Etiquette: Inviting Guests to Rehearsal Dinner

So many of our clients need guidance on the proper etiquette of who to invite to their rehearsal dinner. They want to know if they have to invite out of town guests, bridal party, spouses of bridal party members, party of bridal party members, and extended family. Trying to figure out this small part of planning unfortunately can start to overtake all the free time you have in your life. Here is our quick guide of who to invite to your rehearsal dinner:

You should invite:

• All Bridal Party Members and Their Families
• Bride's Parents
• Groom's Parents
• Wedding Officiant and Their Spouse
• Parents of Any Children in Your Wedding

Thoughtful Gesture to Invite:

• Bridal Party Members' Parents
• Out of Towners who Arrived Early
• Grandparents
• Aunts, Uncles, and 1st Cousins

New Review

I just love our clients and get so touched when one of them rates our services on WeddingWire.com. Please check out this review from Kristen, one of our beautiful September brides:

5.0/5.0

Quality of Service

Professionalism

Value for Cost

Flexibility

Kristen's Remarks:

Jenna and Jen went above and beyond! I couldn't have asked to work with two more amazing people. I can't even begin to thank them for all the hard work they put into my wedding. They made it so that I could sit back, relax and really enjoy my special day. Thank you so much Jenna and Jen!!

XOXO, Kristen Mattioli

It's beginning to look a lot like....FALL!!

Fall is right around the corner!! The air is beginning to feel crisp and a little cooler and the leaves are right on the verge of changing into beautiful autumn colors. I absolutely love this time of year, especially because the colors and types of flowers change.

The colors of fall are universally bright, bold and rich! Lots of golds, burnt orange, amber, rust, mustard yellow, sage green, copper, burgundy, wine, and chocolate browns are used as wedding themes. These colors really bring a wedding theme to a classy, romantic look.

Check out this fall inspired wedding board!!

Don't you just love all of these riches colors used during the fall!!??!

Invitation of the Week: GOLD TRADITIONS

Here is my favorite invitation of the week, I was just feeling so dazzled by gold!! This invitation has a beautiful elegance about itself that made me feel like I was being invited to a stunning affair. This invitation has a traditional sense about it as well that will impress even your grandmother.

This invitation is very reasonable and runs for about $163 for 100 invitations. Don't forget to also order your reception and respond cards.

Place your order online at celebrate!Invitations. Happy Inviting!!!

Invitation of the Week: PINK PINK PINK

I absolutely love this fun funky pink wedding invitation from our celebrate!Invitations' Bridal Collection. I just love how it captures all your attention and makes you want to hang it on your fridge. The best part about this dynamic wedding invitation is that it is a ValuStyle Invitation which means a great price comes along with this packaged (invitation plus respond card) deal. This set only costs about $160.00 for 100 guests.

Call us today at 386.677.0018 or email us at invitations@celebratetheevent.com to order.

To view more of our amazing invitation line please visit http://www.celebrateinvitations.cceasy.com/.

celebrate! Invitations

Whether you are planning a wedding, graduation, anniversary or just a football tailgating party....we have the perfect invitations for you!! We have hundreds and hundreds of unique invitations that you can use for any type of event you are planning. In the next coming month, we are going to be showcasing just some of the invitations we have in our books as well as our website.

SAVE THE DATES!

Every girl is on an adrenaline rush when she finally finds the man of her dreams and he proposes! The first thing she wants to do is announce it to the world! The best way to this is to order a" pre-inivtation" to your wedding invitations to announce your engagement as well as inform your guest when your big day will be.

Here are some cute ideas for a Save the Date:

Check our our invitations website: www.celebrateinvitations.cc.easy.com

Tips for giving a wedding toast

It's that nerve breaking moment, you have just received 'the tap' on your shoulder to stand up in front of every guest attending the wedding and all eyes are on you. Don't freak! Remember to breathe, smile and speak from your heart when giving your wedding day toast. With all of these ingredients included, your toast will be great and you'll either have everyone rolling around on the floor or searching for just one more tissue to wipe their tears away.




Here are a few helpful tips when giving a wedding day toast:

1. Start by introducing yourself and your relationship to the couple. This will help malke your toast more personal to the guests.
2. Speak in a normal voice and use humor (in good taste) to put yourself and the audience at ease.
3. Reminisce a positive story about the bride or groom.
4. Kepp the toast short and sweet (3-5 minutes). This will help keep the audiences attention.
5. Occasionally glance at the audience but the main focus throughout your toast should be kept on the bride and groom.
6. Practice your toast in front of a mirror and in front of someone else prior to the day.
7. End by asking the guests to join in you rainsing their glasses toward the couple, concluding with the couples name. This will ensure everyone will be toasting to the new couple.

Most importantly...enjoy and have fun!

SNEAK PEAK: Kendall and Trevor

I know this sneak peak is long over due, but the pictures are finally here!!! :) Here are few of my favorite shots from Kendall and Trevor's gorgeous wedding. Thanks to Greg at Details Flowers and Photography for capturing these moments.

