Saturday, August 29, 2009

Reception Games: Let the DJ try one at your wedding!

SHOE GAME:
This is a great ice breaker, and gets everyone involved-

Set two chairs back to back in the middle of the
dance floor.

Ask the bridal party to stand about 10' in front of the chairs... bridesmaids/maid of honor on one side and groomsmen/best man on the other.

Have the bride sit in the chair facing her bridesmaids...then have the groom remove both of the brides shoes.

Have the groom then sit in the other chair facing his groomsmen and remove both of his shoes as well.

Trade one shoe each so both the
bride and groom have one of each of their shoes.

Now you will announce "This game is to show how much the new Mr./Mrs. John and Jane Doe really know about each other... I will ask you a question and you raise the shoe that you think best fits the answer to the question... alright here's a practice question..."Right now, who has the most cash on them?"

Sometimes you'll see some great hesitation faces like their really not sure, or even better when you ask a question like... "Who wears the pants in the family"... Sometimes the bride will put up her shoe, and the groom will put up his. It's hilarious. You'll get high fives, and the families laughing.

BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU (here are some suggestions):
-who is the biggest flirt
-who made the first move
-who's the better cook
-who said "I LOVE YOU" first
-who has the wackiest family
-who's the better driver
-who's the faster driver
-who spends the most time in front of a mirror
-who is in control of the checkbook
-who is most likely to eat desert for breakfast
-who wears the pants in the family
-who is in charge of the remote
-who spends the most time getting ready to go out
-who will be doing most of the yard work
-if you haven't already... who is most likely to pass gas in front of the other first
-now that you're married, who will be the first to say... "not tonight"
-who's the better kisser
-who will be the first to fall asleep tonight
-who has the
smelliest feet
-who steals the cover's more
-who popped the question
-who says "I love you" the most in one day
-who talks more
-who's most likely to use up all the hot water
-who's most likely to get lost
-who's most likely to ask for directions
-who's the 1st one to make up after a fight
-who's the one that started the fight in the first place
-who's the most likely to wake up grumpy in the morning
-who's most likely to wake up with a hangover in the morning
-who's most likely to be running late
-who spends more money
(always ask this next question last)
-and finally... Who do you love the most in the whole wide world?
OR finish with...
Who wears the pants in this relationship?

"There you go ladies and gentlemen, now you know who know's who the best"

Here is another one: The Money Dance/Dollar Dance is a traditional part of a wedding reception in various cultures.

During a "Money Dance" (one song), male guests pay for the privilege of dancing with the bride, and female guests pay for the privilege of dancing with the groom. The custom originated in Poland in the early 1900s in immigrant neighborhoods and is still celebrated at many weddings today. The money is to be used for the bride and groom's honeymoon.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Budgeting for your Wedding: Part 3 of 3

Part 3: Ten Ways to Save

Whatever your budget, you don't have to resort to DIY bouquets to come in on target. Follow these 10 tips to have a chic wedding without sacrificing one iota of style.

1. Decide What's Most Important

Pick your top three priorities and allocate a little extra money for them (i.e., gown, catering, and band). Next, pick the three things that come lowest on your priority list (maybe style, flowers, cake, invitations), and budget accordingly.

2. Cut the Guest List

We know it's tough, but one of the fastest and most effective ways to lower your wedding cost is to pare down the invitees. Get out that red pen! At $100 a head, taking 10 guests off the guest list saves $1,000! Also consider the size of your wedding party: Gifts, hair, and makeup are cheaper for two than for ten.

Note: Having trouble figuring out which guests to cut? Make a rule and whittle away. Rule #1: If you have never spoken to, met, or heard the name of a particular guest, they get cut. Rule #2: Anyone whose bedtime occurs before 9 p.m. will miss the cake cutting anyway, and probably won't have the best time. (All under-12 year-olds get a no) Rule #3: Significant others? Consider someone worthy of an invite if he or she is currently living with or has been in a relationship for more than one year with the friend you want to invite.

