Project5A

Bridesmaids

Mark — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000

The role of being a bridesmaid kind of gets a bad rap sometimes. Although it’s an honor to be asked – let’s be honest, sometimes it’s a hassle…

And even if it’s not – it costs money to be a bridesmaid. Some of you out there are professional bridesmaids so you know what I’m talking about. Fear not! Just like everything else about your wedding – you have a lot of options when it comes to decisions about what your bridesmaids are going to wear.

They don’t have to all be wearing the exact same dress. Heck – they don’t even all have to wear the same color. Or cut. Or style.

Oh man. They don’t even all have to be women. It’s crazy but true.

Of course – having said that – it’s totally alright to be fully traditional as well. See? Now you have permission to do whatever you’d like. Now get out there and boss those bridesmaids around!… well. Be nice about it.

Airbrushing Or Traditional Powder Makeup?

Mark — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000

So. Apparently there is a real difference between airbrushed makeup and just regular traditional makeup. One is not necessarily better – but there is a definite difference. For example – airbrushing on makeup is kind of like spraying on tiny little pixels instead of painting with a brush. It’s that different and can honestly be a significant factor in how you end up looking on your wedding day.

Check out this post over at PrepareToWed.com for more!

Why Wedding Photos Take Forever! (Sometimes)

Mark — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:30:00 +0000

Here’s the thing – if you’re hiring a really good wedding photographer, then it might take a good bit of time for them to finish editing your pictures, and then delivering them to you. It’s not because they’ve just been hanging out, drinking, and partying every night when they should be working – it’s because you hired a damn good photographer. Honest. It’s true.

Of course – they should have given you a time frame/rough estimate for when your photos would be finished – but don’t be shocked when they tell you 6-8 weeks. Sure they may be able to get them to you sooner – but they quote 6-8 weeks because it might actually take THAT LONG. Why? Well there are a few reasons – one of the most obvious being that you hired a badass wedding photographer, which means that MANY OTHER PEOPLE also hired them – and hey, wedding photos take time. A LOT of time to edit.

The writers over at WeddingBee.com do a much better job of explaining things and they break it down step by step. Check it out.

A Few Lessons on Bartering Your Wedding

Mark — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:30:00 +0000

Weddings can be expensive. So figuring out how to bring the costs down are generally worth the effort. One of the best ways to help lower your wedding expenses is to barter or trade services with different vendors. Although you may not have as much room to negotiate with vendors that have fixed costs (catering, flowers) – but even they will generally have some room to work with. You just have to make sure that what you’re offering in trade is worth it to them – and not an insult.

Amanda over at BudgetSavvyBride describes a few of the areas where she was able to barter and negotiate a bit to help bring down the overall cost of her wedding. Read the post here.

Wedding Rehearsal Tips

Mark — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:30:00 +0000

There are many guides that cover the actual wedding and how to get through all of the planning – but what about the rehearsal? Practice makes perfect right? Well. Maybe not – but you should still do a basic run through just so that EVERYONE knows what is going on – and so that we can avoid at least a few of those awkward moments while your new brother-in-law remembers that it’s his turn to get up for the reading!

Here’s one tip from Bridesmaid.com

2. Don’t freak out. If something doesn’t go the way you want it to during the rehearsal, don’t assume that it will be as messy during the actual ceremony. – Check out the rest here…

Wedding Traditions You Should Ditch

Mark — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:30:00 +0000

Remember – this is YOUR wedding – and for most of you – ALL choices are optional, especially some of the traditions. If you don’t want to do it – then don’t do it. Trust me – there might be some people who will disagree with your choice – but there will also be those people who will support what you decide to do on your wedding. Be strong. Ditch the traditions you don’t feel like doing.

Here’s one that you might think is one that you absolutely have to do – but no – you can totally pass on it.

Having a First Dance as Bride and Groom
I just went to a wedding where the newlyweds passed on this tradition. I didn’t even notice until a few days later when I was trying to remember what song they had chosen for their first dance. So while some guests like to watch this, no one would be devastated if you forgo doing one. Parent dances, on the other hand, might be missed (especially by the parents). Read More Here…

Wedding Cake 101

Mark — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:05:37 +0000

Deciding on your wedding cake is just a few notches more important than the birthday cake you picked up last week for your cubicle-mate. But where do you begin? Do you want a super fancy cake with 10 tiers and diamonds?! Or something simple? What about making it personalized and really showing the personalities of you and your partner? SO MANY things to consider.

Fortunately – there’s this Wedding Cake 101 over on UtahBrideBlog.com by guest writer Sydney.

“Where to Begin? With the basics, the size and shape of your cake. When getting ready to order your wedding cake the most important details start with are the size and shape of your cake. If you will be serving your cake, you should order enough cake for all those you think will be attending. A general rule is to expect 50%-75% of your invited guests to actually attend. Keep in mind that if most of your guests live in-town or close by this number could be higher.” – read the entire entry by Sydney over here.

DIY Wedding Music Playlist!

Mark — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:05:57 +0000

Need music for your wedding reception but don’t just want to go with the obvious Electric Slide? Or the obvious SHOUT! Or the obvious Cha-Cha Slide? Or anything-slide?

Check out This AWESOME post on Daily Candy! and find some new songs for your wedding playlist!

10 Things About Your Wedding

Mark — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:05:58 +0000

Unless you’re in the wedding industry somehow – there are many things you might not know about the wedding that you’re planning for yourself. Heck – we’re IN the wedding industry and there are still many things that we don’t know about weddings. Why? Because they’re ALL DIFFERENT.

Liz over at BrokeAssBride.com has list of 10 things you don’t know about your wedding, like items 2, 3, and 4:

2. No matter what you do, you can’t get everyone to RSVP on time. Even if you use e-vites. Even if you ask them to RSVP online. Even if you give them a later RSVP date. Even if you give them an early one. You are still going to end up calling and emailing stragglers after the date has passed. Sucks.

3. Same goes for showing up on time.

4. Same goes for showing up at all, period. As a coordinator who knows what it took to get there and what it cost per person, there is nothing more annoying to me on your behalf, than empty seats at a table. And it happens at just about every wedding. Sometimes there are good reasons, but still. KHANN!!

Check out the rest of the list over at BrokeAssBride.com

What About Your Last Name?

Mark — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 00:05:07 +0000

If you’re a woman, many people still think that it’s a default given that you will change your last name and replace it with your partner’s last name once you get married. First – you don’t have to do that. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t or can’t – I’m just saying that if you don’t want to do that, then you don’t have to do that. Of course – there are many situations where choosing between keeping, changing, or even consolidating (hyphenating) names makes more sense.

Sara over on 2000DollarWedding wrote about what she and her husband decided to in order to solve a few of the problems that came up once their child was born.

“However, the struggle came when our son, Henry, joined our family. I really didn’t want to hyphenate because of the logistical hardship of having a cumbersome last name, but I also wanted his name to embody the idea that he came from both of us. I wasn’t comfortable relegating my last name to his middle name, since middle names are rarely ever shared (for aesthetic reasons, it sounds better when my name comes first, which is why we didn’t even consider using Matt’s last name for Henry’s middle name).

For us, we really had no other choice but to hyphenate. We didn’t know how Henry was going to deal with his hyphenated last name when (and if) he got married, but we went with the hyphenation anyway.” – Read the rest of Sara’s post over at 2000DollarWedding.