Archives for March 2012

March 30, 2012 by Kelly Curtis

Inspirational Friday- Pastels

Pastels look great in everything that you do. They create great color combinations and look absolutely beautiful for any wedding. Use pastels within your wedding flowers, centerpieces, bridesmaid dresses and even your wedding cake. You can combine many colors together too without it looking overwhelming.

March 29, 2012 by Kelly Curtis

Relive Your Special Memories With Steve Sanders Photography

When you have a special moment in your life, you want to remember it for a lifetime. You want to remember every little detail and what everything looked like. Photos are the best way to capture those memories. You can pull them out whenever you like and look back on the beautiful event that you shared with your family, friends and loved ones. You're capturing a moment in time. Therefore, you want a photographer who understands that they are capturing these special times specifically for you and will go above and beyond to please their clients, So, if you're in the Lees Summit, Missouri area, Steve Sanders Photography gives 110% and will do whatever they can to capture the special moments.

Adorable Easter Portrait

Steve Sanders has been working as a professional photographer for over 20 years. Mixing fun styles, while incorporating a documentary and traditional mix makes his photography style unique and beautiful.

Steve Sanders Photography specializes in weddings and seniors with a fashion flare and families in their private garden or on location.

They also enjoy capturing sport photography. Whatever the occasion, they will go above and beyond to create a one-of-a-kind photo just for you.

Capturing Your Personality

Whether you are wanting to capture your special family, children or senior portraits in their private photo garden or on location, they have the ability and the creative edge to make you look your best. With unlimited clothing changes and a wide variety of locations, you and your family will definitely be able to show off your fun-loving personalities.

Also, don't forget to bring your favorite interests along with you to really make your photos represent you like your pets, musical instruments or whatever props you like. Take a family portrait that captures everyone, including the dog, Easter child portrait in a bunny costume or a senior portrait that captures them by their first car.

They'll go above and beyond at making sure your great personality shines through your photos.

Your Dream Wedding

Great Wedding Portrait

This day is one of the most important days of your life. Therefore, you want to remember it always. They offer great wedding packages that will suit anyone's budget and beautiful albums and portraits. Again, they will capture your great personalities, as well as all the little details. Imagine a gorgeous wedding portrait on the beautiful steps by your wedding venue or riding away in classic transportation with your sport's team flags waving behind you.

Always going above and beyond to capture great photos and all the special moments so you can remember them. You'll relive your wedding through your wedding pictures.

When wanting to find a photographer who will capture beautiful moments, Steve Sanders Photography will always get the job done. They capture gorgeous photos that will truly last a lifetime and let you relive the special moments in your life.

March 28, 2012 by Kelly Curtis

10 Questions To Ask Your Bakery

When planning your wedding, there are many different elements that you must research and plan. You must research different vendors to see if they are the right fit for you and research different wedding ideas. You must ask your vendors different questions to better understand them and they should always go above and beyond to please their customers. This goes for all vendors, even your bakery, especially since your wedding cake is one of the most important details on your big day. So, Wedding and Party Network has compiled a list of questions that you may want to ask before you hire your baker to create your dream wedding cake.

