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.

Wedding Formality: Knowing What To Wear

Wedding invitations should always include a hint as to how formal the event will be.

As a bride, groom, or guest, you need to actually understand this terminology in order to appropriately select what you and your guests will wear.

Here are some helpful guidelines:

semiformal daytime- This level of formality indicates that men will wear suits, usually in a color such as charcoal or navy if the weather is cooler, or in shades of white or khaki if the weather is warm. Four in-hand ties are also traditionally worn (this means long ties, not bow ties). Females would usually wear daytime-appropriate dresses or suits to a semiformal daytime wedding.

semiformal evening- At this type of wedding, men may wear dark suits or tuxedos with ties and vests. Females would wear cocktail style dresses. Everyone would look a bit more dressed up and “evening appropriate” than they would for a daytime wedding.

formal daytime- At a formal daytime wedding, men could wear day coats, waistcoats, or formal suits in season-appropriate tones. Females may wear short, daytime-appropriate dresses or suits. hats and gloves could be added as accessories.

formal evening- This usually really means black tie. Men would usually wear black tuxedos with black accessories. It is acceptable, however to wear colored or textured ties and vests. Another option for formal evening weddings is for men to don white or ivory dinner jackets. Women should wear dressy, glitzy cocktail dresses or long evening gowns. Beading and glamorous accessories are encouraged.

ultra-formal daytime- At this type of wedding , men could wear cutaway coats with trousers in gray tones. gray waistcoats, wing-collared shirts, and ascots or striped ties. Females can step up their daytime look a bit here…think about what the female guests at last year’s Royal Wedding wore! Have fun with hats and fun colors.

ultra-formal evening- This usually means white tie. Men would usually wear black tailcoats and white waistcoats or vests, wing-collared white shirts, and white bow ties. Fir females, glitzy evening gowns are the appropriate choice here. Take things up a notch with fabulous jewelry, wraps, and a glamorous hairstyle.

Of course, there are some weddings that call for a look that is much more casual. For instance, a beach wedding might utilize a toned-down version of semiformal daytime. Guests should still dress up to honor the occasion, but perhaps men could remove jackets and women could wear dresses in lighter, more casual fabrics.

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

“Plus-Ones”: The Rules

As if brides do not have enough to worry about…along comes the task of actually compiling the guest list for the big event. Seems simple enough, right? Wrong.

Remember all of those people that you want to invite who are unmarried? You are going to have to figure out if it is acceptable for them to bring dates to the wedding. This is a tricky situation for a few reasons.

1. Nobody likes to go to weddings alone (OK maybe those guys in the Wedding Crashers movie, but not most people).

2. If you have a lot of single friends, giving them ALL the green light to bring dates could substantially impact your wedding costs and pack your special day with strangers.

So…what to do? The trick here is to come up with rules and actually stick to them. Maybe you realize that you only have ten single guests. Perhaps it is fine if they all bring dates.

If you have 40 single guests, maybe decide that fiancees are welcome, but casual boyfriends and girlfriends are not. Or decide that if the couple lives together, they should both be invited.

Do what is best for you and comfortable for your budget, but don’t make exceptions to your rule. Doing this is offensive to the guests who comply with your wishes!

OK…there should be just one exception. If a member of the wedding party is single, he or she should always be allowed to bring a date. Members of the wedding party usually do a lot for the bride and groom in the months leading up to the wedding, so it is only appropriate to allow them to bring a guest!

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

Groomsmen in Sweaters?

Right now, weddings are all about allowing brides and grooms to be a bit quirky and to express their true styles and personalities. Wedding gowns, bridesmaids’ dresses, and tuxedos are not selected from cookie-cutter collections just because they should be. Engaged couples are more inspired than ever to add their own unique twists to every aspect of their celebration!

This is why I so loved this picture when I saw it! These groomsmen look relaxed, fun, and most importantly, like they are happily comfortable. From the khaki pants, to the charcoal cardigans, to the old-school Converse All-Star footwear, this look rocks for a funky, casual, indie-ish wedding day.

Of course, this look isn’t for everyone, but hopefully my random wedding obsession of groomsmen in cardigans will help brides to feel free to think outside of the box when planning her wedding fashion concept.

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

Wedding Pictures in a Library Setting