Saturday, September 28, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Do Me a Favor? Wedding Favors Your Guests and Budget Will Love
Please enjoy this guest post from Make Some Plans.
The long-standing tradition of gifting wedding guests a token of your appreciation can be both a fun, creative experience and a stressful one. Whether you’re leaning toward a do-it-yourself approach or saving some time and ordering them finished, take a breath and enjoy the process.
No Shame in Stealing
Browse magazines, stroll through stores, and crawl around websites taking note of ideas and looks that speak to you. Think about weddings you've attended as a guest and the wedding favors they gave out. Pay attention to any packaging you find especially appealing. It can go far in how happy you are with the finished gifts.
It's not really stealing anyway. It's more a scavenging for inspiration! It's a great idea to keep some notes or copy and paste pictures into a file to reference when deciding on your own favors.
They'll Eat Up Practical Favors
If you'd rather your wedding favors stick around longer than your guests' next spring cleaning, think practical. Want them to enjoy it rather than trash it or stick it on a shelf? Go edible. Though I'm sure you and your fiance are gorgeous, the hard truth is that nobody, besides your mother, want a coaster or coffee cup with your mugs smiling back at them from their drink.
Gifts that express your personalities or share a passion are great idea. If you're avid bikers or runners, for instance, personalized water bottles may be a good idea. Cake pops that bear some resemblance to your wedding cake or personalized candy bars are great edible options.
Never Enough of a Good Thing
Okay, maybe there can be enough, but better a few too many than not enough when it comes to wedding favors. If you're working on a budget, consider giving one favor per couple rather than each individual. Though you'll need one for every single person, one favor per couple can nearly half the number you need.
A good rule of thumb is to have ten extra for every hundred guests. This takes the stress out of the nearly inevitable occurrence of some getting lost or broken. Some guests are bound to take more than one and you'll want at least a few left over to keep for yourselves.
Going it Alone
While do-it-yourself wedding favors may seem like a fantastic way to save some bucks, don't forget the time commitment involved. Time and frustration saved might be well worth the extra expense, especially with everything else you're doing to plan you wedding while maintaining some semblance of a normal life.
Make sure too that you're adding up all of the elements involved. Hot glue guns and glue, each element, and any wrapping can add up to more than wholesalers can offer the same finished product for. On the other hand, if crafting is a de-stresser for you, go to town!
Don't Commit
No, I don't mean to call your wedding off! Don't commit to buying 200 wedding favors sight unseen. You may have found something that looks adorable on a website with a price that works with your budget, but until you have it in hand to inspect or taste hold off on dropping hundreds of dollars.
Some merchants offer free samples – take advantage of that to ensure you'll be happy with your wedding favors. Likewise, make certain to ask for a proof if you're ordering anything with personalization. You don't want to end up with a a bunch of favors that announce you're getting “varried.”
As-Sign Them
You'll obviously to busy to set your wedding favors out yourself. When you assign this task to someone, preferably someone you have confidence in, be sure they know exactly how and where you want them placed. You'll save yourself some headaches if you do one better than explaining and give them a picture as an example instead.
If you're leaving them on the tables or in one central place instead, make sure your guests are aware that they are meant to be taken. This can be achieved by placing a tags on each favor. Alternatively, you can put a nice framed sign that says simply “Please take a favor” or just a nice “Thank You.”
One final note: how much or how little you spend on your wedding favors is completely up to you. Traditionally, one to two percent of your total budget is relegated to favors. For instance, on a $10,000 wedding with one hundred guests, one or two dollars on each guest's favor would be customary. More important than cost though, is that you are happy with your favors and feel they are a token of thanks that represents your personalities and feeling.
Bryan Driscoll lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife and son. Bryan is the one who came up with the initial idea to create an event and wedding planning website. When he was planning his own wedding, he realized the difficulty in finding vendors that he wanted to be a part of his own wedding day. He brought the idea of an event and wedding website to Brad, and soon after, Make Some Plans was born. His background in SEO and internet marketing has birthed many of the creative ideas behind Make Some Plans.
Illustration 1: http://pinterest.com/pin/479140847826329335/
Monday, September 2, 2013
7 Tips To Planning Your Perfect Theme Wedding
Please enjoy this great guest post written for my blog by Kimberly Seeherman of Events By Fabulous.
#1 - Choose a theme that highlights your unique couple style.
The best themed weddings are those that say something personal about the bride and groom. Paris is a wonderful place, but it shouldn't be your wedding theme unless it’s a meaningful part of your history. In the planning process, I ask my clients to dig deep into their relationships for defining memories and shared passions. Whether it’s a kind of music, a special trip, or a fairytale romance, the successful execution of theme wedding starts with stories close to the heart.
#2 - Start with a detailed inspiration board.
Wedding clients are often overwhelmed with the amount of choices they have to make. A great way to get started in the planning process is to put all your ideas into one place, and literally see how the details come together. Pinterest is an amazing tool, but you can also go “old school” by building a wedding binder with picture clippings, color swatches and other materials that inspire you. Take time doing your research and building a collection of ideas, a detailed inspiration board is your road map to success.
#3 - Find the perfect setting for your story.
Finding the right venue is arguably the most important aspect of your theme wedding. You’ll need to find a place that works with your theme, not against it. The last thing you want to do is spend money covering up venue elements that don't work with your design plan. It’s important that you fully flesh out your theme concept and wedding budget before beginning the search for locations, so that you can make an educated decision that fits both your taste and financials.
#4 - Set the tone with a themed wedding announcement.
