It's the Best Wedding Season

Written with love, by Piper Stewart

I am obsessed with Winter Weddings! A Winter Wonderland theme is an optimal choice for winter weddings. They are filled with bold red, silvery and blue colors along with lots of gorgeous flowers. A little Christmassy even. Mistletoes, peppermints and candy canes of course!

When I think of winter themed weddings, I immediately think of snow flakes, snowy long tree branches, and pine cones. So naturally, snowflakes and pine cone favors are the perfect décor. They add elegant touches for a Winter Wonderland theme. Snowflakes, shimmery glitter, and real poinsettias can be added to your bouquet for an authentic wintery feel. Pearls and rhinestones are great too. I say, bring on the bling! The more sparkle, the better; along with long- sleeved gowns and beautiful furs. Right out of a fairytale. Don’t be afraid to standout. After all it is your big day so you deserve all eyes on you.

The Little Things

It’s all in the details, there are many ways to incorporate snowflakes into your wedding décor. You can add them to your wedding cake, invitations, programs, and the signature drink at cocktail hour. You can also consider using snowflake place card holders, candles, bottle stoppers and flowers in long glass vases for centerpieces.

DIY

There are many DIY ideas that can be utilized for this, but I’ll only name a few.

1.       Stuff mason jars with items of your choice (cupcakes, hot chocolate mix, peach jam, or honey toasted almonds) and a beautiful shiny ribbon to give it some POP
2.       All white candy bags with a personalized label on it with your names and wedding date
3.       Instant Mocha mix in which comes in mini test tubes made by Martha Stewart crafts

Cocoa Bar

Today’s bride can also have a cocoa bar which would be a sure winner vs. your traditional candy bar. The guests will be cold and this could certainly warm them up and make them feel tingly inside. A great s’more or fresh chocolate cookie would be delicious as an accompaniment. The key to making sure your cocoa bar is a hit is having a variety of toppings...and don’t forget to top it all off with lots and lots of whipped cream!!

Actually, you may even want to incorporate a Signature Cocktail with Cocoa in it, such as a Hot Chocolate Martini. Yummers!! This would complement the cocoa bar and keep in line with your theme. Here’s a list of some of my faves for you to enjoy!

·         Champagne & cranberries
·         Hot mulled apple cider with rum
·         Kahlua Espresso Martini
·         S’more Martinis
·         Pomegranate Champagne
·         Hot Toddies (absolute favorite)

And it’s also a great idea for the children at your wedding. It can create a more family oriented environment!

Your Sendoff Car

Another one of my favorites for Winter Weddings are vintage and antique cars which make for amazing sendoff photos after the reception. You can decorate them with "Just Married" signs or use DIY décor. They put me in the mind of Old Hollywood Glamour. The photos captured by your photographer will be amazing and memorable!

Time and Money

Everyone knows that your budget is the most important factor in planning your wedding. So for some if you can save a little upfront it can make a big difference in the long run. Often times, you can save big if you get married in the off season. Summer months are prime time dates and a premium price tag may come along with these dates. You can inquire with the venue coordinator if the prices differ for this time of year.

As I was planning for my wedding, I noticed that by the time I contacted most venues my wedding date was already booked. And I learned, it was because of the time of year that I had chosen to get married.  So I had to make a choice between changing my date and choosing another venue. I chose another venue, but booking a wedding venue can be tricky if you’re attached to summer months. You may be able to book your dream venue if you choose a winter month that has less weddings booked during that time frame. It can also be easier to book the best vendors. During the summer and spring, people are usually the busiest and they may have to choose between coming to your wedding or attending another event. But in the winter people’s calendars are usually more open to attend your wedding. And your wedding can be the talk of the season!!

As always Happy Wedding Planning!!

Photography by Dean Michaels Studio

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An online wedding boutique specializing in bridal accessories, wedding favors, and ceremony and reception decor.

Your Tax Deductible Wedding

It's almost here, you're favorite day of the year...TAX DAY!!

Wouldn't it be cool if you could write it off such a large purchase? Oh wait, you can, and I am going to tell you how!

