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What Costs Should the Bride Cover for Her Bridesmaids?

What Costs Should the Bride Cover for Her Bridesmaids?

What Costs Should the Bride Cover for Her Bridesmaids?

Being asked to be a bridesmaid for a friend’s wedding is exciting. But when the questions of travel, lodging, the bachelorette party and the wedding day itself arise, the bridesmaid may wonder, “Am I supposed to pay for that?” Money conversations are always awkward, but before you say yes to the honor of being a bridesmaid, it’s important to understand what expenses each party is expected to pay. What are the Bridesmaids costs?

Traditionally, bridesmaids are expected to pay for the following:

  • Wedding attire and accessories. This includes the dress (which will most likely be picked by the bride), alterations, shoes and other adornments.
  • Transportation to and from the wedding town or city
  • Gift for the couple (can purchase individually or contribute to a group gift)
  • Share in the cost of a bridesmaids’ gift to the bride (optional)
  • Bachelorette party attendance cost (optional)

These are the costs that the bride should cover for her bridesmaids:

  • Bridesmaid’s flowers
  • Lodging for out-of-town attendants
  • Transportation for the bridal party to ceremony and reception
  • Thank you gift to her attendants
  • Bridesmaids’ luncheon, tea, or party (if hosted by bride)
  • Hair and makeup (if bride requires it be professionally done)

However, there are a few items on this list that may need further discussion.

Hair and makeup is an area that often comes into question. In the past, bridesmaids would fix their own hair and makeup and then meet the bride to help her finish getting ready. With wedding photographs becoming more important and costly, many brides want their attendants’ hair and makeup to be professionally done. If the bride wishes for the bridesmaids to cover this cost, then it should be presented as an option, not a requirement. The bridesmaid can then choose to do her own hair and makeup. If it’s something the bride requires, then the bride should pick up the tab.

Matching accessories is other matter often discussed. If a bride wants her bridesmaids to have matching accessories, then she should purchase those also. Many brides will give thank-you gifts that can be worn on the day of the wedding, such as jewelry or hair accessories.

Accommodations for the bride’s attendants can be a subject that causes confusion. Traditionally, the bride’s family provides accommodations for her out-of-town attendants, whether in a hotel or arranging for them to stay with family or friends. With the growing popularity of destination weddings (24 percent in 2013), and many unmarried friends having live-in significant others, this tradition seems to be evolving and is one area in which experts do not agree. For a destination wedding, we feel the bride should cover the accommodation costs for her attendants, if at all possible. If the attendant wishes to share a room with her significant other, then the bride might offer to pay for half the room cost.

The bride should be considerate of her friends’ financial situations when selecting the dress and shoes. The bride may even discreetly offer financial assistance if she knows that someone may not be able to bear the entire financial burden. Above all, the bride and her attendants should discuss the costs, expectations and budget openly so that there are no surprises.

When accepting the honor of being a bridesmaid, knowing your financial obligation is important. Be sure you can fulfill your role without becoming resentful. The bride is counting on her bridesmaids to help with planning, give emotional support, as well as greet guests and mingle. The duties and costs of being a bridesmaid may seem overwhelming, but keep in mind that the best job a bridesmaid has is sharing in the friendship and memories that will last a lifetime.

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11 Questions to Ask Before Booking a Wedding Venue

11 Questions to Ask Before Booking a Wedding Venue

Congratulations! You said “yes!” to your love and you’re in the early stages of wedding planning. But hold on: If you’ve whittled down your list of dream wedding venues to a few frontrunners and are almost ready to sign on the dotted line, there are a few things to consider first. Browse the list below for 11 important logistical questions you need to answer before booking a wedding venue.

1. Is it big enough to host your guests and all of the activities you hope to include in your wedding?

Think beyond eating and dancing — do you plan to have any entertainment, and is there enough space for it? Is there a good spot for non-dancers to catch up over cocktails?

2. Is the wedding venue available at the time of year you hope to marry?

Some spaces are closed during the winter months, so be sure to confirm.

3. If you want to have an outdoor wedding, what are your options for keeping guests comfortable in all types of weather?

Does the venue have a backup plan in case of rain? What if it’s scorching hot on your wedding day? Does the venue provided shaded or air-conditioned indoor areas for guest respite? What if it’s cold? Is there heating and plenty of cozy indoor space for guests?

4. What does the wedding venue look like at the time of year you plan to marry?

You may be visiting wedding venues in the summer months…does the venue have the same lighting, charm, and aesthetic in the winter as it does in summer?