Stir your guest’s excitement by creating an interactive save-the-date or invitation that boldly represents the theme. Fun ideas I’ve recommended in the past included a pair of 3D glasses, a puzzle, a code to unlock a website, or a costume element for guests to incorporate into their wedding attire. Asking guests to dress up is a sure way to enhance the theme experience, as the guests become part of the theme concept.
#5 - Walk down the aisle in style.
When planning a theme wedding, you want to create a consistent experience throughout the entire affair, which of course includes the ceremony. Even if your service is held off-site or in a house of worship, make sure to incorporate elements that to tie your nuptials to the reception. Consider themed aisle décor, a colored carpet runner, a unique Bridal March and ceremony music or stylized wedding party attire.
#6 - Create a focal point for your themed space.
While the best-case scenario would be customizing each aspect of reception décor to your theme, that’s not a feasible solution for every couple, especially when budget is a factor. I always recommend creating at least one “wow-factor” within a space that really brings the theme to life. Then make sure that everything else in the room is neutral, as not to distract from that focal point. Whether you go with an awesome entrance piece, a custom stage, a themed vignette or specialty table-top design, spending your budget on a few choice theme elements is much better then a watered-down execution across the entire wedding design.
#7 - It’s all about the experience.
When creating a themed wedding, equally important as décor elements are the experiential aspects that transport guests into the realm of your imaginary theme. I always recommend focusing on arrivals, how guests are welcomed into the space. Unique concepts I’ve executed are themed methods of distributing table cards, or specialty entertainers that set the mood. Customization of Food & Beverage is another great way to incorporate theme, such as specialty cocktails with a look or a name relevant to the décor concept. Other ideas to consider are themed guest activities like a stylized photo booth that can also serve as a take home favor. Let guests leave with a symbolic piece of the party, and the magical experience of your theme wedding can live on far past the conclusion of the event.
#1 - Choose a theme that highlights your unique couple style.
The best themed weddings are those that say something personal about the bride and groom. Paris is a wonderful place, but it shouldn't be your wedding theme unless it’s a meaningful part of your history. In the planning process, I ask my clients to dig deep into their relationships for defining memories and shared passions. Whether it’s a kind of music, a special trip, or a fairytale romance, the successful execution of theme wedding starts with stories close to the heart.
#2 - Start with a detailed inspiration board.
Wedding clients are often overwhelmed with the amount of choices they have to make. A great way to get started in the planning process is to put all your ideas into one place, and literally see how the details come together. Pinterest is an amazing tool, but you can also go “old school” by building a wedding binder with picture clippings, color swatches and other materials that inspire you. Take time doing your research and building a collection of ideas, a detailed inspiration board is your road map to success.
#3 - Find the perfect setting for your story.
Finding the right venue is arguably the most important aspect of your theme wedding. You’ll need to find a place that works with your theme, not against it. The last thing you want to do is spend money covering up venue elements that don't work with your design plan. It’s important that you fully flesh out your theme concept and wedding budget before beginning the search for locations, so that you can make an educated decision that fits both your taste and financials.
#4 - Set the tone with a themed wedding announcement.
Stir your guest’s excitement by creating an interactive save-the-date or invitation that boldly represents the theme. Fun ideas I’ve recommended in the past included a pair of 3D glasses, a puzzle, a code to unlock a website, or a costume element for guests to incorporate into their wedding attire. Asking guests to dress up is a sure way to enhance the theme experience, as the guests become part of the theme concept.
#5 - Walk down the aisle in style.
When planning a theme wedding, you want to create a consistent experience throughout the entire affair, which of course includes the ceremony. Even if your service is held off-site or in a house of worship, make sure to incorporate elements that to tie your nuptials to the reception. Consider themed aisle décor, a colored carpet runner, a unique Bridal March and ceremony music or stylized wedding party attire.
#6 - Create a focal point for your themed space.
While the best-case scenario would be customizing each aspect of reception décor to your theme, that’s not a feasible solution for every couple, especially when budget is a factor. I always recommend creating at least one “wow-factor” within a space that really brings the theme to life. Then make sure that everything else in the room is neutral, as not to distract from that focal point. Whether you go with an awesome entrance piece, a custom stage, a themed vignette or specialty table-top design, spending your budget on a few choice theme elements is much better then a watered-down execution across the entire wedding design.
#7 - It’s all about the experience.
When creating a themed wedding, equally important as décor elements are the experiential aspects that transport guests into the realm of your imaginary theme. I always recommend focusing on arrivals, how guests are welcomed into the space. Unique concepts I’ve executed are themed methods of distributing table cards, or specialty entertainers that set the mood. Customization of Food & Beverage is another great way to incorporate theme, such as specialty cocktails with a look or a name relevant to the décor concept. Other ideas to consider are themed guest activities like a stylized photo booth that can also serve as a take home favor. Let guests leave with a symbolic piece of the party, and the magical experience of your theme wedding can live on far past the conclusion of the event.
About Us: Events
By Fabulous is an innovative event design and production company. Over
the past 10 years, we’ve established a reputation as a trendsetter in
the industry, creating cutting edge events for major brands and
celebrity clients alike. From extravagant social gatherings to national
brand campaigns, Fabulous takes a unique approach for each project,
striving to capture the identity of our clients in immersive event
experiences. From atmospheric design, to experiential marketing,
Fabulous provides a comprehensive range of event production services
including a la carte options such as lighting design, party rentals,
custom prop fabrication, and specialty entertainment.
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