True Love At It’s Best

Today I got to have lunch with the talented Adrienne Ingram of Element Photography.  It’s always nice to catch up   I love working with Adrienne because she truly cares about the customers she photographs, and strives to treat them like kings and queens.  She will be doing the photography for one of my clients weddings coming up in the fall.  She shared the engagement shots she recently took with me today.  I think they look wonderful.

Adam and Theresa are one of my favorite couples I have ever worked with.  They are very intelligent, interesting, genuine, sweet, and head over heels in love.  They really are adorable, and so much fun to work with.  I can’t wait until their wedding.  I also absolutely LOVE their engagement story which Theresa has shared.

“On Tuesday, Sept 29th at 5pm I was done with my day in school and felt exhausted. But I knew I had to get ready for my test in two days. I walked to my car and noticed a rose on the seat and was very confused. There was a note placed on the steering wheel that said “open the glove compartment box”.

In the glove box was a hand written love letter from Adam (something that a hopeless romantic like me loves to get!) stating his love for me and how he couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with me. The note gave further instructions to “press play” on the cd player in my car and then head to Adam’s place.

He also said “don’t try to call Adam” because he knew I would! So I pressed play and heard Adam on a make-believe radio station creatively pretending to be the host of a radio show and a listener calling in confessing his love for me and asking for advice on how to propose. So cute! I arrived at Adam’s apartment and walked into his candle-lit living room and saw rose petals on the floor spelling “WILL YOU MARRY…” The “ME” on the floor was missing because he was standing in its place.

He looked very handsome in his black and white outfit and pulled me towards him, got down on one knee and asked “Will you marry me?” So I thought about it for a few minutes…just kidding! Of course I said “YES!!” We then enjoyed a lovely engagement dinner at The Melting Pot.”

Element Photography

www.eventsbymonroe.com

To Have or Not To Have?? Engagement Party Etiquette.

Engagement Parties. . . where shall we begin?  I realized recently this would be a great topic to address when my parents decided to host one for my fiance and me.  The RSVP’s were accompanied by questions from querying minds on the etiquette of engagement parties.  It turned out that many of our friends, although many of them are married and have been part of several weddings before, had never been to an engagement party.  Curious minds wondered when should you have an engagement party?  Are there certain situations in which an engagement party would not be appropriate?  Should guests bring a gift?  What is the expected attire? etc. For any of you who may be asking the same questions, here’s the deal along with some details from our own party.

What is the purpose of an engagement party, and should you have one?

Engagement parties are a fun way to formally announce your engagement.  It is also a great way to for the two families to meet and get to know each other.  At this point it is likely that your immediate families have already met, but there is a good chance that your Aunts, Uncles, friends from younger years, etc. haven’t met your fiance’s.  You also may discover that some of them have known each other for years and you had no idea. . . it is a very small world.  At our party we found out that my fiance’s family went to church with my cousins for years.  If neither of these reasons seem good enough, you can have one simply because everybody likes parties

There are however times you should have a party, and times you shouldn’t.  These basically revolve around the timing.  A general rule of thumb is to have the party within one to three months of your engagement, unless you are having a long engagement.  If you are having a long engagement it is acceptable to hold the party up until about a year before the wedding.  If you are having a very short engagement of six months or less, this would be when it would not be optimal to have a party since it is so close to the wedding.  When it is this close to the wedding it can seem like a burden among all of the other wedding festivities your friends and loved ones will be arranging their schedules to attend (the shower, the bachelor/bachelorette party, attire shopping, the rehearsal, etc).

Should guests bring gifts?

Engagement party etiquette does not dictate that gifts are necessary, as the main purpose of the party is simply to celebrate the engagement.  That being said, many guests may bring gifts anyway since they are so excited for you and your fiance.  It is a good idea to register for a few things you want before the party, since guests will want to get something you need; however there SHOULD NOT be any mention of a registry on the invitations.  If people want to know where you are registered they will ask you, or your parents.

Who should host the party?

Traditionally the bride’s family hosts the party, but just like many things dealing with weddings these days, it is not a must.  The grooms parents are also welcome to host the party.  I would not suggest having the maid of honor or best man host it since they will have many other costly duties to fill leading up to the day of the wedding.

Should the party be formal?

The level of formality, style, etc is completely up to you.  It can be a black tie affair or a backyard bbq.  It all depends on what you want, and the budget you are working with.

Who should be invited?

This is again completely your call.  The party can bean intimate gathering, or an all out bash including everyone that will be attending your big day.  The one rule is DO NOT invite anyone that will not be invited to the wedding.

Our Party.

Our engagement party was put together very quickly, but turned out to be great.  Tim’s parents and mine decided in the middle of May that they wanted to throw us a party.  We wanted to keep the date close, and because of it being summer and time for vacations the only date we could have it on was June 13th.

We all worked together to pull it off and it turned out to be a great event.  We rented tables from Select Party Rentals and linens from Choice Linens, which were a great touch.  I wanted to use cocktail tables to keep everyone on their feet socializing.  I made the centerpieces along with the help of one of my mom’s friends.  They were elegant but simple, and went great with the backyard look.  My fiance’s brother created a beautiful banner to help guests find the house, and Cutting Edge Entertainment provided the music.

We handled the food ourselves since we are phenomenal cooks , as well as the bar and drinks.  The food really came out well.  Guests were even asking what company catered it.  For the bar we had the usual(beer, wine, and some wine coolers).  I also created a signature drink which was both simple and delicious.  I mixed strawberry vodka with lemonade, poured it into a martini glass with a triple berry sugar rim, and garnished it with a pink rock candy stick.  Unfortunately I do not have a picture of it because as quick as they were made, they were drank  We also turned the bar into part of the decor by scattering pictures of us across it, which everyone enjoyed looking at.

