What she said!
Like:
Forgetting the rings in the safe--of the previous hotel we were staying! We used my engagement ring for the ring part of the ceremony

My bouquet falling apart in the pix before the wedding. We winged it and I rose hell with the florist the next day. Hell I coulda done better getting the flowers at Costco and doing them myself (This florist was highly recommended) :rolleyes:

Forgetting the guestbook

A friend of mine made us a gorgeous broom to jump. I forgot the broom in the trunk of my car (which was in valet parking)

We did some of the photos before the wedding I mean this is a great background for wedding photos

(The Bellagio Hotel and Casino)
http://www.wildnatureimages.com/imag...031022-033.jpg

I too will be getting married this December & my theme is Christmas so one thing I will do is incorporate a holiday theme into my centerpieces. Instead of standard flowers for all the tables, I'm using things like cranberries, pine clippings, pine cones, in addition to flowers. Every table will have a different setting. Silver accents will be added to the decorations to give them a shimmer effect as if it was covered in a light misting of snow.

As for mother of the bride wear, my girls we be wearing cranberry colored dresses so the mothers will be wearing a complementary champagne color. Corsages in the same flowers as the brides bouquet really highlights it.

Remember it is her day. If she wants to wear the dress that you think is tacky, just nod your head & let her wear it. Regardless of what your taste is, she may not agree w/you & have something different in mind altogether.
Be supportive. My family criticizes almost everything I do for the wedding. It adds unwanted stress to a person that already has enough to deal with.

Finally, keep careful track of what you have & what you spend. It will help keep you from last minute panic.

I hope this helps!

I'm so excited about the great advice we're getting here! I'm forwarding every bit to her.

To those whose moms are taking over--I feel for you! Had my mother been living in Georgia when I got married, she would have tried to take over. This is why we got married here! I'm letting ASLFRose do her own thing because I remember dealing with Mother's snarky comments from afar.

I love the peppermint suggestions! Maybe she'll want to incorporate peppermints in several ways--peppermint carnations in bouquets maybe?

These wedding websites are great! :D

Hey Ladies

I just found this wonderful little wedding magazine about craftin little things to the entire experience special, I see a lot of things that could be useful and thought I'd shared it with you all, just in case

A Somerset Wedding


The publishing website is: www.stapington.com

Do people give out favors a lot these days? And what exactly is a cookie table?

The last wedding I went to, which was 5 years ago, the bride and groom gave out (I kid you not) phone cards with their picture on it! :eek:

I can top that. I've been to 3 weddings where the favors were less than desirable.
Wedding #1 gave the guests a pen. Not a fancy pen w/their initials or date engraved. Just a regular BIC ballpoint pen. :eek:
Wedding #2 gave us lifesavers w/a poem. :eek:
Wedding #3 gave a stick of gum. I kid you not. A stick of gum. :confused: :rolleyes: :eek:

FYI: Favors are still given out. We're handing out disposable cameras so each guest can take photos of the wedding they can keep. Make the favors personal to the couple. It adds a nice touch. ;)

you know looking at the above magazine and with carnation's daughter's theme.....i just love the idea of a small present box with something not to expensive inside....a keepsakes box with perhaps a poem or a little charm, or a flat ornament...like a silver dove

it just looks so elegant

of course for my favor's I think I will make small hand made taper candles in my wedding colors, scented.....that could be a good idea...to small candles in the wrapped box

We gave out favors that were a HUGE hit. We gave out decks of personalized playing cards that were in our wedding colors (navy and silver) and had:

our names
wedding date
Las Vegas

We didn't want to do anything that was terribly junky like a little trinket that no one would use. We got personalized fortune cookies from weddingthings.com (you can make 5 personalized fortunes) and mini chinese take-out boxes to put them in. It is really inexpensive, and people will eat the favor and won't have some little cheap thing hanging around that will collect dust. We couldn't afford a lot of the really nice favors with 200+ guests, and I love the fortune cookie idea.