Unique Wedding Cake

Do you have a portfolio of previous wedding cakes you've made that we can look at? You want to take a look at their previous works that they've done before. Take a look at their photos and see if their cakes are the style that you like and if they are professional.
Can you supply references? Do you have previous clients that we can contact for references? It's always great to check with their previous clients to see if they are easy to work with and are professional.
How adaptable are wedding cake designs due to budget constraints? Of course, you want the wedding cake of your dreams. However, sometimes your budget doesn't allow for that. Therefore, it's nice to show your baker a picture of your wedding cake that you would like and see what they can do. They should have great ideas on how to replicate it and make it your own while staying within your budget.
Will you design a custom wedding cake? You may want a specific type of wedding cake, so can your cake design create it? It's important that they go above and beyond to create a stunning wedding cake that you want.
Can you coordinate with my florist? Your cake topper is a special part of your wedding cake. It could be anything, but a big trend is using fresh flowers on your wedding cake and as the cake topper. If you are going to use fresh flowers for your cake topper, make sure they are both open to working with each other.
Do you have or rent out accessories such as, cake toppers, stands, fountains or cake cutters? You may not these items, however, sometimes your bakery supplies these items or rents them out. So, it's just a nice question to ask up front so you can plan accordingly.
What ingredients do you use, as well as what type of icing? Ask them what type of flavors they offer and what ingredients they use within their cakes. This is the time to let them know if anyone has any allergies. You want variety to choose from when planning what type of wedding cake you will have at your wedding. Also, ask about what type of icing they use. They either do buttercream, fondant or both. Find the one that is best suited for your cake and what you like best.
How are your cakes charged? Ask them about their pricing. Do they charge their cakes by the slice or by the cake itself. Is there extra costs for filling, how many tiers, flavors or type of icing I use? Definitely get price quotes so you can compare later and see if it fits in your budget.
Do you deliver your cakes? Having your wedding cake delivered to the location is an important aspect. If not, you will need to find someone to pick up your cake on your wedding day.
Is there a written contract? Like any agreement, you want a formal written contract. It's important that there are guidelines laid out, deposits, cancellations on both parts and any other important terms and guidelines you must follow. You want to make sure both parties are doing exactly what they signed to do.

Your wedding cake is an important detail of your wedding, therefore, you want to find a baker that understands just that and will go above and beyond to create the cake of your dreams.

This post is brought to you by Oklahoma City Wedding Bakeries.
Not in Oklahoma City, OK? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network's handy wedding planning directory to help you find a wedding planner near you!

March 27, 2012 by Kelly Curtis

Should You Elope?

Planning a wedding is stressful. Yes, stress comes with planning a wedding, it's that simple. When brides see how much planning and stress comes with a wedding, they immediately think about eloping. This is not a bad idea and it could be a wonderful idea if it's fit for you. There are many pros and cons to eloping. So, Wedding and Party Network is pointing out the good, the bad and the ugly of eloping.

Reasons To Elope:

Beach Wedding Ceremony

Cost – Of course, weddings are expensive. So, the first thing that pops into a couples mind is the money. If you don't have parents who are paying for all of it or are on a limited budget, this can be a big issue. It may bring on more stress on trying to cut corners to make sure everything fits in your budget. Eloping can definitely help cut down the cost on your wedding. If you are going to the justice of peace, you definitely can cut down the cost since marriage licenses may cost around $50.00. Even if you are eloping to an island, it still may be cheaper since resorts offer different packages that includes everything.
Avoid Family Issues – With every family, comes family issues. Whether your parents are divorced, family opposes your marriage, family attending your wedding yet there are strings attached, family members are living abroad or you have a large and extended family, which can create a mile long guest list. Whatever family issues you have in your family, eloping is a good way to avoid all issues and problems.
Avoid Stress & Hassle – Planning a wedding is stressful. It's that simple. When eloping or just going to the court-house, you eliminate almost all your planning. If you are planning a wedding at a beach resort, they offer various packages that include the wedding cake, wedding flowers and even photographs.
Religion & Culture – This also may be an issue when planning your wedding. Not everyone shares the same religion or cultural background. Therefore, this can cause an issue between family members.
Small Wedding – Having a small wedding may be important to you. You might also just have a gigantic family on both sides and realize the money you'll have to put into it will be more than you can afford.

Reasons Not To Elope:

Only Experienced By Bride & Groom – This is a joyous occasion in your life. When you elope, you won't get to share it with your family or close friends. This is important to both you, the groom and both of your families. So, wouldn't you like to share it with everyone?
Offend – However, this was in the pros, this can also be a con on why not to elope. You may end up offending any religious or cultural backgrounds. If anyone of the family has strict moral views, you might end up offending them and they can definitely take it personal.
Regret – You may be thankful for eloping now, but ask yourself if you will regret not having an actual wedding? You won't get to get all dolled up in your dream wedding dress or see him in a tuxedo, considering elopements are simple.
The Memories – Of course, you'll have memories from your elopement. However, think about the memories you will receive from your wedding.

There are many pros and cons on whether you should elope or not, you just have to do what is best for you and your groom. It's all about staying true to who you are and planning the wedding that you've always dreamed about.

