Wedding Reception Seating

Figuring out the guest seating arrangements for your wedding reception may be one of the items on your to-do list you have been putting off for a while. Seating is one of the items I almost always must beg my brides to work on with me. It really is not so very hard to figure out what to do. So, to help you get started here is a easy how-to guide on getting it together.
Easy as 1,2,3
1. Draw your floor plan with all of your tables placed in the arrangement you have decided on.
2. Number each table-this helps you group your guests together by table number. And also helps the venue staff set out the appropriate number of place settings at each table. You write in the number of guests at each table for the staff to follow when setting up.
3. Assign each guest a table number based on how many guests can sit at a table, and whom you would like to seat together. Guests pick up their escort card (at the escort card table you have set-up conveniently located right outside of the dinning area). If you are also using place cards-all you have to do is write on a piece of paper each table number and the names of each guest who you have planned to sit at each table. Then simply place the place card for each guest at the table and seat you have assigned.
Piece of Cake!

Selecting a Wedding Professional

There are so many different names that can be used to described how I work with my brides. Day-Of Coordinator, Wedding Planner, Wedding Consultant. It can be a little difficult as a bride to know exactly what type or how much service you really need. And also as difficult to know what kind of person you are looking for to fill this very important role. I'm going to try and help you with this.
First, you are looking for someone to work with who has both ability and professionalism. Ability comes with experience, personal education in the wedding industry, and desire to do a job well done. You can determine a wedding professionals ability pretty fast. Does she return your phone calls or emails promptly? Does she have supporting materials to offer you about the quality of her work? Materials like service listings for you to review, or hand written notes of thanks from previous brides. Does she belong to a professional organization that offers education?
Professionalism shows thru with her manner. Is she kind and courteous? Does she dress appropriately? Does she take the time to talk with you about your needs and what she can do for you? This is a business about helping people. Helping brides have one of the most wonderful and memorable experiences of their lives. A true professional gets that, and considers it a pleasure to work with you and help you plan and execute your perfect wedding.

Next, determining the level of service you need can be a little confusing, so here are some general descriptions:
Wedding Day-Of Coordinator- Should meet with you at least once before your wedding. And the meeting should be held at your venue. All of your planning should be reviewed as well as all of your vendor contracts. You are looking for guidance to get everything wrapped up for your wedding day. Your coordinator should place your vendor follow-up calls for you and prepare your wedding day itinerary. Also a timeline for all of your service providers. On your wedding day your Day-Of Coordinator should be prepared to manage your entire event from start to finish.

Wedding Planner - Will work with you from the beginning of the planning process. Starting with preparing a budget, scheduling and meeting with vendors, putting together a calendar for you to follow, helping you with design and decor for your event, and putting together everything needed to make your wedding day a success. I offer my brides complete wedding planning and partial wedding planning. That way the bride can decide how involved she would like to be in the planning process. Each service has a specific price attached to it, and specific items to be carried out throughout the planning. But the wedding day remains the same for all service levels. And your Wedding Planner should do all of the things mentioned as a Day-Of Coordinator's responsibility. A wedding Planner will also be there the entire day of your wedding to manage your event.

Wedding Consultant-Will meet with you, typically in two hour time frames to offer guidance, suggestions, planning advice and vendor referrals for you to contact. You plan as many meetings as you need-I suggest at least three during the entire planning process. This is perfect for the DIY bride, because it is a great way to save time. And when you save time, you also save money. A wedding Consultant can keep you on track, answer questions, help you solve problems, and generally make planning your wedding much less stressful. It is very helpful to receive guidance from a professional who knows what to expect and what needs to be done. The Consultant does not attend your ceremony or reception on the day of your wedding.
I hope this post helps in some way. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will respond with an answer for you.
Regards,
gwp

Wedding & Personal Stationery

Here is a partial view of the stationery display in the studio. I found the black shutters at an antique market. Glued black fabric to the back, and added the glass knobs to make them a bit more frou-frou.

Makes for a nice way to display the stationery I design.

I began working on stationery so I could give my brides a much more personal wedding suite than what we could find at the typical stationery stores in Birmingham. Designing stationery has turned out to be something I love to do-almost as much as designing and planning weddings.

And since I have a shop now, I have expanded to offer party invitations, birth announcements and personal stationery.

gwp

Halloween Fun!

Halloween! One of my favorites! I love to work with Halloween decorations. Here is one of the window displays in the studio. I pulled the twigs out of my compost pile and painted them plack. Placed them in the flower bucket, and hung the cutie-pie favor boxes and cards on the branches. Added the sparkly silver voltives, and the orange glitter stands, and well you can see the rest for yourself.
gwp

Open House

We had so much fun yesterday at our Open House!

