Planning An Upscale Bachelorette Party

I have to be honest with you, running around from bar to bar wearing an “I’m the bride!” t-shirt, a tiara, and a boa is pretty much my worst nightmare. Add excessive drinking and creepy male dancers into the mix, and my head might explode.

All brides have different personalities, and the above scenario might be the perfect bachelorette party for some ladies–but definitely not all. I would like to suggest some fun ideas for a fun girls’ night (or day) out that no one will regret later.

1. Have an elegant dinner out at a trendy restaurant. Let the restaurant know that your group of girls wants to relax and take their time enjoying each other’s company over drinks and dinner. Everyone loves dressing up and going out!

2. Gather your girls and visit a winery. Many wineries offer formal wine tasting events. If the winery does not serve food, most will allow you to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy. If the picnic sounds like too much hassle, most caterers will assemble boxed lunches that you could bring. Make a day of it and enjoy the atmosphere!

3. Host a spa day! Visit a local spa and spend time relaxing and rejuvenating your bodies and spirits! Many spas offer healthy lunch or snack options, so you could truly make a full day of this.

4. Take a day-trip. Organize a trip to see a play or visit a museum together. These are things most of our close friends love to do, but rarely make the time for! Even shopping and tea in the city would make a fabulous day-trip!

5. Learn a new skill together! Why can’t your bachelorette party be a private group cooking class? Or maybe have a wine expert really educate your girls about different wines. Or visit a pottery studio to create your own vases. People tend to bond over unique experiences, so push everyone out of their comfort zones and learn about something fun!

6. If you have a favorite bar you’d love to visit, plan ahead and make your visit special! Maybe have the bartender serve your group a signature drink. Ask if you can place pretty flowers on the table, and pre-order a round of elegant appetizers!

A bachelorette party is meant to be a celebration of your female friendships. Plan one that will honor these relationships in a memorable and classy way!

For all your wedding planning questions or event services, The Bliss Collection is your source for Northern Virginia’s finest wedding professionals.

Planning Your Rehearsal Dinner

The rehearsal dinner is traditionally planned to take place the evening before the wedding. It is meant to be a way for the members of the wedding party and immediate family members of the bride and groom to get acquainted before the actual wedding ceremony.

A good rule of thumb for the rehearsal dinner is to invite all people who are required to attend the rehearsal. If they traveled from out of town with a guest or date, that person should also be included! Beyond this collection of guests, it is really up to the bride and groom to decide who else should be invited.

Don’t feel pressured to invite everyone you invited to the wedding, though! The rehearsal dinner is meant to be a much more intimate affair than the reception.

Ideally, the rehearsal dinner should start early- perhaps by 6:00 p.m. You do not want guests to feel exhausted at the wedding the next day! Try to end the rehearsal dinner on the early side to ensure that everyone has the opportunity for proper rest.

Now…what about the food? Really, anything goes for the rehearsal dinner nowadays. In the past, the rehearsal dinner was formal and almost like a modified wedding reception. Couples are now hosting more casual dinners that reflect their personal tastes! A barbecue, an Asian food buffet, a beach picnic, or a wine tasting followed by an Italian dinner are all fun and perfectly acceptable options.

If the wedding reception will be formal and upscale, many couples specifically plan a more casual and fun rehearsal dinner to help guests relax.

For all your wedding planning questions or event services, The Bliss Collection is your source for Northern Virginia’s finest wedding professionals.

Common Questions About Videography

I recently learned a little bit about videography from Bliss Collection member Jessica Piscitelli Robinson of Jessica Pi Productions.

Here is some basic information to help you decide whether you need a videographer for your big event!

Aren’t Professional Photographs Enough?

People come to life in video the way they cannot in other formats. There is no better way to capture the sights, sounds, and movement of your wedding than with video. Photography is an art form, and it captures one aspect of the day beautifully. But a video can show you how you walked down the aisle, how long the tears took to come down your father’s cheek when he kissed you goodbye, and what it sounded like when you were pronounced husband and wife for the first time.

Why Do I Need A Professional Videographer?

Just about everyone has a video camera these days. So why pay someone to shoot your wedding video? The answer is simple: quality. You will only have one wedding day. You will only have one chance to say your vows, dance with your parents, and cut the cake.

Not only do you want a professional microphone to make sure the audio quality for the vows is clear and crisp, but you also want the assurance that your videographer has done this before and knows how to capture the important moments without stepping on the toes of the other professionals you’ve hired.

In the end, you want a wedding video that you will want to watch over and over again—and not something you’re going to fast forward through to get to the good parts.

