I have seen a lot of problems with brides and their bridal party attendants lately (mostly girls), so I thought I would post this fun article that I found on About.com just in case there may be a bride out there that would want to share this article!! My girls were the greatest!! I was definitely lucky to have chosen the 4 best girls to be by my side and honestly don’t have any regrets about choosing them. The only hickup we had along the way was whether or not Chip N Dales or Thunder From Down Under was a better show at my Vegas bachlorette party!! 🙂
Being a great attendant
A bridesmaid is first and foremost someone who the bride wants to be a part of her wedding. Perhaps she is a sister, or a very close friend; her friendship and support of the marriage is meaningful.
More than that, a bridesmaid and/or maid-of-honor serves a practical purpose. During the hectic time of planning a wedding, she is a confidant, advice giver, doer of menial tasks, errand runner and more. A bride should have at least one bridesmaid (preferably the maid-of-honor) who is reliable, cheerfully helpful, organized, and who lives close to the bride.
A bridesmaid’s duties might include:
* helping the bride shop for her dress and bridesmaids’ dresses
* when asked, giving advice on decorations, favors, music, and more
* helping the maid of honor to plan a bridal shower, and, if appropriate, chipping in for the costs of food, decorations, or venue
* helping to plan a bachelorette party (this the bridesmaids may pay for or split the cost with the other attendees)
* helping the bride dress (and stay calm) before the ceremony
* providing moral support at all times
* telling others where the couple is registered and other details, such as when they will return from their honeymoon, where to send
gifts, and any name changes.
* being useful at the wedding reception.
* The couple may ask you to help direct guests to the guestbook, assist with a special moment, make sure that vendors have arrived,
or do crisis management. You might also want to stick around after the reception and make sure things are cleaned up and wedding
presents secured.
* being social. Be sure to talk to as many guests as you can, making them feel warmly welcomed. If there’s a dance floor, help get the
party going!
* consider throwing (or helping to pitch in for) a day-after brunch. These events are great to help the couple catch up with out-of-town
guests, and have a more relaxed environment to socialize in.
A good bridesmaid also makes sure she is helpful rather than a hindrance. This means being where she needs to be, on time, ordering her bridesmaid dress at the right time, and not badmouthing the bride behind her back.
A Maid of Honor or Matron of Honor has additional duties. She is the person whom the bride most wants to honor and celebrate her friendship. At the wedding ceremony, she has the honor of being the last to walk down the aisle before the bride, and stands next to her during the ceremony. In addition to a bridesmaid’s duties, listed above, a maid of honor should:
* help with wedding planning, such as researching locations, florists, caterers and other vendors.
* volunteer to help address wedding invitations and/or announcements
* make sure her fellow bridesmaids have ordered their dresses and accessories on time
* helping with the rehearsal dinner
* holding the bouquet during the ceremony
* giving a meaningful toast during the reception.
The Expenses of a Bridesmaid
There is a considerable expense involved in being a bridesmaid, including cost of apparel, travel and hotel room for the ceremony, hosting a party, as well as a shower gift and a wedding gift. A bridesmaid can save money by asking others to pitch in for the showers, wearing a dress she already owns (if that’s okay with the bride), making her own dress, and staying with friends. She can give her friend the gift of time – i.e., the gift of addressing and stuffing the invitations. Also, a bride may pay for some of the expenses if her budget allows it.
The Bachelorette Party Planning
A bachelorette party should be a fun experience for a bridesmaid to toast the bride and have a blast with both new and old friends. The party planner should be sure to keep the bride in mind always. Just because the wild maid-of-honor might want a stripper doesn’t mean the bride will. Consider if the bride is more a gambling-in-Vegas type of gal, or a sitting-by-the-pool-with-a-white-wine-spritzer girl. Read to get some ideas and hints. Most of all, a bachelorette party should be a unique amazing experience that’s both a total blast and an enormous bonding time.
