Great Guest Giveaways!

Do you already have your wedding favors, but would like to do a little extra something for your guests? Or....Are you looking for your favors to be something your guests can actually use the day of your wedding?

As we all know, every wedding is unique, and sometimes it’s these unique details that call for a little extra flare! From warm beach weddings to wine themed soirées, there are many ways to make your guests feel truly welcome on your special day. Check out the guest giveaway ideas below for some inspiration!

 

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Pashmina’s - For Cool Outdoor Weddings

·      If you would like to hold your ceremony, cocktail hour or reception outside, but are worried about possible cool weather, provide a basket of pashmina’s as your guests arrive. You can provide a variety of colors for your guest to choose form. Or you can create a unique effect by providing them in colors that match your wedding color scheme. Watch to see how even your guests add to your overall wedding look!

Flip-flops – For Beach Weddings or Dancing the Night Away

·      Having a beach wedding ceremony, but worried about your guests wanting to wear shoes that aren’t exactly beach ready? Provide a basket of flip-flops at the entrance of your ceremony (in a variety of sizes) for your guest to wear. Or…Want your guests to feel comfortable and spend night dancing away, but know your venue has a strict “must wear shoes at all times” policy? This is another great opportunity to supply a variety of flip-flops for your guests. Your guests and their happy feet will be sure to thank you later!

Fans - For Hot Outdoor Ceremony’s  (Can Double as a Program!)

·      Having your wedding outdoors in the peak of the summer? Place a fan on everyone’s seat to help them cool off throughout the day. Want a two-for-one steal? Use printable paper fans and include your wedding day program on the back of each fan.

Parasols’ - For Outdoor Cocktail Hour

·      Allow your guest to be shaded from the hot sun by providing parasol’s for your cocktail hour. Add a special touch by inscribing your monogram on each parasol. (Perfect for vintage style weddings!)

Personalized Wine Glasses – (Can Double as a Favor!)

·      Personalize wine glasses with your name, wedding date or monogram and provide them to your guests during cocktail hour or at each table during your reception. At the end of the night your guests can take them home as a favor. (Great for wine themed weddings)

Wine Charms

·      Providing a variety of wine glass charms to your guest so they can keep track of their glass throughout the evening, is a fun personal touch and a great way to save on paying for a multitude of extra glassware!

Bathroom Amenities Baskets – Thoughtful and Classy

In our last blog post, we shared how sometimes it's the littlest details that can give the biggest impact and truly make a wedding unique. A bathroom amenities basket for your guests is one of those little touches that will surely be noticed! This thoughtful and classy gesture will truly come in handy for those “I wish I had brought….” moments. By the end of the night you will find that your baskets went to good use and were greatly appreciated by your guests!

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Below is a list of a few items to think about including in your baskets. Although some of the items repeat, there are two separate lists for the Lady’s Room and Men’s Room. 

Already have your bathroom amenities baskets planned out? 

Check out our bonus items to see if we found something you may not have thought of!

Lady’s Room: 

~ Mints                                  ~ Hair Elastics

~ Hairspray                          ~ Bobby Pins

~ Tissue                                 ~ Tide-to-Go Stick

~ Spritzer/Perfume           ~ Lint Roller

~ Mouthwash                       ~ Q-tips

~ Dental Floss                      ~ Clear Nail Polish

~ Hand Lotion                      ~ Mini Sewing Kit

~ Feminine Products         ~ Scissors

~ Blotting Sheets                 ~ Tums

~ Band Aides                        ~ Imodium

~ Moleskin                            ~ Eye Drops

~ Safety Pins                         ~ Advil or Ibuprofen

Something you may not have thought of: Earring backs & Double Sided Tape

Men’s Room:

~ Mints                                  ~ Lint roller

~ Hair Gel                              ~ Safety Pins

~ Tissue                                 ~ Mini Sewing Kit

~ Cologne                              ~ Scissors

~ Mouthwash                       ~ Tums

~ Dental Floss                      ~ Imodium

~ Hand Lotion                      ~ Eye Drops

~ Band Aides                        ~ Advil or Ibuprofen

~ Tide-to-Go stick

Something you may not have thought of: Instant Hem & Cuff Fabric Tape

Want to add an extra “little touch”?

Included a framed engagement photo, poem or note next to each basket addressed to your guests. Below are a couple of more well know poem examples. 

So happy you’re here sharing our special day
But just in case something should go astray:

Please help yourself to the contents within
Mouthwash, hand lotion or ibuprofen

Use what you need, and just leave the rest
For it may be useful to some other guest!

Repair the damage that may have been done,
Then quick!  Hurry back and join in the fun! 

~ Compliments of the Bride & Groom ~

Dear Guests,
Whether your skin feels dry or your hair out of place
You're not feeling so fresh or whatever the case
We've put together a basket to help you along
Now hurry back out before you miss the next song!

~ Compliments of the Bride & Groom ~

Creative Wedding Table Names

Sometimes it’s the littlest touches that make a wedding truly unique to the couple getting married. Creative wedding table numbers or names are a great way to add a unique flare to your wedding and are usually not that difficult to incorporate. Below are a few ideas to get you started:

• Locations: Think of places the two of you have traveled to together or would like to travel to. Then list each table as the names of theses locations, as a picture of these locations or as a picture of the two of you in these locations
• Engagement photos: Add a different engagement photo to each table number
• Hobbies you have together: For example if you both like to garden, name each table a different flower or herb
• Music: List of your favorite songs or artists
• Tie into your theme: For example if you are getting married at a vineyard, name each table a different type of wine or make custom wine bottle labels
• Multilingual Couple?: Write “I Love You” in different languages
• Your Story: For example if you met in college include names of halls, buildings or locations either tied to that school or special to how you met
• Q&A: Label each table with a statement to resemble a question (i.e. First Memory). Then on the table include a picture of each of you. Below each picture state the full question (i.e. What is your first memory of _____?) and then your separate answers. (Give your answers to a third party to make it a surprise for the both of you as well!)

