Wedding Season is now if full swing! And whether you are tying the knot yourself this year or not, you have most likely been invited to a wedding or two (or 5) to be a guest! Obviously, no two weddings are the same, and therefore, your outfit can’t be the same either. Guess your date and you will be doing some shopping to get ready for your friend’s or family member’s big day (oh darn! wink, wink…)
Here’s a style guide that was inspired by Paul Fredrick’s formal dress shirts for men to help with those tough decisions, so that you can stop worrying about what to wear to so and so’s wedding, and go back to thinking about what to wear to your own Shindig!
(Caution… there is so much more eye candy below!)
Go Flirty
Go Smart
Go Artsy
Be Mr. and Mrs. Bond
Be understated together
Be the fun couple
the Style and Grace couple
the Bold and Beautiful couple
the Unexpected couple
Who said you have to take a back seat at someone else’s wedding?! You just can’t wear white… that’s still a big NO NO (unless you’re a bridesmaid, and the bride picked your dress, then it’s ok! Hello Pippa, am I right?!) Whatever you decide to wear, make sure you’re comfortable enough in your own skin to bust a move on the dance floor!
A special thank you to Paul Fredrick (Men’s clothing line) for the awesome info-graphic! They have all kinds of awesome dress shirts and accessories to dress your man from head to toe!
Happy Planning!!! -Juliette
DIY weddings have been common lately, and I absolutely love the control it gives a bride and groom over their own celebration. Many choose DIY in order to add a more personal touch to their event. Others choose to do a DIY wedding in order to cut costs.
However, after a trip or two to Michael’s, DIY can seem like you’re spending more than you’re saving! Here’s a list of a few ways to make sure that your DIY wedding stays within your budget and makes your big day extra personal.
1. Use a Wedding Resale site
Why buy new materials when you can get gently used supplies at a fraction of the cost? Wedding resale sites are places where newly married brides sell their wedding decorations, dresses, and more to people who are planning their weddings now. You can find anything from 100 mason jar glasses to 100 yards of pink ribbon at discounted prices!
There are several national sites where brides can shop for these items. However, there are also many local sites that allow brides to score great wedding necessities and save on shipping costs! In addition, make sure to check Facebook and other social media sites for pages that are dedicated to wedding resale. Check out this Facebook page for San Diego weddings!
2. Use Video to Create the Perfect Photograph
Want to save money on a photographer, but don’t want your friends and family on their phones during the entire ceremony? Try setting up a video camera (or two!) during the ceremony and recording your wedding. This way, you will have your own wedding video. From that, you can take stills from the video to create stunning photographs. For the group shots after the wedding, have a friend or a planner set-up and take the shots. This way, you don’t need to spend any additional money on a photographer and you will have your photos and video right away!
To avoid disaster on your day, make sure to test this technique before your wedding. There are many online tutorials that show you how to take stills from a video camera. Make sure to read these through and do a test run of the ceremony to make sure that the lighting and focus settings will yield the best possible photographs!
3. Send Invites on Social Media
This may seem like a cheap and cheesy idea, but hear me out. Instead of spending money to have engagement photos taken and then paying to have an invitation designed, printed, and mailed, use social media to your advantage! Take your engagement photos and make a flipagram set to your favorite song, or film a more personal invitation from the bride and the groom.
Once you have your video, flipagram, or photo designed, send it to your friends and family using email, Facebook, or any other electronic medium you’d like! This is a nice way to add a personal touch to invitations while saving money on printing and mailing. You could do the same thing for thank you’s, and personally thank each person in a short video from the newly married couple! This site has lots of options for evites, including animated messages that look like you are opening a real card. Additionally, they make paper invitations as well, so if you wanted to send a real invitation to the traditionalists in your family, you can!
4. Make Your Own Favors
Wedding favors are little gifts given to guests to thank them for celebrating your special day with you. While these are a nice thought, the cost of giving even a small gift to each and every guest can add up very quickly. One way to cut these costs is to make your own wedding favors!
Edible favors are always a hit, and are more likely to be used rather than thrown away or forgotten. You could make your own tiny treats for guests, like cupcakes, brownies, or cookies. Or you could try something more non-traditional like these spice jars from The Knot.
Other ideas that could save you money on favors include setting up a candy bar where guests could make themselves a goodie bag, or boxing up the remainders of the wedding cake for a late night treat for guests! If you’re interested in having us provide a candy bar for you and your guests, check out this page! Any of these ideas are sure to make sure your friends and family feel appreciated while not blowing the budget.
