wedding topics

January 7, 2015

The Wedding Invitation Guide – Pt. 2

Happy 2015!! I can’t believe that we are already one week into the new year. We hope that everyone had wonderful holiday celebrations, and capitalized on your time off. Now it’s time for us to hit the ground running and gear up for a fantastic 2015 season, so today we’re continuing with our wedding invitation guide,

Wedding Invitation Guide – Part 2
The A List & B List

-Reasons you might need a back up list:
1) Budget purposes
2) To meet a venue minimum (if you are receiving more NO’s than originally anticipated)
3) To accomodate a small venue

-Keys to making a B list work without offending anyone:
1) Ensure your second round of invitations don’t go out too late (aim for no later than 4 weeks after the first invitations are sent)
2) Try to keep your circles together: family, friends, colleagues, etc. This will lessen the chance of people crossing paths and wondering why they haven’t received their invitations yet.
3) Print two sets of RSVP response cards, so the B list has a later date. Sending RSVP’s with a date that has passed is a dead giveaway.

With a B guest list discretion is key; No one wants to end up with hurt feelings or drama in the weeks leading up to your big day. When deciding to send out B list invitations make sure that you are not inviting this B list just for the sake of excitement, they probably didn’t make your A list for a reason.

December 16, 2014

The Wedding Invitation Guide – Pt. 1

The season may be slow, but wedding planning is most definitely in full swing. We thought that it might be helpful to start a few series sharing some advice on topics we are most frequently asked about. Today begins the series on The Wedding Invitation. We will break it down into different topics that go more in depth related to questions we’ve received. So hang on and lets figure out….

THE WEDDING INVITAION – WHO SHOULD YOU INVITE
{Now take into mind that next week we will discuss who/when you should have an A & B list, and how to use them. This is just the bare bones, MUST HAVES on your invitation list.}

Aside from the common sense guests like immediate family, grandparents, and your bridal party attendants you and your fiance have sole control over your guest list. Don’t feel pressured by mom or Aunt Sally to add to your list (unless mom is paying for the whole thing, and then it might be nice to throw her a bone but we will discuss that on the next invitation installment.) No guest list will be the same, you can have 10 guests or 1,000 guests, it can be all family or all friends. The beauty of this wedding is that it is all about you and your fiancé.

-Invite the a-list players in your life. Do you have dinner together frequently? Do you have a relationship outside of social media? You want the people there that will fill your heart at the sight of them, people that you know you will be able to reflect back upon your wedding day with in ten years.

-Plus One’s. Bridal Party members should definitely get a plus one. No you don’t have to put the plus ones at your head table, but that is a topic for a different day. For other plus ones you are welcome to evoke the “no ring, no bring” rule, or just use common courtesy. If you have never met the significant other there is no need for them to be there, if they are a regular attendee at events that you go to then make room for them on your list.

-If you want to send a save the date to this person you MUST send them a wedding invitation.

-Anyone that you plan on inviting to an engagement party, bachelorette party, bridal shower, or rehearsal dinner. The one exception might be if your office throws you a party and people you have very little interaction with attend. But if you have any input on the guest list for the party then make sure that person will be receiving an actual wedding invitation.

-For guests you are the fence about, ask yourself: Will I still be involved in this person’s life in five years? What kind of wedding guest will they be? Will they go overboard at the open bar or perhaps make an embarrassment of themselves sometime throughout the event?

November 4, 2014

Five Wedding Etiquette Tips

November brings glorious weather changes and a slightly slower pace around these parts. So we figured that today would be the perfect day to reflect upon some big wedding etiquette tips that our amazing new 2015 brides might find helpful as well as YOU!

1) The Paper Goods
– Make sure that you are addressing your invite correctly.
– Please only send Save the Dates to people you plan on sending invitations to.
-Do not be tempted to include gift information on the invitation

2) Over Sharing on Social Media
– We are blessed to live in the time of INFORMATION NOW, but be careful how quickly you post that ring picture to twitter. Did you call mom/dad/granny first?
-Before you go on a rant about that ugly turkey platter you received, think will cousin Betty call her mom and tell her you hated her gift?
-Same for guests, hate the chicken? Keep that tidbit to yourself don’t share it for the bride to find upon return from her honeymoon.

3) Using Your Phone
-Wedding photographers in our area average $4000, your iPhone 6 probably cost you $200. Why don’t we leave the gorgeous pictures to the professionals?! We all enjoy those candid dance floors shots, but when you hold your arm out into the middle of the aisle you are taking away from an opportunity to document one of the most amazing moments in a wedding. And NO, the photographer cannot just Photoshop you out, if the Bride thought your skills were that amazing she would’ve hired you. Trust us.
-Please don’t be Facebooking and Instagraming throughout the whole event. If you are more worried about what your other friends are doing then go join them! The bride and groom want you present, this is one of the best moments of their lives. And it’s a free party! Enjoy!

