Invitations

How To Plan a Beach Wedding

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A Beach Wedding is always a good idea as it gives you a feeling of warmth, serenity and peace. It is a wedding and a vacation coupled into one that you and your guests will definitely enjoy! In order to have a hassle and stress-free beach wedding, Here’s what you should take note of:

Wedding Planner

A wedding planner is ideal in every kind of wedding but they are needed the most in destination weddings such as beach weddings. It would be nice if the wedding planner that you booked is familiar with the beach that you are planning to have your wedding as they will easily be able to book the best resort and services that there is around the area. Also, the wedding planner will save you from the hassle of wedding planning and make sure that you will just smile and remember the moment on your wedding day. Wedding planners will also be able to foresee the possible problems that may occur on the day of your wedding and they will be prepared if anything happens.

Location Matters

This is the most important part of a beach wedding where you should consider both the beauty and accessibility of the said resort for your friends and family. When looking for the best resort or location, look for a place where you think will make your wedding the most memorable and enjoyable one. Don’t forget also to look at the weather for your ideal dates to make sure that you don’t get rained on your wedding day. We would like to see Mr.Sun out, don’t we?

Save – The – Dates?

Since you are considering to have a destination wedding, you may need to give your guests an early heads-up for them to be prepared for the trip physically, mentally and financially. As your wedding will somewhat serve as a vacation too, they may need to inform their company or office ahead of time to make sure that they will surely be able to attend your wedding. Ideally, save-the-dates should be sent at least a year prior to the wedding but sending it out 6 months before is okay too as long as you give your guests enough time to prepare.

Also, make sure that the wedding invite has a clear instruction on how to get to the beach wedding venue, the ideal route and the best time to travel. This is to give the guests an idea when they should leave in order to be at the wedding venue on time and not get lost.

Guests Travel and Accommodations

The engaged couple is usually not responsible for the guest’s airfare and hotel accommodation or the meals prior to the wedding. But, it is the role of the engaged couple to help them coordinate with the hotel and make arrangements. Ideally, a hotel block is the easiest and most cost-effective way of saving a lot of money for you and your guests to ensure that they will only have fun during the wedding celebration. You may ask your guests in advance if who are the ones who are confirmed to be going and if they would want you to be the one who will book the hotel for them.

Dress Code

The best part about beach wedding is that it gives off a very casual and care-free vibe and does not require an expensive piece of dress or gown. Of course it still depends on the both of you if you still want a formal dress code for your wedding or go for a more casual one but still looks classy. Whatever you set your mind to, don’t forget to include sample pictures of the type of dress code that you want for your wedding to avoid differences in the outfits of the guests. Take note to keep comfort in check as you are having your wedding outdoors, under the sun and on the beach (stilettos will definitely sink in the sand, right?) .

How To Downsize Your Wedding Guestlist (COVID-19 Edition)

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So many protocols have changed the way we interact these days. It has resulted to multiple cancelled public concerts, events and even important occasions such as weddings and birthdays. Sadly, as much as we want to invite everyone to attend the wedding of your dreams, we cannot invite everyone as we need to follow the safety and health protocols implemented in the country today. With that, we made a complete guide on how to downsize your wedding guestlist during this pandemic:

Decisions, Decisions

The only people who can decide whether to push through with the wedding is just you and your partner. The restrictions and protocols keeps on changing from cities to states to even countries. This might pressure you to decide fast in order to avoid another hassle when a new restriction is going to be implemented. This might be taxing for you and your partner but we definitely understand that you have waited far too long to be in each other’s arms.

The quicker you decide on downsizing your wedding, the better because it will allow for the necessary changes to set in place. Don’t forget to inform your wedding planner first before everyone else as she will be the one strategizing on how to maximize the wedding venue and how to make everyone enjoy with you even if they are not present. Also, the guests would love to know if they will be allowed to attend physically so that they can prepare what they needed ahead of time especially for those who needs to travel long distance just to get to the wedding.

Downsize your Guestlist

As much it is hard to decide which of your guests are the ones you should keep and those who didn’t make it to the list, the decision still needs to be made. Prior to starting the process make sure to take a deep breath and bring your focus on what you are planning and doing.

First things first, the immediate family (your parents, siblings and grandparents) of the both of you will definitely be the top 1 in your priority list. They are the ones congratulated you first on your engagement and they are the happiest in your upcoming marriage. Some partners only limits their wedding with their immediate family but if your venue is quite spacious and your state or country permits to add more as long as you will practice social distancing properly then you can add more to that list. You may choose to invite your closest friend and relatives who were witnesses of your love for each other.

