From Ring To Veil | Wedding Planning Podcast

Wedding themes can be so fun.  We've come up with a few that we think are perfect for the upcoming year.  We've included all the things from invitations to exits!  Alice and Wonderland   You can go 2 ways with an Alice in Wonderland themed wedding.  Soft pastels with a tea party theme or go the Queen of Hearts way and make it bold with black, white and red.  Tea Party  Pre Wedding  Invitations - You are invited to a tea party!  Ceremony Dress, hair, makeup Pale Blue  Top hat for guys  Bows  Three-piece suit  Boutonnieres with watches or keys  Pocket watches  Décor and flowers Again blue  White  Soft colors  Tea party setting with books, tea cups possibly hanging  Lots of lights  Clocks   Signage with sayings from the book  Cheshire cat smiles  Hats   Keys  Seating Perfect place for loungers, couches, ornate chairs.    Reception  Food and drink and cake  Cupcakes in teacups or on saucers, maybe decorated to look like mushrooms  Drip cakes with incorporated blues  Tea Cakes  Finger sandwiches  Traditional

Guest Book Ideas – Episode #149  Guest books have changed a lot over the years.  Traditionally it was a book that your guests signed for the testimony of those in attendance to the covenant of the marriage.  But we've moved away from that ledger type book and into some more creative and fun ways for our guest to record their attendance.  Ideas:  Time capsule  Polaroid guest book  Cards Against Humanity guest cards  Guestbook Monogram sign  Puzzle pieces  Wedding quilt guestbook  Guestbook bench  Word find guestbook  Christmas wedding- Christmas tree balls  Message in a bottle  Marriage advice card- although don't take some personally you will get some jokers and trolls in the mix  Wishes or Words of Wisdom  Map or globe guest book-have guest either sign it or pin where they are coming from.  Wood Slices  Rocks  Circle words in a dictionary and sign next to  it  Bible – highlight passages  Shadow boxes – corks, wood pieces  Mad Libs  Idea book – date nights, how to make-up, dinners...  A guest box instead of a

This week we share a few fun ideas for your wedding.  Unconventional but fun things you can do to make your wedding stand out.   Episode #87 Ideas:  Add adornments to the bathroom.   DIY watercooler bar.   Mimosa bar for a morning or brunch reception.  Pamphlets making fun of your own wedding.  - How to not fall asleep during the ceremony  A special coloring book just for the kids.  "Awkward family photo" wedding photo or engagement photo! Have people sign it for you "guest book"  Audience cue cards during the ceremony. An ice cream truck. A cake buffet. For an outdoor wedding, instead of having tables, set up picnic blankets. 10-foot-long banana split.  Luxe Reception Lounge Reception Ushers Standout Escort Cards Thoughtful (and Useful) Favors Episode #35  Child Care Show-stopping exit Awesome Midnight/late night snacks Surprise guests Give each reception table a name Give your toss flowers to the couple married the longest. Ask them to share a few words of wisdom with the crowd. "Guilty pleasures" food sta

Giveaway Winner Nov 17

GIVEAWAY! Planning a wedding can be a very stressful. So share these tips with your wedding guests so that they can be an awesome wedding guest! RSVP ASAP. RSVP "officially". Share your dietary requirements. Bring a gift. Arrive on time. Unless there is a special tradition, gifts should be from the registry or cash/check. Dress appropriately.Which also means don't wear white.  Check before you ask. Don't expect that you can bring a plus one. Please don't assume kids are invited. Put the electronics away during the ceremony, especially if you are asked to. Don't talk during the ceremony and speeches. Don't go to the bathroom unless it's an emergency, during the ceremony. Keep the convo with the newlyweds  Drink Responsibly. Dance if you can. Eating during the speeches and toasts is a no-no unless otherwise invited to eat.  Wait until the cake is cut before you leave. Please don't pop the question at a wedding. Respect the bridal suite, don't invite yourself in. Treat the venue with respect. Mail your gift asa