Check out our website www.celebrateTHEevent.com under the feautred couples sections to see more photos from this event.

Escort Cards...Fun Ways to Set Them Up

Every wedding needs some sort of escort card to let your guests know where they are to sit in your wedding reception. These usually 2x3 inch cards get overlooked as a place to add some personality to your wedding day. I think your escort table should be fabulous, considering it is one of the first impressions your guests get of your wedding reception decor...so why not make it FABULOUS!!!! Here are some of my favorite set ups we have done so far in 2010...

Congratulations to Samantha and Matt

One of our past brides and grooms, Samantha and Matthew, have just had their first child. We are so excited for them and this wonderful new adventure they are about to have. The family is doing fabulous and we couldn't be happier!!!! Here is a picture of the beautiful family.

Preservation Week: Preserving Your Wedding Cake

So you just couldn't get enough of your wedding cake on your wedding day and now it is your one year anniversary, the anticipation of pulling your wedding cake out of the freezer to have a tantalizing slice is just about to drive you insane. You pull it out of the freezer and it looks a little strange but you figure "oh what the heck, I bet it is still so delicious"....that is until your husband and you actually take a bite and realize it's FREEZER BURNT.


Today is all about how to keep your wedding cake as well preserved as possible up until your one year anniversary. Here are some helpful tips:


1. Remove all adornments such as flowers, sugar pieces, cake toppers, etc.

2. Make sure to chill your cake first in the refrigerator. This way the icing hardens and it will not stick to the plastic wrap when you begin wrapping it.

3. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap NOT FOIL. The aluminum foil is what causes the awful freezer-burn.

4. Place the wrapper cake in a freezer safe airtight bag and then place it in your freezer.



A great tip too is just to order a replica wedding cake on your anniversary to ensure the freshness. Many bakeries are now offering this services along with your wedding cake so that you can relive every experience on your wedding. Talk with your cake baker today about this possibility, most will give you a voucher to bring in.



Here are some great cake professionals I love:
DAYTONA BEACH AREA:
http://www.paradisecheesecakes.com/
http://www.thepastrystudio.com/

JACKSONVILLE/PONTE VEDRA AREA:
http://www.classiccakes.com/
http://www.thecakeshop.com/

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA AREA:
http://www.bakemeacake.com/
http://www.orlandocustomcakes.com/

WEST PALM AREA:
http://www.thesugarmonkey.com/

Preservation Week: Preserving Your Bouquet

Did you just absolutely love your wedding bouquet? Do you wish you could cherish it forever?? The great news is that you can. There are many methods on how to preserve your wedding bouquet. You can take it to a professional and have them either freeze-dry or press them or your can preserve it at home by using sand, silica gel, or borax. Read below for some helpful tips.

Tips:
1. Make sure to start the preservation process within 1-4 days days after your wedding
2. If you want your bouquet to look as realistic as possible have a professional freeze-dry it. The bouquet will be taken apart, freeze-dried, and then the flowers will be put back in place. This entire process can take a few weeks.
3. If you want your bouquet pressed and framed make sure to bring it to a professional. The bouquet will be separated, pressed down, and rearranged in a frame to make a keepsake for you.
4. If you choose to preserve your bouquet at home by yourself use a sand, silica gel, or borax. Read tips online at great wedding websites like theknot.com under DIY sections.

Great vendors that can preserve your wedding flowers:
http://www.keepsakefloral.com/
http://www.bridalgownpreservation.com/
http://www.timelessflowers.net/

Preservation Week: Preserving Wedding Gowns

So you wore the most AMAZING WEDDING GOWN when you said "I DO." You had searched long and hard for the most perfect gown, wore it, and now want to make sure it stays safe until you one day can maybe pass it along to one of your daughters.

Here are some great tips on preserving your wedding gown:

1. Find a cleaners who specializes in wedding gown preservation. Make sure to check that they use another solvent besides the standard kind because it would be to harsh to keep your gown together.

2. Ask the cleaners if you can see your dress after it is cleaned prior to them packing it up. You want to make sure all the stains came out and it was cleaned properly.

3. Make sure your gown is stuffed with acid-free tissue. This acid-free tissue should be placed between the layers of your dress and stuffed in the bodice to ensure no permanent wrinkles.

Vendors specializing in cleaning and packaging wedding gowns:

DAYTONA BEACH AREA-Caring Cleaners

1500 Beville Road, Daytona Beach, FL

386.253.8848

JACKSONVILLE-The Cleaners

1519 Penman Road, Jacksonville Beach, FL

904.246.1705

ORLANDO-Bridal Gown Preservations

3588 Avalon Park Blvd E, Orlando, FL

407.277.3335

Preservation Week

This week we are going to focus on PRESERVATION....preserving your wedding dress, bouquet, photos, wedding cake, etc. Since your wedding day is strictly that a DAY you will want to cherish and keep whatever you possibly can to remember that special day.

Each day this week we will look into preserving something from your wedding from your wedding dress to the top tier of your wedding cake. We will give you helpful suggestions and vendor recommendations.

Stay tuned...it is going to be a FUN week..