Weddings Your Way

Welcome to the first edition of our monthly newsletter! It's been three years coming, and hopefully worth the wait. A new edition will be available each month. Each will have some wedding day tips, planning tips, and tools to help make the process easier, cheaper, and hopefully much less stressful. If there is a topic that you would like to have covered, a question answered, or you have a tip to add feel free to drop me an email.

As our business has continued to grow over the past year we expanded our office functions and will be adding a dedicated line this week with a new number. It will be posted on the home page, so if you are a current client please note the additional phone number.

My daughter is also interning in the office this summer, as well as assisting during some of the weddings. She will begin college classes this fall in photography. She will be available if anyone would like but cannot afford to hire a photographer for elopements or basic package ceremonies I perform on a donation only basis (she does not charge - tips are welcome).

We will also begin networking with other local area vendors in order to provide better service to our clients. Any vendors that I list will be selected carefully, and ones that I have either personally worked with or that have been recommended from previous clients. If you have a vendor in the wedding industry that you would like to recommend to be added please let me know.  

Tip of the month

Wedding planning can become overwhelming,especially when it comes down to the last few months. There seems to never be enough hours in the day between work, family, dresses, fittings, flowers, music, venues, etc. Odds are if you are stressed your husband to be knows it and may be a little stressed himself. Don't let the "happiest time of your life" become the most stressful and interfere with your relationship. Schedule out a "date night" that is "wedding free". Take a breath and take a night off. The flowers and dress will still be there the next day. Put your feet up and watch a movie with your husband to be. Some great choices are: Father of the Bride 1 & 2, The Son in Law, and When in Rome. This is a great habit to get into that can carry into the marriage. Life keeps us running. Even after the wedding and you settle into your new life together you still need to set aside time for the two of you. A once a month date night is a great way to do that, and it can be done on a budget. Rent or borrow a movie, pop a couple frozen dinners in the microwave, and light a couple candles. Have a cozy dinner for two and a movie at home for under $10 with no mess, no stress, no irritating traffic, or bad service.

Trick of the month

Binders. You know, 3-ring binders that come in various sizes and colors? Yep those. They are not just for high school math anymore. They are one of the best organizational and planning tools available, and are cheap. You can plan and organize the entire wedding in one. Here's how:

1.  choose your binder by the size of  the wedding. If it's a simple engagement, small, few vendors, at home, etc you can get by with a small binder. If there are venues, florists, DJ's, etc. then go with a 2-1/2 or 3 inch.
2.  dividers with pockets - one for each element, such as flowers, music, location, cake, decorations, etc
3.  for each section have an information sheet. This is where you list the vendor, contact phone, and details. That way there are no lost phone numbers. You can also note the details, such as when a payment is due, meetings, etc and you can keep your service contract in the pocket.
4. Have one for the officiant too. You can keep the contract in there, and when you get the marriage license put it in the pocket for the officiant. No worry about forgetting it or misplacing it. 
5.  You can also add an appointment sheet in the front so you can see any meetings at a glance, and you can add a business card holder as well. That way you can keep a business card for each vendor in one place for additional reference, as well as for referrals in the future.

There are countless other things that can be added as well, such as a list of where you are registered, guest lists, seating charts, etc. You can keep samples in the appropriate sections too, such as for dressess to ensure you have a good color match when choosing napkins, etc. Did you see the perfect cake in a magazine while at the dentist? Note the title and page number on a reference list in the binder. The key is that everything you need is in one place.

You can take the binder anywhere  with you and everything is in one place. You can assign your matron of honor to be in charge of it the day of, and this ensures that you have everything with you on the day of your wedding. Everyone's contact information is in one place. Plus, any final payments due the day of can be placed in the pocket in the appropriate section, and you are assured it is ready and with you.