Tuesdays With Ty

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Tuesdays with Ty – Reception Menus

March 9, 2010 in Tuesdays With Ty, Ty by Twirl Talk | No comments

The food served at your wedding reception should help reflect you and your fiance’s style and tastes.  What if your tastes are vastly different, you may ask??  That’s where you can (and should) build both in to the menu.

Brandon and I we decided at the beginning we wanted everything to be comfortable and relaxed for our wedding day, and that will extend to our food.  Our caterer, Lundy’s Special Events, has a HUGE menu to choose from.  After weighing all the options, we decided on a dinner buffet for our reception.  We are trying to stick within our budget and while some may think heavy hors d’oeuvres are less expensive…think again!  Since the portions are smaller, many people will eat several.  If you are going this route, be sure and include some more substantial food mixed in.  The bite sized menu items are all the rage with receptions this year.  I love the idea, but it just wasn’t our style for the main course, so we plan on using it later in the evening.

Mini Cheeseburgers are a great choice for wedding appetizers! Yum!

So…now to reveal our dinner selections!  It is important to make sure YOU are going to enjoy the food served to all your guests.  Brandon doesn’t like crazy foods and I love home-style cooking, so we are doing a traditional Southern meal.  Southern pork tenderloin, fried chicken, green beans, garlic mashed potatoes, salad and fresh fruit!  I am getting hungry just thinking about it!  We are also going to serve a “late night snack” but have yet to decide what it may be.  The ideas we have been given are Krispy Kreme donuts, mini cookies and milk shooters, cheese sticks, mini milkshakes…I could go on and on! 

Cookie and Milk Shooters

Food stations are also a fun idea for receptions.  We considered doing this with a pasta station and hot brown station.  Never be afraid to ask your caterer what your options are…the possibilities are endless!  Nacho bars, sushi bars, mashed potato bars, etc.  You can make the reception meal whatever you want!  Just make sure everyone will eat, drink and be ready to dance the night away!

Bridesmaid Tip: Offer to take your bride out to dinner at her fave restaurant to help brainstorm her favorite foods.  This may trigger a reception idea she may have never considered!

Happy Planning!

-Ty

Tuesdays with Ty – Wedding Shower Time

February 23, 2010 in Tuesdays With Ty, Ty by Twirl Talk | No comments

Friday was my very first wedding shower! My dear friend Hillary and her mother hosted “A Taste of Tuscany with Ty” at the best Italian restaurant in Lexington, Portofino.  It was only appropriate for Hillary (8 months prego, BTW) to host an Italian themed party, since her family is Italian. 

Centerpieces for Italian Themed Shower

My Place Card

Upon entering the cozy Wine Room, the centerpieces featured bright fuchsia flowers and grapes in a clear round bowl with wine corks in the bottom.  Each arrangement had Italian wedding wishes on a card as well.   The place cards were all placed in wine corks as well and had Italian sayings on them. We all enjoyed a fabulous dinner and then devoured the favors of Italian kisses, chocolate covered grapes and Italian Confetti for dessert!

Ty and Hillary at the shower

I must admit it was quite strange to be the one finally in the spot light opening the gifts and having pictures taken…but it was too much fun!!  The generosity and love you feel from your friends and family is amazing.  Hillary and Mary certainly outdid themselves and pulled off the perfectly planned shower.

Bridesmaid Tips that will make your shower outstanding:

  • Select a theme and stick with it.  It will help you stay consistent and make everything memorable.
  • Purchase thank you notes for the bride so she is prepared to send them immediately following the shower (Hillary even addressed them all for me!)
  • Have someone write down all the gifts and who they are from so the bride has it all together for thank you notes.
  • Do not go overboard on the shower games.  We just did one for the door prize…if anyone wants a copy I am happy to send:)

Bride tips:

  • Take a small hostess gift to show your appreciation for the person having the shower for you.  It does not have to be anything fancy…just thoughtful.
  • Send your thank you notes as soon as possible!  This is very important and appreciated by everyone.  They don’t have to be long, just to let them know you appreciate their generosity.
  • Savor every minute of this time!!