I found this great little article on www.elegala.com
Take Back Your Bridal Shower
6 Ideas for More Meaningful Shower Celebrations
Where did we get the idea that sitting in a circle and opening hand towels or scandalous underthings was the best way for a woman to spend some quality time with her female friends before the wedding? Somehow a bridal shower focused on kitchenware and awkward games seems to fall short of adequately preparing a bride-to-be for the significant transition involved in getting married.
Looking for a more meaningful way to usher yourself – or your friend – into marriage? Here are some ideas and rituals that will help the bride come away from her shower feeling nourished and connected with herself and her friends.
Showers for a Cause
The bride doesn’t necessarily have to be the one getting showered with gifts. Instead, shower for a greater cause, and give something back with a day dedicated to a charitable contribution that holds special meaning to the bride.
Here are a few ideas:
Pink Envelope Bridal Shower –
Help the fight against breast cancer. Have a Pink Envelope Bridal shower through the Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation. They’ll send special pink donation envelopes for inclusion in the shower invites, and guests can make a donation to Making Memories on behalf of your bridal shower. Be sure to take plenty of pictures, as they’ll feature your bridal shower on their website.
Green Bridal Shower
For the conservation conscious, host a bridal shower that’s good for soul and the earth. Make the event focused on green causes instead of perfunctory shower games. Plant a tree instead of playing pin the tail on the groom. Serve locally grown vegetarian cuisine, register for eco-friendly items and housewares, and of course, make sure invitations and paper products are recycled.
Thought Exchange
Have a shower focused not on the exchange of tangible gifts, but rather on the exchange of heartfelt gifts like advice, emotions and feelings. Using the bridal shower to involve sharing and listening will help the bride connect with her friends and her own feelings about the wedding and marriage.
Some ideas:
Have attendees “shower” the bride with advice on being a good partner. Each guest can come with their thought to read aloud, or the maid-of-honor can gather submissions from everyone ahead of time to compile into a scrap book that’s presented to the bride at the shower. Another idea is a traditional recipe exchange with a twist. Each guest brings a recipe card, one side featuring the recipe for a great dish, and on the other side, the recipe for a good marriage.
Memory Lane Shower
Have a shower focused on reminiscing shared memories and friendships. This pseudo-separation ritual will help the bride reconnect with her old self as she prepares to take on a new identity.
Some ideas:
Create a memory book – asking every attendee to write a page or two detailing their fondest memory with the bride. Gather these stories along with photos into a memory scrapbook. Or have each attendee bring a gift that represents a memory – a cd of favorite songs from high school, a photo album, that old cheerleading uniform once worn every Friday. Create a slide show of photos set to music, and have everyone contribute some of their favorites. While you’re there, play memory games, each guest describes a memorable past event – and the bride must guess the year, location, and people who were there. The evening is sure to provoke a lot of heartfelt reminiscing.
Slumber Party
Break out the PJs, sleeping bags, and tubs of ice cream – it’s time for some serious female bonding. A slumber party is another great way for the bride to revel in that special connection she has with the women in her life, and it affords her an encouraging setting to share openly any feelings she has about her upcoming marriage. Consider incorporating some of the above ideas into the slumber party – such as exchanging advice or creating a scrapbook.
Poetry Shower
John Donne, T.S. Eliot, Constantine Cavafy, Robert Frost, Robert Herrick… treat a bride with a passion for the literary arts with a feast of beautiful poetry. Have all attendees bring a poem containing wisdom or sentiment about love or marriage, and take turns reading. The evening will be intellectually enriching and inspiring.
Adventure Shower
Some brides-to-be may cringe at the thought of an emotionally vulnerable shower of intimate bonding. Instead, taking to the outdoors can be a powerful alternative for an emotional and physical release. Enjoy a day of hiking, white water rafting, rock climbing, biking, ropes course – you name it. Successfully accomplishing these challenging outdoor activities can act as a symbolic metaphor for entering into marriage – which also requires strength to overcome its own set of challenges.
Filed under: Advice and Tips from Experts
Joe Buissink, Owner, Joe Buissink Photography
While in college, Joe Buissink witnessed one of a wedding’s most common flaws: extra-long posed photography sessions. Seeing a need for impromptu shots, he started a successful photography business.
