles… Create blank wine labels for guest to sign and open one each year of your anniversary!!

5. Vintage Items… Have guest sign your favorite collectibles.

6. Envelope Guest Book…  Transform a store-bought album into a guest book that has a handmade feel. Use double-sided tape to affix envelopes in assorted sizes and colors to the pages of a plain-paper photo album or scrapbook. Leave cards and a pen on a table for guests to write wishes. When they're done, they can tuck their cards inside the envelopes for the bride and groom to enjoy later.

7.  Artistic Guest Book… Inspire guests to express themselves artistically as they write down their sentiments on your wedding day. At the reception, set up a table with craft and office supplies -- pretty card stock, colored pencils, an array of stickers -- and invite guests to embellish their notes with fun designs. Finished cards can be placed in a clear glass bowl and arranged in a scrapbook later.

8. Mail Anyone… So who doesn’t like a little mail? Rather than signing a traditional guest book, give guests a postcard with the bride and groom's address printed on the back to fill with good wishes during the reception and drop in a copper mailbox displayed in the lobby. The cards are to be mailed the next day by a friend of the couple, so that when the newlyweds return from their honeymoon, they return to a brimming mailbox of well wishes!!

9. Wrapped in Love… Have your guest sign fabric squares that will be sewn into a keepsake quilt. Not only does it make a FAB guest book, but can be passed down through the generations!

VEGAS VIRGIN!!

So I will be hitting up Vegas in December to celebrate a FEW friend’s birthdays and sadly this will be my first time. But at the same this SUPER EXCITED… what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!! As you know, I have a thing for finding deals, so I have been searching the net hit and low. And I found some great websites and thought I would share.

If you are looking for a deal on EVERYTHING… visit smartervegas.com. I was able book a hotel room for 4days/3 nights for ONLY $308.80 at the MGM Grand.  Yes you read that right and we are staying on the weekend!!  Usually the room runs $246/night. Also, I will be checking out a show while in Vegas and found tickets to Zumanity for $56 a person. That’s like half price! 

Another site to check out for restaurant deals is restaurant.com.  There are pages upon pages of local eateries for excellent prices!! Be sure to check your resort for hotel for coupon books. They have them and if you don't use them you could be leaving money on the table and who wants to do that.

I did wait until last week to book airline tickets and they me cost a little under $400, but that included roundtrip transportation to and from the airport. So I am ok with that price since it is a non-stop flight. If I had booked just a couple of weeks earlier, I could of gotten an even better price.  Still working on how to get discounted tickets for airlines without doing “Name Your Own Price” and leaving your day of flying to the computer to pick!! 

I know for a lot of people the first place they run when booking a vacation is priceline or expedia.  But I would definitely say do your homework and shop around… you can save yourself hundreds of dollars! And when you are in Vegas don’t you need that extra cash for the casino!!  

For those who would love to go to Vegas or ANYWHERE, but would like to pay in installments checkout bookit.com.  They allow you to pay for your trip in installments as long as its 30 or more days away.  This is a great savior if you can't pay for a whole trip upfront!!

My next hunt for this trip is finding a great limo from a FAB price! Will probably book this last minute… this will probably get me the best deal and will be calling the company personally to haggle a deal!! And I will definitely keep you updated on all of my Vegas bargains!!

Do I Need To Hire A Wedding Coordinator?

I know, I know, you’re on top of the planning process and you have all of the big things worked out. All of us planners totally get it, not everyone needs the full blown deal. But what you don’t know is that hiring a planner for just your wedding day coordination can make a huge difference in not only your stress level, but your overall satisfaction on your wedding day. Given that, I have a few questions for you:

• Do you want to setup the linens, flowers, place cards, menu cards and favors on the morning of your wedding day instead of enjoying a morning of pampering?
• Do you want to have your phone ringing off the hook for every little decision that needs to be made or issue to address during the day instead of savoring moments with your bridesmaids?
• Do you want your mom (or sister, or cousin or friend) lining you up to go down the aisle or coordinating your first dance timing instead of watching it happen?
• Do you want to worry about how long you have to take pictures, where you need to be after the ceremony or when you need to be seated for toasts?
• Do you want your parents to deal with lugging wedding gifts up to a hotel room or out to a car instead and boogying down on the dance floor?

My guess is that your answer to each one of these questions is NO, absolutely not, no way, no how, not even close! And these are just some of the things a wedding planner or coordinator can help you with on your wedding day, but there is so much more! Too often, brides rely on family and friends to help carry out plans on the day of their wedding. But by asking a friend or family member to take on this stressful task, that person will not be able to enjoy the event as a guest, and will end up feeling like “event staff”.

Top 10 Reasons to Hire a Wedding Planner

10. Saves time – Planning a wedding takes an enormous amount of time.  In fact, the average couple spends well over 200 hours planning their special day.  A good wedding planner will save you time and energy by researching vendors, taking care of the many, many details, and coming up with various creative ideas to make your wedding amazing!

9. Saves money – Weddings can be extremely expensive.  However, by hiring a wedding planner, couples can save a great deal of money.  Because wedding planners provide so much business to vendors, they are often able to negotiate discounts for their clients.  Wedding planners are also well-versed at helping couples set budgets and sticking to them.