Now if you haven't already planned your wedding, then you have some extra time to make sure your wedding is tax deductible. And if your wedding is already planned or has already happened, well you're in luck. Whether you're a bride-to-be, got married last month, or married 27 years ago, I have a chance for anyone to write off their wedding. But you have to read to the end to find out how ;)

The Church

Talk to your church about their site fee. Some will allow you to make a donation in lieu of the ceremony site fee and in this case, your donation is tax deductible! And it'll make you feel good too :)

The Reception Venue

Receptions at national parks, historical sites, or museums are often tax deductible so make sure to check with your venue for details!

The Decor

Are you ever going to use your linens again? Or did you purchase any other decor items that are just going to be thrown into the recycling bin or in the back of your garage? Donate these items to a homeless shelter and put them to good use...other than dust collecting!

The Registry

More and more couples are moving in together before they get married and even if not, many of us already have the necessary household items that are generally put on a gift registry. So instead of asking guests for gifts, ask your guests to donate to the charity of your choice! While isn't a tax write-off for you, it will be for your guests AND it will be an amazing opportunity for the two of you to make a difference!

The Favors

We all know that a majority of these little trinkets are thrown into a drawer, never to be seen again. So instead of giving your guests a favor, let them know that the money that would've been used for favors was donated to a charity instead. My guess is that any guest would prefer that over a typical wedding favor :)

The Food

This isn't possible for every wedding but if you have leftover food, bring it to a homeless shelter at the end of the night so someone else can experience the delicious meal too!

You can make your wedding tax deductible RIGHT NOW!

And finally, your dress! Did you know that your beautiful gown may be tax deductible? And I can help you make your dress tax deductible today!

Love & Lace Bridal Salon is an amazing salon in Orange County, CA that I have had the great pleasure of working with for the past couple of months. Not only do they have beautiful dresses and would do anything in their power to make your day special, but are in the process of planning an amazing event for military brides!

We are now working to collect used wedding gowns for military brides to get theirs at no cost! These brides have sacrificed so much for all of us already, so the least you can do is help make her feel beautiful on her wedding day with such a special gift! And while it would be out of the goodness of your own heart, you would get a little tax deductible reward yourself ;)

Find out more!

If you have any interest in donating your gown to this amazing cause, please contact us for more information! And don't worry, you are not committing to anything - we just want to send you more information :)

6 Wedding Day Fails (...if you don't hire a professional)

I have a friend who is amazing at hair and makeup! I am going to have her be my wedding day stylist to save some money!"

At some point, I know this has crossed your mind. Your probably left your hair and makeup to the end of the planning and at this point, you've already gone over your budget. So now you are just doing anything and everything you can to save! While it may sound like a great idea to hire your friend at the time, and I am sure she is amazing at doing hair and makeup, before you make that decision, I urge you to read through this article and then decide if that is your best option!

Because my guess is that you are absolutely going to change your mind as soon as you hear the horrors of hiring a non-professional for your wedding day! And I've asked for some help from Dee, Owner of Swell Beauty, to show you why this is a HUGE MUST!

But before we give you our take, our beautiful bride Kelsey gives her own insight on hiring a professional and why she chose Swell Beauty for her wedding day!

The Cancellation

Because this friend of yours is not being paid, they are more likely to cancel on you at any given time because there is nothing keeping them from staying! And even if you are paying him or her, that comfort aspect allows a friend an "out," where a professional would never even think of cancelling on a bride! Okay, so she is your best friend and you just know she would never cancel...well that's what you think now! But just wait until a couple weeks before the wedding...

"About 95% of the time, we are called last minute without having time for a trial because a friend has cancelled or has become too stressed and felt too much pressure to go through with the bridal hair and makeup." - Dee, Owner of Swell Beauty

While you may feel a complete sense of comfort because you have been friends since you were four years old, this is actually more of a reason that she would cancel on you! This is one of the biggest days of your life, thus far, and is a TON of pressure to perform well! What if you don't like it? What if your up do falls out before the night is over? What if the photos don't turn out well and it is all her fault??

These are all of the questions that are swirling through your friend's head...and for good reason!

