Take Me Out to The Ball Game

I am a huge Atlanta Braves fan and now that baseball season is here, besides wedding planning, you can find me watching the Braves. One of my first out-of-town trips with my now husband was to Atlanta to go to a Braves game… and in fact, that’s where we went again to celebrate our first anniversary last year! (On a side note, I’m headed to Atlanta this weekend for my matron of honor’s baby shower… and I checked, hoping their was a Braves game and unfortunately, they’re on the road)

Atlanta 2009

Atlanta 2012

Some people love sports so much, they incorporate that in to their weddings. So with baseball season underway, I wanted to share some ways you can incorporate the love of the diamond (the one with 4 bases) into your big day.

Have guests sign a bat instead of a guest book

Baseball Cufflinks

Baseball-themed Wedding Invitation

New York Mets Garter

Candy Trays

Table Numbers

Petals Down The Aisle

If it within your budget, instead of using a traditional aisle runner, consider having flower petals instead!  These are just a few creative designs that I have Google’d.  DollarTree.com also sells packs of silk flower petals (300 count per bag)… at you guess it… for $1.  You can get various colors on sites such as Amazon.com, WalMart.com, etc.

Is a Destination Wedding Right For Me?

Local wedding vs. Destination wedding

In this day and age, the traditional “get married in a church” is almost out in space. Lately, couples have expanded their imaginations and choose to wed elsewhere. Some choose to have their ceremony in the park, at a hall, or on the beach. Some venues now include both a ceremony and reception as a package. The preference is all personal, and what you feel most comfortable in doing.

The bigger most popular choice is having a destination wedding. There are many pros and cons in choosing this. From having a sweet vacation w/ close family and friends and still sharing your special day, to saving money by combining everything in the package. Below is a quick summary of Pros and Cons as to deciding whether or not a destination is fit for you.

Pro: A Complete Package

Many resorts and tourism organizations offer great package deals.  This can include a complimentary on-site wedding consultant who will help you coordinate all of the ceremony essentials (cake, food, décor, obtaining a marriage license and officiant, etc.) At the end of the day, all you really have to do is show face! The consultant will do everything for you, while discussing with you of course. You may also add in some activities for you and your guests such as, sightseeing, zip lining, scuba diving or snorkeling excursions, sports, or shopping. If your resort has a spa onsite, schedule a spa day!

Con: Not physically being there to plan the wedding.

Planning long distance can be a very difficult task for many. Unless you have the money to keep the traveling, staying home, sitting back and watching it happen while depending on others can be stressful. If you are not getting married at a resort, you have to do everything yourself. From finding local vendors (there may even be language barriers) to handling the legal paperwork. Not seeing what your day will look like in front of you is like replacing a pro athlete in a game and hoping he is can be as good as them.

Pro: Avoiding confrontation with the invites.

Most destination weddings are usually a smaller, more intimate ceremony. With that being said, you don’t need to feel “forced” to invite a distant cousin/friend, their boyfriend, mother & father. You don’t have to invite your co-workers who you don’t socialize with outside of work. I suggest only including your closest family and friends. When I say that, make sure you include your parents, grandparents – and go from there. As far as friend, invite those closest to both you and your spouse.

Con: Family Members and Friends You Love May Not Be There

Particularly for far-away locations, some guests may not be able to attend due to the expense, or the difficulty of getting time off of work. Older guests may not be able to travel so far away from home. Talk to those who are truly essential before you book tickets and send invitations. On the plus side, you’ll have far more time to spend with the guests who come to a destination wedding than those who come to a more traditional wedding.

Pro: Saving money with a smaller reception

Spending a luxurious wedding weekend in a dramatic location can often cost less than a seated dinner at a nice location. Destination Wedding Etiquette calls for the bride and groom to pay for the hotel rooms, food and most of the guests’ expenses. Guests pay for their own airfare. If money is an issue, look to domestic locations or countries with a favorable exchange rate, and consider keeping the guest list small.

Con: Some of your loved ones may not be able to afford to travel that far

Again, talk to those who are truly essential before you’ve made the final decision on your destination wedding location. Consider paying for some of your guests’ airfare, and look into group discounts through travel agents.

 

Those are just a few thoughts to consider. Also, if you are already going away, will you be getting a honey moon? If not, how will you and your spouse enjoy each other more intimately? With all your guests around, you both may not have the privacy you want.

 

If you are having a destination wedding, will it be n the beach in the Caribbean islands? Or in a European garden? Both are just beautiful! If you’re haviing it on the beach, think about the kind of attire you should wear. Don’t wear a traditional heavy dress, and suits. Wear something light but still keep it simple and elegant. Try something different, don’t go for what everyone else usually goes for. Go for what will make you smile!

So you think you’d like to take the risk of a destination wedding?

