Getting the Most Out of Your Bridesmaid Bouquets, Centerpieces, and Floral Arrangements

When it comes time to figuring out florals for your wedding, don't forget that you can use your bridesmaids' bouquets and other flowers from the ceremony to decorate your reception. You can decorate the cake table, bar, or any other area that needs a little color.

To take it even further, consider using your reception centerpieces to decorate the ceremony. Maybe you would like to line the aisle with them or create a large display around the alter. If you're concerned about transport, know that it is often cheaper to have your florist handle it as compared to the costs of ordering more flowers.

Five Cheers for Fall Weddings

Fall is my favorite season for a lot of reasons: life seems to slow down, the air becomes crisp, the weather is beautiful, I can mix and match wardrobes, candy shows up in every corner of every store, and I get to pull out the pumpkin spice candles. When it comes to weddings, I'm declaring myself the new 'fall wedding' advocate. Consider these five cheers for fall weddings:

1. The weather is beautiful, especially in Southern California. You don't have to risk it being a scorcher, and rain isn't likely early on. P.S. While I can't control the weather, I have yet to have it rain during a wedding.


2. You will have a better chance of booking the quality vendors you want. Without a doubt, the vendors you book will have a huge impact on the outcome of your day. While there are still quite a few fall weddings, it's definitely not as busy as the summer.


3. Your guests will thank you because they will be less likely to have conflicting vacation plans, be invited to another wedding, or be in the middle of experiancing wedding overload.


4. Fall offers lots of natural elements that are cheep and easy to incorporate into your design. Think trees, leaves...


5. You will have all of the summer to finish planning your wedding and wrap up the details. A well planned bride experiances much less stress during the final countdown.

Welcome to fall,

When To Rehearse?

A wedding rehearsal is a must. You will have so much on your mind come the day of your wedding, it's important to make sure everyone knows what to do ahead of time. Truly, it shouldn't take more than an hour and that hour will have saved you from a huge snafu come the wedding day. Really, I'm not interested in ranting on about this one. Just take my word for it, you absolutely need to rehearse your ceremony with all parties in attendance.

Traditionally, rehearsals were always the night before the wedding. However, as of late more and more are having them two days in advance. There are pros and cons to each, so just make sure you take them all into consideration before picking the rehearsal date. Here are 3 important things to consider when choosing your rehearsal date:

• Some vendors (officiant, consultant, venue) will refuse to have a Friday rehearsal, so make sure to check with them ahead of time. Their Friday may be booked with another wedding.
• Rehearsing two days ahead gets it out of the way. This may give you more time to relax, but for some the longer wait until the wedding might cause anxiety. You know yourself well enough to decide which category you fall into.
• If you have your rehearsal two days in advance, your out of town participants might have to take extra time off of work and pay for an extra night of hotel. It takes a lot financially and physically to be a part of a wedding, so remember to be considerate of situations whenever possible.

To-Be-Weds: Meghan & Blake

When I met with Meghan for the first time, she told me the one vendor they had already booked was Ashley Rose. I was excited, because I've been stalking Ashley's work and really thought 'I'd love to get to do a wedding with her soon.' Thus, I'm thrilled to share some of Meghan and Blake's e-pics. Of course, they were all shot by the fabulous Ashley Rose. Meghan and Blake met in high school and fell in love later on. They are both big fans of loving life and having a good time, and we will be incorporating that ideal throughout their ceremony and reception.

Their puggle is just too cute. By the way, have I mentioned how much I love 'kissing' engagement pictures. Truly, it captures the essence of what we will all be celebrating on their wedding day - their love!
I can't wait to share more with you about Meghan and Blake's wedding day, but that will have to wait. For now, head over to Ashley's blog and check out some more wonderful shots.

May you all enjoy life,

Dollar Stores Can Equal Wedding Deals Without Sacrificing Taste

Let me be clear, a dollar store is not the place to buy most of your wedding supplies and decor. Some things you shouldn't buy for your wedding - no matter how tempting that $1 price is -include fake flowers, self-stick, giant, white bows, and tealights. The first two are self explanatory. I say 'no' to tealights from a dollar store because burn time is important. You don't want your candles to burn out long before the party is over.

Now that you have been properly warned, here are some great steals for every bride...

Love these garden hooks for ganging lanterns.

Flip flops for your guests on the dance floor really show you care.

There are always lots of signs to be made (menus, instructions, storyboards...). These little easels are a great way to display them.

If you're having a toss garter, might as well throw one that didn't cost an arm and a leg.

White tissue paper is great as an unseen filler in the bottom of baskets and other containers.

I encourage you to walk the whole store and see what you find to fit your needs. Just say no to tacky. Also, keep in mind that some things they sell are cheaper elsewhere. For example, I saw small bags of river rocks during my shopping trip. However, if you need a lot to fill a bunch of vases, buying them in bulk would be cheaper.

Happy deal hunting,