Wedded Wednesday

Today is the last day of Wedded Wednesday. 

Just as a reminder, if you have any wedding questions, please email me at goldylocksandthebarrows@hotmail.com.

So, at this point you are in the final stretches of the wedding details. 

-Planning out the order you will be going down the isle

-Who is going to marry you

-Where will wedding party members be staying the night before and night of the wedding (includes parents, bridesmaid, grooms men and so on)

-Who will be giving speeches

-How will the toast work--in reference to how will the bubbly be passed around

-How you will enter the reception/how will it be announced

-Where will your wedding gifts go that night

-Schedule a day when you get home from your honeymoon to write thank you cards--Yes, a whole day, and within a month of getting home

-Schedule a lunch or dinner with your parents and another for your bridesmaids within a month of the wedding to see what is going on in their lives. Try to talk as little as possible about the wedding. 

Otherwise, stay calm and the rest will come to you. As a bride you will obsess or the small things, therefore everything will be looked at. Make sure you either have a wedding planner or someone in the wedding party that can help. Your venue will also take care of a lot of the details with the reception space and call you with any questions. 

I hope you have an amazing wedding!

Bethany

Wedded Wednesday

Happy Wednesday Morning! It is a beautiful day outside and I can't wait to go do some yard work. But before I do...

Today we are highlighting some of the more tedious and fun things to get your wedding on its feet. 

Guest List

This for some seems like a really fun part to get ready for, but the reality is this is so hard sometimes it can cause breakdowns. When you figure out your budget (darn that thing, keeps coming up) you need to figure in what you can afford for a small favor for them coming and the food/drinks you will be serving them. If you want to invite 200 people but can only afford 150, then you need to add to the budget or take away from the guest list. Honestly, I would rather take away from the guest list. I have seen shows where there are upwards of 500 guests at a wedding and they go over budget to accommodate them and the bride will not allow any less. If you can afford it fine, but when you can't pay for anything else it's time to be realistic. 

Pick a number that you would feel comfortable with. Depending on the style (if you are doing a line to shake everyone's hand or are going to visit everyone at their table) you will want to base your attendance on that. You need to be able to say hi to the majority of your guests. Which can be hard but you need to consider, they bought you a gift, some drove hours to see you and congratulate you, so you need to make time to speak with them and thank them for celebrating this special day with you. There is no possible way to do that with more than 300 guests, and that number is pushing. 

Flowers

Time to set aside a half a day to get your flowers order together! Just keep in mind your budget and theme. Your need boutinears for men and ring bearers, corsages for mothers, something for flower girls and boutiques for brides maids. Your bouquet is important as well, but you may want an smaller, extra version made for you to toss if you intend to keep yours and have it preserved. And after there, it will be up to you where else you want flowers to be used. Just keep in mind

Flowers are Expensive! Every little sprig will cost more that you thought it would. Constantly ask where your total is during the process.

The most exciting part of a wedding, the Dress

Remember your theme, style and the budget. After that, just have fun! I tried on over 30 dresses when picking out my own gown, and I totally encourage it!

Bethany

Wedded Wednesday

To start, J. Bella is having a HUGE clearance on our Facebook page. We are having a Tops Liquidation Here. (Most items are under $10, no more than $20). And a Denim Liquidation Here. (All jeans $20, including Truck, Anoname and Big Start retailing for $90-$140) Each picture has what sizes are available and the price. Just leave a comment below the picture with your size and email address so you can be emailed a PayPal request. Prices do not include shipping. Tell them Bethany sent you to these amazing prices!

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For today's Wedded Wednesday we have 3 topics. 

Style of the Wedding

You may think we talked about this last week here. But that was the Theme. The style I am referring to is Time of the day the wedding is and the Food. If you are having a before noon reception, an heavy steak dinner is not ideal. 

Before Noon: Do a nice brunch as the meal. Not too heavy though. Also, this time of the day not ideal for a black tie affair. The dress style should be a little bit more casual, but no jeans of course. (I hate when people wear jeans to a wedding) The wedding party could get away with sandals, or Tom's as the style is becoming, and knee length dress in a less formal feel. Nice slacks and a button up for men can be a great look with just a flower, and even no tie.

Noon - 5pm: Doing a nice lunch, say chicken or heavy appetizers is a great idea. Less fancy dress, but full length can be a easy way to go. But wearing something more comfortable is better, these kind of weddings are more of a meet and greet and a lot of walking is done. Not as much sitting. A suit for men is ideal with just a tie to go with the flower. 