These are just a few of many ideas to give your wedding a more personal touch. You can even take the creativity one step further by adding some DIY crafting to the display of your table names. From picture frames to bedazzling the options are endless!

Bridal Fair 101

The hustle and bustle of the New Year is here and it’s time to set our calendars for the year ahead. If you are planning an upcoming wedding, this could mean fitting in Bridal Fairs into your already busy schedule. Often times these fairs can be very overwhelming with a wide variety of information, special offers & new ideas being thrown at you all at once. Below are a few tips we have found useful to help simplify the process and maximize your bridal fair experience!

Bridal Fair Tips:

1.     Try to Attended at Least Two Bridal Fairs:

Be sure to attend at least one bridal or wedding fair close to your wedding location to help you find great vendors that work in your area. It’s also a good idea to attend a second fair in a nearby big city to see new trends, specialty ideas and of course to enjoy the celebrity status feel!

2.     Bring Contact Information Stickers:

Many vendors offer great show specials and raffle drawings at their booths that are usually only obtainable at the show itself. In order to enter these drawings you are often required to enter some basic contact information, which can be very time consuming. To help streamline this process brings a few sheets of address label stickers with your name, phone number, email* and wedding date. This way you can simply stick on your sticker to their information card and you are ready to go!

*Additional Tip: Create a new email account just for your wedding. This will help you keep everything organized in one area and avoid filling your personal/work email with wedding details.

3.     Attend the Fashion Shows:

Even if you already have your attire set, fashion shows are a great way to get inspiration for other aspects of your wedding (i.e. floral designs from the bouquets they are carrying, color palettes from the bridesmaids dresses, accessories, hair designs…etc).

4.     Visit Every Booth:

Take the time to visit every booth for at least 30 seconds, even if you already have booked the service they are offering. They may have new ideas you have not thought of and great give–aways that you can benefit from! Keep in mind what booths stand out to you most. Then after you have “scouted everything out”, return to the booths you were most interested in to ask additional questions and gather more information.

5.     Bring a BIG Bag:

Whether it’s pamphlets, cards, samples, favors or prizes, at the end of the day you will have received a mountain of material from all the different vendors. Bring a large bag with at least TWO pockets to help carry and sort everything. Use one side as the “everything” pocket and the other as the “very interested in” pocket. (If you have three pockets you can use them for “everything, maybe, and must have!”). This process will really help when you are sorting through everything later trying to remember what is what.

6.     Ask Vendors About Other Vendors:

If you are hesitant about using a certain service or vendor (i.e. you are not sure if you want use a wedding planner), ask some of the other vendors at the fair what they think. They work with these professionals every day and know first hand the qualities they can bring to your wedding.

7.     Mark Your Calendar!

Most vendors welcome arranging a time to meet outside of the hustle of the show atmosphere. These are usually no-obligation consultations and can often lead to additional discounts on their services. Bring your calendars so you set these meetings and benefit from these specials. 

Time to Budget for your Wedding – Who Pays for What?

With the New Year quickly approaching it’s time to start thinking about goals for the year. If you are recently engaged, that could mean budgeting for your upcoming big day!

Traditional wedding customs tell us that the bride’s family is financially responsible for the majority of the wedding. Leaving the groom and his family with the rehearsal dinner, bride’s rings, honeymoon and a few other small odds & ends. However, in today’s society these etiquette traditions are seen more as guidelines than rules. Often with couples being more fanatical stable at the time of marriage they end up paying for a lot of the wedding themselves. Another popular option is to have the wedding cost to split into thirds between the bride’s family, groom’s family and the couple.  Whatever you decide, it’s good to remember that every wedding is unique and should reflect the best options for everyone involved.

Below is the Traditional Breakdown of Expenses for your reference:

Bride’s Family Pays For:

·      Engagement Party (optional)

·      Wedding Invitations & Other Stationary (announcements, thank you’s, programs)

·      Wedding Gown & Accessories

·      Wedding Coordinator

·      Décor Flower’s for Ceremony & Reception

·      Bridesmaids Bouquets

·      Music (Ceremony & Reception)

·      Photography

·      Videography

·      Venue Fee’s (Ceremony & Reception)

·      Catering

·      Additional Décor

·      Additional Specialty Vendors

·      Favors

·      Bridal Party Transportation to Ceremony & Reception

·      Bridesmaids Accommodations

·      Their Own Wedding Attire

Groom’s Family Pays for:

·      Engagement Party (optional)

·      Marriage License

·      Officiant’s Fee

·      Rehearsal Dinner

·      Personal Flowers: the bride’s bouquet, boutonnieres for wedding party & fathers, corsages for mother’s & grandmothers

·      Their Own Wedding Attire

·      Honeymoon - Including Travel (in conjunction with groom)

Bride Pays for:

·      Groom’s Ring

·      Bridesmaids Luncheon

·      Gifts for Bridesmaids

·      Wedding-Day gift for the Groom

·      Gift for her Parents

Groom Pays for:

·      The Bride’s Engagement Ring and Wedding Band

·      His Formalwear

·      Groomsmen Accommodations

·      Gifts for Groomsmen

·      Wedding-Day gift for the Bride

·      Gift for his Parents

·      Honeymoon - Including Travel (in conjunction with groom’s family)

Attendant’s Pay for:

·      Bachelor & Bachelorette parties

·      Bridal Shower (Bridesmaids pay for)

·      Gifts for Bride & Groom

·      Wedding Attire and Accessories

·      Transportation to and from Wedding Town