Favors

Our consultants have plenty of wonderful ideas for you as you consider favors for friends and family who have come to help you celebrate your big day. A thoughtful gift - a token of your appreciation and affection - can mean a great deal to the recipient. While it is standard to give a gift to those friends who are your close attendants, there are likely to be others to who you'd like to say "thanks so much" for being a part of our lives. Let's start with the obvious - what are you planning to give as wedding favors? More and more brides are choosing to give edible items for favors. Chocolates - personalized with your names and date top the list. Some brides prefer other candies or nuts. Some like decorated cookies, brownies, or bars wrapped in a decorative box. Other couples choose to give bottles of wine - either with their own custom label or with a gift card attached to a fine local vintage. An environmentally friendly wedding theme makes the gift of seeds, potted plants, or flowers are very appropriate. Many couples are choosing to create Cd's of their own special music and giving one to each guest at the reception. Consider seasonal items - tree ornaments for Christmas weddings, mugs and hot chocolate mix for winter weddings, or sunscreen for beach weddings. Choose votive candles and holders for a candle light wedding. Whatever your choice, be sure the item carries a message of thanks from you both. Arrange favors on a special table near the exit as your guests leave or even better, place them at each individual seat for the guest. Be sure to call for even more special ideas.

Happy Planning,

Kim

A Beautiful Wedding Budget

As a wedding planner; I emphasize that no wedding is "average", so the published costs of an "average" wedding really has little to do with what you plan to spend. What is important is that do have a budget and that you stick to it with a realistic portion of it being allocated to each part of your wedding. More couples are funding portions or the entire wedding themselves so it becomes critical to plan ahead. It is also important to prioritize those budget items. Identify those aspects of your wedding that are most important. Also, list items that are less important so that if you need to shift funds from one category to another you can without compromising your overall plan. Generally speaking, the following categories need to be part of your budget: ceremony and reception sites, reception food and beverages, flowers, photograph, invitations and paper trousseau, attendant gifts, rings, grooms attire and honeymoon. You may have additional costs associated with a wedding planner hired to assist you. This is a good idea to consider as they can save you time and money. A sit-down dinner or buffet will be at least 50% of the total budget. If your budget is a problem, consider a small intimate affair with all the "stops pulled out". Having the best on a smaller scale is usually better than inviting many casual acquaintances to a cake and punch reception. What ever you do, do it Beautifully.

Happy Planning,

Kim