5pm - crack of dawn: This time can provide the ideal setting for a Black Tie Affair! Heels, tuxes, full length dresses and the like is an ideal fit. This is where you serve a full dinner, even steak, because the time of the day is suiting. 

Think of your meal serving as the way you eat on a regular basis. Medium for Breakfast/Lunch, heavy for Dinner. And if it is at an in between time of the day, just do a lot of appetizers and hors d'oeuves.

And always provide a non-alcoholic option for quests besides soda, say Sparkling Cider. Not everyone in attendance are liquor drinkers. (Something to consider if you are going to allow children)

Honeymoon

Start looking into where you would like to attend your honeymoon! It can be so fun, but cannot be a last minute thought if you want it to be planned smoothly. Don't forget your budget! Sometimes you have to book things 6 months in advance. And incorporate your flight away with when you are done with your reception. Sometimes for less exhausted travel, staying in a local hotel and flying out the next day makes more sense. 

Music

Sometimes making a playlist can take a little time, and you need to be able to make it work with the flow of your wedding/reception. Plus, if you are going to have a D.J., you need to be able to guide him with the feel and type of music you want. 

If you have any wedding questions, email me at goldylocksandthebarrows @ hotmail . com

Bethany

Wedded Wednesday

For those of you who do not know, I am a certified Bridal Consultant--a.k.a Wedding Planner. Think of Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner or David Tutera in his show. 

My wedding cost about $3,000. (Reception space was free). My dress cost about $690. My mother in law paid for the flowers, which was $250, and made our cake for free, which was beautiful, she gets paid for making them all the time. It was a small and intimate affair and not too fussy. We had everything under the blue sky go wrong, among it things that took $2,000 from our budget roughly. -- Including our marriage license being locked in Steve's car in a mechanic shop on the Saturday of the wedding... 

To be honest, I have only helped planned a handful of weddings, excluding me hearing about someone getting married and just throwing ideas at them. The community I live in weddings are not as large scale as what you see on TV. We usually use the cultural hall of our church buildings (the gym) and decorate from there. But they can still be great, just a wedding planner is not needed...

But I am bringing you a four part series, Wedded Wednesday. One, to utilize my skills before they disappear and to help any of you who may be getting married. 

This first week, what you do first when you get engaged.

To start, if you are engage, CONGRATULATIONS! I can't tell you how happy I am for you. 

After this the bride starts planning every little detail, but the husband just starts to wonder how he is going to make it to the wedding night. But just take a deep breath, grab a pen, and do this one step at a time. 

First and foremost, tell those that you feel need to hear it now. Parents, grandparents, children and so on. When you go back to work, they will all see it, but at the beginning it is special and should be cherished with those you love most. 

Next, a budget. You can start buying like it is the the last wedding to ever be had, but you need to keep it inline with what you can afford. The overage comes from a home, college, vacations and so on. Of course it should be an amazing day, but robbing from something bigger is not worth it in the long run--sometimes. Set something responsible. Accounting for the following will give you an idea of what to expect:

Reception Space

Church Space

Flowers

Food

Tuxes

Gowns

Wedding Dress

Favors

Tables, chairs, utensils, linens

Gifts to involved parties

Travel expenses from far away family

Honeymoon

Next, you need to pick a date. Any wedding can fit any season. It is nice to get married in the summer, but that is everyone's idea. Sometimes, you can save money on a reception space if you book it in an off season/weekend. Make sure the time works for you and your soon to be husband, but make sure it is not too inconvenient for others, i.e. last week of school for kids, beginning of school for kids, Christmas (can work though), per-arranged trip for parents and that sort of thing. And always have a back up date when you go to the reception space and church!

Lastly today, a theme. A gown like below will not work for a country themed wedding: 

Found on Pinterest

But you can take your guests to a wonderful place if it is executed properly. But keep the overall idea in mind when you are buying decor and flowers. Sometimes you can just see something that is amazing and get it but you know deep down inside it wont work. Trust, I've tried it. But your theme will work around your budget. Remember, everything revolves around the budget. 

Including your dress. If you go over budget on your gown, it will cost you somewhere else. Which I am okay with, as long as you re-adjust money. 

Please email me at goldylocksandthebarrows @ hotmail (dot) com if you have any wedding needs. This series will continue next Wednesday!

Bethany