Happy Planning!

-Ty

Tuesdays with Ty – Planning the Honeymoon

February 16, 2010 in Tuesdays With Ty, Ty by Twirl Talk | No comments

On these cold, snowy days in Kentucky I am longing for tropical breezes and sunshine!  What better time to plan our honeymoon??!! 

Since we were pretty much snowed in yesterday, Brandon and I started researching honeymoon spots and weighing our pros and cons for each location.  Where do you begin, you may ask??  We started with deciding what kind of trip we want…a relaxing, tropical get-away where we can lay on the beach with a few good books and not worry about anything other than what fruity daiquiri to try next or where to eat that night.   There are lots of options out there depending on what type honeymoon you want.  We won’t have more than a week due to his work schedule and mine with Twirl, so somewhere far, far away isn’t ideal for us.  We are sticking with somewhere within a 4-5 hour flight so the relaxation can begin right away!  That being said, we will end up in either Mexico or the Caribbean!

There are TONS of great options out there for helping you plan if you are doing it on your own.  You can always go the Sandals All-Inclusive route – they have tons of great locations and know how to treat honeymooners.  My best friend just went to Sandals St. Lucia and loved every minute of it.  There are usually local representatives you can speak with about different options and they will help tailor your trip to exactly what you want.

Travelzoois another great website for deals on trips.  Yesterday I found a trip to Playa del Carmen Mexico to a great resort for a heck of a deal!  I also found a 6 day trip to the Amalfi coast of Italy for an unbelievable price.  If we had more time, believe me we would be in Italy!  My suggestion if you find any hotel on a deal website like this is to look it up on TripAdvisor and read the traveler reviews on everything.  You can usually get a good feel of how the resort will treat you, how the food is, etc.  That way you can make an informed decision on your trip.  Expedia and Orbitz usually are a big help when looking for deals as well.

In the end, it just comes down to what you and your fiance want out of the Honeymoon experience.  You can make any budget work and have a fabulous trip!

Bridesmaid Tip:  Sign up for Travelzoo or other travel website “Deals of the Week” to keep your eyes open for deals to send your bride for her honeymoon.  Any little bit of help is welcomed when trying to plan everything.

Tuesdays with Ty – The Guest List

February 9, 2010 in Tuesdays With Ty, Ty by Twirl Talk | No comments

This part of wedding planning could quite possibly be the trickiest and stressful part of your wedding experience.  Parents, grandparents, friends all giving their input and putting the stress on who you need to invite!!  It is enough to drive any bride crazy.

No one really realizes  just how many people you know until you start making your wedding guest list.  I suggest you start this process soon after the engagement before you start looking for venues.  You will need to know the core group of people you have to fit and most all places you visit will ask you how big your wedding will be.   This will also help with the catering and bar budget and everything else!

We started making an Excel spreadsheet (yes, I know, I am a dork) of family on one page and friends on another.  That way both lists were organized and separated.  You can make columns for each name, address, what names you want on inside envelope and it also gives you a central location to keep the RSVPs as they come in.  You can also keep track of gifts each guests sends as well and have their address handy for thank you notes!  This one list will keep you organized throughout your wedding process:)

So now the tough part.  Where do you draw the line on who to invite?  We set a budget and are trying really hard to stay within it.  Our guest list way exceeds the budget we set, but our wedding falls on a holiday weekend, so we are assuming that may play into who will actually be able to make it.  We also made the preliminary list and THEN asked the parents if anyone important was left off.  This will eliminate them adding a ton of people that you may end up having to trim down.  While you want to keep them happy (especially if they are helping to pay) this is your wedding and you don’t want a ton of people there you don’t know. 