2018 Wedding Trends - Episode #146  DON'T FORGET OUR GIVEAWAY! Wedding trends, they come they go. Here are a few that are coming and going. We even have some that we didn't even know were trends.   Trends that are coming up  Millennial Pink  Capes and Caplets  Feathers  Long Veils  Black – hints of blacks in décor, trimming on dresses  Mega trains  Edison bulbs  Hand Fasting ceremonies  Macramé  Dripped Cakes  Statement shoes  Backyard garden weddings   Neon Signs and light boxes  Stop motion videos  Mobile bars  Nontraditional jewelry  Picnics at the table  Comfort food  Veils are getting an update with ingenious styling tricks. Sachin & Babi showed two options: wrapped around the neck to double as jewelry, or worn across the shoulders like a modern shawl.  Gloves  Elaborate beading  Ice Cream trucks   Trends that are no longer trends  Flower Crowns  Naming drinks  Bouquet and Garter Toss  Rustic boho  Garlands on tables  Large Bridal parties  Huge bouquets  All White weddings  Chalk signs  Gadsby s

Today we want to give you some ideas for a holiday wedding.  From Thanksgiving to New Years we cover them all.  DON'T FORGET THE GIVEAWAY *We totally skipped Halloween!  Christmas-  Traditional-  Colors-Red, White, and Green  Décor-Holly, evergreens, pine cones, candlelight,   Flowers-Poinsettias, carnations, roses, amaryllis, Lilies  Decorate with Christmas trees for your ceremony area- add red, white and green traditional ornaments, Christmas lights.  Christmas wreaths are also a good idea for the ceremony area, you can also add them to entry and exit doors.  Reception tables-  Casual setting- evergreen runner with red and white flowers tucked into it,   Or fabric runner with poinsettias in middle of table with candles of course

We felt that we had to discuss these posts that have gone viral. Parents and weddings can bring out the best and worst! Mother Writes Offensively Tone-Deaf Letter About Her Daughter’s Wedding, Becomes Internet Villain  Daughter’s friend being in wedding: My 27-year-old daughter and her best friend, Katie, have been best friends since they were 4. Katie practically grew up in our house and is like a daughter to me. My daughter recently got engaged to her fiancé and announced that Katie would be the maid of honor (Katie’s boyfriend is also a good friend of my future son-in-law). The problem is that Katie walks with a pretty severe limp due to a birth defect (not an underlying medical issue). She has no problem wearing high heels and has already been fitted for the dress, but I still think it will look unsightly if she’s in the wedding procession limping ahead of my daughter. I mentioned this to my daughter and suggested that maybe Katie could take video or hand out programs (while sitting) so she doesn’t ruin t

We received a listener email with lots of wedding planning questions! Thank you for that.  Also, we talk Kids and weddings. ***Listener Question*** Hi, ladies! Love listening to your podcast during my commute to work! I got engaged about a month ago and it is probably time to start planning. I have some questions I wanted to ask: How much should I budget for a day of coordinator? Would you know if there would be cost differences pending month for the reception? Possibly between Oct to March? If a winter wedding, when do you suggest the bride and bridesmaids should start shopping to jump on discount deals? Do wedding dress sellers participate in Black Friday? I live in VA and pending price of venue, I am considering DC or Richmond to have the reception. Are you familiar with any venues you can recommend that will fit about 200? Best Anna ***Kids and weddings*** Check out episode #133  Decide on whether you want kids at your ceremony and/or reception. If you decide you do not want kids at either your ceremony a

Wedding Guest Complaints   ACCOMMODATIONS:  “When I booked a room for the wedding, the lowest hotel room was $375 per night. I can’t afford that.”    DRESS CODES:  “The bride had a very specific dress code in mind. She wanted all the women in attendance to wear purple. Where was I going to get a purple dress that wasn’t going to make me look like Barney? Black is what I have and black is what she got. Was she mad? Maybe, but she was hitting the punch bowl before the ‘I Do’s,’ so I was off the hook … until the pictures came. I lied and said it was ‘deep purple.'”    CEREMONIES:  “I can understand wanting to make your friends feel included in the wedding, but is it really necessary to have over ten bridesmaids?”    RECEPTIONS:  “One wedding I went to had a seven-hour gap between the ceremony and the reception, and everyone showed up drunk when it finally started.”    SEATING ARRANGEMENTS:  “The centerpieces were so tall, I couldn’t even see across the dining table. And I could only hold conversations w

http://fromringtoveil.com/fattestbride  Today we discuss a blog post that we both found very interesting on fat brides.  Listen in to hear our commentary on all the things mentioned in the blog post.   From Blog Sweet Jane Says  **Author's Note: I wear a US size 14-16 and I fully acknowledge my privilege of being a white, acceptable fat. My experience was extremely poor and I cannot imagine (but would love to hear about) the experiences of other fat and super fat brides**  104 days still isn't enough time to get a wedding dress for a fat bride with a budget of $1500.   I should have bought my dress a year ago when I got engaged. It doesn't matter that I was pregnant at the time and had no clue what the hell my body was going to do or how it was going to look, I should have bought that dress and altered my body any which way I had to in order to fit in it. Or at least that's what I walked away with from the first (and only) bridal appointment that I arranged.   Honestly, I was on the fence about doing any bri