He has shot dozens of celebrity weddings, including those of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, Christian Slater, Yasmine Bleeth, Brendan Fraser, Christina Applegate, and Kelsey Grammer.
Joe Buissink’s Tips
1.) Don’t spend money on a photographer’s name. Seek out someone adept at shooting in the style you love.
2.) When selecting a photographer, ask to see their entire collection. A portfolio displays just the best shots. If you can, ask to see the entire proof set — as many as 1,000 images that show the good and the bad.
3.) Make it clear that any posed sessions should be run quickly and efficiently. After 30 minutes, smiles become unnatural and wedding party members get anxious.
4.) Shooting outdoors can be difficult due to weather conditions. Don’t rule it out immediately (landscaping and architecture add interest), but have Plan B in place.
5.) If photography is important to you, book your specialist a year in advance. The best photographers have full schedules, and the best locations get booked early, too.
Article found on Better Home and Garden’s website.
I was watching a bit of TV last night and came across a commecial for the new season of “The Biggest Loser“. I just absolutely love this show because it gives so many wonderful tips, ideas, and inspirational pieces for successful weightloss. I know these people are put under totally different circumstances then the general public, but it’s still a great show. But, for those of you who say “I need to lose XXX pounds for my wedding” the website provides great receipes and meal plans, customized fitness programs, a progress journal and creative ways to assist you. Check it out! There is even “The Biggest Loser” club which could be a fun little thing to join if you are interested. You can also check out www.sparkspeople.com for another free online community that supports healthy weightloss and exercise.
The first reality series where everybody “loses,” “The Biggest Loser” offers severely overweight participants the opportunity to undergo a radical physical makeover without any kind of surgery.
Alison Sweeney (“Days of Our Lives”) joins the show to host the fourth season of the series, which challenges and encourages overweight contestants to shed pounds in a safe and recommended manner through comprehensive diet and exercise as they compete for a grand prize of $250,000. The unscripted and life-altering one-hour reality series gathers contestants from across the country to face real-life temptations, while being provided with approved weight-loss skills and resources in an effort to help them transform their bodies, health — and ultimately — their lives.
“The Biggest Loser” provides the 18 strong-willed, yet hopeful, contestants with challenges, temptations, weigh-ins and eliminations until the final contestant remains to claim the title of “the biggest loser.” Each team works out under the supervision of professional trainers Kim Lyons and Bob Harper.
The series has become a worldwide hit airing in over 35 territories and 15 countries. It has also produced a New York Times best-selling book and a burgeoning online lifestyle club www.biggestloserclub.com
Time and time again a bride will ask me if my coordinating services include pinning the boutonniere. Absolutely I’ll try my best to get one on, but most of the time the florist is the best one to go to. However, today I found this great outline on “How to Pin a Boutonniere” on http://www.sweetbrierflowershoppe.com, so I thought I would share.
1.) Hold the corsage/boutonniere by its stem, with the flower facing away from your date and toward you.
2.) Place the corsage or boutonniere at a slight angle on your date’s lapel, approximately 4 inches in from the tip of the left shoulder.
3.) Make sure that the flower is evenly placed on the lapel before attempting to pin it.
4.) Take a strong and sturdy stickpin in the hand that is not holding the flower.
5.)Stick the pin into the fabric at the bottom left corner of the stem.
6.) Weave the pin back out from under the fabric. Push it through about 1 inch, laying it at an angle over the top of the stem.
7.) Stick the tip of the pin back into the fabric on the other side of the stem. Insure that the stem is tightly in place with the length of the pin pushing it down.
8.) Weave the pin back out of the fabric once more. Be sure that the very tip of the pin does not stick out, nor does it poke under the fabric and touch the skin.
9.)Readjust the flower’s angle a bit after pinning, if necessary. You can re-fluff any petals that may have become matted during the pinning.
10.) When sticking the pin into the fabric, use only the very tip and avoid digging too deeply downward. Steadiness is helpful.
the Event Essentials 