In your bag of wedding day tricks; White Out! For scuffs on your shoes, dots on your dress, lipstick on his shirt and a hundred other little spotty things that can come between you and pristine whiteness.
This being said, if you drop Merlot down your bodice, you’re on your own. How ’bout a nice pinot grigio?
I have the best job on the planet! I tell all my couples this, and it is so, so true. I get to meet the most amazing people, the best artists, the most conscientious wedding professionals, and when I do, I love to pass them along.
Chris and Heather’s wedding as lovely and relaxed as it could be. Their ceremony took place on the greens of the Royce Brook Country Club, in Central New Jersey (see our link), and the reception followed in a gorgeous tent setting on the property. They had the calming and inspiring artistry of Shelley and Keith to take their photos (see our link; do you sense a theme here?), and the professional but fun loving staff of the club to gracefully guide their guests through a wonderful afternoon. There was no detail overlooked, and the staff at Royce Brook made the entire day a delicious and carefree celebration.
Their ceremony, which included a sand sharing ritual, was moving, funny, and intimate; completely in tune with their quirky and creative personalities. They were serenaded by a solo guitarist, who sang their favorite song as Heather arrived in a drop dead, off white and purple gown. Afterwards, a seriously kicking band had their guest in motion all night. As I walked away from the tent, watching the party unfold, I knew that Chris and Heather were in the middle of JUST the party they’d dreamed of.
Lesson learned? You pick your professionals and set them free! They all want to have as wonderful a party as you do, and if you pick the right ones, it is going to be.
(Now, do I have an opinion about who those professionals might be?….well, yes……)
Yes, it’s a wonderful wedding song, but it’s also a big wedding factor, the sunset that is….If you are having an outdoor ceremony, to hopefully be captured in photos, you want to make sure of the sunset time. With the caveat that almost no wedding starts on time, you’ll want to time your ceremony to give you enough time to wait (or not) for latecomers and still be comfortably in the daylight. For October 6th, a huge wedding weekend this year, you’re looking at 6:31.
Timing your ceremony to the sunset gives you not only a beautiful backdrop for photos, but an atmospheric and sultry time of day to be transitioning into your reception~!
http://www.sunrisesunset.com/calendar.asp
For your autumn wedding, why not toasts your guests’ arrival with pitchers of beautiful sangria. The recipe is foolproof; chopped autumn fruits (pears, apples, berries), a nice red wine (not too expensive!), orange juice, some brandy and you’re good to go. What a stylish and gracious touch, especially for those friends and family who’ve traveled from afar to share your day!
This can be set up in pretty jars on a small, flower trimmed table, or passed by your caterwaiters, in pretty goblets or little mason jars (for a more rustic look).
okay, now this is going to sound like TOTAL micromanagement, but you can take it or leave it!
Even if your every day look, handwise, is natural, buffed, and short, you may want something a little more dramatic and polished for your wedding day and the pictures that will feature your hands and rings.
Treat your hands like you’re going to treat your hair and makeup; with a dry run! Have a manicure and look at nail shape, length and color to see what feels right to you. If you’re going to be wearing sandals, open toes or flip flops, same deal but with a pedicure. This might be more maintenance than you’re interested in on a daily basis, but on a day with so many photos, a little polish (no pun intended) will go a long way~!
Brides against Breast cancer is a group that every bride can support in some way. They host incredible wedding gown sales, they will take donations of used wedding gowns (which get offered along with designer donations and samples). You can save a huge amount on your dress while helping this great organization.
Visit the site, www.bridesagainstbreastcancer.org , for more information on their wonderful organization.
What a great little resource this is! You can search for all kinds of things, including your New Jersey Wedding Officiant here. (Of course, when you search for that you’ll find me, but you already have…..) They have bands, caterers, florists; all the things you need, where ever you live. Give them a little checkout!
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My computer that is, not me personally….Now, I am far from thinking that I am the ONLY person who experiences ANY given thing, so a word of advice. If you are using your evil box to do your invites, keep track of registries, venues, your New Jersey Wedding Celebrant (smooth, eh?), you are going to want to back everything up either on an external hard drive or a flash drive. This is not hard stuff to do, and with the amount of work you are putting into your wedding planning, you do not want to turn on your computer one morning and find a giant black (or blue…..) hole.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled posts….
All of it! From the minute you get engaged through all the fun planning (and the difficult planning), all the parties and all your meetings with vendors. First, you can keep track of details, but more important is that you can remember how you felt at this exiting time in your life. Looking back on the path from engagement to wedding is a wonderful way to remember all the joy and anticipation that filled your days.
What a beautiful place this is! Nestled between the farms of Sussex county NJ, this 18th century estate is the perfect site for your wedding and reception.
Gorgeous grounds, the staff (especially Katherine, the wedding maven)is smooth and effective, and the creative little touches will stay in your guests’ memories when they look back on your wedding day. The end result of all this caring is a celebration that is unique, comfortable and stylish. You can’t ask for more.
You can find this beautiful place at www.crossedkeys.com . Be prepared to fall in love again.