This post is brought to you by Miami Wedding Planners.
Not in Miami, FL? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network's handy wedding planning directory to help you find a wedding planner near you!

March 26, 2012 by Kelly Curtis

Let The Vine Create Your Picture Perfect Event

Planning your wedding is a special time in your life. Everything must be perfect for your wedding, including your wedding dress, wedding flowers, decor, location and your wedding catering. All of these items combine to create the wedding that is fit for you. It also tells your story. This day is one that you'll remember a lifetime. With that, you want wedding vendors that truly understands this and will go above and beyond for you. If you're in the Memphis, Tennessee area, The Vine can't wait to work with you in creating amazing reception food and provide a unique site that will help in creating your dream wedding.

Beautiful Wedding Reception

This beautiful venue was originally Idewald Theatre in the 1940's. Since then, this venue has been the site of many restaurants and became The Vine in 2002. It is a fully equipped wedding and event venue that includes fully equipped DJ booth, private parking, two bar areas, outdoor courtyard, tables, chairs, parking lot attendant, on-site coordinator and catering service.

They even offer bar, catering and floral service at their site and even off-site services. They have everything you need and more!

A Great Location

If you're looking for an amazing wedding or even event venue, this is the place. The inside is spacious and great for any size wedding or event. Also, you'll find that the venue is accented with gorgeous architectural details and gorgeous outdoor courtyard that definitely is a wonderful place for guests to get air. This location can truly be transformed into the dream wedding or themed party that you are wanting.

Just imagine having your wedding ceremony transformed into your wedding by adding gorgeous wedding flowers in your colors, reception centerpieces for your wedding reception and beautiful lighting all combined together to create your wedding day look. The great thing about The Vine is that they offer almost everything you need to create your dream wedding or event, which is wonderful not having to work with a million different vendors. They can take care of it all.

Delicious Catering For All Your Events

Exquisite Fresh Fruit

Not only do they offer a wonderful venue, they also provide exquisite, tasteful catering for all your events. Whether you are wanting a buffet menu or seated menu, they offer both. Along with their selection of menu, you'll also find a variety of food that satisfies everyone's palette.

Choose from assorted cheese balls, ham, pork tenderloin, crab salad with pasta, fresh spinach and blue cheese salad, chocolate fudge caramel pecan pie, grilled salmon on a bed of orzo or grilled eggplant and mozzarella. Their delicious food will melt in your mouth and definitely be part of the "wow" factor at your wedding or event. Also, don't forget that they offer off site catering as well. They'll come to you no matter where the party is at!

When looking for a wedding and party vendor to take care of almost all your needs, The Vine is the ideal vendor. They always go above and beyond for their customers by offering you a gorgeous venue, delicious food and beautiful flowers with all the accessories. Your wedding or party will be just how you've always imagined.

March 23, 2012 by Kelly Curtis

Inspirational Friday – Favors

Here at Wedding and Party Network we want to give you inspiration for your wedding details. The details are what sets your wedding apart from anyone else. The colors, theme, detailing and style all creates your wedding day style. So, today's Inspirational Friday will focus on party and wedding favors. Favors are just a great way to say thank you to your guests for coming and celebrating with you. There are so many different fun and creative ones that you can do, so here is a little bit of inspiration.

There are so many wonderful ideas for party and wedding favors. You can do fun parasols, which are great for weddings to help keep the sun out of your guests eye or serve a late night treat at your wedding reception. You can offer anything you would like that fits within the theme of your wedding or party. Candles, cupcakes, "green" favors, gourmet food or fun favors are always great. Just choose something that goes along with the theme and that your guests will love.

March 21, 2012 by Kelly Curtis

7 Big Things Not To Forget

When it comes to planning a wedding, there are a million and one things that you must plan. With so much going on, there's bound to be something that could slip through the cracks that you may not remember, which is definitely understandable. Hopefully that won't happen to you. So, Wedding and Party Network has compiled a list of what not to forget for your wedding that will help you stay on track at planning your dream wedding.

Beautiful Wedding Ceremony

Post Wedding – What are you going to do after the wedding? Of course, there's the honeymoon. However, some couples may not be leaving for their honeymoon right after the wedding. You need to ask yourself how are we leaving, how long do you want the reception to last and where are we staying if you aren't leaving right after the reception.

