Tips on Tipping

I've been asked a lot lately about tipping. and who to tip and how much...and do I have to, is it a must???

All of these are good legitimate questions. And here is the answer.

Yes. 20%ish. No. No.

That's the short and sweet of it.

Here are the details. You should tip anyone that does a professional service for you for your wedding. That includes any professional. And if they do an above average job for you. If the professional that is working for you royally screws up, no-tip-for-them!

The average tip about in about 20%, but it does depend on the level of your service, was it good or great? Did they exceed your expectations? If so, show them. Thank them, with a tip.

You don't have to tip, but it is a nice thank you, so when working up your budget add a bit for your professional vendors. Keeping in mind that some gratuities may already be included in some invoices for your vendors.

Did you add tips into your budget?

If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact Erica Spitulski at Erica@ElegantAffairEvents.net

PB&J

Etsy is the best, because shops like GardenArts make amazing cake toppers like this one! The Peanut Butter and the Jelly are getting married!!! It just doesn't get any cuter.

Winter Weddings 101

Maybe you weren't quick enough to lock in a June wedding date, or maybe you just want to do something a little different from the rest of the pack. The colors of winter are deeper and richer, allowing you greater latitude than spring and summer brides, who traditionally stick with tried and true pastels. Here are a passel of winter themes and ideas to help you plan a spectacular winter wedding, starting with holiday themes and spanning through the most romantic of holidays—St. Valentine's Day.
Winter weddings lend themselves to sparkle and glitz against rich, jewel-toned colors. Wedding invitations imprinted inside holiday or winter greeting cards present an alternative to the usual ivory engraved wedding invitations. You can serve non-traditional beverages such as hot mulled cider, hot buttered rum, etc., and you can probably get a discount on your favorite venue for any date except a Christmas week wedding if you reserve six to eight months in advance.
 
Christmas wedding
Add your Christmas wedding to next year's Christmas calendar now to ensure that the busiest holiday schedule replete with festivities can accommodate your holiday wedding. Plan your wedding around silver, gold, ruby, emerald, amethyst, and sapphire—the jewel tones. Use rich fabrics such as velvet, satin and silk. Add brocade bows for a festive touch.

Set the mood for a Christmas wedding reception
Select a wedding hall with large gold mirrors, a fireplace and a wide curved staircase. The entire venue will glisten with holiday decorations, and the decorations will complement your own decorations.

Christmas wedding bouquet and floral displays
Give poinsettias and amaryllis the spotlight during your Christmas wedding and reception. Add white roses, gardenias, and lilies as accents, and fill in with eucalyptus, pinecones, holly, evergreen and nandina. Surround your guests with the scent of eucalyptus and pine. Small poinsettias surrounded by pine branches sprayed with snow as table centerpieces encourage your guests to talk to one another without having to lean around the centerpiece.

Christmas wedding favor ideas
• Gold or silver bell with an emerald satin ribbon
• Miniature silver salt and pepper shakers
• Gold heart-shaped basket with Christmas potpourri
• Miniature gold or silvers bells – guests can hang these on their Christmas trees at home
• One gold and one silver candy cane tied together with one green and one red intertwined ribbon.

Winter Wonderland wedding
If you prefer a non-religious wedding theme, the winter wonderland theme offers some of the options of the Christmas theme and introduces new options into the mix. Silver, sky blue and white simulate a cold, snowy winter day and offer many options for accent colors. If your wedding is an evening ceremony, consider a color scheme of midnight blue with gold accents to simulate the clear night sky and twinkling stars.

Winter Wonderland wedding bouquet and floral displays
Replace the traditional floral display for the reception buffet table with an ice sculpture surrounded by pine branches with pinecones and evergreen branches with berries. Spray the pinecones gold or silver and add a huge gold or silver metallic bow. Use winter foliage and branches in place of delicate baby's breath for greenery, and use masses of large, white flowers such as amaryllis tinged with yellow, pure white lilies with a hint of yellow center and white hydrangeas. Oversized white flowers with a touch of accent color work particularly well against a backdrop of winter branches and foliage. As an alternative to floral centerpieces, small sleigh ice sculptures amid winter branches, foliage and snow add seasonal authenticity to your reception tables. Huge white magnolia blossoms floating in water in crystal bowls offer yet another dramatic alternative. Magnolia leaves painted with gold paint add to the drama.

