Detail To Love: Ring Bearer Box

Dec 22nd

by: Lauren

Happy weekend everyone! I just recently stumbled upon this adorable (and genius) ring bearer box that was over on The Knotty Bride a few months ago, and I just had to share it for today’s Detail To Love! Because not only is it an awesome detail, it’s also a great keepsake. And with the holidays fast approaching (yeah, I’m in denial about it- are you surprised?) it could also be a great gift- perhaps for your engaged BFF, or as a “congratulations” gift for a recently engaged family member! :)

Via The Knotty Bride

I know I would have LOVED to receive this as a gift when I was a bride! What about you? Would you want a ring bearer box? Or do you prefer the traditional pillow… or something else?

Oh! For this coming week, I’ll be taking a little “break”… but I have some “Best of 2012” posts planned for you all… and they’ll be full of gorgeous weddings! Have a wonderful holiday everyone!!

Pink & Orange New Jersey Beach Wedding

Category: REAL WEDDINGS 2 Comments

Dec 21st

by: Lauren

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This pink and orange New Jersey wedding is beautiful, bright, and full of personality! The lovely Kaysha Weiner captured the day, and she shared the following story with us…

“Jamie and Brian were married at a private home in Beach Haven, NJ over the 4th of July holiday. Blending Brian’s Irish heritage and Jamie’s Jewish traditions they were married on the beach in an intimate ceremony. Jamie honored her deceased mother by wearing an altered version of her own wedding day. Jamie and Brian’s day was overflowing with joy, excitement, and lots of sentimental touches – this included “tool boxes” that were used as centerpieces since Brian is a carpenter.”

Um, tool boxes as centerpieces?! LOVE that!!!

I just love the bright colors and the modern aesthetic. And those toolbox centerpieces… what a GREAT idea!

What do you think of this bright, colorful wedding? Will you be having bright colors for your color palette, or are you going to go a more pastel route? I would love to hear from you! :)

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer: Kaysha Weiner Photographer / Wedding Planner/Coordinator: Citron Event Planning- / Catering: Beach Haven Catering / Flowers & Decor: Lily in the Valley / Reception Venue: 101 Centre Street / Ceremony Venue: The Pearl Street Gazebo / Rentals: Ocean Tents & Party Rentals / Makeup Artist: Lavish LBI

Modern Aqua & White Miami Beach Wedding

Category: REAL WEDDINGS 0 Comments

Dec 21st

by: Carlee

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One word to describe this Miami destination wedding: fabulous! I want to go there immediately. Using the ocean as a color palatte and featuring details such as Polynesian dancers and tropical flowers, the famous Eden Roc hotel provides the perfect backdrop for this modern aqua and crisp white wedding.

Beautifully documented by Captured Photography by Jenny, she had this to say:

This elegant wedding is very true to Miami’s vibe. It was also fun to see their culture and personality throughout the day. A little background on the couple… Paul was hanging out at a friend’s party. His friend had hired some Polynesian dancers for entertainment. Well, one dancer in particular caught Paul’s eye that night. That dancer was Anna Lee. He found enough courage and they started to talk and eventually shared numbers. One thing led to another… and these two found themselves inseparable. What’s funny is how perfectly they seem to fit together! Anna is sweet, kind, and giving. Paul is responsible, nice, and so gentle towards her. Their wedding was filled with personal details… from the location of Miami (one of their favorite places to travel) and the Eden Roc (a hotel with so much personality) to the traditional catholic ceremony at St Patrick’s (their faith is very important to them). They also brought several cultural touches to their day by adding a Polynesian show to their reception. It was also fun to witness Anna surprise Paul with a special dance just for him performed by her (because that was the way they met).

Stunning bride, Anna Lee is here to share her insight:

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

Our wedding planner Melissa Caceres from Luxurious Events was helping us from the very beginning till the end. My in law’s were also involved on choosing the church, reception venue and the menu. My family as well my maid/matron of honor and bridesmaids helped in the other small details. My husband and I did not realize how much we need to get done and we were glad everyone was there to help.

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

Experience. My husband and I looked for a wedding planner that had a tremendous amount of experience and expertise. We called and spent quite sometime talking to wedding planners until we finally made our decision.

What was your inspiration for your wedding details and/or design?

I am from Florida and my husband is from Texas. Most of our guests were from out of state and even out of the country so we decided to make it a destination wedding. We wanted to feature what Miami has to offer, so we selected a venue right on the beautiful Miami Beach. Blue and white were the colors for the ocean and the sky and we added crystals to get the South Beach vibe. We also had our monogrammed initials on our luge for our signature drinks, on table numbers and guests’ names, on the gobo projection for the dance floor and on our wedding cake!