Do not also forget to tick-off some people from the guest list including those plus ones, co-workers, friends you don’t connect with anymore and the guests or friends of your parents who you have no real connection with. Remember, your wedding is a day to celebrate the union between you and your partner, it should be worry and hassle-free.

Safety is Our Priority

At this point in time, everyone’s safety should be the priority. Rather than solely focusing on the wedding, you should also need to care for the safety of yourself, your family and even your guests. Like every other event, a wedding is still considered as a party too – but a special one. A party means that there will be a lot of dancing, alcohol and partying that will be happening. That would definitely make everyone excited but wait – think of the possible repercussions of your actions. The moment you hear that a guest contracted COVID, you will second guess if you have contracted the virus too, making your happiness overshadowed by worry and stress. That’s something we wouldn’t want to happen, don’t we?

Still, nobody can stop you if you want to continue with your wedding but make sure that you follow proper safety protocols and the limited numbers of guests according to the recommendation of the state or the country you were in. You may continue with the party but change some of the program flow which will require you or your guests to remove their mask. We want to celebrate the two of you but we also want everyone to go home safely!

Home Weddings: Dos and Don’ts

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With COVID-19 still a threat in the world today, many life events like weddings have taken a different course. Many couple opted to spend their weddings at the comfort of their home together with their close friends and family. Still, a wedding should be memorable even when it’s done at home. Here are some things you should take note of when planning a wedding:

Do: Still Hire a Team of Professionals

You may be planning to have your wedding at home but it is still an important event not only for you but also to your family. A wedding at home does not mean that you should just take the preparations for granted. It will still be a great idea to hire an experienced wedding planner to help arrange the whole wedding and remove a bulk of responsibility off your shoulder. There are many ways for an expert to beautifully décor your house and turn it into a different place that is intimate and unrecognizable. Most of the people who did home weddings usually use their backyard. It is not a bad idea as it has great space and it lessens the expenses.

Do: Consider Other Elements

Check the season of which you plan to do the wedding. Is it cold, snowy or even a warm and hot sunny day? The whole wedding planning also considers this as a factor as you may need to prepare more things if it’s going be on a cold season as you have to prepare heaters in advance to make sure that your guests will not get too cold. Knowing the date and season will also help the wedding planners to anticipate what could happen at such time and they will immediately be able to come up with a solution months before the wedding.

Do: Have a Catering Kitchen

We usually have one kitchen in our house but we don’t really want them to make a mess inside our house don’t we? Unlike wedding venues, they have a designated kitchen area for the caterers. Since you don’t have it at home why not make one? You may use your garage or driveway, whichever has a bigger space, to have them a good enough space to prepare the food while being away from the eyes of the guests. Wedding planners have all the connections that they need in order to provide you with the best caterers in town.

Do: Consider the Flow of Events

This isn’t something that a couple who is about to be wed is concerned about. However, hosting a wedding at the comfort of your home means that you have to make sure that you planned out every step and every flow of the wedding event – from the guests’ perspective. Think of where the guests will park their car, how they will get to your house and where will they go before the wedding ceremony starts. This will definitely put your creativity and patience to test.

Don’t: Forget to Check your City Rules

Different cities have different rules. You may need to check with your city if home weddings are allowed and if there restrictions or noise ordinances that may affect your celebration. You wouldn’t want a group of police to be dispatched at your home and ruin your wedding celebrations, wouldn’t you? Better do your research before doing anything. Also, it would be nice to send some courtesy to your neighbors that you will have a wedding party on a certain date for them to be aware that there will be a number of people who’ll be going to your home.

Don’t: Assume your Bathroom will Suffice

Not all houses have the luxury of having more than 2 bathrooms in their home. If you have more than 2, then you are probably lucky. Still, don’t think that your bathrooms will suffice for your guests. We better expect the unexpected in order to avoid any mishaps during the wedding day. If you are not so confident with the number of bathrooms you have and the capacity of your sewage system, then you should consider hiring a portable bathroom. It does not only saves you a lot of time from cleaning the  bathrooms afterwards, it also lessen the hassle for your guests in finding the bathrooms.

Don’t: Forget to put Good Lighting

You may have done the ceremony during daylight, but don’t think that the wedding proper will be finished any time soon as the program will only start after the ceremony itself. Don’t forget to invest on a good lighting especially in the evening to make the venue bright and lively. Also, light a path from the backyard to the front yard in order for your guests to not get lost and easily find their way when going in or out of the house.