The Celebration of YOU

Your best friend is able to control her nerves and pull through for your wedding day. She does your hair and makeup beautifully, on top of being an amazing bridesmaid!

But how did you imagine your wedding morning with your bridesmaids? Personally, I think that is a time for a group of friends to relax, get pampered, and enjoy some music and laughs together before the craziness begins!

But for her, there is no time for relaxation and fun! "The friend feels that she cannot enjoy the wedding since she is technically working. She feels pressured to have her bride look amazing all day!" - Dee, Swell Beauty

So not only through the "getting ready stage" but through the entire wedding day, she will not be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy this special day for her best friend, but instead will be constantly looking at her work, critiquing it, and making sure each hair and eyelash stays in place!

Now that doesn't sound like much fun to me! So keep the stress to the professionals, and let your friends relax and enjoy themselves :)

Your Cut & Color Stylist

100% of the time there will be changes made and things that come up that weren't exactly as planned for your wedding day. And that is where the professionals come in. But first, let me define "professional: in regards to this series:

Professional: A hair stylist and makeup artist who specializes in wedding day hair and makeup. This is not the girl who cuts and colors your hair, and that is a very important distinction that needs to be made! Although they are professionals, they are not the type of professionals we are talking about in this series!

"Professionals have more experience in dealing with stress, pressure, timing, and unexpected changes throughout the wedding day" (Dee, Swell Beauty) whereas your cut and color stylist doesn't! He or she isn't working under pressure each and every day - if she runs 10 minutes behind schedule for your haircut, she can just hand you tea and a magazine and you are good to go! But on your wedding day, this is not going to fly.

Your every day cut and color stylist may be amazing, but she is not used to working under pressure and on top of that, she doesn't do wedding up-dos and makeup each and every day. You want the professional who specializes in exactly what you need!

The Moral Obligation

I know you may feel the pressure to hire your everyday stylist or your friend, but I am telling you that you have no obligation to hire him or her, so don't let that get to you! If you are feeling the pressure, here is what you say:

"You are fantastic at what you do and I love your work, but I really want you to be able to just enjoy the wedding day and not have to worry about my hair and makeup!"

Plain and simple. And then no feelings are hurt!

A Friendship Lost

You're sitting there on your wedding day, about to walk down the aisle to say "I Do" and you look in the mirror at your final look, and you hate it. You don't feel pretty and you just want to cry!

Wouldn't that just be the worst??

Despite the fact that you may have done a trial beforehand, your friend is not in the business of duplicating her work each and every time. You can't tell her you hate it because you don't want to hurt her feelings and worst of all, you don't feel gorgeous on your wedding day! Will this friendship remain strong?

"Most of the time brides have told me that they regret using a friend for their services because they felt bad telling them that they were not happy with their work. And almost every time, the hair and makeup don't last. Guilt is a big factor and most brides have told me that those friendships have changed and have becomes very awkward." - Dee, Swell Beauty

These are all real-life scenarios that happen to brides all of the time, just because she felt bad saying no in the first place, or because she was trying to save a couple bucks. Is a couple bucks really worth it to you? Is it worth a ruined friendship and a negative bump in your wedding day?

It needs to last all day!

On my wedding day, we started getting ready at 8:00am and our ceremony didn't start until 5:30pm. Yes, we had a lot of bridesmaids to get ready, but even if you don't you need your hair and makeup to last for a very long time.

And you can trust that a professional's work, a wedding professional's work, will last well through the night! Not only do they have the tools and experience to know how to make this happen, but they use professional products, and not products that you can find at a convenient store.

The products are meant to last and are used because they work! "A professional who does weddings constantly has the experience to know how certain hair types are going to last and what products work best for longevity." (Dee, Swell Beauty)

You want to be pampered on your wedding day and you want to find a professional you can trust to pamper you, make you feel beautiful, and make it last! So choose a WEDDING professional, and you are sure to prevent those horrors from happening!

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I hope that this series is not only fun for you to watch, see, and read, but that is eases any worries or unknowns about what your hair and makeup trial will be like. Our goal is to guide you through the process of choosing your stylists, offer you tips and tricks along the way, make sure you are best prepared for your trial, and help you through all the way to your wedding day!

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