How Do I Choose A Videographer?

Like any other vendor for your wedding day, much of the choice is subjective. Do you like the person?  Do you like her work?  Does she suit your style?  There are, however, a few general questions you can ask to help you make your decision:

How much experience does she have? Live events move quickly and there are no second chances. Experienced videographers know how to avoid making grave mistakes.

What technology do they employ? There are a lot of great professional cameras and mics available. Primarily, you are looking for someone with up-to-date, broadcast quality equipment. You also want to make sure you receive your final product in the format you want, whether it is strictly DVD copies for family, or podcasts for your iPod.

Do you know your videographer? Sounds like a funny question, but a lot of video companies employ subcontractors. Make sure you are getting the videographer you think you are getting and that the portfolio samples you see are actually produced by the person who will be shooting your wedding.

How Much Experience Do You Have?

I’ve been shooting wedding videos for more than ten years. I have a degree in Film and TV Production from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and have worked with many great directors in New York City’s feature film industry. When I’m not videotaping weddings, I produce corporate videos for my company, Capture Video, Inc.

Will You Interfere With My Photographer?

A lot of brides are worried about their vendors getting along, particularly the photographer and videographer. I work side by side with the photographer and give them all the room they need to do their job. After all, video captures 30 frames in a second, so I have a lot more chances to capture the moment than the photographer.

Will Your Videotaping Be Obtrusive During The Wedding Day?

One of the comments I hear most from the bride and groom is that they didn’t even notice we were there. My crew and I try to capture the day’s events without interfering. We do not interview guests, use bright lights, or get in people’s faces. We take our cues from the bride and groom and their guests, being as involved as they want us to be.

Getting Loved Ones Involved In The Wedding

Ok…we all know that the friends and family members that you select to be members of the wedding party are your closest ones. But all brides and grooms have those people that they love and cherish a lot, but who just don’t make the cut.

How can the happy couple make these guests feel super-special and truly included in the wedding day festivities? Assign them to be in charge of something!

A wedding is a big production, so there are plenty of jobs to go around. Here are a few ideas!

1. Greeter: assign a teen or adult to simply welcome people to the church!

2. Guest Book Attendant: a child, teen, or adult could manage this one! The chosen one simply needs to smile and offer a pen.

3. Program Distributer: this helper can offer a program to guests just before they are ushered to their seats.

4. Bird Seed/Bubbles/Confetti Distributer: immediately after the wedding ceremony, someone will need to be sure guests have these items BEFORE the bride and groom exit the church.

5. Water And Food Runner: professional pictures of the wedding party take forever! If the pictures are being taken at the reception site, have someone in charge of bringing some appetizers and beverages to the wedding party!

6. Usher: these helpers help everyone to get seated in just the right spot for the wedding itself. You could also use ushers at the reception to help guests find their tables!

7. Car Decorator: want a cute “just married” sign and some festive streamers attached to your wedding car? The car isn’t going to decorate itself! Put someone in charge of this!

8. Reader: a church wedding may require a few readers to assist in the ceremony.

9. Singers: have a relative with a fabulous voice? Maybe assign her a solo during the wedding ceremony. You could also utilize relatives who play musical instruments if you trust their abilities!

The ideas are endless! The point is: do not feel guilty if you cannot make everyone you love a part of the wedding party! There are so many ways to involve your loved ones and make them feel needed and special!

For all your wedding planning questions or event services, The Bliss Collection is your source for Northern Virginia’s finest wedding professionals.

Planning An Alcohol-Free Wedding

A question was posed to me this week regarding how to inform guests that no alcohol will be served at a wedding reception, so I thought this should be addressed!

My answer is simple. Your wedding is your event. Your guests should be honored to be included, but are not entitled to know every aspect of your plans before the event. Therefore, absolutely no explanation or apology is needed if you decide not to serve alcohol!

Brides and grooms make this decision for a variety of reasons. Some plan weddings for early in the day and feel that alcohol is not necessary at a simple brunch reception. Others have a quick reception in a church hall that does not permit alcohol. Some simply do not wish to spend money on alcohol and instead serve a lavish meal. Still others choose not to serve alcohol in order to be sensitive to an addiction that a close family member may struggle with.

Regardless of why alcohol is not being served, it is absolutely no one’s business! Plan your wedding the way YOU want to plan it. If alcohol is simply not in your plans, skip it without guilt.

If you do end up NOT serving alcohol, here are some fun tips to keep everyone happy:

1. You can still have a “signature drink” if you aren’t serving alcohol! Maybe it is a yummy smoothie or milkshake, or a delicious punch, or even mini-mocktails! Have fun with it!