Virtual Weddings

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Because of the pandemic, many wedding ceremonies were either delayed or was cancelled for the meantime. Some couples who still want to continue the ceremony even without the physical presence of their loved ones opted to host a zoom wedding instead. Not a bad idea, right? Especially if you have grandparents or relatives who are discouraged from going out. Here what zoom weddings are and what you should prepare if you are planning one.

Virtual Weddings

With so many restrictions in place by the government and COVID-19 still lingering around us, there are many celebrations that were put to a halt last year. The vaccinations for COVID-19 have started but many people were not able to get vaccinated yet as some are not recommended to have one, especially the elderly population. It is truly frustrating to not be able to share your happiness with the people who matter to you most like your friends, family and relatives. Nevertheless, distance will not matter for the people whom you love and who loves you. We planned out a simple guide to celebrate your wedding virtually and make the most out of it!

What You Need:

Unlike traditional wedding that needs a wedding planner, a virtual wedding only requires the following:

  • A working computer, phone, tablet that you could use.
  • A Zoom or any other account that does not have a time limit and a good platform which will allow guests to view the wedding hassle-free.
  • An officiant – this depends on the place or country of marriage. Some countries now offer a wedding ceremony via zoom while some still requires the presence of the couple. Better ask this in your local registry of marriage to have more information regarding this.
  • A photographer is still a must! Who doesn’t want to have their wedding documented? Even if they are not physically present with you, they are still celebrating together.
  • A marriage license – check with your local registry to find out more about how to obtain the marriage license especially during the present pandemic.

What You Need To Prepare:

Invite a few guests

Just because you are having a virtual wedding does not mean that you will need to limit the number of your guests too. Some states or countries allows at least 10 people with you during the ceremony. Those whom you want to invite but can’t be due to these restrictions may still join you via online platforms. So aside from yourself, your partner, the officiant and the photographer, you may still invite at least 6 more guests to join you in person.

Pick a meaningful place

The beauty of having a virtual wedding is you have a say on where you want to celebrate it. Whether it be on the suburbs or a forest, as long as there is cell service, you can go there. Some opted to celebrate in the comforts of their home but if you want to still have a unique experience for you and your guests you may look for a beautiful and meaningful place together with your partner. No matter what, make sure that there is adequate cell service with good hotspot or internet connection.

Keep the video call secure

Do not post the meeting ID or link of your wedding anywhere. As much as the internet is concern, hackers are everywhere. You wouldn’t want your wedding to be hacked by anyone, right? Instead of giving the meeting ID, why not give them a specific date and time of the ceremony, just give them the invite or link an hour before it starts.

Press the “Mute” button

Don’t forget to mute everyone before the ceremony starts as to provide an intimate and solemn ambience during the ceremony. This is also to avoid nuisance that may occur. You may easily do this especially if you are the host of the call.

Finding The Perfect Wedding Venue

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A wedding is a ceremony between two people who deeply loves each other and are one in marriage. Wedding traditions varies from one culture to another. Luckily, marriage ceremonies nowadays are evolving and are becoming more open to changes. Let us guide you into finding the perfect wedding venue for you and your partner:

Get a Wedding Planner

You might be wondering why the first thing you should do is to get a wedding planner? The reason is simple – wedding planners definitely make your wedding planning hassle-free. They will become your best friend throughout the planning process. Also, wedding planners have so much experience when it comes to weddings that they are much more familiar with the capabilities of a space, layout, time and the possible items that you will need to achieve your dream theme. They are able to share their creativity skills and brighten your wedding even more.

How to Choose A Wedding Venue

1. Dates – before choosing the best place for your wedding, the crucial part and the first thing you should check is to whether or not the venue you have in mind is available for the dates that you like. You should coordinate with your partner and decide together the date you want to set your wedding. If your heart is set on a particular date, open your mind to the possibilities that you may need to adjust the dates according to the availability of the venue that you want.

2. Price – knowing your budget is important as it will dictate whether or not you could afford the rent of the wedding venue of your choice. Wedding venues have varying prices for weekend and weekdays. If you are flexible, you may choose a weekday schedule to save more money and allocate it for food or the design of the venue.

3. Facilities – venues gave out their pamphlets which contains the facilities that the venue offers. You may also go through their websites to see the different people who had their celebration there and how they designed it. If you have time, it is so much better to visit each of the wedding venue you are eyeing. It will feel more personal, and you will have an idea on the vibe and ambience of the venue. Aside from looking at the aesthetics, you will also need to consider the less exciting parts of the venue. If you want a summer wedding, better check if the air-conditioning is working properly and a heater if it is a winter wedding. Choosing the best venue is important but you should also ensure that you, your partner and your guests are well-hosted and will enjoy the celebration. Other things you should ensure is:

  • Is it accessible for disabled people?
  • Is parking provided?
  • Is the location of the wedding venue accessible to all guests?
  • How many bathrooms are there and where are they?
  • How big is the room and is it sufficient for a dance floor or a band?
  • What are the restrictions of the venue about what can be done with its facilities?