We are located in Bluff Park, Alabama. Saturday was the day for the annual Bluff Park Art Show, so we decided this would be the perfect day to hold our Grand Opening. I share the space with an Interior Designer, so we have lots and lots of fabulous home decor and accessory items.

I hope you enjoy the photos!

gwp

Consider a Vineyard for your Wedding & Reception

This past weekend Harry and I took a short trip thru the Alabama Wine Trail. I wanted to get a few new ideas for wedding and reception locations to offer my brides. There are several reasons why vineyards are a good choice for weddings and receptions:
1. Very cost effective. These venues offer a lot of bang for your buck.
2. Beautiful, scenic, rural settings. If you like natural surroundings and prefer an outdoor wedding-these venues are perfect for you.
3. This one is obvious-but, alcohol is permitted. If you hold your wedding at a church location, but want to offer cocktails at your reception-a winery is perfect.
4. They offer a charming, relaxed atmosphere for your special day.

There are 7 vineyards in Alabama that are part of the Wine Trail. We visited 3.
The first stop for us was at Ozan Vineyard & Cellars, located in Calera, Alabama. This vineyard is lovely. With very nice accomodations for a wedding and reception. They have a wine tasting room, and offer a boxed lunch and free wine tastings on Saturdays. This is a great way to preview a site. Everyone was nice and friendly, and they can accomodate about 100 guests comfortably. http://www.ozanwine.com/.
Our second stop was at a much smaller vineyard named Vizzini Farms Winery, located in Calera, Alabama. They also offer free wine tastings-plus tours of the winery. I found the staff there to be pleasant, helpful and knowledgable about events. This venue is a bit smaller than the others, and I would suggest using this winery for parties or very small weddings or receptions. http://www.vizzinifarmswinery.com/.
Our last stop for the day was at Morgan Creek Vineyards, located in Harpersville, Alabama. This winery is the most beautifully landscaped. A bit of a fairytale feeling as you approach. They have thought thru the details-and it shows. We tasted wine, toured the winery, and had a great time. This venue is perfect for a wedding and reception. Everyone there is nice, knowledgable and service oriented. http://www.morgancreekvineyard.com/.

gwp

How Do You Feel About Children At Your Wedding?

Wow! What a question. But, the answer I typically receive from the brides I work with is a very strong yes or no! Let's explore this issue. On the one hand you would like your entire family at your wedding. On the other hand you would like to maintain a level of sophistication fitting your wedding. Hm...Could there possibly be a middle ground? I think so. I love children. I love to see children at weddings. So very cute and proper in their little dresses or tiny suits. How can you not love that? But, I know that a few of you out there do not. So here is a way to have your entire family with you to celebrate your big day, and have the fabulous, sophisticated wedding you have always dreamed of having.
First, Hire a babysitter for your wedding-and let your guests with children know when they receive their invitation, that a babysitter is available for the wedding ceremony, and that you very sweetly suggest that they allow their children to frolic and have fun while under the care of a loving adult hired specifically for the occasion. I would suggest a card printed with this gentle suggestion included as part of your wedding suite.
Of course, these same children should be included in the reception festivities if their parents would like. For some parents, having a babysitter for an entire evening of adult fun is enough to make them line up to RSVP to your wedding. But, unless you are having a plated dinner served by a Waite staff, I would include the kids. Or at the very least, let their parents decide whether or not they would like their toddlers to join the reception.
So what do you do if several children are joining your reception? I would make sure there are plenty of nibbles that the kids will enjoy. Finger food is the answer here. And you will have that without doubt-so the children will be taken care of. I would have a little special lemonade or punch drink made up just for fun for the children. And I would have special treat bags made up for the children. Treat bags filled with age appropriate toys, games and treats to keep them happy and having fun at your wedding.
One final thing. I would suggest any photos that you would like of your sweet niece or nephew, are taken very early on during your reception. Children grow tired fast. And you will end up with your best photos if taken while they are still happy and alert during the evening.
Here are a few fun things I've put together before to keep the children happy and entertained:
1. Big boxes of popcorn. So very simple, but so well loved.
2.Favor table just for the kids, with dishes of candy they can scoop out into bags and take with them. Funny, adults like this also.
3. Coloring pages I have photo copied along with blank paper and crayons strewn about a kiddie table.
4. Make the candy, popcorn, crayons, etc., the decoration for this table. Totally decadent for the children. They love it.