Also remember a few etiquette tips…do not invite anyone to a shower or wedding function that will not be invited to the wedding.  Never tell someone you can’t wait to come to their wedding unless you are 100% sure you are invited.   Another biggie is whether or not to let single friends bring a guest.  While tradition says you don’t have to give them a plus one unless they are seriously dating someone, if you can swing it with your budget it is always nice to give them the option.  I was the single girl for years and it was never fun to be reminded that I didn’t even have the choice to bring anyone.

Bridesmaid tip: Help keep your bride calm through the process of the guest list.  Offer her advice on if she should invite her kindergarten teacher just because her mom wants her to…and help her realize it will all be ok in the end!

Happy Planning!

-Ty

Tuesdays with Ty – Rehearsal Dinner Planning

February 2, 2010 in Tuesdays With Ty, Ty by Twirl Talk | No comments

Rules for planning rehearsal dinners in today’s modern times is not as simple as it once was when it was just handed over to the future in-laws.  Today’s couples are faced with divorce and very busy family schedules.  Brandon and I are one of those couples that have financial support from his family, but they do not have the time to help with the planning.  We didn’t let it stress us out…we just talked about the type of dinner we wanted and went for it!

You may remember back from my first blog that Brandon and I LOVE Mexican food and even celebrated at a Mexican restaurant the night we got engaged.  So when the rehearsal dinner brainstorming session began to find a relaxed and affordable menu a Fiesta was at the top of our list!  Who doesn’t love chips and salsa, tacos and margaritas?!

We started searching for a rehearsal dinner spot in Lexington that would let us  bring in our own caterer and alcohol.  That is not an easy task!  Luckily, I stumbled upon The Limestone Club downtown Lexington only one block from The Carrick House where our wedding (and rehearsal) will be.  The Limestone Club is a shotgun style building that is open and very casually elegant.  Tables and chairs are included in the price of the rental and they have many other add-ons you can take advantage of like linen service and bartenders.  They also have an iPod dock for your use as well.  Best of all…you can bring in any caterer and alcohol you like!  It is all very affordable.

The Limestone Club

We started doing research on what kind of catering we could do and checked into Qdoba.  For around $8.00 a person you can have chips, salsa, queso dip and a hot taco or burrito bar!  YUM!  We are also going to have my personal fave…a margarita bar and Mexican beer bar (Corona, Dos Equis)! 

To get ideas for decor, I went to the old standby, Google, and searched “Fiesta Rehearsal Dinner”.  This is where I found our invitations and color inspiration!  I found the invitation below and immediately contacted the owner of the Empress Stationery blog to get pricing and information.  This was exactly what I was looking for!  We are going to use aqua linens on the tables and make DIY tissue paper pom-poms for the table decor.  These are all over Etsy if you do not want to DIY:)

And last but certainly not least…rehearsal dinner attire!  After having such a hard time choosing bridesmaid dresses, my rehearsal dinner dress came pretty easily.  One of Twirl’s designers, Thread,  came out with a new Blossom Print in their Spring 2010 collection.  I fell in love with the Shiloh dress in the Fuchsia and Ice colors!  It will be perfect for our fiesta and any other style rehearsal dinner you are having!

Thread's Shiloh Dress in Blossom Print

Bridesmaid Tip: If your bride is planning her own Rehearsal Dinner…offer to help with decor or organization of the event.  It will help her stay organized and not get too frazzled!

Tuesdays with Ty – Starting your Wedding Registry

January 26, 2010 in Tuesdays With Ty, Ty by Twirl Talk | No comments

Now that you have all of the big things done…chosen your bridal gown and picked out the cutest bridesmaid dresses from Twirl…now you get to make your wish list for wedding gifts!  This is the only time in your life that you can pick out gifts and friends will ask where they can buy them for you!  To make the most of it, I suggest asking your bridesmaids their advice!