I think most people do favors, but it's another thing to not stress over too much. I good friend didn't have any at her wedding and I didn't even notice until we were discussing mine - a YEAR later!

I'm doing little tins of dried Michigan cherries (where I am from) and little Puerto Rican candies (where he is from). I always think food is good, because it gets eaten.

Wow, LOVE is in the air!! Congratulations to all the brides-to-be!! I've enjoyed reading all the posts and have had a good laugh over some of them, like the bic pen for a favor!! That is too funny!!

My best advice would be to book everything NOW or ASAP like florist, photographer, etc. Depending on your area things can book up faster than you realize! I planned my wedding over 18 months in advance and we still didn't get the day we wanted, the DJ we wanted, etc. A lot of people/services/locations were booked solid way in advance!!

And make sure you get DETAILS (including pictures and samples if possible) of everything that is going to be provided which I think a few people kind of mentioned. Our interpretation of a "FULL" flower centerpiece and our florists turned out to be totally different. The pictures she showed us and what we got were completely different, but we had no proof because she just showed us pictures at an appointment.

Enjoy it all, this year will go by way too fast!

I was at a wedding this summer and they gave all the women lotion and lipgloss. I forgot what the guys got.

Chinese weddings often give out chopsticks to signify fertility. The word for chopsticks in Chinese is pronounced "fye jee". Fye can also mean quick, and jee can also mean child. (though chopsticks have nothing to do with kids....unless you want them to be messy!)

We made personalized mix cds of music we liked (one per couple or thereabouts). They were fairly inexpensive, but somewhat time-consuming (burning cds, putting everything together, etc...) We got a lot of great comments on them and, over 18 months later, people still say they listen to them a lot.

Last wedding I went to, I got mints in an envelope. But I also got to keep my placeholder frame, which was a cool silver 2x3 frame. (At least I think that was mine.)

I've thought about having the favors at my future wedding be a donation to a charity of my future hubby and my choice. That way you don't have to worry about if the favors will arrive on time or if they will be made on time. Just place small cards on each plate and say "A donation of $X.XX was made to XYZ Charity in your name."

I don't think this was already mentioned (sorry if I missed it)....

FAVORS - I heard of a few people giving out instant lottery tickets at their wedding (could do one/person or per couple to save money). Then they have everyone scratch them off at the same time and a few people actually won big $$$. I thought that was kind of a nice idea. Although not that exciting if you're not the one winning the money!

My experience
 

Ritziest favors: homemade gel candles with tiny seashells in them

Most redneck favors: beer cozies silk-screened with the bride & groom's names

Cutest favors: chocolates in the shape of a cello and a sax (from the wedding of a middle school orchestra teacher and a high school band director)

I'm sorry I'm still kinda wondering what a cookie table is....is it just a table of cookies? When would it be laid out? I'm Indian and as fun as our five day weddings are I feel they could use some new ideas here and there. I have three weddings this summer and as they're all close cousins I would love to do something different for them.

A cookie table is exactly that...tons of cookies! When my cousin married two years ago, he married a girl who was Italian. They had a huge cookie table with all kinds of Italian wedding cookies on it.

For our wedding, we had cameras on the table for guests to take pictures with during the reception. We also did jordan almonds--5 in a little tulle bag. According to my aunt, who did my matron of honor toast, they stood for:

family
friends
fun
future...

and...fertility ( my aunt added that at the last moment, and Mother said "Amen!!").

I've heard of a lot of people doing cookie or dessert tables lately. Lots of cookies and fancy desserts....Yum!! Kind of livens up a boring wedding cake!

At my wedding, after we served wedding cake we had the hall set up a big table of coffee, biscotti (I'm Italian), and baklava (my husband is Greek).

How would your family feel if both Indian and western traditions were combined? Chinese (both in Hong Kong and in western countries) have been doing this for decades.

We're discussing invitations now. Does anybody have any idea for lowering the cost?