4. Vendors, food/drinks and other services – did you and your partner already decided on the theme of your wedding? What kind of cake you would want or the type of food that will be served on your wedding day? Would you want a three-course meal or a buffet for your guests? Do you want to rent a bar or just a couple of wine of your own choice? As you get through the wedding process, you will slowly see all of the details coming together. You don’t need to get the caterers, or the partners of the venue and you may opt to look of a vendor of your choice. Many of the venues may enforce a minimum food and drinks budget so better coordinate with them regarding this.

5. Staffing and coordination – every venue has their own staff who would help during the preparation of the venue. Coordinate with them to know exactly what the venue provides and how many people would you need to hire to help out in the wedding. This also includes the staffs provided by the caterer, bar or other rental services. Having a better idea about this will lessen the time they needed to consume for preparation and will make the wedding process hassle-free.

What Is A “Wedding Planner Checklist” ?

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Congratulations on your engagement! We bet you are as excited as we were on this new milestone in your life. Planning a wedding may be fun and a bit overwhelming for you at first. Worry not, with enough time to plan and sort all the needed details for your dream wedding, it will definitely come true!

Wedding Planner

Do you always hear other people referring to a certain “wedding planner” to serve as the moderator and coordinator for everything that is related to the planning of the upcoming wedding? Ever wonder what do wedding planners really do?

Wedding planners are your gateway to find the best vendor referrals and contract negotiations that can execute your vision for your upcoming wedding. The wedding planners are the ones responsible for the behind-the-scenes of the wedding, making the planning as easy as possible. The wedding planner also takes into account the couple’s theme and also the budget. They are the best at what they do. Planning is a skill they gained from years of experiences from working under different companies or from planning their own events themselves.

Aside from planning, the wedding planners, upon request, can also share their design or styling services that can help in the creative specifics of your wedding day making it as unique as possible. Making them your stylist means that you don’t need to hire a wedding stylist which can help you save a lot of money.

Wedding Planner Duties

  • Spends about 80 to 250 hours in total in wedding planning.
  • Looks for vendor referrals and negotiates the contract according to the requests of the client.
  • Schedules and attend meetings with the vendors.
  • Created a detailed timeline and floor plans for the wedding.
  • Helps the client know their target budget and manage it.
  • Do site visits and menu taste test.
  • Shares ideas and brainstorm together with the client for the design details of the wedding.
  • Coordinates with hotel or resort booking and transportation of the guests and the entourage.
  • Plans a rehearsal for the wedding and manages it.
  • Oversees everything on the wedding day. Making sure that all vendors are coordinated and are able to come at the designated time.
  • Ensures that the couple’s vision will come true

Wedding Planner Checklist

Many people nowadays opted to hire a wedding planner just because they are busy with their jobs and don’t have time to plan every detail for their wedding. Some just want a smooth and hassle-free wedding that’s why they got a wedding planner. Whatever reasons you may have, it is your choice if you want to hire a planner or not. Still, you may need to know the timeline and checklist of a wedding planner.

12 Months

Before starting anything, the most important thing to do is determine your budget. You have to figure out who’s paying for what and how much you can shell out for your wedding. From there we can make a break down for the said budget and make your envisioned wedding possible. This breakdown will either go up or down as you go along with the planning. If you are planning your own wedding, better track your spending in excel.

I bet you and your partner plans to invite almost every person that pops in your mind. OF course, you cannot invite everyone right? When deciding your head count, always keep your budget in mind. Think of how much you are willing to spend to your guest and how many people will fit in your chosen venue. If you and your partner are going to share for the bills, always assume that you’ll get 70% of the invites, while 30% will split for both sets of parents. List down your potential guests then negotiate with each other who you both want to invite until you reach a final number of guests.

At this time, it is also recommended to think of whether or not you are planning to hire a wedding planner. Again, always think of your budget at the back of your mind.

Lastly, have an intimate talk with your partner and have a mutual decision regarding the theme of your wedding, the entourage, and the possible wedding venues that you have in mind. It is important to consider and respect each other’s vision of the wedding.

11 Months

Your wedding may be the best event that only happens once in your life. Make it even memorable by selecting the best caterer that fits your budget at the same time provides the best quality of food for you and your guest. Enjoy the menu tasting of each caterer and select the best!

