This weeks tip is about your makeup for the wedding – primarily the mascara.  I’m a guy so my advice on the makeup is very limited, but this tip comes from Debbie Jean at the Little Wedding Guide.  Here’s the tip:

Mascara for Weddings

If you don’t have a smudge proof or water proof mascara in your make-up bag, you will need to purchase one especially for your wedding day. You certainly don’t want black tears running down your beautifully made up face.

If you are going to have your make-up applied by a professional make-up artist, ask him/her to use your own mascara on your eyes. Mascara holds bacteria and it is therefore recommended you use your own. This decision will eliminate chances of catching any eye infections before your honeymoon. You will most likely need a water proof mascara for your honeymoon anyway, so your purchase will be well worth it.

Before You Shop For Your Wedding Dress

This tip comes from about.com Weddings.  Next to your husband and photography, your wedding dress will be one your most important decisions. ENJOY!!

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One of the biggest decisions you will face as the big day approaches is choosing the perfect wedding dress. The process of shopping for a wedding dress can be a fabulous adventure, but it can also be stressful and overwhelming–particularly because a bride-to-be often starts shopping for her gown before many other details are determined.

You might have had a clear mental picture of the perfect wedding dress ever since you were five years old. On the other hand, you may have no idea what you are going to wear or feel strange about the idea of wearing white. The important thing is to relax, and remember that there are as many different kinds of dresses out there as there are different kinds of brides.

When to Start Shopping for Your Wedding Dress Give yourself ample time to plan- generally the rule of thumb is that you need to order your gown at least six months before your wedding. So you should ideally start shopping for your gown nine months or more before your wedding. (If you don’t have this much time, it’s okay, just budget for some rush charges).

Plan Ahead Take a few minutes to think about what you want. It will be helpful when you enter the maze of wedding dresses out there to know what your budget is, any details that are essential (i.e. I must have a full skirt, or my arms must be covered), and an idea of how traditional you want your dress to be. After all, if really a teal pantsuit would work best for you, it’s probably not worth your time to sort through racks of flouncy white gowns.

Be Comfortable! On your wedding day, you’ll want to look great, but you’ll also want to be comfortable- it will be hard to dance and laugh (not to mention posing for all those pictures) if you’re tugging your dress up or have boning jutting into your ribs.

First- consider which wedding dress is most appropriate to your day – for example, consider a shorter tea-length or cocktail length dress for a beach wedding. If you’re the type who likes to dance with her hands in the air, and anticipates doing the limbo, perhaps a strapless dress is not the one for you. Look for wedding dresses with removable sleeves or straps to give you the widest range of options.

A Dress that Fits Your Body Well Think about your body type and what kinds of dresses generally look good on you. Take a look at what you regularly wear that makes you feel confident and beautiful, and then look for a wedding dress with similar lines. If a friend is making your wedding dress, ensure that you have agreed on a fitting schedule and chances to make adjustments. If you’re looking for a bargain at a sample sale, or discount outlet, you should budget money for taking the dress to a good tailor. Many designers will ask for three fittings, and will closely tailor your wedding dress to fit you.

Saving Money on Your Wedding Dress If money is an issue, remember that the most expensive kind of dress is not necessarily the best kind. Many brides find a bridesmaids dress in white or off-white that works perfectly, and is hundreds of dollars cheaper. There are thousands of dresses to be had at sample sales, thrift stores, and ebay. Consider taking pictures from magazines to a friend who sews or seamstress and getting a price quote. If you choose to make your own dress, don’t delay. The sooner you finish it, the sooner you’ll be able to attend to the many other details of your wedding.

Most of all, remember this is your wedding day. Wear whatever makes you comfortable and feels like you. And have fun shopping for your wedding dress. It should be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Our tip this talk about your ever important DJ or band.  The DJ or band are the people who set the reception into motion and keep the party going.  Below is a wedding tip from Bridal Tips.com.  I always have a few DJ in mind when clients ask about a DJ for the reception.  Quality music and an excellent personality make a good DJ into a great one.

Your wedding DJ determines whether your reception is a boom or bust…

There are thousands of wedding disc jockeys! But how do you find the wedding disc jockey that’s perfect for you? Here on BridalTips.com you’ll find all the caveats to avoid, questions to ask, what DJ equipment they should be using, and what you should have included in your contract. Many tips on this page are only our opinion, you must choose what you feel is right for your wedding.

