Newlyweds & Finances

Our friend Dr. Taffy Wagner has this special message for brides & grooms who are planning to get married in 2009:

Spring is just around the corner. Bridal season is in full bloom. There is talk in the media about wedding budgets and what are brides doing to trim their costs.

Now is the perfect opportunity to share with your brides & grooms, the importance of investing in their marriage long-term. Money Talk Before The Commitment Walk can prevent their marriage from becoming a Divorce Statistic.

Check out Dr. Wagner's site by clicking the graphic below. She offers some excellent information that engaged couples desperately need!

Brought to you by www.NWweddingplace.com

2009 Wedding Trends

According to theweddingreport.com, the number of weddings in 2009 is estimated to grow by 1.2% over 2008. Although there is a slight increase in the number of weddings this year, it looks like spending will be down. Their market data shows a 6-8% drop in spending/wedding budgets.

I know there are many of you 2009 brides out there! Our traffic levels at http://www.nwweddingplace.com/ are showing it!

• Are you wondering if you can still have a great wedding on a smaller budget? Yes you can.
• Is the recession putting a crimp in all your dream wedding plans? Keep it simple and enjoy your day to the fullest.
• Do you worry what guests will think if everything isn't perfect and over-the-top? It's your wedding and they aren't paying for it!

Here is some simple advice for stressed-out brides: Don't be completely consumed by planning your wedding day. Instead, be focused on your upcoming marriage. That is what will last a lifetime!

Just keeping it real :-)

http://www.nwweddingplace.com/

One Bride's Maid of Honor Experience...

I am writing this blog very specific to my own wedding. My Maid of Honor was my sister, whom I love dearly. However, as the bride, there was so much that I wish she would have done for me. I found myself doing a lot of her duties even on my wedding day! My experiences at my rehearsal and on my wedding day were very stressful for me. Here are some things that I wish my sister (my maid of honor - MOH) would have done for me:

My rehearsal was a disaster. My wedding was out of town and the location was an hour away from where we stayed. At 1:00 PM, I was supposed to be at the venue to decorate and rehearse. I wanted to have the decor/supply list of everything that needed to go with us ready. I had asked my MOH to make sure that everything on the list was ready to go. I was running an hour late, and she did not help until the last minute. Once we got to the venue, my fiancé and I set nearly everything up ourselves.

On my wedding day it seemed even worse. There are basic duties of a MOH that everyone knows about and all the magazines tell you about. Have a list of detailed things that you'd like her to do during the ceremony and reception. Here are some of the little wedding day things that should be on that list, and will save the bride a lot of stress:

• Make sure to tell your maid of honor to fluff your wedding dress after you arrive at the altar.
• Make sure the ceremony and reception candles are lit (they could delegate that task, but just make sure it's done by someone).
• Make sure the DJ knows what events are going to occur during the reception (and in what order).
• Make sure that everyone who needs to be photographed are where they need to be.
• Know when the toast is coming and be prepared.
• Make sure that the best man has done his job with decorating the car. (We all know that the men need to be reminded :-)

As you can see, things could have gone better for me where my MOH was concerned. Take my advice and make your experience better! -Jenn Wyer, married July '08

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On Location Wedding Report

Here are some wedding details from the large wedding I helped with last week:
Wedding colors were sage green & ivory, used in table decor, reception food tables, the bride's gown, candles, and ceremony decor.
The bride & groom chose to have a sand ceremony and communion time, while wedding singers sang two songs (chosen by the couple).
The bride & groom chose to say personalized vows to each other, and also have the pastor read traditional vows.
When the ceremony was done, the VIP (family & best friends) section was released first to the reception where "reserved" seating awaited them near the head table.
The reception was in a very large tent, set up on the same grounds as the ceremony location.
A jazz band was hired to play as background music for the reception.
A professional catering crew was hired to do the food, which included veggies, fruit, cupcakes, cookies, meatballs, fruit tarts, a cranberry punch, and other misc. small desserts.
Decor items included various sizes of glass containers with candles inside, tulle, fabric, live plants, fresh eucalyptus, white lilies, & clear glass rocks.
The bride & groom shared bites of their wedding cake, which was carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, and fresh flowers as a topper and accents.
The bride & groom left the reception in a limo approx. 30 min before most of the guests left.

Hope this information gives you some great ideas! http://www.nwweddingplace.com/

On Location Wedding Report

Hello readers,

The 3-day Labor Day weekend was a busy one for weddings. People love to take advantage of the extra day off to extend their honeymoons and make it easy for traveling out-of-town guests to attend.