8. Saves relationships – Weddings are very stressful.  This stress often results in many arguments for couples as well as with family members and friends.  Wedding planners have been there time and time again and know how to avoid such problems before they begin as well as act as a buffer when there are conflicts. Wedding planners are also able to take on the responsibilities often assigned to loved ones so that everyone is able to enjoy the wedding.  Remember, you still want a relationship with your mother well after your wedding!

7. Ensures dreams are made into realities – Most brides have been dreaming of their wedding day their entire life.  Wedding planners work for the couple and ensure that all desires are met (and often surpassed)!

6. Offers advice – Wedding planners have planned countless weddings and know exactly what works and what doesn’t.  They are also knowledgeable on wedding etiquette.  Furthermore, wedding planners are able to recommend competent vendors, based on personal experience.

5. Acts as the “go to person” – The average wedding has at least 22 different vendors.  Combine that with the entire wedding party and all of the guests and that is a lot of people with questions and concerns!  By hiring a wedding planner, couples can simply tell others “talk to the wedding planner!”

4. Creates schedules – There are so many events leading up to the big day!  Couple that with the many things that happen during the wedding and who can keep track?  The wedding planner can!  Wedding planners are well-versed at making detailed itineraries for all involved (including other vendors) and making sure that everything happens on time!

3. Handles crisis – Whether we like it or not, most big events involve crisis.  Who really wants to deal on their wedding day with the bakery not delivering the cake on time or the flower girl throwing a tantrum?  No one!  Wedding planners know how to handle all unforeseen circumstances.

2. Orchestrates from rehearsal through the end of reception – Do you want to be responsible for organizing rehearsal or making sure the bridal party is properly lined up?  How about making sure that the guest who had a little too much to drink departs safely?  Wedding planners orchestrate from rehearsal through the end of the reception, ensuring everything goes off without a hitch!

1. Minimizes stress and maximizes fun! – Hiring a wedding planner ensures that you will have a worry-free and stress-free day, thus, allowing you to enjoy your day like your guest.

Hiring a wedding planner is the wedding gift that you give to yourself! 

Below is what you DON'T want on your wedding day!!

Cigars Anyone?!

So I am helping a friend plan their 30th birthday party and found some great ideas on the "Hostess With the Mostest" Blog!! The biggest thing for this party is that it's a MALE only gathering with some of his closest friends and will happen at a cigar lounge! This place is a total upscale man cave... leather couches and big screen tvs!! Here are a few of the inspiration pics that I will be using for the party!! It is not until December, so trying to start a tad bit early so that all details are taken care of!! The BIG BASH with all friends of his will happen in Vegas though!! Go Hard or Go Home!!

Halloween GLAM Style

With October right around the corner, you know what that means... CHRISTMAS DISPLAYS!!  HeHe... But no seriously, Halloween will be here before you know it!! As I do my daily pursue of blogs, of course I run across some great pictures on Hostess with the Mostess. I LOVE this blog!! This year instead of doing the same old scary theme... do a Glam Halloween Theme. Take a look at these photos and get some inspiration on how you can do Halloween Glam style!! These ideas are simple, easy to pull together, and relatively cheap!!

Glitzy pumpkins!!
Paint pumpkins shiny metallic silver, hot pink, or spidery black.  You can use acrylic craft paint or you can use spray paint, they both get the jobs done! Add sparkle by dusting with glitter while the paint is still wet.

Glam Wine Bottles

Cover wine bottles in decorative paper (wrapping paper/scrapbooking paper) and rhinestones with a Halloween motif.

3 Reasons To Get Married in The Winter

With today being the end of summer (bye bye beach weather)... thought I would share 3 reasons to get married in the winter!!

Many people fear having a winter wedding because of the cold weather and short days, but there are some advantages to having your wedding during winter season!!

The biggest one for me are the DISCOUNTS!!  With spring and fall being the busiest times for weddings there is an increase in price because of supply and demand for vendors.  Because vendors are less busy in the winter, they are willing to offer GREAT discounts.  There are savings seen in venues, photographers, florist and even honeymoons. It's typically cheaper to travel in the winter because it is a slow season (except around the holidays)!! 

The second bonus of having a winter wedding is the AVAILABILITY of venues and vendors.  Many vendors allow brides to book a year in advance.  If you have your heart set on a particular vendor, you have to book early. There are also issues at the dress stores. Sometimes, you have to get alternations done 3 months before the wedding because the seamstress is so busy, but in the winter, the dress store can accommodate your schedule and needs.

And last but certainly not less is the SNOW.  Many brides fear snow on their wedding day, but it can a beautiful plus. Translation: you will have stunning pictures and a romantic setting. Just make sure you have a backup plan in case of heavy snow. Most venues have a cancellation or postponement policy, so make sure you ask before signing contracts. No matter what season you choose, your wedding will be beautiful. When making important decisions about your wedding, always consider your budget, style and vision, and don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Some of the most beautiful weddings are the ones that take risks. Translation: horse and carriage in the snow or February beach wedding. 

Happy planning!