Choose a color theme and slowly start thinking of the overall design of your wedding. Gather all the inspiration that you can get and draw your vision from these. Also, look for vendors who book up quickly such as photographer, band, DJ and videographer. Some vendors require almost a year of booking prior to the event as their services are wanted by many.

10 Months

Start looking for your dreamy wedding dress. You may or may not know exactly what type of wedding dress you want but going around different boutiques will help you find the best wedding dress for you. Next, start booking hotel or resort- room blocks for your guests. Some dates are popular and booking early will lessen the chances that you will have a problem with the bookings on your wedding date.

You already booked the photographer, why not schedule an engagement session since most of the photographers include this in their package. It will be memorable on your photobook. Lastly, start looking at invitations. Get inspiration from Instagram or from a movie you saw or another person’s wedding. You may even create your own design as you like.

9 Months

Buy your wedding dress. If last month it is all about looking, now you should have found “the one”. Also, this is the best time to make the wedding official by sending out “Save the date” invite which is different form a wedding invite.

8 Months

Bring your entourage and start the scheduling of fittings for your bridesmaids’ dresses.  Let them tell you what they want to wear and cater to it as long as its within your budget. Make sure that their dresses are not mismatched and are in sync with your chosen theme or color.

Look for potential florists. Flowers makes everything vibrant especially on a wedding. It creates different moods using different sets of flowers. It is important to find someone who can execute your vision well but fits your budget.

7 months

Schedule the rehearsal dinner and book the venue. You can also make it a family dinner at the same time to better know each-other’s family and make it as a casual celebration for your upcoming wedding.

At this time, you should have found and ordered rental items such as sound system, draping, linens, specialty chair, dance floor etc. That you may want to add on your wedding to make it even more fun.

Lastly, don’t forget to hire an officiant for your wedding. To make it more intimate, you can hire a relative or a close friend to do officiate the wedding.

5 months

5 months before the wedding, hire a lighting technician. It is the most important detail that some couples forget. Better lighting, especially at night, can make a difference for your wedding dinner and after-party.

Book the limo or specialty car that the newlyweds will use. If it does not fit your budget, you can opt to borrow a nice car from a relative or a friend.

Lastly, book your much-awaited honeymoon! This should be a surprise by the groom but of course, you can plan it together. After-all, the two of you will be the one to enjoy this vacation.

4 months

Begin your premarital counseling. Whether you came from a religious or non-religious background you are required to talk to a counselor to provide you with healthy conflict solutions that you can use in the future. Also, the Groom’s tuxedo should have been bought already. The tuxedo should be tailor-made and flattering when worn by the groom.

You should also be done with the final menu tasting and should have chosen and ordered your wedding cake. You and your partner should agree on what flavor you want for your wedding cake.

Lastly, don’t forget to buy your wedding rings! This is the second most important during the wedding and should not be confused with the engagement ring.

3 months

Finally, Order the invitations for your upcoming wedding. Make sure to carefully check each name and details to avoid confusion and error in the invitations.

Write your vows for your wedding. This can take a lot of time so do it ahead of time while you still have 3 more months. You can ask for help when writing the vow. Make sure that it is unique as possible.

Select the bible verses that you want the readers to read during the wedding proper. Also, meet with the officiant at this time and invite him or her to the rehearsal dinner. Make sure that the officiant is aware of the specifics of the wedding and how you want the ceremony to go.

2 months

Start sending out the wedding invitations with the reservations due a month before the wedding. Also, send-out rehearsal dinner invitation to the family of the groom and bride.

This is the time for dress fitting! Last minute changes or alterations should be done two months prior to the wedding. Also, don’t forget to pick-up your marriage license. Different states have different requirements so better ask for these before going to getting your marriage license.

Give selections of your favorite songs to the band or DJ and choose the song you want for the ceremony itself.

1 month

Don’t forget to pay all of the vendors in full. Create a seating chart to balance the relationships, egos and potentials of your guests seating together. Make sure to have a final walk-through with the venue and there are no problems with it.

Final week!

Congratulations! After months of planning, your wedding will finally happen in a few days. Take a deep breath and smile because you deserve it! During the final week, focus on yourself. Pamper yourself by getting a massage, go to the salon, get your eyebrows done or go to a waxing salon.

If your honeymoon is scheduled immediately after your wedding, better prepare your bags now because you will be very busy on your wedding day. Practice your vows out loud to release all the tension and increase your confidence when saying it to your partner during the ceremony.

We hope you enjoy the whole process of planning your dream wedding! Feel free to use or follow our checklist and modify it according to your taste.