I was the matron of honor this weekend at a local wedding! Here's how it went... Saturday afternoon, all the bridal party converged on a local hotel room to get ready. The bride, all the bridesmaids, flower girls, ring bearers, photographers, and helpers were packed into a room for 2 hours getting ready. It was crazy, but fun!

The bride wore a beaded A-line gown, a long one-layer veil, a gorgeous tiara, and matching jewelry. The bridesmaids wore flame red dresses, all in different styles (all available from www.NWweddingplace.com of course :-). After we all put our wedding dresses on, touched up our makeup, grabbed our bouquets, etc., we headed out towards the wedding ceremony venue. It was at a local park approximately 6 minutes away. The park has a lovely rose garden area, which is a perfect setting for outdoor weddings... Except when it's raining :-(

As we drove down the street closer to the park, the rain started. Outdoor weddings in Washington State are always a gamble - no matter what month it is! The groom and groomsmen were already at the park and had to take shelter in one of the park's shelter areas. We ended up having the ceremony in the park shelter instead of in the garden itself, but the couple seemed unfazed by that hiccup!

The reception followed directly after the ceremony, with the bridal party entering last because of the post-ceremony photo session. The reception was at a local banquet hall, complete with buffet-style catering, a DJ, dance floor, fabric linens, 3-tiered wedding cake, no-host bar, simple red and white table decor, etc. Lovely, and fun!

Wedding Sand Ceremony vs. Unity Candles

For an upcoming wedding, a bride and groom are ordering a sand ceremony set from us instead of using a traditional unity candle set. So what should people know?

• Do either a sand ceremony or a unity candle, but not both.
• A sand ceremony uses a larger vase or container to pour into and hold the sand. The bride & groom each have a small vase with colored sand (each a different color) that they use to pour into the main container. Children can also participate by having their own sand and adding it into the mix.
• Unity candles use two, smaller taper candles which are lit first (one taper for each person). Then, the bride and groom jointly light a larger, center candle that usually is personalized or has a saying imprinted on it.
• Both of these 'ceremonies' signify the blending of, or the joining of two people into one.
• Both of them also make great keepsakes for years to come.

Need to buy a unity candle set or sand ceremony set?

Click on this affiliate site link to shop now

Things to remember:

• Unity candles can be difficult to use during outdoor ceremonies... wind... !!
• Sand ceremonies can be difficult to transport afterward, so make sure your container has a lid of some kind or is very secure in a vehicle!
• Some wedding venues do not allow open flame.
• Don't collect and use wet sand from a beach for your sand ceremony. It is not clean and you may end up with mold!

Enjoy! Visit www.NWweddingplace.com for more wedding planning help & info.

Some Brides Just Want Simple & Pretty

There are some of you brides out there... the thought of frilly stuff and glitz makes you gag. You want a simple gown, pretty flowers, a simple cake with or without a topper, decorations in your favorite color, and invitations that get right to the point. You can't relate to "bridezillas", and you refuse to stress out about every little detail. Hopefully you have your eye on the 'prize' - your new marriage!

Brides, does this describe you? Or maybe you can't relate to this type of bride?! Each bride is so different, carrying a unique vision of their wedding.

What is your wedding vision and your priorities? We'd love to hear from you...

http://www.nwweddingplace.com/

Short Engagement Timeframe?

Here I go again...
I have my first planning meeting tomorrow night for a big - BIG - upcoming wedding. We (the planning team) have less than 2 months to plan! Thankfully, the bride already has her dress ordered, which was my very first question once I found out how soon the wedding will be.

So what are the top priorities for a wedding with a really short planning/engagement time frame?
1. Get the Bride's dress ordered ASAP. Bridal gowns are normally custom made, and require approx. 8-10 weeks for creation & delivery. You can get a 'rush' order, but you'll pay extra fees.
2. Get the bridesmaid dresses selected, sized and ordered ASAP. Same as above... it takes a while! Otherwise, choose an off-the-rack style or let your attendants choose their own styles in your chosen color.
3. Venue is always a challenge with short notice, unless you're planning a backyard or beach wedding. Some churches are easier to secure on short notice as well.
4. Secure some of your main wedding vendors quickly, such as photographer, catering, florist, DJ/musicians, & officiant. If you can't find available vendors for your chosen day, go to plan "B". Or should I say, plan "F" for friends :-).
5. Keep yourself very well organized. Use our budget tracker form available for download on this page near the bottom. Keep records of who you've talked to and when, price quotes, their contact info, etc. This will make your life much easier!