Choosing your wedding DJ is the best part of your wedding preparations. You get to meet a lot of wedding industry people who are generally nice, outgoing, and personable. Of course the big debate is DJ or Band. That’s always one of the hard decisions a newlywed couple must make. The biggest advantage a wedding DJ has over a band is cost. There are some lousy bands out there and many awesome bands too, but many bands can cost a lot of money. I saw an excellent band at a function that charged $4000 for the 8 member group.

Band Or DJ? That is the question!

Here on BridalTips.comwe focus on DJs.  Don’t hire a band you can’t see or hear first either at a function from someone you know perhaps, that you just happen to attend, or view for a few minutes on a video. People tend to get married within a year of their friends, and may see their future wedding vendors at work on other weddings. Remember, the bands need to take breaks, so they play only a few 15-20 minute sets.  But this article is about DJ’s.  We chose a wedding disc jockey due to cost, and we did not have to worry about a marginal singer crooning our favorite songs out of tune, which we see a lot of here in Florida. Just because one person is a good singer in a good band, does not mean the rest of the world is.  Anyone who plays in a band has seen their share of awful bands.  And when a consumer advocate like me tries to point out both sides of the coin to consumers, the losers come out of woodwork to complain how useless I am.  Those are the people you need to avoid.  But I suspect that you’ll have the least amount of problems with your DJ than any other vendor, because the vast majority of DJs are great.  I’ve been to maybe 12 weddings in my life and 3 of those 12 weddings (25%) I thought the wedding disc jockey stunk.  Many other guests at these weddings back me up about wedding DJs.

A good wedding DJ is cheaper than bands, and they dynamically work your wedding crowd for 4 hours.  In rare cases a band might party hardy then decide they don’t want to show up. This probably happens more than a DJ not showing up. This is why you should use contracts.  If they refuse to use one, then you should refuse to use their services. Bands always arrived late at my friend’s recording studio. And before any musicians get all indignant, it happened at my sister’s wedding. She hired a highly recommended harpist who was out getting drunk when she should have been at the wedding. Luckily I had brought a wedding CD as backup, the catering manager brought out a CD player, and we had music for me to walk her up the aisle with. So it does happen.

Get Wedding DJ References From Friends, Coworkers, Wedding Reception Halls

Your best resource in finding your wedding DJ is people you know. Ask around, try locally famous DJs from radio stations. Some people moonlight as wedding disc jockeys and are good at it. Talk to recent newlyweds, ask your wedding reception hotel or resort, they may have a list of preferred vendors for you to call, wedding DJs whom they trust. They also see the horror stories and know who to avoid. This list contains vendors that the resort has worked with and knows to be reliable and professional. The resort’s reputation is stake also. But beware of secondary hotels or reception sites that might not be as scrupulous. Some caterers may get a kickback, so know who you are dealing with. Our DJ was recommended to us by the catering manager at the Boca Raton Resort where we had our reception. Our DJ also worked her wedding, and she oversees many weddings every year so she knew who the right DJ was, and boy was she right!

Interview 3-5 Wedding Disc Jockeys

Don’t rush to pick your wedding DJ, they all have different personalities. Ask to see videos from previous weddings so you can view a few minutes of their work. Remember that using computer software, a DJ can edit their best material to make themselves look much better than they are.  But at least you cans see them in action. Give more weight to personal recommendations. Scrutinize wedding videos from friends to see if you like their DJ. If you happen to see your potential DJ while you are a guest at another wedding before you make your decision, that helps too. Many people of marrying age attend several weddings in a year, and this is a good time to start scoping your vendors. If you have special song requests, ask the DJ if they have it or if they can get it. If your reception is complex, and in a big well known resort or hotel you want a true professional who works in the big places, not someone who travels the condo clubhouse circuit. Many DJ’s may get offended by this, but you really want someone with the experience of working with the catering departments of these larger venues.  This synergy between DJ and catering manager is what keeps your function running smoothly.  A DJ’s talent should reach far beyond just motivating the crowd or making the announcements at the right time.  They must have their finger on the pulse of your wedding and know everything that is going on.  The only way this can happen is when they have a good working relationship with the venue staff.

Continue reading the article here…

Our tip this week is all about your invitations.  Invitations are another one of the elements of your wedding that should reflect your style and personality.  The tip comes from the good folks of Favor Ideas.

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You’re well into planning your wedding, and you’ve finally decided on a design for your wedding invitations. You’ve worked out the wording, and practically have the guest list licked. Here are a few more wedding invitation tips and advice to keep in mind.