We also made sure we had tents.  I have no luck with weather, and it did pour for a short time during the party.  Although I wanted great weather, I didn’t mind that it rained because everyone was having so much fun they stayed anyway.  It was a great day, and a wonderful time had by all.  Thank you so much to everyone who helped to make it the huge success it was.

Images by Stephanie Wells ~ Opaque White Design

“What Should We Do First?” ~ One Year Prior To Your Wedding (Philadelphia Event Planner)

My wedding is now just under one year away.  It’s time for me to get moving!  This led me to the idea for this blog.  One of the most common questions I get at my initial consultations is “What should we be doing first?  Are we too far ahead?  When should we send our save-the-dates? etc.”

SO… I have decided to put a little guide together, as I plan my own wedding, that readers can access to answer the question, “What should we do next?”.  This post will describe what you should be doing one year out.

First things first – Pick a date.

You can start by deciding what time of year/season appeals to you.  If there is no particular time of year that interests you, maybe pick a date that is symbolic to you as a couple (your first date, birthday, holiday, etc.).

When you choose your date be sure to consider the expectation for the weather, if there could be any conflicts for guests to attend, big sporting events (you don’t want to have to argue with your fiance over weather a tv should be added by the bar to watch the Phillies in game 7 of The World Series or the Eagles in the NFC Championship game), etc.

My fiance and I got engaged on October 18th, 2009.  We knew we would have a lot of saving to do, and both have very busy schedules, so we knew we needed at least a year.  A year would have obviously put us right back into October.  Although I enjoy the fall, I am much more of a spring/summer person.  We would have loved May or June, but during those months prices increase, so we went with the closest Saturday we could get and decided on April 30th, 2011.

Some other ways to play around with your date to save on expenses is to choose a Friday or Sunday wedding, which are becoming very popular.

Look for Inspiration

Start looking through Bridal magazines, watching wedding shows on tv, and surfing the internet to find your wedding style.  Get a binder and fill it with pictures you like.  Look for a common theme or two in the pictures.  This can help you to decide what type of venue you would like, the level of formality, color schemes, etc.  It will also help you describe to your planner the look you are going for.

Make AND Stick To Your Budget

This part is never fun, but is EXTREMELY important.  You need to know up front what you are willing to spend, and what you can afford.  Hiring a planner to assist you with this can be invaluable.  They will be able to tell you what is a realistic price for each professional you will need to hire in regards to your region/location, and can aid you in allocating your budget to the areas that are most important to you.

This is also a good time to have the “who will pay for what” discussion.  It is important to know if your families will be contributing, or if you will be funding all of the expenses on your own.  For more budget advice you can reference a former post Creating and Staying In Your Wedding Budget.

Who Makes The Cut

It’s no secret that weddings are a large expense.  Unless you have a money tree growing in your backyard, you have to cut your guest list somewhere.  Decide if you want a large wedding, or something more intimate.  The size of your guest list will also dictate what venue you can or can’t choose.

Start by drafting a list of everyone you would like to have at your wedding.  See what number you come up with.  Get some packages sent to you from a few venues you think you may be interested in.  Take the number of guests on your list, and multiply it by the average price per person on the packages you were sent from the venues.  If the number in your calculator is more then 40-50% of your wedding budget, you need to reduce your list.

Some ways to cut guests out, without hurting feelings, is to do it by category.  Start with children, and young adults.  Make a cut off point.  Perhaps you decide that there will be nobody under 18 invited.  If your count is still too high, move onto couples.  If they are not engaged, or in a serious relationship of a year or more, don’t give them a plus one on their invitation.  It seems hard, but people will understand, and if you follow the same rules for everyone, nobody can get upset.

Find the Perfect Venue

Start looking for your venue as soon as possible.  Depending on the time of year, and popularity of some venues, they can be booked a year or more in advance.  Look through the binder you have put together with all of the images you like to see what type of venue will fit your style, and the level of formality you want.  Be sure to read all policies and contracts in detail before committing to a venue.

Create your Wedding Registry

It’s never to early to create your wedding registry, even if you are having a two year engagement.  It can be used not only for wedding and shower gifts, but for your engagement party, and even holidays and birthdays leading up to your big day if you handle it properly.  Don’t send everyone a message around the holidays to let them know you would like a gift from your registry, but if they ask what you would like you can reference it.  The earlier you create your registry, the better the chance you have of getting everything on it.

Begin Searching for Wedding Professionals

Start looking for your photographer, videographer, and entertainment.  If you are trying to decide which to start with first, consider what is most important to you at your wedding and start there.  Schedule appointments to meet with each professional, and ask as many questions as you can.  You can never be too informed when making important decisions for your wedding.

These are the things you should be working on one year from your wedding.  Getting a strong start on your planning will make the months leading up to your wedding less hectic.  The next milestone is 9 months out.

Congratulations Mike & Erica! (Philadelphia Event Planner)

I have been meaning to get this post (and several others) up all week, our office has just been very busy!  Last Friday great friends of my fiance and myself got engaged and we couldn’t be more happy for them!  Mike and Erica began dating last spring, and have been inseparable ever since.  Erica has a very fun loving spirit, and Mike is ecstatic to have found her.  It wasn’t long before he knew that he had met the girl he just had to spend the rest of his life with.  They are an amazing couple, and incredible friends.  They are also parents to two adorable pugs, Donovan & Kali, who love to play with our adorable pug   We wish them great happiness, and can’t wait to see how the wedding plans come along.  Feel free to congratulate them in our comment section!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

You can hear all the details from Erica in the comment section…