Unique Wedding Venue in the Lowcountry

Old Sheldon Church near Yemasee, SC is a beautiful historic location that is often overlooked. It’s a beautiful place…. and very unique…

 

The church was burnt down in 1779 and again in 1865. This bellicose history is in stark contrast to its serene calm today. Visitors can wander the beautiful grounds and adjoining cemetery. The church is the property of the Episcopal diocese, but anyone may be married there.

The grounds even have an old water pump which STILL works!

Whether it is for a wedding or not, a visit to Old Sheldon Church is certainly worthwhile.

 

(SOURCE: http://savannahweddingminister.wordpress.com)

Planning Your Outdoor Wedding

Even though right now isn’t ideal to have a wedding outside since winter has just started, it’s still pretty popular to get married and party outside during the rest of the year.. Here’s some things to keep in mind if you are planning an outdoor wedding…

The Perfect Holiday Wedding

Holiday weddings are truly spectacular. Many bride and grooms choose to get married in their favorite element, which is often snow! There is something beautiful and cheerful about the holidays and snow. There are many reasons to have a holiday wedding too! First, you save money on decorations at numerous venue locations as they are already decorated for the holidays. Second, it’s a great time to have a wedding if you know out of town guests will be in town for the holidays.

Mark Parsons Photography

Take the time to add fun and special wintertime and/or holiday details to your wedding like an all white wedding, or giving throw blankets as favors, and serving hot buttered rum as specialty drink. If you want over the top, have an ice sculpture with fake snow in a room with dripping chandeliers, and don’t forget the bling!

 

Source: Pinterest

Want your cake to sparkle plus taste amazing? Order a white frosted sugar cake with each layer a different festive holiday flavor like, rum cake with a cheesecake filling, spice cake with a creamy cinnamon filling, and classic dark chocolate cake with a cranberry sauce filling, yum! Lots of candles will not only create a romantic atmosphere but also a cozy atmosphere, so choose a venue that allows candlelight and maybe a fireplace. Wintertime wedding dresses are so much fun to find, because you can actually wear the new trend of sleeves and will feel comfortable and not hot, like summer brides must face with this latest wedding trend.

Remember to take a few of these wintertime issues into consideration when planning your wedding. First, consider the weather, does it snow mostly every winter season where you live? Second, flights are more likely to be canceled during the winter months, remember that for out of town guests. Many of your friends could be out of town visiting their family around Christmas time, so remember to send a save the date cards as soon as you are engaged.

Enjoy planning your holiday wedding; it’s a fun time to get married!  For some ideas, be sure to follow TLC Events on Pinterest.. and check out some of our Winter Wedding Pins!

Source: Pinterest

Reblogged from MEGA Weddings & Events

Autumnal Wedding Ideas

With the night’s drawing in and the Autumn weather bringing out the jackets, gloves and scarves, I thought it a great time to focus on the pleasures of this beautiful season and how you can incorporate this into your wedding day.

Now, I am a summer girl deep down – I love the sunshine, the heat, being outside,  going barefoot, sitting on the beach … but fall is such a beautiful time of years with the change of colors and the weather here in the South is still warm during the day before cooling off in the evenings.

‘Fall’ing in love…

I’m thinking…..open fires, long walks on a beautiful crisp sunny day kicking up the autumn leaves, followed by a roast dinner and a pint at the pub in front of a roaring log fire.  Bonfire night and all it encompasses – mulled wine, roast chestnuts, hog roasts, bonfires, fireworks and sparklers.  Hearty warm stews with fresh crusty bread.

Autumn Wedding Love

The autumn months are a great time to get married.  If you’re getting married in the south, most you may consider having your wedding & reception outside but some decide to move the party indoors after the “I Do’s” because it begins to cool off.  The abundance of color with the changing leaves and autumnal skies makes for amazing backdrops to your photographs.  And work with the seasons, incorporate flowers that are in season such as gerbera, roses, hydrangeas, dahlias and the beautifully rich red mango calla lillies to create a striking colourful look.

TLC Event’s Autumn wedding ideas:

• Serve mulled wine at your drinks reception instead of champagne – saving you money and warming your guests on a cold day!
• Mini-toffee apples are a fun idea to serve on your dessert table or for the young ones in your wedding party
• Hold a fireworks display or have guests release flying lanterns into the sky to create a dramatic send off at the end of the night
• If your venue doesn’t allow fireworks or lanterns, why not give sparklers to each guest to create to create a walkway of light for your send off.
• Use autumn flowers that are in season to help keep the costs of your flowers & decorations down
• Why not serve a hog roast for your evening buffet – perfect for venues that have an outside area with patio heaters!

What are you planning to have at your Autumn wedding? We’d love to hear your ideas!

Don’t forget to check out our latest board about Autumn Weddings on Pinterest!

Josh & Stee Say “I Do!”

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

Stee: Having a fiance’ in Afghanistan probably helped me the most in planning for the big day due to all the new free time I had. I was able to work on wedding stuff throughout the weeks and weekends when I would usually be spending time with my now new husband. I was able to spend large amounts of time researching everything from flowers to koozies.  I also had a great friend who helped me through the whole process as well. She was definitely the biggest help on my wedding day because she knew the end and outs of everything. She knew exactly what I wanted and how I wanted it, which made everything less stressful.

