To First Look Or Not To First Look

[Originally at The Pros and Cons of a Wedding Day First Look (From Real Brides & Photographers!) by Jaimie Mackey]

First looks may not be the newest trend in wedding photography, but they’re still a hot topic. The time-honored practice of not seeing the bride until she walks down the aisle is more of a good-luck superstition, and many couples are still sticking to it, while others are opting for a first look for reasons that range from easing nerves to making sure they can actually get to cocktail hour. 

As your wedding day approaches, you’re probably wondering whether a first look is right for you, so we’ve asked some of the pros (i.e. fantastic wedding photographers!) to fill us in on what they think, how it works, and whether it’s something you should consider.

Pros

CAROLINE LIMA PHOTOGRAPHY

“Couples should consider the first look for more than just the practicality of timing,” says Caroline Lima. “It’s a great decision for couples who want to spend some quiet time together before the ceremony. If you’re nervous, having a first look and seeing your partner is a great way to ease that feeling.”

“Personally, I loved having a first look at my own wedding,” remembers Ashley Sawtelle. “It gave us a moment before the day officially started to connect with one another and take a deep breath.”

Of course, practicality can’t be ignored. “A first look enables you to take a lot of your photos before the ceremony so you can get to cocktail hour and your reception sooner,” Lima says.

“A first look definitely does not spoil the ceremony,” says Carrie Patterson. “You’ll be overwhelmed with emotion no matter what, so if you want to see your partner, don’t skip it.”

You’ll get some privacy. “It’s a whirlwind once guests arrive, and having a first look gives you and your partner a few moments together before all of your family and friends surround you,” Sawtelle says.

See the full pros and cons at https://www.brides.com/story/pros-and-cons-of-a-wedding-day-first-look or read more cool stuff from Dow Oak Events

Having a Dog Friendly Wedding Day

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[Originally at How to make your wedding day paw-fect and NOT a dog’s dinner by Zoe Monk]

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I woof! It’s one of the most important days of your life so you’ll want your canine pal by your side. But how can you make it paw-fect for everyone involved?

Many wedding trends come and go, but one that is growing faster than anyone could have imagined is including the family dog on the big day. After all, our dogs are far more than just pets. They are important members of the family.

Plan ahead

But a dog charity is warning couples that they must bone up on what to do if they want their dogs to be part of the big day. The Dogs Trust is urging couples planning to tie the knot with their pooch in tow to think about the day from their dog’s perspective. They recommend planning the day with your dog in mind.

The Dogs Trust suggests: “Make a day plan of events from hour to hour and think about how your dog usually responds to similar situations.”

Making your big day dog-friendly

You are probably looking forward to making your wedding day into a big celebration and want to invite all your friends and family to share it with you. But for the dog that’s a lot of people, and it could be quite overwhelming. To make sure your pooch pal is happy and well-behaved for your big day, invest in a training course so they can learn how to meet new people without barking or biting.

VIP guests

Some people want to go further than just having their dogs with them on their wedding day. They actually give them specific roles to perform on the big day. How about getting your dog to walk down the aisle alongside the bridesmaids or act as a ring bearer? But to ensure your dogs can relax and enjoy the day too, perhaps just save the special time with them for the wedding photos.

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See the rest of the tips for this awesome idea at https://wamiz.co.uk/news/15066/how-to-make-your-wedding-day-paw-fect-and-not-a-dogs-dinner or read more awesome stuff at DowOakEvents.com/blog 

If you only knew one thing about me it would be: that I am a sucker for these type of articles. Also, that I’m all for the maximum amount of personalization in weddings. So I’m 1000% for including your dog/cat/possum in your wedding. Ideally, in a very large and involved capacity. 

30 Tips For Planning Your Best Wedding!

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[Originally at 30 Essential Wedding Planning Tips and Tricks by The Knot]

When planning your wedding, there are things that are nice to know, and there are things you need to know — advice so essential any bride who’s lucky enough to hear it thinks, “I’m so glad someone told me that!” If you’re wondering whether there’s something you may have missed (or even if you’ve got everything under control), check out our indispensable planning secrets below.

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1. Guests Come First

Get a grip on the approximate number of guests you’ll invite before settling on a venue. This will ensure there’s ample space for your crew. As a rule of thumb, allow for 25 to 30 square feet per guest. That may seem like a lot, but it’s really not if you count the space you’ll need for the tables, bustling waiters, the band and a dance floor.

2. Investigate Wedding Blackout Dates

Know ahead of time if your wedding date falls on the same day as a trade conference, charity walk or other local event that could affect traffic and hotel room availability. Here’s a handy list of potentially problematic wedding dates coming up in the calendar.