Do you have your bags packed and all the essentials for afterwards? If you are wanting the party to last for your guests, think about booking an after hours location, preferably at a hotel or even house. Are you wanting to stay in the same hotel as your guests or somewhere different?

Sit down and think a bout the pros and cons of each and find one that is best suited for your needs. Don't forget to pack the essentials for afterwards, like change of clothes, you're not going to want to stay in your wedding dress all night, even though some may to relish in the moment forever.

Will You Take Care Of My Things, Please? – Find someone who will take care of your essentials afterwards. If you're going straight home and don't have a big night planned afterwards, then this doesn't truly apply.

However, if you're planning on jetting off after the reception somewhere nice, ask someone if they would take care of your items after the wedding. This can include gifts, momentos, leftover food, wedding cake and even your wedding dress and accessories. You can send the food home with the bridal party or family members for leftovers, donate the flowers, make sure someone freezes your wedding cake and preserves your dress. You can put everything else in order when you get back from your amazing honeymoon.

Where Do I Place This? – You think about where you will sit your guests and stand during the ceremony. However, what do you do with the little things in your wedding? For example, where do you place the programs, place cards, escort cards and your sparklers or bubbles for your exit? Plan this out ahead and definitely talk to your wedding coordinator to help you figure out these little details.

How To Receive Gifts – This is one thing that some people may not think about. Of course, your guests are going to bring gifts to the wedding. First off, definitely set up a gift table or designated area for gifts.

However, guests like to give them to you their gifts face-to-face like in the receiving line, when you're visiting their table or when they're leaving. Have a bridesmaid stay close by during these times with a designated bag or box to be ready to discretely take the gift or card away from you so you're not bogged down.

First Dance

What Are You Doing The Day After? – Don't forget to plan the day after. If you're leaving on your honeymoon, make sure you make all the necessary arrangements like transportation, airline tickets, luggage, passport and hotel.

However, if you're not leaving right away, plan out a cleaning schedule if you have to clean the reception venue or plan a brunch with your out-of-town guests.

Don't Forget The Legal Documents – You'll need your marriage license for the signatures it requires. You definitely need the paperwork, especially after all the hard work you put into planning your wedding, you want it official, right?

Plan Out Your Itinerary – Make sure you have a detailed itinerary of your wedding day. You want to make sure you get everywhere you need to go and take care of every little thing that you have to on your wedding day, on time.

Also, stay in contact with your wedding vendors to make sure they know what time to pick you up, what time you will be able to get into your wedding venue and what time they will deliver your cake. It's important everyone knows the schedule so your wedding day will run smoothly.

These 7 things are truly important on your wedding day, especially if you want everything to run smoothly. If you remember these, your wedding day will definitely be one to remember.

This post is brought to you by Miami Wedding Planners.
Not in Miami, FL? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network's handy wedding planning directory to help you find a wedding planner near you!

March 20, 2012 by Kelly Curtis

Girls vs. Boys Gender Reveal Party

Are you a new mother-to-be or know someone who is pregnant? This is a truly joyous occasion that must be celebrated in a wonderful way. Of course, there's the baby shower with the million different shower themes that you can pick from that suits the mother and gender of the baby. However, have you thought about celebrating finding out the gender of the baby? It's a fun way to get everyone together and announce it especially since everyone anticipates this day so they can run out and start buying gender themed items. Wedding and Party Network has a great girls vs. boys gender reveal party that everyone will love.

For the party invitations, explain the details of the party and tell them to pick a boy or girl for their gender. You can even tell them to dress in the colors of what gender that think the baby is going to be.

Girl Or Boy?

It's all about the party decorations. Of course, the main colors should be pink and blue. Divide all your party decorations into half pink and half blue. This goes for absolutely everything. Table cloths, balloons, signs, pomanders over the food table, napkins, plates, utensils and streamers should all be pink and blue. Get creative with the signs. Let them say "Team Girl" or "Team Boy", "Girls Are Better" or "Boys Are Better" or something along those lines. You can even make t-shirts that represent what gender you are rooting for. Don't forget to put question marks everywhere.