Since we both have had our own houses, Brandon and I took an assessment of our top priorities for the registry.  We decided to be traditional and register for nice China and stemware because we do like to entertain and it will be useful in the future.   We also decided to find flatware that will be appropriate for everyday use and nice enough to use with our China.  I also wanted to select new everyday use dishes that will last through the years and not become dated after using them for a while.  So after thinking long and hard about what we wanted, we chose to register at the following places and why:

  • Macy’s – Great selection of China, Flatware, Stemware, Towels, Cookware.  Always having a sale!  They also do fun “Sip and Scans” in the evenings where you can enjoy appetizers and drinks and socialize with other couples.  Macy’s also offers rewards back to the couple on their Macy’s card for everything purchased off your registry.
  • Bed Bath and Beyond – Great selection of the same China, Kitchen Gadgets and Bakeware.  They are always sending out 20% off coupons so that makes it nice and more affordable for guests as well!
  • Pottery Barn – I LOVE Pottery Barn – everyday dishes, glassware, serveware.  It was a must for me.  Classic style that will last for years.
  • Lowe’s – This one was Brandon’s request.  Do you know how many trips you make to Lowe’s when you are working on a house project??

Tips from my bridesmaids:

  • Nancy: “Register not just for items for today but things you may want to use 5, 10 or 20 years down the road. I love my china and silver I registered for even though I don’t have a dining room now to use it, I know I will one day!”
  • Deanna: “Just relax and have fun…..register for everything that you think that you might want, you can always take it back.”
  • Katherine:  “Let your man take the scanning gun.  I apparently “stole” the gun from Les, and I still hear about it to this day!  You can always go online and make adjustments afterward, so let them have their fun!” 
  • Hillary:  “Don’t hold back…this is the time to register for those things that you never buy for yourself!  And.. My mother always says every girl has to have at least one thing from Tiffany’s for a wedding gift!”
  • Jodi:  “When I registered for dinnerware, I registered for something that I could use current day.  Six years later, the set no longer matches the decor in my kitchen.  I wish I would have registered for china that I could have passed down to my daughter when she was married – something plain, classic, and something you only bring out for special occasions.”

Happy Shopping!

- Ty

Tuesdays with Ty – Reception Attire

January 19, 2010 in Tuesdays With Ty, Ty by Twirl Talk | No comments

Since I decided to wear my mother’s wedding gown for the ceremony, I thought it would be fun to find a cute reception dress so I could have something of my own as well.  Changing into a short, fun dress for the reception has been a trend over the past couple of years.  I also felt it was a perfect opportunity to show off even more stylish attire from Twirl!

Many of the bridesmaid dress designers at Twirl offer options for reception dresses.  Almost any of the bridesmaid dresses in the Thread line can come in a white or ivory version in several fabrics. 

Thread's Stella Bridesmaid Dress in White Seersucker

Jenny Yoo also offers some very cute bridal alternative styles in ivory and white shantung silk.  All of these choices made it very difficult on me to choose my own reception dress!

Jenny Yoo's Piper bridesmaid dress in Ivory

I am absolutely obsessed with all of the ruffle and flower detail on this year’s fashions, bridesmaid dresses included.  I am a true girly girl and love the romantic touch it adds.  When I got the pictures of Lynn Lugo’s Spring 2010 Collection, one dress in particular caught my eye.  ”Sofia” is a one shoulder silhouette which is more modern, but classic and elegant all at the same time.  I knew I had found my reception dress.  AND it has a huge rosette on it!  I decided to order the Sofia in Off-White Crispy Shantung.  I think it will be stunning and perfect to dance the night away!

Lynn Lugo's Sofia Dress

Happy Planning!

-Ty

Tuesdays with Ty – Mothers Attire

January 12, 2010 in Tuesdays With Ty, Ty by Twirl Talk | No comments

Shopping for cute Mother of the Occasion attire can be quite challenging in Lexington, KY.  That is why it was important to me to have a special section at Twirl Lexington that mothers could find stylish dresses and not feel like they had to wear the traditional dowdy mother of the bride/groom dresses.

After I finally picked what the bridal party attire would wear the mothers were next.  Brandon and I are very blessed with wonderful mothers so I arranged for them both to have a private showing at Twirl on a Monday when I am closed so I could dedicate lots of time to them. 