3. Pass on Pricey Details

Glamorous details on items that you're indifferent about spike costs without adding any fun to your day. Free yourself of the pressure to upgrade and instead make honest choices based on what you want. As a general rule, before you sign a contract, look through the itemized list of what you're buying and, ask yourself, "Will anyone notice if we don't do this?"

4. Consider Printing Costs

Having two shades of ink on your invitation might match your color scheme, but it can also add massive printing costs; square invites require extra postage.

5. Get a Smaller Car

Town Cars will shuttle your wedding party to the reception just as effectively as a Hummer stretch limo.

6. Skip the Special Effects

If you're happy with simple wedding pictures, pass on options like sepia tones, multiple exposures, and split frames.

7. Substitute Less Expensive Flowers

Choose flowers that are in season, and pick locally grown flowers rather than blooms that need to be flown in from afar to reduce costs. For example, if you exchange Black Magic roses for more reasonably priced, deeply colored dahlias in all your bouquets and table arrangements, you'll save about $4 a stem. If you were planning on having five roses per bouquet and 10 per centerpiece and have a wedding party of five gals and guest list of 150 people, you could save $700.

8. Simplify Your Menu

Reduce the number of overall dinner courses (making three courses fabulous costs less than serving five individual courses) and keep your menu simple. Stick with the specialties of the season and region.

9. Save the Good Stuff for Later

Have the caterers bring out the fancy Dom Perignon for the toast, but then switch to a less expensive champagne for the rest of the night -- no one will ever see the bottle or know the difference.

10. Pare Down the Cake Extras

Order a small, fabulous cake that's exactly what you want and, in the kitchen, have several sheet cakes of the same flavor cut for your guests. And stay away from tiers and (time-consuming) handmade sugar flowers or special molded shapes. Have your caterer decorate each plate with a flavored sauce instead. Forgo fondant: Buttercream frosting is tastier and less expensive.

www.theknot.com

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Budgeting for your Wedding: Part 2 of 3

Part 2: Staying on Budget

Now that you've established your budget, you'll spend the next few months keeping track and allocating your funds. Follow these four points to make sure your spending is where it should be.

Step 1: Get a System

Put your accounting skills to the test by deciding on a budgeting system to track all the money coming in and out.

  • The easiest way? The Knot Wedding Budgeter, which automatically tells you how much you should be spending on everything from music to mother-in-law gifts, and allows you to track all your payments and their due dates.
  • Otherwise you can put all your info in an old-fashioned spreadsheet. Just make sure you record every payment you make and who you owe what.

Step 2: Explore Hidden Costs and Extras

Knowing all the costs up front will guarantee that your budget can actually cover it all.

  • Avoid overtime. If the party's hopping, those extra 45 minutes may whiz by, but you'll probably pay dearly in overtime costs for everyone from the photographer and the caterer to the venue manager. If you suspect the wedding may go long, work overtime costs into your budget -- if you don't use it, it'll be a nice surprise chunk of cash.
  • Factor in tips. From the sexton who cleans the church to the hotel steward who delivers your welcome bags, even conservative tipping can add hundreds to your wedding cost. Make sure to account for these costs in your initial budget.
  • Remember trials aren't always free. A florist's demo may be gratis the first time, but if you make repeated changes, you risk being billed. Budget your trial hair style into your overall hair budget.
  • Don't forget the little stuff. Things like stamps for the RSVP cards, ribbons for the favors, and marriage license fees seem so small that you can shrug them off, but like any costs, they add up. Going "just over budget" in a couple different categories with a vague plan of making it up somewhere else can push you past your limit.

Step 3: Plan to Go Over

If you account for budget overages, then you never actually blow your budget. Try to earmark 5% of your budget for unforeseen costs.

These are some areas where you might go over:

  • Flowers: A last-minute realization that something previously unconsidered needs to be decorated, or a request that an additional family member wear a boutonniere or corsage.
  • Weather-related expenses: Umbrellas for a rainy day, space heaters for an unseasonably cool day, additional shade for a particularly hot or humid one.
  • Small accidents: Gown needs last-minute spot removal, something breaks in the days before the ceremony, menus get damp and need to get reprinted.

