Meant to bee – DIY favors

I just thought this was too cute note to share. From the creative folks over at Martha Stewart Weddings, here is a great idea for a small token of affection to your guest.

Use a craft knife and metal straight edge to cut at crop marks (do not cut all the way to the edge of the paper; this will leave the crop marks intact for subsequent cuts). Lay the template on the lid of a 3 1/2-inch square box, and hold it in position. Use a thick pin (such as a corsage pin or a T-pin) to pierce a hole through both template and box lid at each dot. Then remove the template.

Wind the wire from each of two millinery bees around a pencil to create a spiral just a short distance below the bee. Slip the end of each wire through the last hole in one of the lines on the box lid, and bend about 3/8-inch of the wire at a right angle. Tape this bent end up against the underside of the box. Position each bee by bending the wire, and place the lid on the box.

1/2" bees, $16 for 24, by Tom Floral Inc., from FloralSupply.com. Jewelry box (#33D), $34.50 for 100, U.S. Box Corp., usbox.com.

From Martha Stewart Weddings, Fall 2009

Down load the template here

Which serving style suits your reception?

Groomsmen Checklist

This one is for the guys, I know your fiancé may have already planned your wedding before you all were even engaged but you still must play an active role in planning the big day. The day you marry your one and only is your day too so help out and add some elements that reflect you, your family and personality.

Grooms checklist

You’ve got 12 months to go

Sundays during the winter months may be prime time for football, but it also a prime time to save some cash on your venue. So help the soon-to-be pick a date that’s great for you both and the budget.

Reserve your location(s)

Discuss the money. Talk it over between the two of you and with both of your parents. Tradition is for the bride’s family to pay but your parents may want to contribute also.

Send save the dates, even to the guys

Reserve a photographer

7 to 9 months to go

Pick your half of the bridal party. This includes

-Usher

-Best man

-Groomsmen

Choose a rehearsal dinner location, time and menu

Reserve your DJ or band

Schedule the engagement photo shoot

Compile your guest list and combine it with the brides side

Discuss honeymoon and budget

Reserve guest accommodations

4 to 6 months

Select invitations

Pick wedding bands

Choose your attire and get your guys measured

Finalized the guest list

Register for gifts

Arrange for transportation

Finalize honeymoon plans

2-3 months

Purchase your brides gift, make it memorable and expensive - oops

Purchase attendees gifts

Pick a rehearsal outfit

Check up on your guys measurements and tux/suit rental

Choose special songs, you know that song you sing in the car when you think of her and nobody is listening

Think about any special vows, songs or toast you may want to make or dance to

Help the bride put together info packets for your out of town guest

6-8 weeks

Send the invitations send info packs one week later

Send announcement to the paper

Check up on the tuxes

1 month

Send rehearsal invites

Pick up bands if you have not already

Get the legal stuff out of the way, car, home and life insurance changes

2-3 weeks

Get marriage license

Help gather all RSVP’s received

Confirm honeymoon, guest accommodations and transportation reservations

Make appointment with your barber

Create a wedding day schedule with your planner and the bride

1 week – Ok the bases are loaded and its the bottom of the 9th ( ok- i don’t really know what that means but it sounded like it fit)

Give final head count to caterer and venue

Confirm rehearsal plan and dinner reservations

Pack for your honeymoon

Prepare a speech and vows

1-2 days

Pick up your tuxes

Give the best man the fee to be paid to the officiant

Arrange to have the bride’s gift delivered, if your not hand delivering it yourself

The day of

Give rings to best man

Give license to officiant

Show up on time, looking your best, and ready to

Say I do when prompted and enjoy your wedding day

BRIDES Color School Event

 

I have been invited and so are you!

Color me beautiful! Whether berry and plum or navy and jade, color is the hottest thing happening in weddings and can really set the tone for your special day. To help you select the perfect palette, Brides is thrilled to introduce an exciting color-themed event series that will bring our vivid “Color School” editorial feature to life.

This fall, Brides will host four fun-filled soirees across the country where brides-to-be and their ’maids will enjoy delicious wines, themed cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and exclusive insight on the hottest color pairings and trends from Brides’ wedding experts!