3. Listen to Mother Nature

Heed the weather and other potential annoyances. Guests have been known to skip out early from hotter-than-hot summer tent weddings and improperly heated winter loft receptions. Bugs (gnats, deer flies and mosquitos) also swarm in certain areas during certain seasons. Consider renting pest control tanks to alleviate the problem or including bug repellent in guests’ gift bags. And if you want a sunset ceremony, make sure you know when to say your vows by checking SunriseSunset.com. Oh — and always, always have a Plan B for unexpected weather snafus.

4. Check Your Credit

Take advantage of the high cost of weddings and sign up for a credit card with a rewards program. Whether it gives you airline miles or great shopping deals, consolidating all wedding-related purchases to this card will help you accumulate thousands of rewards points (which could be used for your honeymoon).

5. Pay It Forward

Let one vendor lead you to another. Your wedding photographer can tell you which florist’s blooms really pop, and your reception manager should know which band consistently packs the dance floor.

6. Lighten Your List

The easiest way to trim your wedding budget? Cut your guest list. Remember, half of your wedding expenses go to wining and dining your guests. If it’s costing you $100 per person, eliminating one table of 10 can save you $1,000.

7. Ask and You Might Receive

Request an extra hour for cocktails or for your band to throw in that Frank Sinatra sound-alike before you sign on the dotted line. Most vendors would rather secure the reservation than nickel-and-dime you early on (which might turn you off of them). Later on, though, they may be less inclined to meet you halfway.

8. Make a Meal Plan

Another unforeseen expense? Feeding your wedding day crew. Before you sign the contracts, make sure you’re not required to serve the same meal to your vendors that guests will receive. Otherwise, you could be paying for 20 additional lobster tails. Choose a less expensive (but equally hearty) meal for them instead. You will have to let your wedding caterer know a couple of days before the wedding exactly how many vendors you need to feed (don’t forget photography assistants and band roadies) and what you want them to serve.

9. Get Organizationally Focused

In a three-ring binder, compile all your correspondences with vendors, notes you make during meetings, and photos or tear sheets from magazines you want vendors to see. Set up a special email address dedicated to your wedding, and store important vendor numbers in your cell phone. For on-the-go planning that keeps everything in one place, download the The Knot All-In-One Wedding Planner app to keep all of your planning info digitally on-hand at all times.

10. Tend to Your Bar

Typically, you need one bartender per 50 guests to keep the line at a minimum. But if you’re serving a signature cocktail that cannot be made ahead of time (or in large quantities), consider adding an extra server designated to this task.

11. Leave Some Room in Your Wallet

Your wedding budget should follow this formula: 48 to 50 percent of total budget to reception; 8 to 10 percent for flowers; 8 to 10 percent for attire; 8 to 10 percent for entertainment/music; 10 to 12 percent for photo/video; 2 to 3 percent for invites; 2 to 3 percent for gifts; and 8 percent for miscellaneous items like a wedding coordinator. It’s essential to allocate an extra 5 to 10 percent of your money for surprise expenses like printing extra invites because of mistakes, additional tailoring needs, umbrellas for a rainy day and ribbons for the wedding programs.

12. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask

Your wedding vendors should be your go-to, most-trusted experts during the planning process. When working with them, you should feel free to really explore what it is you want — maybe it’s serving a late-night snack instead of a first course or doing a bridal portrait session rather than an engagement session. The bottom line is that you should feel like you can have an honest conversation with them about what it is you want. Their job will be to tell you what you can and can’t make work given your wedding budget.

13. Wait for a Date

Sometimes, last-minute planning can work in your favor. The closer your date, the more bargaining power you have. Since most people book their wedding venues at least six months in advance, calling for open dates two months prior to your desired time can save you up to 25 percent. And, Friday and Sunday weddings should cost about 30 percent less than Saturday weddings.

14. Manage the Mail

Of course you want the perfect stamps for your wedding invitations. But not all stamps are widely available at every post office, especially in large quantities. Save yourself scouting time by ordering them online at USPS.com. And be sure to weigh your invitation and all the additional paper products before you send them out so you can attach the right amount of postage. Ask your stationer about the need for additional postage for oddly shaped envelopes.

15. Prepare for Rejection

Know that as a rule, about 10 to 20 percent of the people you invite won’t attend. Naturally, this depends on the location of your wedding (destination weddings are harder to attend), how many out-of-towners are on your list, and the timing of the event (some guests may have annual holiday plans).

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See the rest of the tips at https://www.theknot.com/content/expert-wedding-planning-tips-and-tricks or read other awesome stuff at www.DowOakEvents.com 

There’s a lot of “wedding tips and tricks” articles out there. This one, however, it actually a pretty solid list of things to bear in mind on the day itself. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed with day-of stuff, take a minute to go over lists like this!