Step 4: Be Smart

Take advantage of budgeting and money management tricks along the way.

  • Put all your wedding money in one separate account, so you can easily track additions and withdrawals without getting it confused with the rest of your day-to-day funds.
  • Pay for as many of your expenses as possible on a credit card that gives you benefits like mileage, rewards, or cash back. Make sure everyone making purchases (your fiancé, your mom, etc.) are all on the same card system, allowing you to benefit from the rewards and also from the easy tracking of your purchases.
www.theknot.com

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

August 22nd Cakes & Flowers

Great Job, Kendra, on the cakes... Great Job, Allen, on the Photography
(and Great Job on the bouquets, self)!! ;)

Budgeting for your Wedding: Part 1 of 3

Part 1: Establishing Your Budget

Figuring out your wedding budget can be stressful, but don't worry -- whether you're dreaming of a lavish hotel affair or an intimate garden get-together, answering these questions will help you figure out what you have to spend to make it happen.

Who's Paying?

Talk with your families about who will pay for what: Some brides' families still pick up the entire tab, but more and more groom's families are participating too. How do you bring up the conversation? For many couples, talking to each family separately is the best way to have truly open discussions. When you do talk, here are strategies for determining your initial budget.

  • Ask both of your folks to commit to a specific dollar amount, and then add up all the contributions to create your budget.
  • Alternatively, it may be easier to ask each set of parents to finance a particular aspect of the wedding (such as the ceremony, honeymoon, or catering) instead of just committing to a dollar amount.
  • Decide how much you two can contribute between now and the wedding. (37 % of the couples we polled say they're planning to contribute financially to their wedding.)

How Much Do You Actually Need?

Just like buying shoes, an apartment, or a pair of jeans, when it comes to financing a wedding, you should figure out how much you need to spend to get what you want. Set your expectations accordingly. Knot Note: The average cost for a 150-person wedding is about $25,000 (higher in urban areas).

  • Here is a basic breakdown of what you can expect to pay:
    Reception: 48%-50%
    Ceremony: 2%-3%
    Attire: 8%-10%
    Flowers: 8%-10%
    Entertainment/Music: 8%-10%
    Photography/Videography: 10%-12%
    Stationery: 2%-3%
    Wedding Rings: 2%-3%
    Parking/Transportation: 2%-3%
    Gifts: 2%-3%
    Miscellaneous: 8%
  • To avoid stress, allot about 5% of your budget for a "just-in-case" fund.
  • If you're paying for your honeymoon yourselves, remember to budget for that as well.

How Much Can You Save?

As soon as you're engaged, start putting aside as much of your income as you can for the wedding. Saving 20% of your monthly income is a good -- though painful -- goal. The longer your engagement, the more you'll be able to sock away.

  • Ways to save: Limit your spending on small stuff (renting movies instead of going out; going to Starbucks once instead of twice a day; downloading just the song you love instead of buying the whole CD). These changes will hardly affect your quality of life, but after a year, the extra cash will cover some wedding essentials.
  • Make the most of your money: Instead of stashing your money in a low-interest savings account, consider buying CDs or opening a money-market account. The interest rate can be double that of a savings account. Just check the fine print to avoid penalties.
www.theknot.com

Monday, August 24, 2009

More of the August 21st Wedding...

For this wedding, we handled all fresh florals, centerpieces, hand painted aisle runner, event staff, arch rental, decor, & linens. All photos are courtesy of Don Wright Designs here in Murfreesboro.

Review from the bride's mother:
5.0
out of 5.0
Quality of Service:5.0 out of 5.0(5.0/5.0)
Responsiveness:5.0 out of 5.0(5.0/5.0)
Professionalism:5.0 out of 5.0(5.0/5.0)
Value For Cost:5.0 out of 5.0(5.0/5.0)
Flexibility:5.0 out of 5.0(5.0/5.0)

"I can't say enough good things about Jennifer and her I Do Weddings crew. She and her staff went above and beyond to make my daughter's wedding dreams a reality. I wish there were 10 stars, she'd certainly deserve them! Her responsiveness, attention to detail and value are exceptionally rare."