SDE Blog: 2012

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Marriage First - Jordan & Cole

Marriage First, Wedding Later
Jordan Cole of Southern Hospitality

Growing up I was the girl who dreamed of the big wedding, the white dress, and whole shebang. After my husband and I got engaged, reality set in, and I knew things weren’t going to be as traditional as I had envisioned over the years. With the military, we knew we would need to be flexible and placing all of our eggs into one basket with a date may not have worked out in our favor. Our biggest concern when setting this date was my husband’s potential permanent change of station (PCS) and we were a little unsure about timing. Ultimately, we decided to set a date and not book any additional deposits besides the venue until we had a better idea we could have a celebration on that day.

Together we made the ultimate decision to be married by the justice of the peace beforehand. I wasn’t too keen on the idea; by too keen I mean out of the question. Somehow I had talked myself into believing that if I wasn’t having a twenty thousand dollar, David Tutera type of affair, I wasn’t really married. Finally a light bulb went off in my head that I was marrying the love of my life, a wonderful man who takes care of me, and we are going to have a beautiful marriage. If the other ceremony worked out, great, but my obsession of the perfect wedding ended when I met my perfect match. We rounded up both of our parents, said our vows at a garden located in one of our favorite cities, and made it special for us.

Since then we have been able to make concrete plans for this second ceremony and reception. Already having been married, planning the second ceremony has been less stressful for the both of us. Thankfully we also have Reina, our coordinator, who has been there to help us find deals, answer and questions, and be our expert. Choosing a justice of the peace ceremony beforehand is not taking away from our larger celebration, it’s just an addition. I am grateful to have had the experience to extend our wedding celebration throughout the year and excited to celebrate with more of our family and friends in the coming months.

Congrats, Jordan and Cole!!! We wish you a lifetime of love and laughter. We can't wait wait wait to coordinate your lovely holiday wedding!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Buzz about Statement Necklace

Statement necklaces are all the buzz right now! You see them on celebrities on the red carpet and they're making their way into the wedding world on the necks of daring, beautiful brides!

Enjoy this collection of lovely baubles!

Sweet Details Events loves Bauble Bar. You have to create a login - as annoying as that is, it seems to be worth it for Bauble Bar!!

Which necklace below do you like? Can you see yourself wearing a statement necklace?

The key to wearing a statement necklace

Wear your hair up
Don't wear any other flashy jewelry
Make sure your necklace mimics the overall theme of your wedding!

via Style Me Pretty

via Etsy/The Crysal Rose

via Etsy/MillielCARO

via Pretty Chic Blog

via Style Me Pretty

via Etsy/The Chica Boutique

Baublebar.com

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Powers Combined: Nords and Reem!

Oh my GOOOODNESS! Nordstrom and Reem Acra have joined FORCES and I want to share with you the 6 awesome dresses that are now featured on the Nordstrom Wedding site. They also have some exclusive dresses through designers like Amsale, Vera Wang, Jenny Yoo, Anne Barge, Matthew Christopher, Heidi Elnora and Caroline Devillo.

But check the beautiful collection from Nordstrom Wedding - Reem Acra.

So exciting!!!!

Monday, July 9, 2012

Timing is everything: Flow of your wedding day

via Peacock Photo Blog

Have you been to a wedding that has felt way too long? Maybe the wedding said it started at 5 but you didn't see the bride until 6:30. Or there were 3 hours between the end of the ceremony until you were seated for dinner.

When you're planning the sequence of a wedding, it's critical to think about what your guests are experiencing. And it's up to the bride and groom (or the bride and bride/groom and groom) as the hostess and host of the party to help the guests enjoy the festivities!

If you need help with timing, a wedding planner (just a day of coordinator, even) would be a great investment. That coordinator will make your day run so smoothly, you'll have so much fun, you'll get to enjoy your guests and your new husband, get the beautiful pictures you wanted - without boring your guests!

Here are some quick tips on how to maximize your day:

CEREMONY

1. Start on time: If you said you'd start at 5, make sure that your guests are in their seats and you're down the aisle no later than 5:20. The guests came to celebrate you, not to wait around.

2. Give them something to do: Even when they are waiting for the festivities to start, your guests will enjoy having something to do or look at - what a perfect time to give them an interactive program (Wedding advice Madlibs or What tree did you fall from?).

COCKTAIL HOUR - BEFORE THE RECEPTION

3. Fun things: We've shared some tips about what you can do during cocktail hour (or between ceremony and reception) to keep your guests busy!

4. Change the space & Keep them moving: If your ceremony and reception are in the same venue, maximize the space by having the guests move to a different area of the venue for a cocktail hour. Place small food stations and bar in an area where the guests will have to move a bit. Sound inconvenient? Movement increases anticipation and excitement - you know, like when you're in line for a roller coaster.

5. Photography: Your photographer will have the best suggestions for you in terms of the best light or maximizing what light you do have. What you don't need or have is 4 hours to shoot your post-wedding ceremony photos! You want your group shots and it's doable in a smaller window. Don't forget that your guests are wanting to celebrate with you!

RECEPTION

6. The flow of things: Lots of stuff happens during a reception. Typically, there's dinner (or some kind of eating), speeches and toasting, dancing, cake cutting, cake eating, meeting all of your guests, garter and bouquet toss. That's a lot to pack into a reception. That's why it's so important to think through the order of events.

7. Don't cut it off: High energy dancing and a packed floor is AWESOME! So you wouldn't want to cut it short and make all your guests who are on the dance floor to sit down to do something that is lower energy like speeches. Envision how you'd want the flow of the event to go. If you were a guest, what would be most enjoyable?