Winter Wonderland wedding favor ideas
• Crystal bell
• Star-shaped white tealight candles
• Miniature silver champagne bucket filled with candies
• Antique miniature boxes filled with pine-scented potpourri

Valentine's Day wedding
If you're getting married on the most romantic day of the year, your wedding calls for a red and white color scheme: roses, roses, and more roses everywhere! You can play up the hearts theme in a number of ways from a stacked heart-shaped cake to heart-shaped tealight candles adding a twinkle to the centerpieces. Anything heart-shaped or red and white add to the overall ambience of a wedding on this special day. Wear a Swarovski Austrian heart crystal around your neck, and top your bridal gown with a white shawl fringed in simulated white fur to complete your bridal ensemble.

Valentine's Day wedding bouquet and floral displays
Bi-colored red and white roses with either color as the predominant color add variety to the bridal bouquet and floral arrangements. Complement the variegated look of the bi-colored roses with variegated greenery. If you use other flowers, you'll want to make sure that they are a true red, not the orange-red that's more common in flowers. Consider small arrangements of clear and red crystal roses in crystal vases with crystal marbles as your table centerpieces.

Valentine's Day wedding favor ideas
• Antique silver heart keepsake box
• Chocolate kisses in a red or white mesh bag, tied with a red ribbon.
• White chocolate truffles
• Heart-shaped ornament – your guests can use it on the Christmas tree next year
• Single long-stemmed red rose.
Winter offers many opportunities for unusual wedding ideas. There are few opportunities to attend formal occasions between the New Year and Valentine's Day. If you're having trouble setting a winter date, consider setting your date during the winter lull. Your guests will remember the highlight of the winter season for many years to come—and so will you.

Black Friday 2010 Wedding Finds are Fabulous

Black Friday is not only for finding awesome gifts for the holidays.  You can also take advantage of the awesome sales and purchase many of your wedding items.

Still need wedding favors?  Looking for gifts for the wedding party?  Take advantage of the many Black Friday sales in Modesto and surrounding areas at Target, Walmart, Michaels, Kohls, Macy's or Things Remembered.  All of these stores will have fabulous sales going on for Black Friday.

Are you still on the prowl for bridesmaid dresses?  Black Friday sales at all the major department stores will save you at least 40% on retail.  Don't forget to log into the online Black Friday sales at your favorite department stores and even your favorite bridal stores.  Right now JCrew has spring and summer colored bridesmaid dresses starting at $49.  These dresses have a retail value of $165 to more than $300. 

How about those bridal shoes?  Black Friday is the perfect time to find deals on shoes in any style and by any designer.  Are you looking to purchase Christian Louboutin platforms or classy Coach slingbacks?   Department stores like Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus should have some great Black Friday deals.  Looking for some online savings, check out www.louboutindeal.com.  You'll save up to 70% off retail today.  Log back in first thing on November 26, 2010 and the savings may increase to 80%. 

How about the ties for the groom and his men?  It's the holiday season.  What man has never received a tie for a holiday gift?  It's likely the number one holiday gift for men in America.  So, there are sure to be massive deals on ties.   Again, check out your major department stores and even check out the Black Friday online deals at The Tie bar.  Right now you'll find silk ties starting at $15.  Black Friday could provide you with ties for up to 50% of that price.

Whatever wedding item you are still looking for, Black Friday assures you will get a huge discount on retail prices.  For those brides looking for their gowns, contact your local bridal boutiques and ask if they are open on Black Friday and whether or not they will be having sales on the off rack gowns.  You can save between 40% and 60% on off-the- rack gowns.  Imagine what you can save on Black Friday.  Bridal superstores like David's Bridal are likely to have huge savings on all things bridal on Black Friday.

As couples begin thinking about their wedding, they are often confused as to how much to spend, where to obtain specialized services, and how to choose vendors. These worries often mount as quickly as the cost of the wedding. After the euphoria wears off and the reality settles in, it's shocking to discover how much preparation is involved. Couples are faced with decisions about everything from invitation wording to planning their honeymoon; often find they want experienced professional help.

Not long ago, a wedding coordinator was thought of as a luxury, only used by the wealthy. Now a coordinator is essential to the well planned affair. It is no longer "trendy" to engage a coordinator. Being experienced in negotiating contracts with caterers, florists, photographers, and other suppliers, the coordinator saves valuable time and money. The coordinator can take advantage of discounts not available to private parties and avoid costly mistakes, while turning your dreams into reality.

The average wedding can take more than two hundred fifty hours just to plan. With today's hectic lifestyles, you may not have time to compare all the options, making sure you get the best deal, and make sure all the details are in place.

Wedding coordinators are not here to make decisions for you, but to guide and assist you in making informed decisions. Their training, knowledge, and experience will turn your dreams and expectations into reality. They want you to host a beautiful and distinctive event which you can enjoy.