I'm trying to explain to her how there are a lot of people, such as faraway relatives, who must be invited (even though you know they won't attend) so their feelings won't be hurt.

I actually do have an idea for lowering the cost. Keep in mind that EVERYTHING is negotiable!! Well, maybe not everything, but anyhow....

I found the invitations I wanted. My mom was bored one day, found the company that made the invitations and then found all the local stores that carried them. She called all the stores and asked how much they'd charge and asked if they would offer a discount. It's amazing how many people will offer a discount when you just ASK!!

You can also have response "postcards" instead of cards. Saves on invitations and postage.

You can print them yourself or make homemade cards. If they're done on decent paper I think sometimes it's VERY difficult to tell the difference. Try some of the craft type websites to get ideas (like Martha Stewart, HGTV, etc).

If you are not having a seated dinner, you may consider not doing a response card at all. We did that with my wedding. This not only cut down on the cost of the invitations, but also the postage.

I made my own invitations and used a reply postcard instead of envloped card. I had a lot of nice comments on them. A friend of ours is getting married in October and his fiancee asked if I would design theirs.

For my wedding invitations, I found some very nice stationery at a local art supply store, and we printed the invitations and reply cards ourselves using a laser printer. They came out very nicely, and we were able to have the layout, graphics, and wording we wanted (we used a slightly non-traditional wording).

-- Edit: I did the same thing for my wedding programs - I found some nice paper, designed what we wanted, printed them up on the laser printer, folded and stapled them. Making programs and stuffing envelopes is labor-intensive, but sometimes it's good to sit down and do something mindless for a while to take your mind off the wedding stress :) --

If you use reply cards, assign a number to each guest or couple, and write that number in the corner of the reply card. You would be amazed how many cards we got back where the people RSVP'ing forgot to fill in their names! When we got reply cards without names, we just matched up the numbers, so we knew who was coming.

Carnation, this thread talks a lot about the Cookie Table, especially near the end.

This and this are articles about it (the second link is better, IMHO). I don't think either mention that the Cookie Table is laid out prior to the guests arriving at the reception hall, though.

And I would be honored to make cookies for your daughter, if you decide to have one!

honeychile - Thanks for posting those articles! I always love reading about cookies :) Some of the recipes look great! I'm copying them right now!

Likewise! I'm copying the articles and my daughter (who's home on break) is standing here openmouthed at the recipes! We think maybe we ought to start the tradition of the cookie table here in GA--what a cool thing to do!

Honeychile, what a sweet offer!

I think y'all should start the tradition! Different ethnic groups have claimed it, but it's expected around here now. The better your Cookie Table, the more loved and respected you are!

If you do decide to go through with it, consider keeping a list of who's making what - you could announce your idea at the showers, and have a sign up sheet for those interested. As I've said, I discouraged the idea, and I'll always regret it!

Just let me know if y'all do go through with it, and the (well-packed) cookies will be in the mail!

Ooh Invites!

Here's how to save money on printing:

Color copies if you need color for your programs. If it's a high end color copier, they will look nice. Or just photo copy on colored stock. I went to a wedding one summer and no one really kept the program so why have something really elaborate?

Invites: Definitely see if you can make your own.
Around here, thermography (raised lettering) is actually cheaper than flat printing. Great option if you want something super simple but don't want to print on your own printer.

If you have any illustrators, graphic designers, etc in the family/friends circle, see if they will cut you a deal on the design or make that her wedding gift if they HAVE to charge something. Also ask if you have anyone in the copy or print industry.

See if there is a Paper Zone in your area. I think they are nationwide. GREAT ideas and knick knacks.

I cant believe I am about to get involved in this...

But for color printing, if its a short run, (under 500) go to your nearest copymax (inside of office max) and negotiate with the manager. Street pricing for 8 1/2 x 11 is usually around .89 to $1.09 each, but lie and tell them you have started your own business and that you want 'special pricing'. they will give you at least .69 cents a print on the color docucolor firey printer. (due to volume, I pay .12 each) Nowadays, the technology is such that there is little difference to the untrained eye between the firey and a 4 color press.