4) Know the Dress Code
-NEVER wear white. Unless the bride specifically stated that she wants guests in white it is completely inappropriate. That goes for cream, ivory, or any other variation of the color. This rule is ALWAYS in effect, even if the bride happens to be wearing blush, cocoa, or whatever else she fancies.
-If it is a beach wedding… wear your flip flops and shorts. If the wedding is indoors and questionable on formal/semi-formal/etc, always over dress.
-School rules should totally apply. Dresses shouldn’t show your hiney, and babies shouldn’t confuse your chest for a meal. Guys, graphic t-shirts are for Sunday Funday. Just err on the side of caution

5) Invite Responses
-Please RSVP on time! You shouldn’t even have to buy a stamp, it is included on the response card, all you have to do is check Yes or No and pop it in your mailbox.
-Please do not ask to bring extra people. That goes for kids and significant others. If they are not listed on the envelope then they are not invited. I get it, sometimes it sucks and is inconvenient, but you got to set the guest list for your wedding and so do this bride and groom. You will have a great time no matter what!

Now I’m sure that we could write 500 tips and tricks for etiquette, but we are by no means Emily Post and times change. These are just a few items that came to mind for making wedding planning or attending a much more pleasant experience!

Have a specific question? Shoot us an email! We’d be happy to answer it and perhaps you’ll inspire a whole new blog post for us!

XO-
The As You Wish Team

March 27, 2014

Newly Engaged?

Photo Credit: Andi & Zoe Photographers

Wedding season is fast approaching and the signs are very evident here in the As You Wish studio! So I thought now would be the perfect time to give a little insight into what us wedding coordinators actually do, and how much help our services can be to brides and their family members.

What does a wedding coordinator do?
Planning a wedding is not only about choosing your colors, flowers, and menu. There are logistical matters to attend to such as the timing of events, parking situations, and knowing which vendors are reputable. We are here to guide you and to take care of all of these concerns. We are able to help save you time and money as well as your sanity so you can actually relax and enjoy your wedding day!

Why hire a wedding coordinator instead of just enlisting dear Aunt Sally to help?
The average wedding has over twenty vendors. Take that in for a second. Wedding coordinators have established relationships with vendors throughout the wedding community, and know the details and logistics that each vendor requires. We have the experience and knowledge necessary not just to make your day run smoothly but to have the end result something that is truly magical. We’re here to answer questions, create an itinerary, and do the physical labor required for an amazing wedding day. Our focus is on you, let Aunt Sally focus on figuring out how to do the Wobble.

Planning a wedding is such an exciting time, however with a busy career and personal life it can be difficult for couples to find the time and resources for such a task. They are confused as to where to begin, how much everything costs, and how to choose vendors. We are here to help you no matter where you are in the planning process!

XO,
The Dream Team

February 24, 2014

Bridal Mehndi

This past week our Hampton Roads ISES chapter hosted an event focusing on Indian Wedding celebrations. We learned so many amazing things from speaker Erin Calvimontes, but today we would like to focus on bridal mehndi. Mehndi is a very important part of both Hindu and Muslim weddings in India and we are going to share a glimpse of it with you.

For starters, mehndi and henna are essentially the same thing; a dye that is used to color skin, clothes, hair and nails. It is a powder/paste that is derived from the henna plant, and depending on its strength, the dye can range from orange to dark brown. It is applied with a steady hand using a cone shaped applicator, and the designs can vary greatly by skill, region, and personal preference. Prior to an Indian wedding there will be a mehndi ceremony where the bride will have mehndi applied to a portion of her arms and/or hands, and sometimes feet and legs. The amount of coverage may vary from one bride to another, and is applied by either a family member or mehndi expert. Upon drying, the hand drawn design will last for several weeks. Here is a clip:

Parijat’s Mehndi Clip from Vijay Rakhra on Vimeo.

The mehndi ceremony is very lively and festive, and every female family member participates. Lemon juice and sugar may be added to darken the mehndi, as it is believed that the darker the color the greater the love for the husband. The mehndi can take hours to dry, so once applied the bride must patiently wait. As the mehndi dries it will begin to flake off on its own.

Our ISES event was decorated by Ivory Morgan-Burton of Storybook Events and photographed by Carl Anderson of Hampton Roads Photography.

Savarnas offered their henna/mehndi designs to each of our guests and below you will see the process of the drying/flaking/staining which happened over the course of several days.This particular design was done by Simran K of Savarnas.

January 31, 2014

Managing other’s expectations when planning your wedding

Recently I was invited to participate in an article for Virginia Bride Magazine regarding a popular topic; managing expectations. Our team will spend months working very closely with our clients during the course of their engagement and we often see the stress and pressures that is put on them regarding their wedding and the decisions surrounding it.

Before I share the article I want to say that I am a strong believer in being true to you, and yourselves as a couple when planning a wedding. I definitely think it’s important to be respectful of your families and their wishes and traditions, but it’s a two way street and the respect needs to be given both ways. I think sometimes parents have trouble accepting the fact that their child is growing up and able to plan an event such as a wedding without their help. Which brings me to my next point. A wedding is a milestone which is defined as an action or event marking a significant change or stage in development. Throughout the course of our lives we experience several of these but a wedding signifies that an individual is committing themselves to another, forever changing the dynamic that each of their families were used to.

When a couple gets engaged and begins to plan their wedding there is so much excitement surrounding it. Unfortunately, as time goes on and more decisions are to be made the wedding can become a source of contention instead of excitement. My focus in college was psychology and I love having the opportunity to use it every day in my career. I LOVE having the ability to be a calming force and counselor to my clients. My office walls have seen mothers cry, couples fight, and an abundance of eye rolls, in addition to utter joy and excitement of course. My desire for all of my couples and their families is to first and foremost have respect for each others desires and wishes regarding this life changing event, and remember to enjoy the process.

Enjoy the article!