Tickled Pink Brides - Orlando, Florida's Premier Wedding Planner

Wedding Etiquette Questions Answered!

    How much?  How long?  Which one?  Is this OK?  There are a million and one questions about weddings, especially from those who have never been a part of planning one before.  Here are some of the top concerns and what is appropriate in each situation.  Have other questions?  Just ask!

Is it OK to wear white for a second marriage?

    Certainly!  You are still the bride, aren't you?  We've seen second-time brides wear shades from white to deep burgundy, and each looked absolutely stunning.  In these modern times, no one expects for you to wear white or a color as your symbol of your "purity" or lack thereof, so choose a white or ivory shade if you'd like and enjoy your day.

Do I have to toss my bouquet?

    No, and some bridesmaids and single female guests will thank you for it.  As with most wedding traditions, some people love 'em and others loathe 'em, so pick and choose your favorites and forget the rest.  If you want to preserve your own bouquet but still do the toss, ask your florist to provide a smaller "toss bouquet".

Do I need need an inner and outer envelope on my invitations, and what do I do with each?

    The most traditional and formal style consists of both an inner and outer envelope.  Address the outer envelope with the formal names of the heads of household (ex: Doctor and Mrs. Smith).  The inner envelope is the place to write guests' names as they are called every day (ex: Tom Jones, rather than Thomas), make clear whether a plus one is invited (ex: Tom Jones OR Tom Jones and guest), and either list the names of children of the household oldest to youngest, or follow the parents' names with "and family".  For a comprehensive chart of addressing etiquette, try WedAlert.com or the timeless Crane's rules of etiquette.

How do I politely tell guests we don't want children at our wedding?

    This can be tricky, but there are at least four ways.  First, spread the word.  Friends and family talk and some people will find out early this way.  Second, your invitations can specify that your ceremony will be followed by an "adult-only reception".  Third, address your invitations only to the adults.  If, after this, you receive RSVPs that include children, your fourth option must be to call the parents and politely explain that you are having an adult reception and there will be no children in attendance.  You do risk that some parents will not attend without their children, but on your wedding day,

What is the best way to seat divorced parents of the bride or groom?

    If divorced parents are on good terms, feel free to seat them in the front row together for the ceremony.  If not, it's appropriate for the father (and his current wife) to sit in the third row. 

What is the mother of the groom's role?

• Upon news of the engagement, the mother of the groom should initiate contact with the bride's family if they don't know each other already
• Compile an accurate guest list for the groom's side, along with addresses
• Block or reserve hotel rooms for out-of-town guests on the groom's side
• Host the rehearsal dinner.  Invite everyone included in the ceremony, their significant others, and parents of any children involved
• If there is a receiving line following the wedding, stand in line next to the bride to introduce her friends and family to the bride and bride's family

Thank you card etiquette:

    ALWAYS hand write thank yous, and mention the specific gift in your note.  Each gift receives its own card, so shower and wedding gifts must be thanked separately!  Send shower gift thank yous within 10 days of receiving the gift, and wedding gift thank yous within two weeks of returning from your honeymoon.  If you receive gifts by mail before the wedding date, your best bet is to go ahead and send out a note so that too much time does not pass before thanking the gift-giver.

Have more questions?  Send them over and we'll publish the answers!

Custom Bridal Gowns from Chaviano Bridal Couture

    cou·ture  (k-tr, -tür): The business of designing, making, and selling highly fashionable, usually custom-made clothing for women.

What girl doesn't dream of having a custom wedding gown made especially for her?  Well, listen up girls, your dream is about to come true.  Chaviano Bridal Couture is an Atlanta-based custom wedding gown design house.  Designer Anette Thurman works with brides to create gowns that fit their personalities.  (And I believe at your wedding there is no greater compliment than guests saying "Oh, that is so you!") The average price for a custom Chaviano gown is $3,200, and you can set up a consultation for your own by visiting the website, or contacting info@chavianocouture.  All images by Garrett Nudd Photography.