When the colony had their chartering celebration, they did 100 programs and they were full color on the outside and B&w inside. With the same pricing you'd get (.69 and often they run specials at .39) they paid $82.00 and that included the folding.

Definately agree on the find a graphic artist in the family that will hook ya up with the design and professional pricing as a gift. its what I always provide.

Co-sign to what lifesaver has said.

Also, if you go the copies route, Kinkos gives a 20% discount to educators. On any service. Seriously.


I had some friends whose son also did their invitations themselves. Folks RSVP'd to the couple's website which also allowed them to see pics, etc of the couple and their engagement announcement, etc.

They cut down on a LOT of postage that way.

I've had friends do email response instead of response cards. A lot of people thought it was tacky, but it saved a lot of $ both on printing and return postage. You'd have to decide yourself if your guests are all computer-savvy enough to do email responses, though. Even if it's a buffet dinner, you need to know how many people are going to be there for the caterer.

Don't do response cards at all. In addition to being an extra expense (card, envelope, and postage), they are a concession to the rude people of the world who don't respond to a RSVP. In my perfect world ;) I would like to think that anyone who is honored enough to be invited to my wedding will be able to pick up the phone and call me to let me know if they are coming or not. (Great in theory, but for my own wedding I had a few people who didn't respond, and when I called them, some of them actually said that they didn't know they had to RSVP because there wasn't a response card. Duh - that's what those little letters "RSVP" on the invitation stand for.)

I like the e-mail suggestion, and those who aren't computer-savvy are more likely to RSVP the old-fashioned way anyway.

I thought about not doing response cards, but then I thought about all the people who wouldn't RSVP unless they were provided with a response card and a postage-paid envelope (mostly my MIL's tacky friends :rolleyes: ) and how much time we'd have to spend on the phone tracking them down...

Last summer, I attended a wedding where we were asked to RSVP by email. This was because the wedding was planned over the span of six weeks, and the invitations didn't get mailed until about two weeks before the wedding. I am convinced that they didn't read the RSVP's at all, because (a) about 1/3 of the table cards weren't picked up and about 1/3 of the seats at the reception were empty, indicating that they assumed people were coming even if they had RSVP'd no or failed to reply; and (b) they RAN OUT OF FOOD with at least 1/4 of the guests unfed! (Imagine if all the people they'd assumed were coming had actually showed up!)

I chose my flowers today. :) I will have a clutch bouquet of black magic roses & my maids will have white calla lilies. *sigh* I'm soooo happy.

Congrats to you and your daughter!

The best advice that I can give you is to either hire a wedding coordinator for the actual wedding day or ask a close friend or family member for help. As my mother and I realized on my wedding day, you both can’t be hostess to guests and "run the wedding" at the same time. No matter how much careful planning you do, some things may go wrong and it will be better for you if someone else can handle them. You will be more relaxed and have a better time.

My second bit of advice is to listen every time someone gives you advice, say "Wow, what a great idea" and then do what YOU want! :)

:eek: We went to have the bridesmaids (5 of our daughters and 4 others) fitted at David's yesterday. Let me say that all of Atlanta appears to be getting married and was at David's. In the dressing room. (exhaustion)

She's definitely using the strapless top and A-line skirt in apple. We played around on the website for ages with this make-a-match feature where you can switch tops and dresses and colors.

http://www.davidsbridal.com/bridesma..._separates.jsp

Our third daughter (Ballerina on GC) will probably be getting married in the not too distant future and has enjoyed looking at the pastel separates, as she plans to have each of her bridesmaids wear a different color of pastel gown.

My sister did pastels. It was gorgeous :) She had each guy wear a flower in the color of the dress of the girl he was escorting. The boquets were so colorful :)