A wedding coordinator will save you time and enable you to get the most for your money! A wedding coordinator can serve in many other capacities. They can act as the family counselor for apprehensive brides and the mothers, a wedding coordinator can become as close as your best friend during your planning.

How do you know you're hiring the right coordinator? Trust is important in any relationship. You should feel completely comfortable with the coordinator and feel assured that he or she completely understands what your needs are. Your personalities should match. It's important to find out how long the coordinator has been in business.

How Do Wedding Coordinators Charge for Services?
Wedding coordination fees vary greatly from coordinator to coordinator.
Here are some examples:

• 10% - 15% of the overall budget 
• Fee based on number of guests
• Flat rate based on amount of work needed
• Hourly Rate (Often greater than $40 per hour)
• "Free!" (beware, though, these services take commissions and kickbacks from the vendors.)

Affordable Centerpieces

Designing your own wedding or paty centerpieces can not only save you money, but they are a great way to express your creativity. Worried because you aren’t creative? Do not fear! Most centerpieces start out with the same ideas and if you want to stick to the basics – no problem. Read on!

 

Glass vases are your friend. Whether you’re using your vases to hold candles, sea shells, or flowers you can come by them cheaply at any craft store. There really is no limit to how you can fill vases, which makes them functional even after the wedding reception. This is an easy project which you can do yourself without hiring a florist or decorator. Once you have your vase (or bowl, votive or anything made from glass), you can purchase a bundle of small candles (make sure you have the right size before buying) fill it your vase with water, add your candle, and light it. You have a very elegant and easy centerpiece for a very small price. If candles aren’t your thing, you can get some seasonal flowers (cheaper when in season) and fill your vase with them and sprinkle some petals around your centerpiece. Having a Christmas wedding? Get a taller glass vase and fill it with Christmas tree balls for a holiday touch.

 
Kill two projects with one stone. Another way to save money is by making your centerpieces into your table numbers. This will go perfectly with your glass vase (especially if you buy a square one). I would not recommend candles with this idea, but you can carefully print out your table numbers on paper to place in each glass holder. Then fill your vase with flowers or anything that will extend beyond the top of your vase. Be sure not to make your centerpieces too tall. One of the biggest complaints from guests is that the centerpieces interfered with table conversation because of their height.

 
Kits are friendly too. It’s ok if you lack creativity. That’s what craft stores are for! They are here to help you and they have taken care of the creative part. Visit Michael’s for creative and affordable centerpieces. Not only do they have everything you need, but will also give you a difficulty level and how long it should take you to do it.

Keep in mind that your centerpieces do not have to be complicated. The more simplistic they are the better. This will keep them from interfering with guests trying to talk across the table and will still serve their purpose. Think elegant and affordable and if nothing comes to mind, give your local craft store a visit for easy DIY kits!

Party on a (Strict) Budget!

Entertaining on a budget is entirely possible as long as you focus on what's really important for the party to be a success. While it's easy to overspend when it comes to throwing a party, there's no need to break the bank to have a good time. With these budget party planning ideas, your party will be memorable for all the right reasons.

Party Planning
Decide on a theme for the party. Whether it's a child's birthday or an elegant dinner gathering, a theme will allow you to focus on what the most important parts of the party will be. It will also prevent you from purchasing extra and unnecessary items simply because you can't resist. A dinner party can simply have a color theme, where you can focus on using items you may already have or can borrow, and purchase a few high impact items for maximum value.

Entertain with Budget Food
You can serve delicious and filling food if you plan wisely and shop carefully. Plan the menu with foods that have ingredients that are in season and are traditionally affordable. Purchasing strawberries in December isn't economical, but making a pumpkin cheesecake can be. Another party planning idea is to spend less money on fancy appetizers and go for a more expensive entrée. The idea is that guests will fill up on appetizers, rolls and salads and eat less of the more expensive entrée.

For a child's party, entertaining on a budget is not impossible either. It's just fine to serve cake and ice cream, rather than to prepare and serve an entire meal. Work with your child to come up with an amazing birthday cake and he'll remember it for years to come, not the meal.

Don't be afraid to have a potluck party when entertaining on a budget. Asking guests to bring their favorite dessert to share means that you can try different dishes, guests can share recipes and you don't have to pay for dessert.

Decorations on a Budget
Choose a few signature pieces to draw attention to the party theme rather than stuffing every corner with a decoration. If the theme of your dinner party is Christmas holly, come up with an attractive centerpiece and perhaps a wreath or two in prominent locations. Carry the colors of red and green throughout the dining area, such as red napkins, white plates and a red tablecloth. Make holly napkin holders to tie it all together. Less really is more when it comes to budget decorations and party planning.