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

I apologize but I have a few favorites, starting with our wedding ceremony. We had a Filipino priest officiate our wedding and we also incorporated Filipino wedding traditions which made it solemn and special. We had a wedding video entrance which re-enacted how we met and the proposal. Followed by our wedding dance compilation from waltz, to salsa to hip hop! Our Father and daughter dance was really special because my Dad is introvert by nature and doesn’t like to dance but most of all because he is a cancer survivor and it was a truly a great blessing and moment to have that dance. What was also priceless was Paul’s look on his face when I surprised him with a Hawaiian hula dance and a Tahitian dance at the end of the Polynesian show. Lastly, we had a traditional Filipino money dance wherein guests pin money on both of us to wish us a bountiful married life!

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

Everything will go by so fast but savor every moment of it! Do not sweat the small stuff and have the best time of your life!!!

I love that Anna Lee surprised her husband and guests and performed a traditional dance at their reception. Would you consider a ceremony or reception surprise? I’d love to know!

XOXO,
Carlee

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer: Captured Photography by Jenny / Event Planner & Designer: Luxurious Event / Reception Venue: The Eden Roc Hotel / DJ: Vision DJs / Ceremony Venue: St. Patrick's Cathedral

Ask Lauren: To Follow Up Or Not To Follow Up…

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Dec 20th

by: Lauren

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Photo via Ashton Events

Happy Thursday friends! It’s about time for another “Ask Lauren” post, don’t you think? Today’s question is great, because it’s all about inquiring with vendors… something that I myself was never too sure about when I was a bride. Let’s get going, shall we?

Victoria asked:

“How long do you wait to hear back from a wedding vendor inquiry? What should the procedure be? Should you get in touch again? Or just move on?”

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Ah, this is a GREAT question Victoria! It’s perfect too, because I’m sure many of you who are newly engaged are gearing up to start inquiring with vendors. I myself was SO afraid to inquire with vendors. I’m really not sure… but then again, I was inquiring back in 2008, when email wasn’t quite as much as a staple as it is now… and <gasp> the iPhone wasn’t even in existence yet! ;) My fears aside, YOU have no reason to be afraid to inquire with vendors. Just DO it… because if you don’t you will never know if they’re available for your date, how much they are, if you might become bffs with them, etc etc. :)

Before we get into the nitty gritty details, if you want some extra tips on inquiring with vendors, go here.

Photo by Twila’s Photography

So… you DID it. You inquired with a vendor. Or two or five. But now, you’re waiting. I know how that is… you’ve mustered up the guts to send that email, and then once it’s sent, you’re SUPER excited to hear back! Well here’s a secret… wedding vendors are SUPER excited to hear from you too! But now you might be wondering what the next step is…

As an overall rule of thumb, vendors tell me that during the week, they aim to respond by the end of the business day or within 24 hours. If they receive an inquiry during the weekend, they respond on or by Monday.

On a weekday, it’s pretty normal for a wedding vendor to respond to an inquiry within 24 hours. Sometimes, it could even be within hours. It really does depend though. Everyone has different schedules that they keep, so I wouldn’t expect a response within minutes. (Heck, it takes me a few days to respond emails no matter what it’s about!) Most wedding vendors do indeed keep office hours… because if they didn’t, they wouldn’t get anything done otherwise! And remember- if you’ve sent your inquiry on a weekend, it’ll take more along 48 hours- because chances are good that they’re working… and if not, then they’re most likely enjoying a rare weekend off. ;)

*Things To Know*

Wedding vendors are unfortunately not machines- they are, however, people… people who put their hearts and souls into their businesses. The majority of them *are* super excited to hear from you, and want to respond to your email personally, which is why sometimes you might not get an immediate response.

Don’t freak out if you’ve sent an email late at night and you wake up to no response. And also, Friday is pretty much considered as the “weekend”, with how popular Friday weddings are now.

Keep in mind that these are still businesses, and it will help if you think of things in that manner. If you call a lawyer’s office after 7pm, do you expect a response right away? Probably not, right? I rest my case. ;) (Haha, that was too perfect not to say!)

Photo by Josh McCullock Photography

If the time comes that you’re wondering whether or not to even bother following up… I would suggest doing so. If you haven’t heard from the vendor that you inquired with within 72 hours, then yes- go ahead and follow up. Because if we’re talking about email… as amazing as it is, we all know that things can go wrong with technology every now and then! And trust me- that *does* happen. Also, please consider long weekends and extenuating circumstances too. [From back in my planning days: I will never forget the bride that took over a month to respond to a proposal I sent. When she finally responded, she emailed me on a Thursday, and on that particular Thursday, I had a wedding. And then I had a normal weekend of weddings after that. By Monday when I returned to the office and responded to her, she had already given up and moved on to someone else. I was so busy that I hadn’t even looked at my email that whole weekend! Needless to say, I felt horrible about it.]

What to do if you *still* don’t hear anything back from them? Well then it’s definitely time to move on to some of the amazing vendors in Every Last Vendor that I myself have approved! ;)

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Have any other questions about inquiring with vendors? Or maybe you want to share your own experiences? I would love to hear from you!