 

 

Creative Engagement Portraits

    I LOVE that most wedding photographers now offer engagement portraits in their packages.  It allows the photographer to get to know their clients better and it gives the couple a collection of images that show them in their everyday clothes, living life, being in love.  Apart from all the wedding day glitz and glamour, engagement portraits are a time for couples to show off their own style, interests, and personality.  Here are some recent engagement portraits by Orlando photographers Becka and Nate of Studio Two Twenty Two.

 

Budgeting Your Wedding

    Last week, Gainesville, FL wedding planner extraordinaire Melissa diStefano of MasterPiece Weddings wrote a relevant and funny letter "To the Parents of the Bride" on her blog, Adventures in Wedding Planning.  In it, she breaks down your overall wedding budget into smaller percentages, and explains why each category is important.  Spend a few minutes reading-- any wedding professional or bride-to-be (who is trying to explain to her parents why the wedding costs so much) will relate.

I am so excited your daughter (or son) is getting married! This is just such a fantastic time in your family's lives! Along with this joy comes the over-whelming feeling of -ACK! We have to plan a wedding! And those things are expensive. I know that weddings seem like an astronomical expense and it’s hard to fathom spending that kind of money on a party. But let’s talk about where that money typically goes so that you can get a good feel for how much things cost and why.

Because frankly, I don’t think that the bride wants the local grocery store to do her flowers, or Cousin Marvin with a really nice camera to take her pictures. I like to say that there are 5 F’s to a wedding: Food, Flowers, Foto’s, Fashion and Fun. Those are the biggies, and after that, everything else is cake. (Pun is intended).

Food: Food costs are typically 50% of your budget, that’s what you eat and where you are eating it. So if you your budget is $30,000, that’s $15,000 for food and venue.

Are you with me so far?

Flowers: This amount absolutely depends on both the total budget and what the bride wants. Some brides want a TON of flowers, others really don’t care for them, or their venue is a garden then you really don’t need them. But typically the flowers are about 10% to 15% of the total budget. So going back to the $30,000, that’s between $3,000 and $4500. Keeping in mind that this accounts for all the bouquets, corsages, and centerpieces.

Still with me?

Foto’s: I know its spelled wrong, but it goes with the 5 F’s, so deal with it. This is a hard area to comprehend. Good photography is expensive. Professional Photography is not expensive it’s priceless! I personally didn’t have a professional photographer and look what I ended up with. But anyway, back to what I was saying. You can hire a photographer for $1500, but what you may end up getting, grainy images, out of focus, no album (and really, why would you want one with a bunch of crappy pictures of their wedding) and I am not saying that all $1500 photographers are bad, but buyer beware.

Photography, good, Professional Photography should start about $3000-$3500 (and could go up to more than $5500). And you will have amazing images. Depending on your area of the country photography could start higher or lower. Photography should be 15%-20% of your budget.

Fashion: This is for the dress, what the bride wears, since typically the grooms tux is complimentary from your Tuxedo Boutique. The Brides dress is usually 5%-10% of the budget.

Are you still there?

Fun: This would be the entertainment, and this would also typically take 2-5% of the budget. The band or DJ would come out of this percentage. Depending on your area, a DJ on average is about $100+ per hour per person attending the job, so if you have 2 DJ’s then the price would typically be $175-$200 per hour.

And really, the rest is cake, and some miscellaneous items, invitations, a wedding planner…really an extra 20%-25% of miscellaneous stuff.

Okay, so that’s more than 100% but you get the point. I hope this makes more sense to you, I know that planning a party for 200 of your closest friends and family is not something you do every day.

Trust me, I know that. And if you need help planning, a professional wedding planner is a good idea. We can at least get you started on the hard stuff, go over contracts, make sure you aren’t making any decisions you’d regret.

Let us help you. Really it’s okay.

With love! And Happy Planning!

