4 Pre-Wedding Items You Can't Forget

Aside from the typical photos every photographer captures throughout the wedding day, the pre-wedding photos are always my favorite! The bride is full of love and bliss and her bridesmaids are so excited for their best friend. The beautiful gown, the rings, the bridal accessories and all of those details are what I love most about wedding photos.

And if you want to make sure those photos are done to perfection, there are four items we would always recommend bringing with you on your wedding day!

Your Invitation Suite

I know it's not exactly part of your wedding day, but it's the piece of your wedding that brought all of your family and friends together. And it one item that so many couples forget about. Along with everything else you are going to be bringing (or giving to your wedding coordinator), pack a full invitation suite so that your photographer can snap a couple beautiful shots!

A Ring Box

Of course there are thousands of great wedding and engagement ring shots out there which are done without a ring box. But this is just one of my absolute favorites -- the velvet colored ring box. Whether it's one of these beauties or even the box your ring bearer will carry down the aisle, we love a beautiful home for those rings as part of you pre-wedding photos.

Personalized Hangers

There is nothing worse than seeing the most stunning photo of the most gorgeous wedding gown, only to look toward to top of the photo and see a white plastic hanger. What will take your bridesmaid and wedding dress photos to the next level? Beautiful personalized wooden hangers for you and your bridesmaids so that those wedding photos truly encompass all of the beauty your gown has to show.

Getting Ready Attire

Beautiful bridal robes for you and your ladies are definitely the popular trend, but there are so many options if robes just aren't your thing! But no matter what you choose, you are going to be taking A LOT of photos while you're getting ready that morning. So matching attire that looks clean and beautiful is a must in our eyes!

Delicious Signature Cocktail Ideas For Your Wedding Day

Signature cocktails are one of my favorite wedding "details" because they bring some personality to the wedding day. Whether you are doing a signature cocktail or "His and Hers" cocktails, here are some great ideas to get those creative juices flowing (pun intended).

So go grab some liquor and some mixers and make a date night out of choosing your signature cocktail...sounds like a fun date night to me!

And if you have a delicious signature cocktail idea, comment below and share with all of us!

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6 Things to Consider When Choosing Your Wedding Date

Some couples go into wedding planning with a set date in mind - an anniversary or just a date that somehow sticks and they just don't want to let it go. And then there are the couples who have no idea when to get married and that's okay too! In fact, I believe that a flexible wedding date is far better (and less stressful) than having one set in stone from the beginning.

For those of you who are still looking for that perfect date and need a little help, here are some of the top things to consider when choosing your wedding date!

1. The Season

I know it may sound silly and basic, but there is far more to it than you think. If you absolutely hate the rain and always seem to get into bad moods when it rains, then let's stay away from rainy seasons. "I love weddings under sun, so the warm seasons are all I need for a wedding." (The Bride List vendor xoxo kristen) A season that makes you happy is always a great time for your wedding.

Secondly, if you have always imagined an outdoor wedding and reception, then of course you are going to want to stay far away from winter. Think about your wedding vision and ask yourself, "If I get married on this date, will my wedding visions be able to be carried out on that date?" We cannot always control the weather, but we can do our best to predict based on the season.

From Britt's Eye View (The Bride List Vendor)

Quick Tip: Did you know that you can check the weather for past years? If it has never rained on your wedding date for the past 57 years, then you're probably in the clear.

2. The Price

Non-Saturday weddings tend to be less expensive. Venues offer lower minimums and many wedding vendors offer discounted prices on Fridays, Sundays and even lower on weekdays. So if you're on a tight budget or just want to save some money and aren't set on a Saturday evening, then look into other days of the week!

3. What's happening in your city?

From Britt's Eye View (The Bride List Vendor)

There are marathons, farmer's markets, and other events at various times of the year. "Check the event calendar for that part of town on the date you are looking into so your guests don't hit traffic from a local marathon, etc." (The Bride List Vendor Lee Dyson) Your guests aren't going to check on those items and you definitely don't want your wedding to start late because of it, so I suggest you avoid hose large event dates altogether, just to be safe. 

4. Guest Travels

You've got to keep your guests in mind as well. Are they traveling from out of town? Or are they all local? For those of you with lots of out of towners, remember that they will be missing work and will need a day or two for travel on each end. If you have a Sunday wedding, will your guests be able to make it back in time for work the next day? Or are they able to skip work altogether? Are you choosing the priciest travel weekend of the year...ahem, a holiday weekend? Ask yourself all of the necessary questions and put yourself in their shoes.
 

5. Time to Save

We all know that weddings are expensive -- I don't think I need to tell you twice. And it is imperative that you don't go into marriage with wedding debt. Marriage is one of the largest changes in your life and debt is one of the largest factors of stress within a marriage. So let's not stack the odds against us.

If you are paying for your wedding yourself, how much time do you need to save up? How much can you realistically pay toward your wedding each month? And how long will this take to pay for the entire wedding? Add it all up and make sure you don't schedule your wedding in six months if it will take you three years to save.

From Britt's Eye View (The Bride List Vendor)

6. Time to Plan

Are you in school? Work 60 hours per week? If so, then you may not even have the time to plan a wedding right now. And you definitely don't want any of that extra stress added to your plate. So if you have a lot to do right now with very little extra time, then you may want to push the wedding out some time to prevent that unnecessary stress. Your wedding will still be waiting for you...I promise :)

Take everything into consideration and make sure you are making a decision that is right for both of you and all parties involved. As you can see, being flexible with that date definitely makes it easier as there are lots of things to consider.