A Stunning Wedding At the Opera

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[Originally at Bridal Bliss: Terrance and Tiffany Got Married At The Opera And The Wedding Deserves A Standing Ovation by JASMINE GRANT]

Terrence and Tiffany Low met during their last semester at Howard University. Even though they were both from Chicago and had mutual friends, the two of them never crossed paths until right before graduation.

“I was not an easy person to date when we first started off,” Tiffany admits. “I made Terrence really work for my attention and time. His persistence never wavered.” Eventually, she became convinced that he was the one by his sweet gestures and the fact that he always kept his word. In November 2017, he sealed the deal by proposing in a pretty grand and artistic way. “So many friends and family flew in from all around the country and he organized it all by himself,” Mrs. Low says. “I was filled with so much emotion, and cried happy tears all night.”

Their wedding, held at an opera theater in Chicago, was just as grand. The color scheme of black and gold married perfectly with the classic red carpets and gold fixtures of the venue. Thanks to La Toya Keys of Elle Kay Events, the Lows’ wedding day went off without a hitch. Tiffany says, “I am happy that I hired a planner and would absolutely recommend having one for all brides.”

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See the gallery at https://www.essence.com/love/weddings/bridal-bliss-terrence-and-tiffanys-chicago-theater-wedding/#462682 or see more awesome stuff at https://www.dowoakevents.com/blog

12 Secrets To Make Your Wedding Day Easier (On Everyone!)

[Originally at 12 Secrets Your Wedding Coordinator Wants You To Know by ALYSSA GRIFFITH]

As a wedding coordinator, it is literally my job to make people’s lives (and wedding days) easier. using all my wedding coordinator tricks. Weddings can be overwhelming, hectic, and there are almost always some bumps along the way. I’ve been to so many weddings now that I’ve seen (and fixed) a lot of the common mistakes that pop up on wedding days. I’ve put out fires (both literal and figurative), gone on beer runs, and altered dresses on site.

Since I’ve done this wedding thing so many times, a lot of the hitches in the day are predictable to me. But chances are you’re planning a wedding for the first time — so, the stuff that’s obvious to me, won’t be obvious to you until it’s happening. So, whether you hire a coordinator to put out fires for you, convince a friend to be your stage manager, or you’re running the show yourself, here are some of the best tips and tricks I’ve learned from years of going to weddings! (And no, I’m not just talking about a bag with extra bobby pins and tissues — though that’s a good thing to have too!)

PHOTO BY FROM SF WITH LOVE

1.HAIR AND MAKEUP ALWAYS TAKE LONGER THAN EXPECTED:

Are you getting your hair and makeup done professionally? This applies! Are you DIYing your hair and makeup or getting help from a friend or family member? This still applies! There is just something about hair and makeup on a wedding day that practically never fails to take longer than we expect (especially if it’s more than just you getting ready). So instead of planning to be ready at exactly the time your photos will start, aim for twenty to thirty minutes before that.

2.TELL A LITTLE WHITE LIE… OR A FEW:

I always recommend telling your family, wedding party, and maybe even your partner a few little lies during wedding weekend. Just let them all know that they should be at the rehearsal at 4:45 p.m. instead of 5:00 p.m. and at family photos at 3:20 p.m. instead of 3:30 p.m. This is one of the best time-saving tricks to make sure that people are where they need to be when they need to be there. And since late happens, a white lie or two won’t hurt them (and will ensure some buffer time for the latebirds).

3.DON’T STARVE… ANYONE:

Wedding days can feel really hectic and crazy, and one of the things that almost always gets left to the wayside is eating. That goes for the couple, the wedding party, the vendors… everyone but the guests. Have a plan in place ahead of time so that the whole wedding party gets fed while they’re getting ready — this will keep a lot of people from becoming hangry!

Also, your vendors need to eat. They love you, and they’re there for you. But without food they tend to forget how much they love you, if you get my drift. And while at some smaller weddings it can be nice to sit with the guests, contrary to popular belief, vendors almost always prefer to sneak away to a quiet spot to shovel food into our mouths and recharge.

Please, please, please make sure there is enough food and enough time for everyone (yourself included) to eat!

See the other 9 at https://apracticalwedding.com/sane-wedding-coordinator-tricks/ or read more awesome stuff at DowOakEvents.com/Services

These are great. Honestly. Many times, people get caught up in the grand spectacle of the ceremony or the big moments of the reception and forget to take the little moments into account. But those little moments are where the magic is (which sounds super cliche, but things are often cliche for a reason).

11 Tips To Reduce Wedding Day Stress

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[Originally at 11 Little Tricks for a Stress-Free Wedding Day by Elizabeth Passarella]

1. Weather. You can’t control it anyway.

You can, however, prepare in advance — especially if your ceremony or reception is outdoors. Ask your rental company to put an extra tent on reserve, says Calder Clark of Calder Clark design firm in Charleston, South Carolina. (They may charge you a small percentage of the total cost, but it buys you peace of mind.) You can also reserve stand-up fans if you’re worried about a heat wave. After that? Stop looking at the hourly forecast every 45 seconds.