Knowing my mom’s style, I knew she would like a style that is easy to wear and something she will feel comfortable in all day long.  She is also pretty short, so I knew an A line would just make her look shorter.  So, I directed her towards Lynn Lugo’s line.  Lynn Lugo offers a beautiful selection of colors and has great styles for bridesmaids and mothers alike.  Mom fell in love with one of Lynn Lugo’s new dresses called “Camille”.  Camille has a great bateau neckline, cap sleeves and a straight knee length skirt.  Mom also loves pink (much like her daughter), so we selected a Flamingo Dupioni Silk from Lynn Lugo’s vast color selection.  To add a little bit of arm coverage for the ceremony we are going to find mom an ivory pashmina.  It will be beautiful on her! 

Ty's mom with the Camille dress by Lynn Lugo

Since I do not know Brandon’s mom as well yet pre-selecting styles was not as easy.  I thought she would want something with a jacket and more traditional mother of the groom dress, but I was wrong!  She tried on a few styles with jackets, but they weren’t suiting her…so I pulled the  Tyler dress by Thread for her to try.  Wow!  It looked great on her!  She has a very petite frame and great arms.  Thread dresses are great because any of them can come in mini, knee, tea or long.  In this case, we are going with the knee length.  We are also going to have a wrap for her just in case she wants a bit more coverage for the ceremony.  We debated on a light blue dress color for her, but decided the Marine Duchess Satin looked fabulous on her (and it goes with the wedding party color palette).

Brandon's mom in the Thread Tyler dress

As for accessories, I am having both mothers a clutch purse made by BJolley to go with each of their dresses.  We are going to put their corsages on their clutch so we don’t clutter their gorgeous dresses.  They will carry the clutch down the aisle with them to showcase their flowers and have a place to keep their lipstick!

Clutch purses by BJolley

Thank you, Moms, for being so wonderful! 

Happy planning!

-Ty

Tuesdays with Ty – Bridal Party Attire

January 5, 2010 in Tuesdays With Ty by Twirl Talk | No comments

Choosing the colors and bridal party attire should be the easy part for me, right? I own a bridal party boutique…I am surrounded by it all day every day and get to choose from the best of the best! Choosing the bridesmaid dresses has been the most stressful by far for me! I have literally changed my mind 5 or 6 times and driven my friends (and Brandon) crazy.

All along, 2 things have not changed… I am wearing my mother’s 1976 gown, with drastic modifications like removing the daisy lace turtleneck and long cuff sleeves. I am excited to start my life with Brandon in the same gown my mom wore as she married my dad. They are still happily married after 34 years and the perfect role models for marriage. The second thing that has not changed is the groomsmen attire. They will wear crisp khaki suits.

We started out thinking light blue bridesmaid dresses and hot pink flowers. Then I changed my mind. Next I thought about doing a fresh green bridesmaid dress since it will be Spring. I fell in love with the Marni dress from Jenny Yoo when I had it in for a trunk show. Then I changed my mind on the color again. Then came a week-long obsession with seersucker, but decided the white in the seersucker wouldn’t go with the candlelight color of my wedding gown.

My sister-in-law, Jodi, in Jenny Yoo Marni dress in Emerald

One day I decided to look all around the store and pick out my absolute favorite color. I kept going back to the Thread Fuchsia Matte Silk as my favorite. This particular shade of fuchsia will be gorgeous on blonde and brunette bridesmaids alike. I am in love with this color! Our complimenting color is navy, two bold colors, but I love the effect of them together. I Googled “Navy and Fuchsia Weddings” and came up with some great inspiration board ideas for flowers and decor!

Jodi wearing Thread Shiloh in Fuchsia Matte Silk and Bella wearing the Lynn Lugo Peachy dress

The style of bridesmaid dress I liked also changed several times after I picked the color. I loved the Thread Shiloh (pictured above), but felt the one shoulder was a bit too modern for the silhouette of my dress. After wavering for a few more weeks, I chose…drumroll please…the Thread Stella Dress in the Mini Length!!