5. How accommodating is the wedding venue?

Can the wedding venue accommodate guests with disabilities? What about guests with small children?

6. Can you host your ceremony and reception at the same venue?

What would that entail for guests? Will there be a cocktail hour? Where will it be hosted?

7. Do you want to take photos at the wedding venue?

When and where? Will you have access to your ceremony and/or reception space before the wedding for a first look?

8. How will people get there?

Is the wedding venue accessible by public transportation? Is there enough parking nearby? If not, is it within your budget to rent a bus to transport your guests?

9. Will other weddings be taking place at the same time as yours?

If so, are there enough bathrooms for everyone? Does it get loud? How much will you and your guests have to interact with guests of another wedding? Consider visiting the venue on a night when more than one event is taking place to get a sense of the volume and atmosphere.

10. Where will you and your wedding party get ready before the ceremony?

11. How late can the party go on?

If you dream of dancing until the wee hours, make sure the venue doesn’t have an early curfew.

Love 2 Love can assist you in making your dream wedding come true. Please do not hesitate to contact us for support and ideas.

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8 Ways to Stay Organised During Wedding Planning

8 Ways to Stay Organised During Wedding Planning

8 Ways to Stay Organised During Wedding Planning

Wedding planning is no easy feat. Whether you’re going for an over-the-top affair or keeping things simple, there are about a million things that need to get done before you walk down the aisle. And between appointments with vendors, scouting out venues, building welcome bags, and more, something might accidentally get overlooked. So, to help you keep your head on straight as you plan an epic celebration, here are a 8 ways to stay organised while planning your wedding.

1. Write things down. When in doubt, make a list. It’s the easiest way to get yourself organised before you get too far along in the planning process. Sit down with your partner and brainstorm what needs to be taken care of before the big day. Then decide what’s most important to tackle now and what can wait until later, and break that massive list down into manageable parts. Revisit this list from time to time to reorganise the plan.

2. Consider a colour coded system. What’s even better than a list? A colour coded calendar. Pick up a new monthly planner that’s exclusively used for wedding-related appointments and tasks. Pick a different colour for each vendor so that you can quickly see what’s on tap for the week ahead. This will help you know when deposits are due, when follow-up emails need to be sent, and when appointments are. It may seem like a lot of work to switch pens every time a new item needs to be added to the calendar, but you’ll be very grateful you did as your schedule starts to fill up!

3. Communicate clearly. Email subject lines are hard. You want to be friendly (“Love you ladies!”) but you also want to be direct (“I NEED YOU TO ORDER YOUR DRESSES NOW”)…so what’s a to-be-wed to do? Keep your subject lines professional and focused (“Bridal Shower Info”) so that the recipient knows what to expect and understands the email is somewhat urgent. Then use the body of the email to get cute. Also, streamline your efforts; that third email might get lost in the email chain! Think through what you need to cover before you hit send.

4. Delegate, delegate, delegate. Don’t try to be the hero and do everythingyourself. Planning a wedding is a HUGE task to take on and it’s true that many hands make light work. So, assign things to your partner, your bridesmaids, your mom, your sister, anyone willing to take something off your plate. There are obviously some tasks that you need to do yourself, but for the rest? Ask for help. Those invitations won’t mail themselves, after all.

5. Start early. While you should definitely take some time to bask in your new title of fiancé, you don’t want to let too much time pass before you dive into planning your wedding. We’re all guilty of procrastinating, so be proactive and get stuff done early…even if it’s not the most glamorous. Once you take care of the less exciting tasks you’ll have more time to spend on the fun things, like cake tasting, dress shopping, and enjoying your engagement.

6. Take advantage of pre-assembled timelines. Not sure where to start? Whether you’re planning a wedding in 12 months, 6 months or as little as 3 months, a timeline should help keep you on schedule. Mark up a calendar with some of the bigger items (like venue scouting and dress shopping) so you know when you need to start tackling those things.

7. Store all your ideas in one place.There’s nothing worse than trying to remember where you saw that PERFECT pair of earrings and not being able to retrace your steps to find the website or email. Make your life so much easier by creating a folder on your desktop, a Pinterest board. When you have a place to keep track of all your ideas and inspiration, planning becomes a cinch. Plus, it will make sharing your vision with your vendors as easy as pie.

8. Plan to plan. It’s easy to think that everything will come together “eventually,” but things won’t happen unless you actually designate some time for planning. Schedule a little bit of time each day, or designate a few hours on the weekend for some focused wedding talk. This will help make sure you’re not scrambling to do everything at the last minute!