2. Hire a day-of coordinator.

“So many couples think they can do all of the planning on their own, and that’s completely fine — up until the day of the wedding,” says Brooke Keegan of Brooke Keegan Weddings & Events in Newport Beach, California. “If you can hire someone to handle the details on the actual day, it alleviates so much stress. You should be a guest at your wedding, not the staff.” Even if a soup-to-nuts planner isn’t in your budget, many offer more affordable, day-of services.

3. Keep your schedule clear.

It’s tempting to plan a big brunch or line up manicures, pedicures, hair, and a bikini wax on the morning of the wedding, but try not to do too much. (Stick to the absolute necessities — hair and makeup.) “Your wedding day will fly by faster than you could ever imagine. If you have too many activities, you won’t have space to take in the real once-in-a-lifetime moments,” says Maria Baer, co-owner of Ritzy Bee Events in Washington, D.C.

4. Don’t “check in” on your venue beforehand.

It’s tempting on the day of to peek in (or drive by) the reception site while everyone is setting up. Don’t do that. “Brides want to see all of their planning and vision come to fruition, of course. But my advice is to wait for the big reveal, when the candlelight, the beautiful linens, the great band can really tell the story,” says Audrey Hurst of Audrey Hurst Weddings in Memphis, Tennessee. Not only is the payoff not as sweet if you’re checking on lighting and flowers all day; you’ll just make yourself crazy seeing a half-finished hall.

5. Make sure someone knows how to bustle your dress.

Don’t rely on a safety pin and a prayer. Have a friend or relative go with you to a fitting to learn how to bustle the train, if you have one, and make sure that person practices and sticks around post-ceremony to button you into shape.

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See the full list at https://www.realsimple.com/weddings/weddings-planning/stress-free-wedding-day-tricks or read more cool wedding stuff at www.dowoakevents.com/services 

A wedding day can seem inherently stressful. Buuuut there are ways to reduce the levels of stress. From setting times for you two to escape the hustle and bustle of the reception to have some quiet time together to having back-up plans for any potential catastrophe, stress can be mitigated. Take it from the brides here!

Things to Remember: Real Brides Share Tips

[Originally at Real Brides Share Their Biggest Piece of Wedding-Day Advice by Elizabeth Mitchell]

GOLD HAT PHOTOGRAPHY

You’ve read all the bridal books there are to read, signed up for every wedding tip of the day, and downloaded an embarrassing amount of planning apps. But you can always use more big-day advice before you walk down the aisle — right? We asked nine real brides who’ve already been there, done that to shell out their best advice for your wedding. So from one bride to another, listen up.

Breathe, enjoy the planning process and ultimately, enjoy your day and being with all your loved ones. If something goes wrong, you’re surrounded by people who are willing to help and support you.

Take Pictures Before You Say, “I Do”

“You’ll have more time to spend with your guests at the reception if you take your photos first. Even if you want to stick to not seeing your groom before you walk down the aisle, you can still get all of the other photos out of the way.” — Jasmine, 24

Get Your Food to Go

“Ask your caterer to pack away food for you (the cocktail hour food, the main course, the cake … everything) because likely you’ll have absolutely no time to eat any of it. And trust me: You’ll be starving when you get back to the hotel at the end of the night.” — Rebecca, 26

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

“Breathe, enjoy the planning process and ultimately, enjoy your day and being with all your loved ones. If something goes wrong, you’re surrounded by people who are willing to help and support you. In the end, no one is going to remember how much effort you put into those paper flowers that now have crinkled edges anyway. Trust me, I made hundreds!” — Ashley, 23

Be a Woman with a Plan

“Before the wedding, designate someone to take home all your gifts and mementos (like your guest book and card box) after the reception and to close out any final vendor payments. If you’re changing out of your gown before going to the hotel, you’ll need someone to take it home too. You can delegate these responsibilities to a bridesmaid, family member, or day-of-planner.” — Janice, 27

Tell Your Wedding Party Exactly What to Do

“Create a very detailed itinerary of the wedding weekend for your wedding party and anyone else involved. It will help everyone understand where they need to be when and what is expected of them.” — Kelley, 29

Remember to Soak in the Moment

“Really look around at everyone in attendance and think about how much they mean to you. It will probably be the only time all those people are in the same room. Take in how much you love your significant other and how amazing you feel at that very moment. Married life has its challenges, and you’ll need to draw on that feeling from time to time. Whether you’re worried about buying a home or starting a family, that feeling can get you through everything!” — Brittany, 28

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More advice at https://www.brides.com/story/wedding-advice-from-real-brides or read more cool stuff on our blog

Take it from the people who’ve been there! Always helpful to hear other people’s experiences and take-aways.