I will be at the Washington DC event but there is one more left in Atlanta. Click the city to RSVP!

Thursday, October 15th, 6-8PM
Washington DC
Park at 14th 920 14th Street NW
Washington DC 20005
Thursday, October 22nd, 6-8PM
Atlanta
Tongue and Groove
565 Main Street at Lindbergh City Center
Atlanta, GA 30324

Money Woes

Suze Orman reveals the five best things to do with the wedding dough

Whether your cash gifts total $1,000 or $10,000, you’ll want to make the most of every dollar. And that doesn’t mean blowing it all on a 50-inch plasma TV. Here’s what CNBC personal finance expert Suze Orman (author of Young, Fabulous & Broke) would do with it. (For advice on your specific financial situation, go to suzeorman.com, click on YF&B, and enter the book’s access code: 98635472.)

1. Take care of your immediate needs first, says Orman. For most newlyweds, this will involve some aspect of nesting, like putting down deposits on a rental apartment, buying basic home appliances, or purchasing a bigger bed. (Who said being practical can’t be fun?)

2. Next, work out how to decrease your monthly expenses. That usually means addressing the D-word—debt—accrued from credit cards, car loans, or student loans. “Line up your debt payments from the highest interest rate to the lowest,” advises Orman. “Pay off bills with the highest interest rate first.” (That usually means credit cards.) If you both have debts, pay them off equally—after all, you’re in this together.

3. Set up an eight-month emergency fund. Even two happy, healthy newlyweds need one. To determine how much to save, calculate what you spend every month on necessities like gas, rent, utilities, and food, then multiply that figure by eight. Socking away cash in an FDIC-insured account (checking, savings, money market) means you’ll be able to pay your bills if one of you loses your job, without resorting to drastic measures like taking a credit card cash advance or dipping into your retirement account.

4. Start saving for a house. “The smartest goal a couple could have, bar none, is to own a home sooner rather than later,” says Orman, “especially given that the price of real estate has gone down dramatically in certain areas, and interest rates are still relatively low.” If you intend to make a purchase within the next five years, put your wedding money in a bank account, she suggests. Shop around to find the one that pays the highest possible interest rate. “As long as it’s FDIC-insured,” says Orman, “it doesn’t matter whether it’s an online bank or brick-and-mortar.”

5. Fund your retirement. “Invest in a 401(k) or a 403(b) if and only if your company matches your contribution,” says Orman. Or put your wedding money in a Roth IRA. That way, the money you accumulate over time won’t be taxed when you withdraw it later on. After all, the best way to start married life is not being just young and fabulous, but solvent, too!

Article courtesy Brides.com

Wedded Inspiration: Fall Harvest

One of my favorite season’s is Fall, next to the spring time. Fall weddings are full of rich color and tradition

Table accessories by William and Sonoma

Bridal bouquet from Brides.com and theknot.com

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Wedded Inspiration: Winter Wonderland

Shoes: Stuart Weitzman and www.Myglassslipper.com

Dresses: Amsale and Christos

Bouquet and boutonnière:  Jeffrey Marcus for JM Visuals, (212) 929-1686, www.JMVisuals.com

Owl Cake: www.theknot.com

Snowflake Cake: www.realsimple.com/weddings

Fire & Ice Martini

Recipe courtesy of Marcey Brownstein Catering & Events, (212) 807-0568, www.BrownsteinsNY.com

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Spring 2010 Amsale Collection Photo Collage

These are just some of the beautiful wedding gowns from Amsale for Spring 2010. Click here to see the full collection and trunk show dates.

Trunk show season is here!

The 2010 collections are out. This weekend from the Washingtonian...Thursday, September 24, through Sunday, September 27 Brides-to-be will be saying “I do” to the elaborate beading and elegant details of designer Rina di Montella at her trunk show hosted by Bridals by Elena (556-D Ritchie Hwy., Severna Park) . The four-day event runs through the weekend. By appointment only; call 410-975-0076. 11 to 5

Oscar de la Renta Spring Bridal 2010 Collection

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