Thread Stella Dress

Finally we are set on the bridesmaid attire! The groomsmen are also wearing navy polka dot ties that Brandon found online. They will be so cute!!

Bridesmaid tip: Even if your bride changes her mind as many times as I did encourage her and tell her she will decide on the right one. My girls helped me reason through each choice I threw at them. Deanna gave me some great advice that I pass on to my brides at Twirl. You (the bride) are the one that will look at the bridal party pictures the rest of your life. You need to be happy with the choice you made and not settle for something because you are second guessing.

Happy Planning!

-Ty

Tuesdays with Ty – Selecting vendors

December 29, 2009 in Tuesdays With Ty, Ty by Keri | 2 comments

Making sense of what all you need to book can be overwhelming!  I suggest sitting down and making a checklist of your priorities to start with.  Wedding magazines and websites such as The Knot are also great resources with checklists to keep you on track. 
 
For us, the main priorities were the big items, florist, photographer and cake.  I started by talking it all over with my best friend that had just gotten married in June and other friends that have been through this already.  Positive word of mouth is the best advertisement!
 
Bridesmaid tip:  Share helpful hints with the bride on selecting vendors…what you liked, what you didn’t, etc.  Hearing first hand experience is the absolute best.
I started out by booking our floral designer, Resa Browning.  Resa is a wedding coordinator and floral designer in Georgetown and did a wonderful job with Nancy’s wedding.  She was absolutely wonderful to work with and I knew we would be on the same page with the style of flowers we wanted.  I LOVE pink peonies and want them incorporated all through the wedding.   While there are many fabulous florists in Lexington, Resa does this as a side job and is more affordable for the budget we are working with.  I am meeting with Resa in January, so I’ll do another post on what we come up with!
 
 
Next we conquered the photographer.  I absolutely love photography, so this was a key component for us.  These are the pictures that are going to capture every detail and moment of the big day and I want them to be perfect.  I was fortunate to become good friends with Melanie Mauer at the Holly Day Market this year.  She is phenomenal and gave me the advice to make sure I feel absolutely comfortable with the photographer I choose since they are going to be with you ALL day long.  Since we are getting married on a holiday weekend and Melanie was already booked I knew it was going to be challenging to find someone with an opening. 
 
So I started Googling wedding photographers in Lexington…wow…I had no idea there were so many!  I started going through websites to see which styles I liked best.  I didn’t want anything too contemporary, I am more of a classic girl.  I happened upon InRetrospect Photography and found some photos they had done at The Carrick House.  Beautiful!  I called to check on the date and set up an appointment to meet.  Cailyn and I immediately clicked and sat and talked for almost an hour!  Needless to say I felt very comfortable with her and have no doubt we are on the same page.  She has a partner in the business as well that will be with the guys on the wedding day, so they can capture every moment.  Cailyn just got married in October so she knows just what we are going through.  I am so excited to do our engagement session!!
 
On to Brandon’s favorite…the cake!  I personally have a big sweet tooth, so the cake had to be yummy!  I met Martine Holzman at a networking lunch for wedding industry professionals back in November.  When the time came to think about the cake she was at the top of the list.  I had heard of her reputation previously and knew she would be wonderful.  We set up an appointment with her last week and Oh. My. Gosh. fabulous!  We had the best time meeting with her and sampling her confections.  Martine is originally from France and everything she and her team makes is from scratch.  Her chocolate is imported from France and every bite melts in your mouth! 
 
We really didn’t know what style cake we wanted, so we looked through some books and combined a few elements of different cakes.  We chose 3 different flavors because we couldn’t decide from the samples she served us!  She also sketched out the cake for us so we could see just how it will look (picture below).  She also sketched out Brandon’s groom cake.  I cannot wait to cut the cake on our wedding day.  I think this cake is way too good to be smeared on anyone’s face…don’t you, Brandon??

Sketch of our wedding cake and groom's cake by Martine

Up next – selecting the bridesmaid dresses and colors!

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