wedding planning

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Tuesdays with Ty – The Guest List

February 9, 2010 in Tuesdays With Ty, Ty | 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 | 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!

Sandals Night at Twirl Lexington

January 26, 2010 in Twirl Announcements | No comments

Always Planned, a Certified Sandals Specialist, is hosting a Sandals night at Twirl Lexington on Thursday, January 28 at 6:30 pm. 

Join us and meet with the Sandals Specialist to receive exclusive incentives and discounts for your Sandals Honeymoon or Destination Wedding!

Twirl Lexington also offers a selection of Sandals Destination Wedding Gowns by Dessy.  Hope to see you then!

-Ty

Tuesdays with Ty – Starting your Wedding Registry

January 26, 2010 in Tuesdays With Ty, Ty | 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

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