Bringing Back the 80’s

It’s All in the Details by Jennifer Diehl

Themed weddings are always a fun way to express some personality! Whether it’s a shared favorite color, or a common interest it’s the perfect way to make your wedding a little different! Picking a theme or a color scheme for your wedding is one of the first and most important things that you do when planning your wedding. Some of the most popular themes for a wedding are vintage glam, rustic themed, beach themed and chic black and white themed. So you want something a little different, a little more fun? How about an 80’s themed wedding! Break out some those memorable neon colors and punk attitudes, your guests will be sure to love this! It’s very important to be careful with themed weddings, you don’t want to cross that line and go overboard. The key is to keep it simple, while throwing in a few hints of inspiration from the 80’s. Here are a few fun ways to bring back your favorite era.

(Bridesmaids photo courtesy of Ruffled blog, Christina G Photography)

Wedding Cake– This is a great way to make your wedding cake 80’s inspired; neon floral cake, with a hint of black and white!

Bridesmaids Dresses– Have your bridesmaids wear different colored bright dresses to bring out some of those favorite 80’s hues!

Groom and Groomsmen– Neon bow ties will be a great 80’s inspired addition to their black tuxedos!

Desserts– Serve some neon colored cupcakes, this will add a fun flair to your dessert table!

Wedding Invitations– Set the tone with bright colored wedding invitations!

Décor– Use some fun neon colors to brighten up your table décor!

Candy-Serve some bright colored rock candy!

Flowers– Pick some beautiful bright flowers for your bridal bouquet!

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Make Your Wedding More Man-Friendly

It’s All in the Details by Jennifer Diehl

Weddings seem to always be all about the bride…She gets a nice bridal shower, the gorgeous outfit, the pretty flowers, and all of the pampering.  This is perfectly fine because it’s the most important day of her life. She has been dreaming about this day since she was five. Weddings are overwhelmingly geared towards women sometimes we have to think about the Groom, and his guys (even if we don’t want to) Even though it is all about you on your special day, there are a few little things you can do to make the Groom feel a little more involved. Here are a few great ideas to make your wedding a little more man-friendly!

 

Cocktails: Name some of your favorite alcoholic drinks with fun superhero names like; “Hulk’s Smash” or “The Cape”. Your man will absolutely love this!

Desserts: Get some baseball (or any other sport) inspired desserts made for your hubby! This will be sure to bring out his inner athlete!

Games: Set up a Blackjack table, this will occupy your Groom and all of his guys!

Attire: Have your Groom and his Groomsmen wear a t-shirt of his favorite superhero under his tux! This will let their inner superhero shine through!

Cigar Bar: If your man loves cigars having a cigar bar for him, his friends, and his family to enjoy is a great idea!

Appetizers: Serve some of his favorite foods as appetizers, like these mini burgers!

Getaway Car: Have him rent his “dream car” so he can drive off in style with you as his Wife after the reception!

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Twenty Pages

Links We Love by Jennifer Diehl

Twenty Pages allows to you design and create your very own wedding magazine. This magazine is meant to tell your journey, share great memories, pictures, and also provide practical wedding information. Twenty Pages “Magazines for Weddings” is a great way to dress up your wedding invitations, or even your programs.  It can also be a great personal touch to your welcome bags. Visit their website,and Like them on Facebook, it’s fun and simple, I promise you will be impressed

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Pre Dame Parties: The Newest Bachelorette Craze

It’s all in the Details by Jennifer Diehl

Are you going out with your girls this weekend, and want to glam it up? Or how about a girl’s-night-in party with some pampering and makeup lessons? Are you in charge of planning your best friend’s bachelorette party? If so, Pre-Dame is perfect for you!
Pre-Dame is New York City’s new “gotta have it.”  Created by high fashion makeup artist, Stefanie Syat, Pre-Dame brings you back to the good old days of getting ready with your girlfriends before a big night out. Only this time, it’s with a professional makeup artist! The Pre-Dame crew comes to your apartment or hotel room with their entire professional makeup kit, fake lashes and of course, bottles of bubbly, to glam you and your girlfriends up before you hit the NYC nightlife. 
The “Girls-Night Out” package is perfect for any occasion where a little extra glam is needed. And as an added bonus, the host gets a Pre-Dame goodie bag and her makeup done for free! “Group Lessons” are a great way to learn what works best for your skin type, eye shape or just to find a trendy new look! And this time, each girl gets a Pre-Dame goodie bag so they can re-create the look at home. All packages come with bottles of bubbly and an experience you won’t forget.
 