Create pink and blue food for the party. Just like the party decorations, make sure your party food is all about the pink and blue. This party maybe on the week day so if it's later, think about just serving desserts. Have your bakery create a cake that is neutral on the outside, however, let them know beforehand and have them color the cake inside blue or pink for the big reveal. Also, serve up cake pops, cupcakes and cookies that are colored blue and pink on the outside, but have the gender color on the inside. They can be whatever flavor you like, however, champagne flavored maybe appropriate for some. Decorate everything with question marks and when everyone bites into their sweet treat they'll be pleasantly surprised to find out the gender. Serve up different colored drinks as well. Whatever the guests choose, they must stick to that color of food to let it be known what gender they think it will be.

For the big reveal, you can have everyone pick up a dessert, while you cut the cake and have everyone take a bite at the same time to find outside the gender. Everyone will love celebrating and finding out the gender together. You can share this joyous occasion with your close friends and family and celebrate together.

This post is brought to you by Cambridge Caterers.
Not in Cambridge, MA? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network's handy party planning directory to help you find a caterer near you!

March 19, 2012 by Kelly Curtis

Find Inspiration For Your Wedding Dress

When it comes to planning your wedding, you look towards the latest trends. You want the latest styles, yet something that suits your personality and wedding. This goes for every little detail that you feature in your wedding. However, the biggest trends you look for are within wedding gowns. You want what's in style and will set you apart from everyone else. So, Wedding and Party Network has the latest trends in wedding gowns for your spring and summer wedding.

Detailed Wedding Gown

Lace – This is a huge trend right now throughout the entire fashion industry and the wedding industry is no different. Lace is a gorgeous accent to any wedding dress and brings in a romantic feel to your wedding. Having an all lace wedding gown or just having your dress feature lace sleeves or back are all beautiful details to to incorporate this trend.

All About The Sleeves – Sleeves are making a comeback within wedding dresses. For awhile, it was all about the strapless neckline. However, now even long sleeves, cap sleeves are one shoulders are making their appearance within wedding dresses. Gorgeous lace sleeves or beaded sleeves are all great and add a little retro element to the dresses.

Light & Refreshing – Skip out on those heavy materials that just weigh you down and go with something light and refreshing materials. Having lighter fabrics, such as chiffon and silk bring such an elegant feel to your wedding. They're even better since it's so warm and in the spring and summer time, which keeps you a bit cooler on your wedding day.

Dimensional Petals – Add a 3 dimensional look to your wedding dress with unique floral detailing. Beautiful mermaid styled bottoms with dimensional floral details popping up truly makes a breath taking look on your wedding day. When you walk down that aisle, you will definitely turn heads with this gorgeous detail added to your dress.

Pop Of Color – Instead of sticking to traditional white or ivory, add a pop of color to your wedding dress. You can go with full on color, like a pastel pink or even gray colored dress. However, if you're not that bold, add a colorful sash or beaded detailing to your wedding dress for that pop of color.

All of these fun little details are great to incorporate into your wedding dress design, however, just remember find the dress that you love. This is your wedding day and you want to stand out and be utterly breathtaking.

This post is brought to you by Houston Wedding Dress Stores
Not in Houston, TX? No worries, use Wedding and Party Network's handy wedding planning directory to help you find a wedding dresses near you!

March 16, 2012 by Kelly Curtis

Inspirational Friday – The Color Green

Here at Wedding and Party Network we want to give you inspiration for your wedding details. The details are what sets your wedding apart from anyone else. The colors, theme, detailing and style all creates your wedding day style. So, today's Inspirational Friday will focus on the color green since St. Patrick's Day is this weekend. green is definitely the color of this lucky holiday and is a great all around color for any event. You can include it in any wedding, party and it pairs nicely with other colors. So, gather some inspiration from the color green.

Green is a wonderful color to incorporate into your wedding. You can go with the actual color and pair it with white, pink, blue, yellow and other various colors to create a stunning look. However, you can also go "green" by featuring eco-friendly items in your wedding. Beautiful wedding bouquets, bridesmaid dresses and even wonderful favors, such as seeds or plants all can be apart of a green or "green" wedding.

Archives for March 2012

Inspirational Friday- Pastels