I'm all for short engagements, but they do have their potential challenges. Good luck!

http://www.nwweddingplace.com/

Bridal Shower Pictures

Have any of you hosted a bridal shower recently? If so, you know there's a lot of thought that goes into them. Last weekend, I hosted a bridal shower for my friend. Here we are (left)! I had her wear some fun luau wear as the bride-to-be (as you can see :-). Here is a picture of her and a couple of the bridesmaids (right). Even in July, you can't always count on good weather for an outdoor bridal shower, much less an entire wedding! Although, I must admit we have had nice Washington weather lately. If you have any bridal shower stories to share, please let us know!

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Bridal Shower Success Ideas!

Hello!
Well, I survived my bridal shower hosting experience this past weekend. Want some bridal shower tips and ideas? Here was my plan:

Hawaiian-themed shower decorations (From Oriental Trading Co)
including real coconuts and pineapples, flower leis and hair clips, a special hula outfit for the bride-to-be, cute food pics with palm trees & monkeys, sarongs as table cloths, shell necklaces as decor, a customized banner, and balloons strung here and there. One other special thing that I did was to display the bride's wedding gown, flower girl dresses and the bridesmaid dresses. Everyone loved that, including the bride.

We played 3 shower games. 1. Team up and create a bride with toilet paper. 2. Pass around mystery items in bags and guess what's inside. 3. "Who knows the bride best" info game.

There was plenty of food - too much actually :-)! The cake was custom made in a Hawaiian theme, and brought by the bride's mother (who wanted to help out in some way).

Hope this gives you some ideas of your own! Good Luck...

Planning A Bridal Shower?

Hello friends,
I'm throwing a bridal shower for my friend tomorrow night. Her wedding is in late August.
If you're wondering how far in advance of the wedding should a shower or bachelorette party be planned... That's up to what works best for the bride. In my case, she wanted to keep August free from additional stress so we planned her shower for July instead. Other brides may want the shower or party the weekend before! Just ask...

Need a good bridal shower theme idea? How about a luau, beach or Hawaiian theme? If the bride & groom are heading somewhere tropical for their honeymoon, this is a GREAT shower theme idea. And easy to find ideas & decor as well! Check back in the next few days for a great list of food ideas for a beach themed shower and pictures of our party!

Surviving a HOT Summer Wedding!

So you have a summer wedding planned... depending on where you are in the Pacific Northwest, you may get lucky and have a mild, overcast day. If not, you'll either get rain or heat!

Do you have any strategies for beating the heat at your wedding ceremony and reception? Here are a few ideas:

• Choose a light-weight fabric for your gown.
• Have the groom and groomsmen NOT wear a vest under their tuxes.
• Set up your outdoor reception tables in a shady area if possible.
• Select T-length bridesmaid dresses with flip-flops.
• Serve fresh fruit at the reception and plenty of ice water available to hydrate guests.
• Rent a tent or canopy, which is great for any weather issues.
• Have an up-do bridal hairstyle.
• Insist that your bridal party drink lots of water before the ceremony so no one faints at the altar!

Got any of your own tips that you'd like to share? Please, do tell!

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Brides - Is Planning Your Wedding Making You Crazy?

Everyone knows that planning a wedding takes lots of time and money, but not everyone realizes the toll it also takes on sanity! So many brides that I know hardly have time to sit back and enjoy the process. Even up to the very moment they're walking down the aisle, they're still coordinating something. For my own wedding, I can remember the feeling of frustration while decorating. No one was doing it 'right', although I hadn't clearly told anyone what 'right' was...

Are you apprehensive about trusting someone else with tasks? Sure, that means a loss of "control" over that particular aspect, but it may just be worth it. Do you have to care about every miniscule detail? Maybe you do. Are you becoming 'bridezilla'? Maybe you are. Do you want your wedding to be great? Of course you do. Are you wondering how to make it all happen without developing an ulcer? Here are just a couple thoughts:

• Hire a wedding planner/wedding consultant
• Delegate tasks to trustworthy friends, family and bridal party members
• Get a planning and budget checklist to keep yourself on track (budget checklist available on our home page, bottom right corner: www.NWweddingplace.com)
• Take extra time off work before your wedding if you can
• Keep things as simple as possible
• Purposefully plan to enjoy the process and especially your wedding day

If you're a bride-to-be, a newly wed or have thoughts you'd like to share, we'd love to hear your comments on this topic! For more great wedding tips, love & marriage advice, Pacific Northwest information, and more, visit www.NWweddingplace.com today!
Be blessed...