* If you want to include children as guests, write out their individual names on the addressed envelopes, or put “and family.” For example:

Mr. and Mrs. Bob Simpson, Cathy and John
or
Mr. and Mrs. Bob Simpson and Family

* If the children are older teens (say, 16 or older), you might want to send them an individual invitation, just like you would an adult.
* If you don’t want to include children at the ceremony, don’t add their names or “and family” on the outside of the envelope. Although this violates the stricter laws of etiquette, you might even add something like, “Sorry, but children are not invited”, “adults only” or a similar phrase to clarify. If you want to have children at the reception but not the ceremony, you could note this on the response card … or on the invitation itself at the bottom.
* When issuing invitations to a single guest, it’s polite to put “and Guest” on the outside of the envelope so that they have the option to bring along a companion. For example:

Mr. Ralph Jones and Guest
or
Miss Sarah Campbell and Guest

* Be forewarned: usually 7% to 10% of the guests who respond with a yes won’t actually show up at the wedding. In addition, 20% to 30% won’t make it to the reception. This can wreak havoc when budgeting for a sit-down dinner. You might want to consider a buffet-style dinner instead.
* In some cases, you’ll want to invite people to the ceremony, but not the reception — or vice versa. If so, then you will need two sets of invitations printed, one that includes reception information and one that doesn’t.
* If you don’t receive a reply from some guests by your reply date, don’t hesitate to call them. It’s important that you know how many are attending so you can budget accordingly.
* When ordering invitations, order at least 4 to 6 weeks before they’re scheduled to be mailed. If you plan on mailing your invitations around the 15th of March, order them between February 1st and 15th.
* Double and even triple-check everything before it gets printed. Borrow another pair of eyes. This includes invitations, response cards, envelopes, wedding programs, and so on, whether you’re doing them yourself or having them professionally printed. Search ruthlessly for spelling errors.
* Always order extra invitation envelopes and response card envelopes. There will inevitably be a few mistakes when addressing these and you’ll want to have a few extras on hand.
* Mail your invitations at least 6 weeks before the wedding date, and ask for a response at least three weeks before the wedding date. So if your wedding date is July 1st, mail your invitations by May 15th — and ask your guests to respond by June 7th. This will give guests time to reply by mail, which in turn, gives you time to firm up catering plans, seating arrangements, etc.
* If your wedding’s going to actually be held on a beach or outdoor area, be sure that you let your guests know, so they can dress appropriately.

This weeks tips talks about your ever important photographer.  Your photographer should be one of your top three priorities for your wedding (and I’m not just saying this because I am a photographer).  Your photography is so important.  Here’s why!  After your wedding, weeks, months, years later, what do you have to remember it by?  Your spouse of course and your photography.  The cake, the venue, the invitations, the food all fade after in a matter of days, but your photographs last a lifetime.  That’s one of the reasons why your wedding photography is so important.  Making certain to hire a professional photographer who specializes in wedding photography and matches the style of photography you want for your wedding.  I’ll have a post about choosing the right photographer for you later next week, but on with this weeks tip.  It comes from the Photographik Network.  The article was written by my dear friend from Jacksonville, Florida – Scarlett Lillian.  She entitled the article, Dear Brides: Love Your Photographer.  The article covers ten things to keep in mind to help your photographer pull of your day as nothing short of fabulous.

I’ve included three (3) things here, but click here to read the full article over at Photographik.org.

1. DO make photography a priority in your budget. Photography is an investment, and just like any investment, you get what you pay for. If you try to find someone cheap to save a few dollars, more than likely, you will be unhappy with the quality of your photos. Yes, in the digital day and age, anyone can whip out a point and shoot camera, as most of your guests will probably be doing, but true photography is an art and worth the little extra you pay for a rock star wedding photographer who delivers stunning and emotionally rich photos. If need be, pay by credit card and pay it off later. Or sacrifice the extra unnecessary frou frou decoration to pay for a few extra pages in your coffee table album. When your wedding day is over, your photos and album are the only things that remain and last forever. Remember, your grandkids will be looking at these photos one day. You want a photographer who can capture the true emotion of why their grandparents fell in love, not a photographer who can cut you the best deal right now. 

2. DON’T just look for a photographer in your market. If you can’t find a photographer you like in your area, don’t settle for one just because they are close by. Most photographers love to travel and shoot destination weddings. Don’t be afraid to pay a little extra in travel fees to be able to hire a photographer who better fits your style. Plus, you are fabulous enough to fly in only the best, right? 