Inspired Engagment Photos

    Looking for inspiration for the perfect photo shoot?  Open your favorite store's catalog or website.  Photographer Heather Ahrens of Orlando's HA! Photography photographed this newly-engaged couple using an Anthropologie catalog as inspiration.  The result: Laura and John's engagement photos turned out natural and beautiful, showing them in a laid-back, everyday setting. 

To see the catalog images that inspired this shoot, click here!

DIY Wedding Projects from Martha Stewart

    These days we're all looking for a few DIY projects to help us save money and add personality to our events.  And now you don't even have to look very far for inspiration and how-to's.  The latest Martha Stewart Weddings is brimming with great ideas that will add style to your event, keep guests entertained and won't cost you much at all. 

Ribbon flower boutonniere

Fabric flowers: Boutonnieres, shoe clips, and gown accessories

 

Printable Border Place Cards

Printable Programs

Photo Postcards-- perfect for Save the Dates or Thank You's

Trash the Dress...On Rollerskates!

    We all know about Trash the Dress photo shoots, where the bride makes a mess of her dress and the couple rolls around on the beach or jumps in the water, but I bet you haven't seen this one before:

    Tampa photographers Divine Light shot these images yesterday just after the rain.  From the looks of it, the shoot was a blast-- quirky, imaginative, and oh so fun for this cute couple.

Unique Bridesmaid Jewelry by viv&ingrid

    These days, it's totally appropriate to give more personal gifts to your bridesmaids, and one of my favorite ways to do it is with jewelry that can be worn again and again.  Believe me, your bridesmaids will love an original jewelry design-- just stick with a common theme for the whole party, but choose something a little different for each maid that suits her personal style.  From September 21-October 12, viv&ingrid jewelry is offering 25% off their jewelry, hair accessories, and Bon Bon keepsake boxes with code vifall25. 

    For under $50, each bridesmaid can wear a birthstone Paillette Charm Necklace.

 

    Loving these Dynasty earrings!  Note: these work best for your friends who go for bold jewelry choices in their everyday life.

    Mix and match earring and necklace options to create a look that matches your bridesmaid's dresses but can easily be re-worn.

Wedding Coordination Services as a Gift

    I recently was approached by a group of bridesmaids looking to give my wedding coordination service as a gift to the bride.  What a fabulous idea!  Why don't more bridal parties or families do this?  Many brides do not allot room in their wedding budgets for a planner or coordinator, but would love to hire one to take away some of the stress of wedding day production.  Then along comes D-day and guess who does all the work?  The bride, her mom, and her bridesmaids. 

    Even a small coordination package that enables your coordinator to "wrap things up" in the last few weeks before the wedding will help.  In my company, we discuss floor plan, seating arrangements, menu and rental items, final balances and tips owed to vendors, etc.  We create a wedding day schedule and communicate with each other vendor to make sure the whole team is on the same page.  Then, come wedding day, we arrive early and stay late to be sure that the wedding is set up as you wish, the party flows perfectly, and your gifts and personal items are sent home with the appropriate person.

    So to all you bridesmaids looking for the perfect gift: Consider wedding coordination as a special treat to the bride.  It's truly a gift that keeps on giving!

Orlando Engagement Portraits by SNS Photography

    The following images were submitted to me by Orlando lifestyle photographer Shannon Smith of SNS Photography.  As soon as I saw these engagement portraits I knew I had to post them because so many readers would love them, too! 

    Newly engaged, young, and in love, Katy and Joey put a cute and quirky spin on their engagement photos to bring out their style and personality.  The images turned out so fabulously romantic and vintage, but still very fresh and modern. Katy wore two vintage dresses, a vintage flower hair piece, brought daisies in a jam jar, and brought along her teal vintage bicycle for a prop. What made this shoot so perfect was the couple's involvement in planning it!  The vision and theme of that romantic, soft, vintage look was all Katy, and God love her for it.