The average cost of weddings changes from year to year.  We are sharing 2016 average costs!  http://fromringtoveil.com/2016weddingcosts Average Cost of a Wedding in the US: $35,329 up from $31, 213 Average Marrying Age: Bride, 29; Groom, 31 Average Number of Guests: 141 Average Number of Bridesmaids: 5 Average Number of Groomsmen: 5 Most Popular Month to Get Engaged: December (15%) Average Length of Engagement: 15 months Most Popular Month to Get Married: October (16%) and September (16%) Popular Wedding Colors: Dark blue (29%), gold (28%) and light pink (28%) Percentage of Destination Weddings: 20% UK Wedding Averages by vendors- Pound to Dollar conversion-http://fromringtoveil.com/calculator   http://fromringtoveil.com/UKWedding Wedding venue: £2,790  Reception venue: £3,919 Catering: £3,959 Photography/video: £1,046 Flowers: £638 Cake: £300 Entertainment: £773 Dress: £1,378 Shoes: £161 Stationery: £271 Headdress/veil: £138 Beauty: £301 Other wedding jewelry: £176 Honeymoon: £4,413 Total: £30,111/$39,000 wi

This is Kate of GSquared Weddings last guest co-host show this time around.  We will definitely have her back. Since Kate has shot a lot of weddings in Montana, we thought it would be a great time to tell you about a few great venues in the area.   Skyridge Ranch Ronan MT Spacious, rustic barn and wide-open, Big Sky Country Indoor space of 4800 square feet Backdrop of the Mission Mountains On site rentals: Chairs, Tables, and dishes All year round option! The Silver Knot Kleffner Ranch Helena Seats 168 Tizer Garden Townsend 3.5 acres of magnificent private gardens nestled in the Elkhorn Mountains Can host weddings as small as 20 people and as large as 325 Two delightful rustic cabins are available for your wedding party to use An attendant is on hand to assist your guests with parking Reeders Alley Helena Caretaker's Lawn (60 - 100 guests) Includes 6-foot banquet tables and chairs Pavilion (20 - 30 guests) Includes 6-foot banquet table and chairs  Holland Lake Lodge Condon Gourmet catering The use of our

In this episode, we are discussing Plan b - just in case. What happens when it rains on your wedding day?  Well, first of all, you can take it as a good luck token.  Secondly, Do you have a plan B?  Do you know what your plan B even is? Let us help you plan for those just in case moments. Be aware of the weather-  planning an outdoor wedding in the PNW in October or November and you have a great chance of wind and rain and my opt for an indoor wedding.  Check the Farmers Almanac or Weather.com has great historical weather data Choose a venue with indoor and outdoor areas for ceremony and reception Have a Plan B-have your planner(we highly recommend you hire one), venue coordinator and you and your SO come up with a plan B or weather plan.  Make sure you share with your other vendors as well. Set a time to be able to change things, ie..if it is an hour before your outdoor ceremony and it is pouring outside make your plan b active. Guest Comfort-  Take your guest into consideration for your plan b, it may not

Awesome feedback on previous shows.  Thank you to all of you that took the time to comment! Lessons learned by newly weds when it comes to wedding planning. If it can be delegated, do it Hiring Pros Be more patient with your fiancé Stress less and let go Things will happen Do it because you want not because everyone else is doing it Decor, dress, traditions Eat in private Dinner while signing docs or before the reception, food will go cold Schedule alone time during the day 10-15mins Don't be fooled by Pinterest weddings Most are actually styled shoots Incredibly expensive Be flexible with timeline Be ok with letting go of things, garter toss Don't stay to clean, guests are waiting for you to leave Don't compare your wants to what is in trend Learn to say no or delegate, someone, to do it for you Take breaks from planning when needed One nonwedding planning date Being realistic about the budget Don't pick your bridal party until 6 mos before wedding Pick people who are willing and able to help you Don't take