3. DO your research, but DON’T compare photographers’ packages. Each photographer offers different packages to best showcase the art we create for you. Just as unique as your photos will be, a photographer’s packages are just as individualized. Photographers can be insulted when you try to insist our competitor offers A, B, and C in their package at X amount of price, and then ask us to do the same. If you want that A, B, and C package at X amount of price, then go with that photographer. We want brides who want us because they connect with our style of photography and appreciate our art, not brides shopping around for the best deal.

This week’s tip dives into the topic of wedding insurance and how it is worth it’s wait in gold.  My philosophy with my wedding photography is it’s better to be safe than sorry.  I always carry to camera bodies in the event that one fails, I backup all photos three times so if one drive fails I’ve got backups on another drive or disc.  Our tip comes from the people over at Wedding Chicks.  Check out their website for some wedding inspiration.

What could possibly go wrong at our wedding?

“Most of the time, most weddings go pretty smoothly. But when something unexpected does go wrong, it can be frightening how quickly the costs can add up,” according to wedding insurance provider WedSafe. 

Some of the stories below are pretty crazy, you never know. The weather, a super drunk cousin or a vendor that all your friends recommended to do your makeup, and she never shows up, neither did your deposit.

Let’s be honest here, we all know of plenty of brides who for one reason or another have cancelled their weddings and unfortunately ALL DEPOSITS that you give to vendors and locations that you book are NON REFUNDABLE. You can call and explain to them your incredible story, but sadly enough your deposit will not be returned. PS- Wedding Insurance does not cover cold feet.

We did a quick quote for $25,000 worth of insurance which covered Liability and Cancellation insurance and pretty much everything else and it ended up being $328. That is totally worth it, with everything you are putting into this… if something happens you never know. You can visit WedSafe to learn more about it. We listed some other wedding insurance companies we found below as well.

Here are some real life situations WedSafe customers have experienced, as posted on their web site:

Ten inches of rain fell in Virginia, State Highway 10 was closed. Bridal party members and guests couldn’t get to reception site. Band, food, cake, flowers, photos all had to be cancelled. 
Amount Reimbursed Event Cancellation coverage – Wedding Event Cancellation / Postponement Plus: $25,000 

Wedding venue originally expected to open in time for the wedding, but construction completion date was pushed back and the wedding had to be rescheduled. 
Amount Reimbursed through Event Cancellation coverage – Wedding Event Cancellation / Postponement Plus: $17,694.87 

Photographer’s camera bag – containing several rolls of wedding pictures – was stolen during the reception. 
Amount Reimbursed through Photographs / Video coverage – Wedding Event Cancellation / Postponement Plus: $3,000

Bride and groom held responsible for damaged carpet at reception. 
Claim paid by Property Damage coverage – Wedding Liability Insurance: $5,523.81

Hello everyone!  Here’s this week’s wedding tip brought to you from the great people over at LifeTips.com.  This weeks tips talks about your all important reception.  My opinion is that your reception should reflect your personality.  Your reception might be colorful and vibrant, or maybe the classy modern look is your style.  Whatever your style is, make sure you stick to what you want and that is fits well with you and or new mates personality.

Here’s the tip…  Enjoy!

Life, the Universe and Everything in Your Wedding

Where do you get your wedding reception ideas? How do you decide between a formal dinner and a buffet? Do you really want to create a seating chart for 200 people? Do you want to embrace the pomp and the circumstance of the receiving line? Where do you look for your wedding reception ideas? The answer to that is a simple one. You look to your own life, the life of your soon to be spouse and you find the a happy middle ground that satisfies you both. 

The wedding reception is the first major event hosted by you and your new spouse. It’s a function that celebrates your marriage and invites all of your family and friends to celebrate alongside you. The reception is as much for your guests as it is for you. In fact, in many cases your wedding reception will continue after you and your new spouse leave it to head out for the honeymoon. 

Wedding reception ideas come from mixing both the drama and the fantasy in our lives. Think of a romantic setting that you’d like to share with your wedding guests and create it. If that means creating a beautiful outdoor setting with tents and paper lanterns that mix both natural and quiet illuminations as well as dramatic shadows; then that’s what you do. 

Your wedding reception ideas might include a brightly lit room with colorful decorations, loud music and lots of group dances. Your wedding reception ideas have to come from who the two of you are individually and who you want to be together. It’s the first couple of paragraphs in the new chapter of your lives. So create the setting you want to be seen in and you want to enjoy in and that’s where your wedding reception ideas come from.