Chair Decor Galore!

Chair decor is often overlooked at the wedding, but the ideas are limitless. With a little creativity you can transform a chair into a gorgeous piece of your wedding decor. Sashes, ribbons, signs and chair covers come in different material, textures and colors that you can manipulate and mix and match to compliment your wedding vision. Here are some of my favorite looks for chairs for your ceremony and reception:

Guest Post: For the Bride on a Budget!

Inspired by this photoset from The Tiny Closet. Natalie, the bride, is wearing a vintage reconstructed Max Mara dress

Calling all soon-to-be-betrothed beauties of the world!

Are you on a tight budget?

Does the trial-by-entourage process of choosing a wedding gown give you ulcers?

Is your wedding months away and you haven’t found “the one”?

Are you looking for a style change?

Is saying “I do” more important than a high price tag?

If you’ve answered “YES” to any of those questions then this post is for you! Read on for dresses and gowns under < $150!!

"I Do" Spotlight: Nimble Well

A Chicago based company, Nimble Well provides vintage china, cake stands and decor items for any event. The fine china and available items are perfect for a birthday party, engagement brunch, or a wedding celebration. Whether you want elegance, or something unusual, mixing vintage pieces with your decor makes your overall event unique. Nimble Well has a bounty of cake stands! Over 100 different types in their inventory as well as tiered stands. I would love for one of my brides to consider using Nimble Well to decorate their dessert bar. There is plenty to explore on their site, but here are some pictures to give you a peek:

Wedding Welcome Bags

A wedding is a time for family and friends to come together and celebrate the bride and groom. Sometimes the wedding occurs right in your "backyard" and other times travelling is required. Whether it is a few out-of-town guests, or you are having a destination wedding, the celebration should begin as soon as the guests check-in to their hotel. A great way to show your appreciation and help them start the fun, welcome bags are a personal care-package from the bride and groom. Here are some tips for making the perfect welcome bag:

1. Keep in mind that the welcome bag (or container) can be something that guests will want to re-use over the length of the wedding festivities, or longer. If it is not re-usable, don't worry! The bag is nice, but what is inside is a real treat.

2. Don't be afraid to personalize! Have a thank-you note written on a canvas bag, or a sticker with the bride and groom's initials to seal the welcome packages. Color, design and material choices add the personal touch that represent the bride and the groom and their wedding. If you are in Paris or a midnight in Paris theme, incorporate a picture of the Eiffel Tower, or tags with "Bonjour" on each bag. Little touches are what make the guests feel the thought you put into their bag.

3. Always put a bottle of water, or two, in your welcome bag. We know how expensive buying water at a hotel can be! You can personalize the bottles with stickers as well, adding your wedding colors into the bag. Don't be afraid to venture outside water. In Seattle? Add a can of Starbucks coffee to the bag.

4. Snacks and treats are a must-have on any trip! You can give the tourists a taste of the area with snacks representative of the local flavor. A mixture of sweet and savory can never go wrong. If you are in my city, New York, give guests a black & white cookie, bagel crisps, a bag of nuts and an apple; A perfect welcome to the Empire State. If you want to add something other than snacks, a MetroCard and a map encourages guests to explore the city on their own.

5. Last, but not least, a schedule of events is a great way to ensure your guests are on time. A kindly reminder, especially if the wedding is not near the hotel, is always helpful.

You can have the bags waiting for the guests in their guest room or they can be given to guests by your coordinator at your very own welcome desk. Be sure to discuss how each guests will receive their welcome gift in advance. Your guests will be surprised and ready to celebrate!

How To Incorporate Social Media Into Your Wedding: Very Easy Tips!

It is amazing how technology is a natural part of our lives today in comparison to 10 years ago. Social media websites such as Twitter and Instagram and phones like the iPhone and Android makes connecting with friends and family easy.

Professional photos of your wedding ceremony is a must have in my opinion, but some of the best pictures a bride and groom may like are the amateur pictures taken by their friends and family that show the moments that the photographer may not have seen. These candid moments are reflective of the people you love and invited to share your special day.

It only takes a few steps to implement the use of social media into your wedding:

1. First, download Twitter and/or Instagram. These applications are free to download with your smartphone, but use pre-existing accounts for less hassle. Instagram allows you to take photos, add cool effects and share with friends. It is like a Facebook, but with pictures only.

2. Next, you and your significant other should determine a wedding hastag. This helps to filter pictures on Instagram just as it filters tweets on Twitter.

3. You must then decide where you want to filter all of your pictures. Dropbox and Flickr accounts are two of my favorites. They are easy to access and have large storage availability.

4. Next, you connect your social media outlet to your storage area with the use of your "recipe" through ifttt.com. Create an account on ifttt.com which means IF THIS, THEN THAT. This account will create a chain reaction that allows you to establish that IF THIS hastag is used, THEN THAT photo is automatically downloaded into your Dropbox/Flickr account.

5. Last, but not least, SHARE your plan with guests. There are many creative ways to share your plan with your guests. Whether during your engagement announcement or on the wedding day. Signs on the bar, notes on the table during the reception, boards displaying the hastag, or the information written on personalized napkins are creative ways to share the information. You can also include the information on your wedding website.

You will see the wedding journey from many perspectives, not just the day of, but leading up to the wedding day. The photos may be blurry, but they will show the laughter and love that day between family, old friends and new friends. This is a great way to incorporate the guests into your wedding day, letting them get involved. You will have a great laugh and even more smiles when you look at these photos with your new husband/wife.