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

Stee: It’s hard to say the most important thing about choosing vendors, I can narrow it down to 3 things. Word of mouth helped me a lot in choosing my vendors. I asked my friends who they used, what they liked and disliked, and then researched them from myself. Professionalism was also very important. When I was calling around to meet with different florist, I ran into two that didn’t even return my call….very unprofessional. And the last thing, which could be the most important, was the connection I felt. All of my vendors were very down to earth and easy to talk to. I found that some almost became family during the planning, which made the planning go by very smoothly.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

Stee: Ultimately my favorite thing about my wedding was being with both my friends and family as well as my husband’s. I don’t think the opportunity will ever arise for us all to be together again, so I cherished this time of togetherness.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

Stee: The best piece of advice I could give to other brides would be to be organized. Buy one of those big binders and keep everything you can in it. Wedding planning is hectic, and I felt like this gave me some piece of mine. I felt very accomplished when I could check things off of my checklists.  Mine has dates of wedding shows I attended, vendors I liked, and pictures taken throughout the planning. It really turns out to be an amazing keepsake.

 

Unity Wedding Ideas

Unity Sand

The sand is such an awesome keep sake! You can display this anywhere in your home. There are so many things you can do with the unity sand… such as putting it in a shadow box with your initials and wedding date etched in the glass. I have also seen couples putting their favorite wedding photo in a shadow box with their unity sand in the background. There are many great ideas on pinterest!
Here are some I found and loved:



PS: If you are not engaged yet, think about this if your fiance proposes on a beach! Grab the sand 

Unity Knot or Braid

If you are the couple who isn’t into the cocktails, sand, or the “norm”, than try this unity braid. You and your love bird can each go with one of your wedding palette colors or just your two favorites!

Unity Cocktail

Cocktail: I love the idea! WOW! I saw on “Four Weddings” this couple who did the unity cocktail. The bride perfected a watermelon sour (red tint) and the groom went with a (blue) blueberry lightening. When they shook the drink it created such a beautiful purple color. I love the sweet symbolism of the colors changing when mixed together! It went over very well and the guests response was priceless. They all knew the party would begin soon after the ceremony!

Wine: The couple mixed their favorite vintage wine creating such a sweet wine! I don’t think you can go wrong with wine (besides maybe an accidental spillage… It is so classy and elegant!

Unity Stones

Make sure and leave a sign instructing the guests on what to do. This way you will get your stones back, and the couple can display the stones in their new home!

Unity Candle

This is the most popular out of them all, but I loved to find out there are many things a couple can do to unify them in a wedding ceremony. Anything that can make a couple celebrate more of who they are on their wedding day is very much appreciated and respected! And look, you can even get them personalized!

   

Reblogged From: Two Birds One Stone

5 Things To Keep In Mind On Your Wedding Day

Brides are always talking about their wedding plans and what’s included leading up to the big day, but sometimes the *actual* wedding day is overlooked, and you know what? All that planning and talking about weddings is FOR the wedding day! DUH!

There are a few things that I realized that no one really ever tells a bride and it’s important details.  So of course now I’m taking it upon myself to be the one to tell you all things that you should know about your for your wedding day!

1. Everything will not go completely according to plan. Even though there is a plan, not everything is going to be exactly according to it. Chances are though, you won’t know about it (unless you don’t have a wedding planner), and it’s going to be amazing no matter what. 

2. Chances are that it might rain (or snow or hail or whatever). Even though we try to predict it, ultimately,weather is unpredictable. This is why there are backup plans, and your wedding day will NOT be ruined! And hey- it’s good luck for it to rain on your wedding day.

3. If you’re having a large wedding, chances are good that you might need to take a breather and just get away from all the people for a few minutes. A good way to “excuse” yourselves from the party is to sneak away with your photographer for some portraits for a few minutes.

4. Have an extra pair of *comfortable* shoes. This is definitely a must for those of you wearing fabulous heels. I know plenty of brides that bring along their Rainbow sandals to change into for comfort.  I myself had a cute pair of Chuck Taylors in baby pink to switch into. Unless you’ve worn your heels for months and are 100% confident that you won’t be waddling by the end of the night, it won’t hurt to have a pair of tried-and-true shoes that you know you’ll be comfortable in. You don’t think of it right off the bat, but you’re going to be on your feet for at least 4 hours- possibly even up to 10! Give the shoes to your planner to have for you at the reception.

5. This last one sounds silly, but it’s true. Stick to your normal drink. It doesn’t matter if it’s Bud Light, wine, vodka, whatever.  Try the signature drink, but if you’re not used to it, don’t drink it all night.  I actually thought I would be cool and try to drink my sweet signature drink all night, and it ended with me not feeling so hot on my wedding night.