Pre-Dame is the perfect solution to any situation; their company lives by their motto “get pretty, drink bubbly, and go party”!
 
Visit them on their website
 
Follow them on twitter 
 
Check out their newest video on Yelp

Dealing with Vendors

Manic Mondays by Jennifer Diehl

Vendors play a huge role in your wedding! The flowers, the music, the food, the make-up and more! Hiring the right team of vendors is critical to planning your dream wedding. One of the most stressful parts of your wedding can be choosing the right vendor for you, along with your wedding ideas and your budget, so we want to make sure that you’re prepared.

How do I go about choosing a vendor?

Do some research; it’s always good to go into your first meeting with some knowledge of the company. Look at vendor reviews; this is where you’ll really find the truth. Ask people that you know if they’ve heard of them or worked with them before. Be sure to ask questions, and get all the details in writing.

What do I do if my vendors bail last minute?

Don’t stress out, if you have a wedding planner they will have a back-up plan, so you won’t have to worry! If you didn’t go with a wedding planner, then one of your bridesmaids should step up and try and solve the problem! Running to the local florist or supermarket and buying as many flowers as possible, if your florist is M.I.A. (We at Private Receptions have dealt with this situation) If your photographer or videographer is a no-show find someone with a professional camera and appoint them to capture the action.

It’s your wedding, who’s in charge?

It’s important to find a vendor who you trust and who understands your vision for the wedding. While you should trust your professionals, don’t let your vendors take over, you make the final decisions. Listen to their suggestions, because they may have some good advice but don’t let them change your overall vision of your day.

How do I know what to tip my vendors?

In most cases tipping a vendor is optional, but is definitely recommended especially if the service was good! Here is a quick guide to tipping each vendor.

Your Wedding Planner- The average couple will tip their Wedding Planner up to $500 or a give them a very nice gift. Send them a picture from your honeymoon and a Thank you note as well!

Hair Stylist & Make-up Artist- It is expected that you tip 15-20 percent just as you would in a hair salon.

The Photographer & Videographer- They don’t always need a tip, but if their service was great $50-$200 is standard.

With any vendor, the most appreciated gift would be a testimonial letter complimenting their services.

Vendors come together to make your wedding day go beyond your expectations, so make sure you trust them and get along with them. And if you’ve hired a wedding planner, they’ll make sure you don’t have to stress about anything!

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Everlasting Bouquet

Manic Mondays by Jennifer Diehl

Think about how much time you put into picking out the perfect flowers for your bridal bouquet. Then think of the amount of money you paid for them…and how most people throw it away at the end of the evening! Do you really want to throw them away after you’ve said ‘I Do!’? Try preserving your bouquet, so you can hold onto it as a keepsake or decorative piece for your home. There are three different methods to preserving your bouquet, using silica gel, pressing them, and using the freeze-dry method.

Preserving with silica gel is fairly easy and you can do it yourself! (We recommend being fairly adept at crafts and flower arranging to attempt this) All you need is a container big enough to fit your bouquet, silica gel (which can be purchased at any craft store), a can of clear acrylic spray, and a soft bristle paint brush. Then simply follow these steps!

1: Cover the bottom of an airtight container with 1” of silica gel

2: Place flowers face up so they aren’t touching

3: Make sure you completely cover the flowers with silica gel

4: Seal the container with the lid, and leave undisturbed for 5-7 days

5: Gently pour off the silica gel, and using the brush dust off any of the remaining gel

6: Spray with acrylic to help seal in the color and prevent breakage

7: Let dry

Another way to preserve your bouquet is by pressing them; this is a common method and can also be done yourself. All you need is a very heavy book, like a dictionary or a large textbook, or a flower press.

1: Place each flower individually between the pages of the book or the flower press

2: Leave them for at least two weeks to press and dry

After the flowers are pressed many people display them in a picture frame.

The last and most efficient way to preserve your bouquet is by freeze-drying them. It’s best to get this done by a professional. Professionals will spray the flowers with starch to set the colors and then “bake” the bouquet in a freeze-dryer. This method allows for open arrangements, offers the most life like results, and you can expect it to last a lifetime.

A few great places you can get your bouquet professionally freeze-dried are:

Forever Flowers

Keepsake Floral

Mountain View Freeze Dry

Whichever option you choose to preserve your bouquet it will last long after your big day!

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Beautiful Bridal Accessories

Links We Love by Jennifer Diehl

Are you looking for that perfect accessory to wear on your wedding day?

Take a look at KateKetzal.com
Kate Ketzel Jewlery & Adornments is an Australian based designer of high-quality wedding jewlery and accessories. Ranging from beautiful necklaces to unique brooch bouquets.