5. Cut Back on Greenery to Save Some Green
A wedding budget breakdown usually devotes between 5-15% of the wedding budget to flowers and centerpieces. That’s a huge chunk of change! By making a few adjustments to your floral plan, you can save that money for other splurges, like your honeymoon! The most important thing to do when deciding how to save money on flowers is to talk to your florist. They know how to cut the costs of wedding arrangements, and may have some out-of-the-box ideas to help you save money! In the meantime, think about these tips to save a bunch on your blossoms:
Ask your florist to reuse flowers from the ceremony for your reception as well. This will require some extra labor in between the two spaces, so be sure to factor that in when talking to your florist and your planner. However, reusing the flowers means reducing the number of flowers you need. How resourceful!
Try using items other than flowers! Some brides have been carrying bouquets of brooches, which is a fun way to add a very personal touch to your arrangement. For centerpieces you could try using lanterns, wooden décor, candles, or anything else that catches your eye!
If you’d still like to have large, cascading arrangements, try reducing the number of flowers and using greenery and herbs instead. These stems cost a lot less than flowers do and can do wonders to fill out a smaller bunch. Try using only one or three flowers with a whole lot of greens for a statement arrangement that will really wow your guests!
Happy Planning!!!
-Juliette
Back in February, I had the great pleasure of being the month-of coordinator for this lovely couple!
Everything about their wedding was to DIE for! Including their vendors! Andrea and Eric created a list of vendors I was so impressed with, it made my job so much easier on the day of the wedding, knowing that everyone involved was as professional as they come!
Photographer: 8twenty8 Studios
Videographer: XOXO Wedding Studios
Coordinator: Simply Elegant Weddings
They got ready at the beautiful Loew’s Coronado. I’ve had several of my brides choose this hotel to get ready in! It’s not hard to know why, seeing how the rooms are breathtaking! Every single one of them! And they take great care of the wedding parties that stay there, they are always trying to find the best room that’s available for the Bride and her girls!
Ceremony: The Immaculata Perish
Rentals/Catering/Florals and Design: ArtQuest Catering
DJ: Party People San Diego
Reception: Coronado Community Center
Cake: Grove Pastry Shop
Thank you so much Andrea and Eric for allowing me play a role in your special day! It was so amazing to be a part of, and I wish you two nothing but the best for life!!!
The following article was provided by A Plus Limo, a transportation company located in San Diego, CA.
http://www.apluslimos.com/
Tip 1: Avoid Limousine Brokers.
Limousine brokers do not own limos. They book your order and then sell or “farm out” your job an actual limousine company. Problems can be difficult to resolve when you don’t know who you’re dealing with. Who is at fault? The broker? The limo company? To whom do I complain? Is the limo company being paid enough by the broker to really care about my event?
Tip 2: Check Licensing, Bonding, Insurance.
All limousine companies must be licensed in their respective State and bonded or insured by a private insurer. Typically, you can check the State’s website to verify license and insurance status. Here is the link to California’s PUC which regulates limo services.
Tip 3: Ask For A Drug Screening Certificate.
Many States, including the State of California require commercial drivers and chauffeurs submit to random drug testing. The private testing company issues a certificate a limo company participates in the program. Ask to see the certification. You can see a copy of our certification here.
Tip 4: Ask To See Your Specific Limo.
As I stated earlier in this article, limo brokers do not own any limos at all. True limousine companies typically own between 1 and 4 limos. Most limo companies broker out jobs when their own limousines are booked or when you request a specific type of limo they do not own. Some limo companies have beautiful photos of new limos on their website. Unfortunately, many times these limos do not exist in their fleet. Ask to see your exact limo before you book to ensure you are getting a clean, well-maintained, luxurious and comfortable limousine.
Tip 5: Don’t Let Price Be Your Determining Factor.
There’s a wide range of quality in the limo services business. Bargain limo companies buy our old limos when we determine they no longer meet our standards for luxury. Limousine service is not the place where you should to try to save money.
Tip 6: Get A Written Limo Rental Agreement.
Your written contract should include:
a) Cost per hour(e.g. $100 per hour) or for group of hours(e.g., 6 hours for $500)
b) Approximate number of service hours
c) Cost for each additional hour of overtime
d) Is a deposit required to book? How much? Is my deposit refundable?
e) Does this rate include chauffeurs tip? Am I expected to tip? At what percentage?
f) Pick up time and address
g) Destination address and approximate time of arrival
h) Special service requirements such as assisting disabled passengers, business signage, decorations,etc.
