Confetti: To Toss or not to Toss

Many of our brides question whether to partake in the age-old tradition of the bouquet toss at their wedding receptions.  Most of our brides this year are deciding to forego this tradition and consider alternatives. 

The history of the bouquet toss goes back to fourteenth century France, where guests viewed a bride as especially lucky on her wedding day, and would clamour to tear off pieces of her dress for their own good fortune.  Eventually, brides began to rebel against this practice and tossed their garters to guests, and later, their bouquets.

While there is something to be said for tradition, some people prefer not to call out all their single friends to catch the bouquet in the hopes that the one who catches it will be the next to marry.  Here are some alternatives to consider:

1.  The Anniversary Dance - This is a dance for all married couples at the wedding.  During the song, the emcee asks people who have been married less than a certain number of years to leave the dance floor.  The couple who has been married the longest remains and is given the bride's bouquet.

2.  Have a "dance off" for the bouquet - invite males & females to the dance floor for a dance off.  Form a circle in the middle of the dance floor where guests dance one by one in the middle.  The dancer who wins the most admiration from the crowd or from the bride & groom gets the bouquet.

3.  Give the bouquet to a special female in your life to honor them.

4.  Do the bouquet toss, but open it up to anyone (single or in a relationship) who wants to participate.  As a fun extra incentive, offer a prize such as cash, a restaurant gift certificate or a spa package!

5.  Keep it!

Confetti: Free Wedding Websites from Wedding Paper Divas

Wedding Paper Divas is a company that I frequently refer my brides & grooms to for a variety of invitation and stationery needs.  They have a stylish collection of contemporary styles that I love!  For a limited time only, they are offering free wedding websites.  You can choose from over 35 of their stationery designs, and it comes with many more features.  What I think is so great about this is that the design of your site can match your stationery and the overall theme and feel of your wedding.  You don't find this with any of the other free sites.  So head on over to Wedding Paper Divas and see what they have to offer before this deal expires!

Party Time: Movie Themed Baby Shower

We recently planned a baby shower for parents-to-be, Lauren & Brad.  I was trying to figure out a way to still make it cute but incorporate the men.  So I decided upon a movie themed shower, starring, of course - the baby! 

The theme was introduced with this fabulous invitation, designed by Sarah at Belletristics.

Guests enjoyed treats from a popcorn and candy bar.  Flavors included strawberry, caramel, hot pepper, vanilla butternut (this was the most popular!), root beer & more!

In keeping with the theme, guests drank soda out of paper coke cups with straws, and the room was decorated with floral popcorn containers and movie themed decor.

Flowers by Johnny did a wonderful job with these creative, fun flowers!

The cake, designed by Ohlson's Bakery, was designed based upon the invitation. 

I wanted to keep the games to a minimum, but did have a game called "Give the Baby His Bottle", in which other men challenged the dad-to-be in a drinking contest (milk out of a baby bottle of course!).  Needless to say, this game took a bit of time and patience!

Favors were popcorn & soda flavored jelly beans in these adorable "Ready to Pop" containers!

Congratulations and best wishes Lauren & Brad - you are going to be great parents!

Inspiration Board: Fresh and Pretty

We have been getting ready for a lot of outdoor weddings this Summer, and I thought I would share this inspiration board for a fresh and pretty yellow wedding....enjoy!

Real Weddings: Carrie & Jeremy

I recently obtained the beautiful photos from Carrie & Jeremy's October 2009 wedding that were taken by Expressions Studio.  Their ceremony took place at St. Stephens Church in Lackawanna, and their reception at the Ellicott Square Building in Buffalo.  It was a beautiful day and their creative ideas and personalities shone through in many of the details.  Let's start with Carrie's fashion - her gown and shoes were just stunning!

Some photos of their huge bridal party - they took many of the photos at Forest Lawn.

The church was beautiful and ornate - check out the ceiling...

The couple is very pro-Buffalo, and it was important to them to incorporate things relating to the City. They named each of the reception tables after streets in Buffalo, and these cute signs were hung from all the centerpieces.

 
The happy couple during their first dance...
 

Thank you for letting us be part of your special day, and we wish you happiness for many years to come!

Confetti: Wedding Gratuities

As we are approaching the busy wedding season, I thought it would be a good time to share some thoughts and advice on tipping all those service providers who work so hard to make your wedding day a success.

Some things to consider:

• First and foremost, you should keep in mind that a gratuity is a discretionary expression of gratitude for service that exceeds expectations.
• In general, if a vendor owns their own business, you would not normally tip them unless you feel they have gone above and beyond for you.
• Gratuities are often included in the bill or contract, so be sure to read carefully to avoid double-tipping.

The following is a general guideline to get you started thinking about wedding day gratuities:

• Limousine Driver:  15-20% of the total bill
• DJ:  $50 and up
• Clergy Member (priest, minister, rabbi):  Usually a donation ($75 and up)
• Public official (judge, city clerk, etc.):  Usually a flat fee ($75 and up), although some will not accept it
• Waiters, Waitresses, Bartenders, Banquet Captain, Banquet Manager:  15% for servers, 15-20% for captain/manager, 10-15% for bartenders
• Coatroom Attendants:  $1 per guest (or pre-arrange a flat fee with your venue)
• Parking Attendants $1 per guest (or pre-arrange a flat fee with your venue) 
• Photographer, Videographer, Wedding Coordinator, Florist, Baker:  Only for extra-special service
• Organist, Musicians:  $20-$25 each
• Hair and Makeup Stylists:  15-20% of the total bill

If you have a wedding coordinator, they can distribute gratuities on your wedding day. Our clients provide us with sealed envelopes at the wedding rehearsal, and we take care of this for them. If we feel that a vendor has not met or exceeded expectations, we may choose to advise our clients of this and adjust the tip accordingly. If a vendor they may not have considered tipping does an extraordinary job, we make sure to advise them of this as well. If you don't have a wedding coordinator, you can give this job to a trusted member of the bridal party.

Real Weddings: Lindsay & Ryan

Our clients, Lindsay and Ryan were married in May of 2009. Their wedding was recently chosen to be featured in the Spring 2010 issue of Buffalo Brides magazine!  Their ceremony took place at St. Louis Church downtown, and the reception was held at the Roycroft Inn in East Aurora.  You can read all about the fabulous and personalized details of their day here...

What a nice keepsake to have and an honor to be featured in this local magazine!