2. Serve a variety of drinks- not just soda and water. Maybe offer some different iced teas or refreshing lemonades. Offer sliced fruits, mint leaves, and cinnamon sticks as creative garnishes to the beverage choices.

3. You can still have a toast! Maybe offer sparkling cider in fancy champagne flutes for the toast, or just allow guests to toast with the drinks that they are enjoying.

Enjoy your wedding and remember, make no apologies for your planning choices!

For all your wedding planning questions or event services, The Bliss Collection is your source for Northern Virginia’s finest wedding professionals.

How To Be A Polite Wedding Guest

It is so much fun to be invited to a wedding! From the time the elegant invitation arrives in the mail, guests feel flattered and honored to be included in such a momentous occasion. It is important, however, to show your appreciation by following proper guest etiquette! Here are a few critical rules to keep in mind:

1. The first rule should be obvious, but many guests ignore it. Be sure to send in your RSVP for the wedding by the date specified on the invitation, whether or not you plan attending. Failure to do so can be considered rude since the bride and groom must provide a head count to the caterer a week or two before the wedding. The bride and groom have plenty to do in the days before their big day; they should not be on the phone calling guests that have not sent in their RSVP cards on time!

2. Actually read the invitation. What names are written on the inner envelope? Unless children are named on the envelope or the invitation is addressed to “and family,” you should not plan to bring your children. The bride and groom must pay for every guest that attends the reception. If your children were not specifically invited, it is considered rude to bring them. And don’t cleverly write their names on the response card if they were not invited! This puts the hosts in a very awkward position.

3. The same etiquette follows for bringing a date as it does for children. If “and guest” does not appear by your name or a space is not available for an additional name on the response card, it is not acceptable to bring a guest. It is also inappropriate to show up with a guest that you did not RSVP for. Many bride and grooms allot for assigned seating and if you bring an additional guest, there may not be anywhere for him to sit. Bringing uninvited guests is simply not a good idea.

4. It is polite  to send a gift even if you are unable to attend the wedding. If you are attending, it is fine to either purchase a gift on the gift registry or give cash or a gift certificate.  Do not obsess on calculating the “correct” amount to spend on a gift. Look over the registry and select something that you feel would be meaningful, or give an amount of money you can afford. Do not try to figure out how much the hosts are spending on dinner for each guest and “repay” them with that amount of cash as a gift. That is NOT what gracious gift giving is about.

5. If attire is addressed on the invitation, it is proper etiquette to comply. For additional wedding guest fashion guidelines, see my earlier posts on this topic!

6. Be on your best behavior at the wedding. Just because there is an open bar, does not mean you should drink excessively! Do not be “that guest” who is memorable for all the wrong reasons!

For all your wedding planning questions or event services, The Bliss Collection is your source for Northern Virginia’s finest wedding professionals.

Running of the Bride: A Great Gift for Brides!

The actual complete title of this memoir is Running of the Bride: My Frenzied Quest to Tie the Knot, Tear Up the Dance Floor, and Figure Out Why My 15 Minutes of Fame Included Commercial Breaks.

Running of the Bride by Rachel Eddey is a hilarious, heartwarming tale of a young woman’s quest for the altar inNew York City.

When Rachel’s handsome studio exec boyfriend proposes to her on the Sex and the City movie set, she can’t fathom the dizzying adventure about to begin. Accepting a once-in-a-lifetime venue deal helps their budget, but it puts them on a crash course to get married in just four months—and time isn’t their only challenge.

They battle a wacky assortment of vendors, including a hair stylist who fakes a car accident and a makeup artist channeling Marilyn Manson, all while testing their love amid tastings and tulle. Using her nervous energy productively, Rachel enters every contest she can find, winning diamond earrings, a honeymoon, a photographer, and two wedding gowns, and her pop culture obsession lands the entire wedding party on two hit reality TV shows.

There’s just one problem as the clock ticks down: Her staunch perfectionism and fear of dancing threaten to derail everything. She has to redefine perfect and embrace the mistakes—or risk losing it all. Please take your seats. The wedding is about to begin.

Overall, this book is both funny and familiar to anyone who has ever felt stressed out while trying to plan a dream wedding! While many of the situations in the book may not happen to the average bride, the feelings of needing to create the perfect wedding are very relatable! This would be a perfect gift for a friend who just got engaged!

For all your wedding planning questions or event services, The Bliss Collection is your source for Northern Virginia’s finest wedding professionals.