All About the Wedding Rehearsal – Episode #137  This is what we consider the "perfect" wedding rehearsal. Kate with GSquared Weddings joins Kim to share her insight on wedding rehearsals.   *Be on time*  A time to ask all questions  Who should attend:   Anyone who is involved in the ceremony   Bridal Party    Parents    DJ if possible (songs and timing)    Officiant     Planner  What to do  Walk through of ceremony  2x walk through of Pro and recessional  The second walkthrough is the flow of ceremony, rings bouquet...  Ushering and where everyone is sitting  Going through songs  When readings are  After second recessional   Where they will go at the end, reception or docs...  Talk about timeline  Venue tour  Gifts and where to place them  Getting ready place  Placement of tables  Cake  Signage  bathrooms  One more run through...  How long should it be  About an hour  When should it be  One to three days prior to the wedding, most venues around here 2 days before  What to talk about during  Processio

  We always tell you to delegate, but we haven't told you what to delegate and to whom.  Today we are going to do just that. We've found a few things that you can delegate to your friends and family.  Wedding Day Delegating:  Hotel Reservations  Breaking down tables  Where to sit during ceremony Guest book attendant  Handing out programs  Parking attendants  Hand out exit (confetti, sparklers...)  Handing out directions to reception  Tips for the vendors if your planner handling   Older relatives, restrooms, where they need to be, drinks and food  Taking home centerpieces or taking them somewhere to be donated  Give someone your phone/camera and ask them to get some snapshots during the reception  Décor  Keep track of gifts  Confirm your appointments  Bouquets: drying off, collecting and placing where they should be after ceremony/pictures,   Transportation setup from the ceremony to reception for Bride and Groom and for guests (uber) (backup plan)  Cards (gifts)  Going away stuff, bags, getting ready areas.

How to Interview Your Wedding Photographer - Episodes #135 Today we are going to go through the interview process with a wedding photographer. We are joined by Kate with GSquared Weddings.  First contact? Email (preferred) What to say? As much detail, as possible!!! More detail=more excited to work with you. Specific date or lots of flexibility. Budget limitations When to send? Recommend at least a year Phone call? What to say if different from the email? Date, venue (travel fee), Any questions you have. When to call? Nugget: *text photographer while at venue to secure dates* Meet in person? What to expect. Where to meet – Coffee shop or something in between the both of you, might just be one team member Make sure to refresh your memory by looking at their work. www.fromringtoveil.com/shopthecity Questions to ask - If they haven't worked at the venue ask for examples of work in similar light conditions. Find a vendor who has an ability to work in the light. References! Vetted Reviews, yelp, TheKnot, Google+,

Olympic Peninsula Wedding Venues – Episode #134        The next stop in our series of wedding venues is the Olympic Peninsula here in Washington state.  Mountains, rainforests and the ocean it has everything!  Lost Mountain Lodge  Sequim, WA  Can accommodate 50 guests for an outdoor day event and 40 inside.  They have indoor space in case the weather does not cooperate or if it is winter.   The entire lodge must be booked for a minimum of two nights for your event  NatureBridge  Port Angeles, WA  Can accommodate up to 150 guests.  From the shore of Lake Crescent to historic Rosemary Inn, you can find the indoor and outdoor spaces to best suit the needs   Can supply all food needs from rehearsal dinner to Sunday breakfast.  Renovated lodge, outdoor spaces, simple classroom and conference building, plus lodging for all.  Manresa Castle  Port Townsend, WA  Picturesque rose garden or Victorian wood-paneled Library.  25-75 guests  Banquet Room  Also, the castle is a hotel so no need to go anywhere else to honeymoo

Another Wedding Q&A Session – Episode #133  It's time for another Wedding Q&A session.  We are all about giving you the answers you want. From reserving seats to thank you gifts. We've got it all for you.   Before we get to that, we want to thank you all for your support and sharing of the show.  We enjoy doing this and are so glad to be helping you out in your wedding planning.   How to let guests take pics without getting in photographer's way?  Have a specified time before or after your professional photos for all guest to take pics with the couple.  Make sure to note it on your program or invite.  Then ask that no pics be taken during the ceremony.  Reserve seating for non-RSVP family members?  This would be totally up to you.  But I wouldn't reserve. I would make sure that you have a row or two of extra chairs just in case.  How to handle, more Groomsmen than Bridesmaids?  There's nothing really to handle.  You can have uneven numbers.  They can also walk by themselves down the aisle.  They could