We absolutely love this website, you have to check it out!

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Perfect Polish for Brides

Its All in the Details by Jennifer Diehl

Planning a wedding is all about details! Flowers, shoes, make-up and the list goes on. Don’t forget the little details like your nails! What are you going to do with your nails on your big day? Just like everything else…there are so many options! If you want to play with color but aren’t sure about having a bold color for all to see, try using one of your wedding colors on your toes! Example, if your color is eggplant go with OPI’s Pamplona Purple on your toes…it will make those white bridal shoes pop in pictures, too!

Here are some of the most popular bridal colors!

Essie: Wedding Collection 2012

Essie: Blushing Bride

Essie: Ballet Slippers

Essie: Lux Collection, great for glamorous, glimmering brides!

• The “Shine of the Times” is especially hot for a wedding

China Glaze: Diva Bride

China Glaze: Sea Shell

China Glaze: Naked, great shimmering pink for summer and spring weddings

OPI: New York City Ballet Collection, great pastel colors and a really fun shimmer color

OPI: Coney Island Cotton Candy

OPI: Privacy Please

OPI: Hopelessly in Love

OPI: Lucky Lucky Lavender

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Relax With Yoga

Manic Mondays by Jennifer Diehl

Planning your wedding can be extremely overwhelming, there are not enough hours in the day to complete your to-do list. Kill two birds with one stone! Yoga is the perfect way for you to relieve some of that wedding stress, while also toning your body! Yoga can help you build muscle, develop strength and balance, improve flexibility and most importantly release tension, and induce relaxation! It takes very little effort and is perfect for a Bride-to-be!

If you decide to take on Yoga by yourself, you can purchase a Yoga mat at Sports Authority for as little as $45!

Throw on some comfortable clothes and follow a few of these easy Yoga positions!

• Bound Ankle Pose helps to open up your hips, and relieve inner thigh muscle tension

• Childs Pose is a very calming pose, which can put you into a deep relaxation

• Plank Pose helps to build arm and abdomen strength

• Side Plank Pose helps to build arm and shoulder strength while toning side abs

• Warrior II Pose helps to build leg strength and open your hips

• Dolphin Pose is a pose that calms the brain and helps relieve stress

Those are just a few of the hundreds of yoga poses used to strengthen, tone, and relax.

If you want the help of a professional here are a few great places to check out!

• Pure Yoga is a well-known Yoga studio in NYC where you can take a variety of different Yoga classes, or even enjoy a private one-on-one Yoga lesson.

• Yoga for Weddings is a company that aims to keep you relaxed and renewed for your big day! They have four great Yoga instructors in New York to fit your specific Yoga needs.

• Reflections Yoga is a NYC company that offers a large variety of classes and workshops to get you relaxed and toned.

Yoga is just one of the great ways to get rid of some of that wedding stress! It’s never to late to start!

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Email Invitations: The Do’s and Dont’s

Manic Mondays by Jennifer Diehl

In a time where people are shopping, ordering dinner, and paying bills online; is it acceptable to send out invitations online?  The answer can get a bit sticky.  For a girls night out; yes!  A super bowl party; Sure!  A dinner party; why not?  For your wedding invitation?  Not recommended.  Yes, you might think that it’s a “green” alternative, but there are plenty of stationers with recycled paper options.  There are also some etiquette taboos involved:

• Not everyone has an email account, or checks it regularly. (Trust, me it’s true!)
• It’s very easy for you to misspell their email address, then they will never get it!
• Your email can fall right into their spam folder, and never be seen.
• Emailing wedding invitations is not very personal.  Your wedding invites should convey your colors and theme of the wedding as well as the couples personal style.  This is more difficult to do with a e-vite where you’re often limited to their selections
• Wedding invitations are often hung on refrigerators, and saved in scrap book for memories; you can’t quite do that with an online invitation.

Paper is still the better solution, but if you DO decide on E-vites here are a few tips to follow!

• Be sure to double check that you have the accurate email address!
• Make sure you include all of the important information (who is hosting, where, when, and RSVP details).
• Proofread before you send it!
• Be prepared to follow up by phone if you don’t receive a RSVP
• Check with your family members to see if they’re comfortable with this solution…especially if they’re paying for the wedding!

Sending an E-vite can definitely save you money and time, and get you a quick RSVP. (Well, sometimes)  An online wedding invitation can also allow you to link to your wedding website for directions and other pertinent details.  The downside is, not everyone (your Great Aunt) will understand what to do with an e-vite.  Whether its print or online the only important thing is you that you keep it stress free!