Drama-Free Bridesmaid Dress Shopping

Your bridesmaids are your closest friends and family members, right?  Then you need to be sure that being your bridesmaid is a happy experience!

Every bride has a dream for her big day, but here are definitely ways to make your vision and your bridesmaids’ comfort level combine flawlessly!

Step 1: The color should be the bride’s choice. The hue selected for the dresses will set the tone for flowers, groom accessories, invitations, table linens, and the cake. Most girls can wear a flattering shade of most colors and look completely presentable. Neutrals and medium tones are easiest to wear, but pastels are workable in summer months for most complexions.

Step 2: Dress length should be based upon the formality of the event and the bride’s preferences.

Step 3: Dress style is the area where the bride should work with her bridesmaids. If there are just a few, bring them all along on the shopping trip! It is perfectly acceptable for your girls to get different styles of dresses in the same color and fabric! Let the girls pick styles they feel pretty and comfortable wearing! Trust us, your pictures will look fabulous (and your bridesmaids will be SMILING)!

Step 4: Shop in boutiques that offer personalized service! Especially important to your bridesmaids are group discounts (who doesn’t LOVE bargains?), expert alterations, and fun accessories! Be picky!

Step 5: Don’t stress too much about matching shoes! Give your girls simple instructions such as “silver strappy sandals” or “black heels”.  Girls know shoes, and they know what they can handle wearing for an entire day!

Step 6: When things get stressful, remember that being a bridesmaid is supposed to be FUN!

For a fabulous selection of bridesmaid dresses, check out www.blushbridalboutique.com !

Dressing Dads For The Wedding

This week, I was approached with a question that I thought was important enough to be addressed: What exactly should a dad wear to the wedding of his son or daughter? Seems simple enough to tell dads to dress up, but should they match the actual wedding party?

No! Dads are not to be dressed exactly like the groomsmen, as they are not technically members of the wedding party. The key here is to dress dads in keeping with the appropriate level of formality for the event. So if the groomsmen are in black tuxedos with green accessories, dads should wear tuxedos, but not the same one and not with the exact same accessories as the groomsmen.

The dads are also not required to match each other. So using the previous scenario (black tuxes and green vests and ties for the groomsmen), perhaps the father of the bride could wear a black tuxedo with black accessories and the father of the groom could wear a black tuxedo with silver-gray accessories to match his wife’s dress. The dads should wear styles that they love and that feel comfortable to them.

Their tuxedo jacket could be single or double breasted, and could have peaked, notched, or shawl lapels. Their accessories could be patterned or in a hue that coordinates with the gown their date selects. The important thing is that the dads are happy with their fashion choices.

Parents are traditionally the hosts of a wedding, or at least honored guests if the couple decides to host the event themselves. They should not be told what to wear specifically, but should always be given helpful guidelines (black tie,  semi-formal, formal, ultra-formal, etc.).

I will address the exact meanings of these levels of formality in a future post.  Watch for it!

For all your wedding planning questions and wedding or event services, The Bliss Collection is your source for Northern Virginia’s finest wedding professionals.

How To Dress for a Wedding

You are invited to a wedding. How exciting! In addition to shopping for a gift and remembering to RSVP, you have another daunting task before you: selecting your outfit.

Of course, you want to be yourself and show off your fabulous style, but you also need to take the rules of etiquette into consideration. You don’t want to be “that inappropriately dressed guest” in all of the wedding pictures now, do you?

Here are a few rules to follow.

Don’t wear all white or ivory. Seriously, do I even need to explain this one? There are a million other colors, and you know it is traditional for the bride to wear this color. Just don’t do it.

Don’t purposely wear the same colors as the bridesmaids or mothers. You are a guest. You are not supposed to be dressed like the wedding party! Also do not obsess that your pink dress will clash with the bridesmaids’ yellow dresses. Wear a color that looks good on YOU.

Do wear something reasonably appropriate out of respect for your hosts. Clubwear and overtly sexy clothing  do not belong at a wedding. If you even question whether an outfit is appropriate, it is probably not a good idea to wear it.

Do use good judgment if the invitation doesn’t specify the formality of the event. A cute suit or pretty dress for daytime or a little black dress for evening is almost always appropriate.

Guys…

If the wedding  invitation doesn’t specify the formality of the event, a dark suit and conservative tie is usually acceptable.

If formality is specified, see my post on what to wear and when!

For all your wedding planning questions and wedding or event services, The Bliss Collection is your source for Northern Virginia’s finest wedding professionals.