We would also like to suggest you include in your contract:
1) License plate number of specific hired limousines
2) Limousine service will not broker or “farm out” your job unless there is an unavoidable event, i.e., the limo you selected was recently damaged or experienced mechanical failure.
I would also add to their tips, that you should ask that your driver drive the route to your venue prior to the actual wedding day. This will ensure that no one will be late because they got lost, or realized at the last minute that the limo wont fit up/down a hill or not have enough room to turn around!
*Honesty Clause: I am not paid in anyway by the vendors that I have chosen to feature. These are people who I’ve met in the industry who I know to be very good at their job. For that reason, I’ve decided to feature them, to better give the brides that I know more information to assist them in hiring people who are honest, trustworthy, and just darn good at what they do!
I recently found this article from Huffington Post. It is great at explaining what to expect from a florist quote! Working with a professional florist who is experienced with weddings is SO important to helping your day run smoothly and look the way you are dreaming/planning it will! DIY is great for some things, but when it comes to flowers that have to be put together the day before at the earliest, leave it to a pro!
Below is the article that you can find originally at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carly-cylinder/how-to-decode-a-wedding_b_3002434.html and was written by the incredibly talented Carly Cylinder, owner of Flour LA
“One of my best friends, who is getting married in San Diego this fall, recently emailed me a copy of her wedding flower invoice to make sure everything was copacetic. I get this a lot — not just from friends, but from friends of friends, from strangers, etc. People always think their florist is ripping them off, and want me to check. In most cases they’re not. Flowers are expensive! There’s the actual cost of the flowers, the time, the labor, the van and studio rentals… again, the time (yes, it takes along time to get that bouquet just right).
The invoice is a line-by-line breakdown of each item and cost. Florists may call it a proposal, bid, or an invoice. Once the couple looks it over and makes any changes, they will sign a contract with the florist. Some event designers who do flowers themselves may do an all inclusive cost — just make sure you get a breakdown of rental vases verus the vases you can keep.
In case you’re not friends with a florist I’m going to decode the proposal for you and give you the inside scoop.
Bouquet – The bride’s bouquet will always cost more. Why? Well, usually it’s bigger. It may have more expensive flowers than the bridesmaids’ bouquets. But sometimes, just sometimes, the bride wants a small bouquet, or one that’s the same size as the bridesmaids’. In that case, it really should be the same price. The range should be from $100-$250.
Boutonnieres – We make up on other costs from these since generally they’re only one or two main flowers. But someone does have to sit there, tying the ribbon just so. The range should be from $10-$15 each.
Flower Girl Baskets – Want to save money? Buy your own baskets and leave them with the coordinator. Again, it takes time for the florist to purchase these, and each little thing adds up.
Ceremony – Arches can be very expensive. The sheer amount of flowers needed to fill them can be astounding. Opt for flowers in the corners of your venue, or a larger middle arrangement to cut back on costs. I’m one of the only florists I know who tells my clients to rent their arch/chuppah from a rental company. Why you ask? Because I don’t want to be bothered with the hassle of the setup. Been there, done that, and it’s not fun. These pros that rent them can put them up quickly and break them down. That way, the bride pays the rental company directly, not me. I will adorn the arch with fabric and flowers. This can range from $250 to thousands. Reuse the flowers after the ceremony by placing them around the reception if there are empty areas (e.g. extra space on the gift table or sign-in table).
Aisle flowers – Opt for every other row. Reuse them on the chairs during the reception.
Rose petals – Range from $60-$150 depending on how lush you want them. I usually use 50 roses (2 bunches) for an aisle.
Centerpieces – This is really subjective because of how custom this is. For smaller arrangements, the couple usually chooses to give the centerpieces away to guests. If they are large, and you’re not giving them away, ask your florist to bring the leftover flowers to a hospital. The volunteers will be very happy, I promise! While they can’t always put them in hospital rooms because of allergies and germs, they can display them in areas where the patients will see them! Centerpieces can range from $75-thousands.
Cake flowers – If you just want some blooms on your cake, ask your florist to throw in the leftover flowers. Same goes with hair flowers. Be a nice client, and they should happily agree!
Setup, Delivery, and Breakdown – Anywhere from $200-$300 is normal. Remember, the florist is setting up hours before the ceremony, and then will stay after the ceremony to breakdown the chuppah/arch, move things around, and clean up. That’s almost six hours right there! If you are keeping the flowers (and not using rentals), the florist won’t have to come back, so it should be a lower price.
People tend to want to negotiate with flowers, but like I say, you wouldn’t go into a restaurant saying you want a steak, but can only afford the hamburger. There are hard costs involved that can’t be negotiated. Be reasonable too. I know that planners say that 10 percent of the budget should go to flowers, but if you really love them, and they’re your main decor, then don’t hold that rule steadfast. If the florist can’t meet your budget, then instead of nickle and diming them, be willing to cut some items out. For sure you need centerpieces, but you don’t really need aisle flowers (in my opinion).”
Couldn’t have explained it better myself, so I didn’t!
Happy Planning!!!
-Juliette
February:
- Book your Venue
- Go to tastings to pick your Caterer
March
- Decide on your Caterer, have them provide the bar service too!
- interview and book your Photographer and DJ
- Order your rentals
April
- Pick your cake
- Meet with Florist and design your decor
- Order your invitations
May
- send out invites
- Finish your DIY projects
- tie up loose ends
Looking for a one stop shop when it comes to your whole wedding? Look into our friends at Ranch Events or Best Event Packages!
Starting a new thing! Inspiration Board Mondays. The whole board is located on Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/jfagerwold/budget-boho-wedding/ with clickable images linking to tutorials and shops for easy access to exactly what you see on the board! Leave a comment below of a style you would like me to explore next!!!
This post will be short, but I just had to share after finding these awesome sites. Some I already knew about, but there are so many more! Did you know that there are sites that allow you and others to sell your once (or gently) used wedding products! You can make some of that overspent money back after the wedding, and help other brides who are in need of making their smaller than average budget work! Think: Craigslist for wedding decor and goods, but with less creepy spammers! (Yeah, I’m talking to you Prince Ali from North Dakota). Click on the sites below, and save money on your vases, favors, escort card displays, photo booth props, Etc… There is even a site to help you find your perfect dress!!!
(And NO, the blogs and sites that are listed above have not given me anything to post about them!!! I have always and will always just post content for the pure fact that I think you need to know about it, or I have personally found it to be a good resource for my brides! Thank you!)
Cheers!
-Juliette
First, I would like to thank Reviews.com for their incredible research. A lot of the following information is taken straight from their article found here: http://www.reviews.com/wedding-insurance/
So what is Wedding Insurance? and What does it cover?
You are spending thousands of dollars on your dream wedding! There are few cases where this is not a true statement. You’ve chosen a venue that matches your personalities perfectly. You’ve chosen, what you hope to be, reputable vendors that will make your day flow smoothly. You’ve even hired yours truly as your day of coordinator, so you know everything will go as planned! (wink, wink!!!)
I’m going to let you in on a little secret, there will always be something to fix when it comes to a wedding! And those horror stories that you hear, don’t always happen to people who didn’t plan as well as you have. And they aren’t always bad people that the universe decided to punish! Thing happen! Sometimes it’s minor, like the groom’s boutonniere breaking while he is getting pinned. Or the ring bearers feet grew two sizes the night before so his shoes don’t fit. These are minor, and can be fixed (or at least dealt with). But what if something major happens? Your beautiful forest venue is being threatened by a wild fire. Or the bus, that was supposed to shuttle your guests to the wedding, breaks down on the way to picking them up. What then?
If you have wedding insurance, having to find last minute replacements and new costs incurred because of that, ARE COVERED!
Also covered in most event insurance policies:
the costs incurred or lost because of sickness to essential members of the wedding
the deposits lost because of postponement/cancelation relating to military deployment or job relocation
weather conditions that prevent the wedding from happening as planned, and needing to reschedule
liability coverage covers any bodily injuries that occur during the event
liability coverage also covers any damage to the venue or property during the event
Where can you get it? and How do you know which policy to choose?
For this section, I am turning it over to the pros at review.com! They have gathered information from 19 different companies and rated them! Then they reviewed the top 6 companies and what they offer in their wedding insurance policies! Take a look for yourself: http://www.reviews.com/wedding-insurance/
This article details everything that each provider covers in their policies. So if you want to compare side by side what policy gives you the most bang for your buck, this is a great resource. Here are my top pics, after reviewing the reviews:
http://www.reviews.com/wedding-insurance/wedsafe/
http://www.reviews.com/wedding-insurance/wedsure/
Why should you get insurance for your wedding?
Well for starters, most event venues in Southern California mandate that you get coverage. And a big reason for that is what’s called “Host Liquor Liability” coverage. This will protect both you and the venue against any injury or accident related to intoxication.
Also, if you are spending so much money on something, you should be thinking of the best way to protect your investment! Most vendors require a large deposit, sometimes 50% up front. This is pretty standard in the wedding world. This means that a lot of money is going to be spent in the beginning of planning. If you have a year engagement (also standard), that is a year for something to go wrong. If you have coverage, and you loose a deposit due to factors beyond your control, you will want a safety next to get you that money back.
If all of the above doesn’t sway you… here are some more scenarios found on theknot.com:
- Janet and Dan spend months planning their winter wedding. But on wedding day, their reception site is made inaccessible by an ice storm. With the right wedding insurance policy, the couple can postpone their wedding and receive every penny they lost (less the deductible) — including money for the invites, cake, catering, attire, and non-refundable deposits for ceremony musicians, floral designer, and other vendors.
- The bride’s father is injured in a car accident just before the wedding and cannot travel. If the couple has to postpone their wedding, with wedding insurance they could be paid back their expenses to enable them to have the wedding when the father recovers.
- Right before the ceremony, Brittany’s gown catches a gust of wind. Unfortunately, the tulle dances right over to the end of Uncle Howard’s cigar and the dress instantly goes up in flames. Fortunately, the right insurance policy covers the replacement of the veil and gown.
Sorry for not many fancy pictures this time around, it’s all business! Happy Planning,
-Juliette
Addison’s 2nd Brithday
It’s hard to believe that this little punky lady is two already!
Her Favorite:
Movie: Dora the Explorer (much to my dismay!)
Song: Everything is Awesome from the LEGO Movie. She loves to dance and jump when she hears it, so it’s a go to you tube video
Toy: Her stuffed animals, especially a Panda that she stole from her cousin Ella
She can:
Run, jump, climb on Anything, spit out water, shake her hips, tap her toes, kick a ball, tell you how old she is, and color the heck out of a pad of paper!
Addy in a nut shell at Two years old:
Independent, Sassy, Love’s the words No and Hot (even when things aren’t actually hot), Loves to have random dance parties, and loves making messes of any kind! She will even clean up (unprompted) just so she can make a mess again!
So when it came to what kind of party she should have, I knew that it wouldn’t hold her attention if there weren’t some serious messes to have! And what better way to get dirty, than to Paint! The idea for a toddler style art party was born!
To create your own awesome invites and signs, go to PicMonkey.com and click on DESIGN!
Please bare with me… I brought my amazing camera to take fantastic, blog worthy, photos! And I took a bunch! Then I realized there was no memory card in said amazing camera. So all I have is iphone pics taken after everything started 🙁 trust me, I am kicking myself in the foot for such a rookie mistake!
Toddler Yogurt Canvas
Needed: a Twister board flipped to it’s back or other white plastic surface
Tape to tape it to the ground
A lot of yogurt! get the creamy stuff, Greek yogurt will be way too thick
Food Coloring
Paint Brushes
Clothing you don’t care about
Use the different colored yogurt as Paint, and if they eat it, it won’t kill them! It gets a little gross, but it all washes off. And they love it!!!
Painters pallets are .99 cents at Michaels! Fill the paint slots with sprinkles, and a blank cupcake in the middle. The kiddos loved being able to decorate it themselves. The older ones at least, the 1 and 2 year olds just handfull’d the sprinkles into their mouths! Whatever, that’s what birthdays are for, right!
With the party being in the “toddler happy time” of day, which for us is in the morning… I didn’t want to serve anything too heavy. So we did brunch food- pastries, bagels, fruit, and a Build your Own Juice Bar!
Free Printable:
Like I said before, the pictures were going to be SOOOO much better. all well!
Paint Brush Rice Crispy Treats, and Muddy Buddies!!!
I will always have a blast planning her parties, but I think next year we might just go to Disneyland!
Simply Elegant Weddings will soon be Simply Elegant Weddings and Events! Do you have a birthday party, company party, holiday party, baby shower, or bridal shower to plan? Let us help you make it professional and unforgettable!
Contact me today to learn more!