No Fail Strategies to Survive A Bridal Show

Feature Article

by Tracey Baxter

Throwing bunches of wedding professionals together in one place should make it easy for anyone getting married to find their preferred pros for everything from bridal fashions to wedding stationary. It seems like a no-brainer: as a bride to be, of course you want to go to a bridal show! Unfortunately, these events are often overwhelming for everyone involved and lots of energy is expended without the intended end results: wedding service professionals and brides, grooms or MOB's finding each other to create memorable weddings for the couples and their guests. You can avoid this by attending bridal shows with a little strategy to get you through the day!

Keep those dogs from barking! Be sure your shoes can go the distance. Most shows last 4 or 5 hours so choose your shoes accordingly. Depending on the location, you may not be permitted to kick off those heals let alone want to if it’s a concrete convention center floor.

Bring your road map. Have a list of your priority professionals prepared so you can bee line to their booths first. Remember, priority professionals are the services that you must have for your wedding and without those services, your personal wedding will not feel complete.

Take your time! Plan to spend time and start to build a relationship with the professionals you need. After you've visited your priority pros, go back and invest some extra time with the ones you think will be your best partner in creating your wedding vision. You can possibly prequalify who gets your valuable time if the show lists the participating vendors in advance of the show. Send an email question to that professional to see how you like their response time or enthusiasm to help you - or if they respond at all.

Any old bag will not do. Especially not the bag they give you at the show pre-filled with all kinds of professional promotional materials. This bag will probably have an uncomfortably awkward handle at best but at worst, the handle will not be sturdy enough for all that crap the show producers, bless their hearts, charge to shove in there and it will break spilling all the contents! BYOB! Bring your own Bag! A flexible bag, especially something with a shoulder strap will assure you can comfortably carry everything you want to collect.

Know your budget! There will be deals and you will be tempted. Deals like those won’t last for long. Knowing the parameters of what you can realistically afford will help you stay on track and not impulse book so many “great deals” on the spot that they may not be so great when the math gets done later.

Book’em Dano! Sometimes the on the spot deals really are THE REAL DEAL! Knowing your budget and your priority professionals in advance will help you secure the best professionals for your wedding at a phenomenal savings.

Knowing your rights, you can tell who is legit in their business practices. The CAN-SPAM law prohibits people/businesses from using harvested or paid for lists in email marketing. This means that the bride attendee list the promoters of the show will give to the participating wedding pros, as part of their booth fee, may be used for direct “snail mail” but not email. When you registered for the show, you gave the show producers permission to send you email, but not the 70+ professionals at the show. Technically, you should not receive post-show email from any professional that you didn't visit to personally. You may however get letters, post cards or other physical mailings from everyone who had a booth! And just so you know, every e-message that is 'commercial' in nature must have a one click 'unsubscribe' and you must be unsubscribed within 10 days of that request.

Decide from who you DO want to receive email contact:

• Be sure to get on your priority professionals’ list– in their booth! If they offer email newsletters, coupons or other promotions, they will have a sign-up sheet available!
• Create a separate wedding email address for keeping all your wedding related email organized and reduce personal/work and wedding message mix-ups.
• Make signing up a snap: print address labels with your name, address, phone number, email address and wedding date and put this on the sign-up sheets in the wedding pro’s booth rather than having to write this info 75 times. Including the contact info for the groom to be can also be helpful.

Nobody Wins! If you already have booked a photographer, don't go looking at photographers at the show because you lose valuable time. Likewise, the photographer would rather invest their marketing materials and time in someone visiting their booth that truly needs their services. It's not a winning strategy to waste your time or theirs.

Your Wedding Planning Homework:

Don't forget to get your tickets to The Wedding Connection Bridal Show!! Make a plan that you can stick to no matter which bridal show or event you visit!

copyright 2011 Aisle Do

Want to use this article in your e-Zine, blog or website? You may as long as you include this complete statement:

Wedding Solutions Specialist Tracey Baxter publishes the "Aisle Do" bi-weekly e-zine. Get your Free Report: "From Drab to Fab - The Five Secrets to a Show Stopping Favor Display” at www.aisledoweddings.com

Timely Advice!

Creating Your Wedding Day Timeline

A wedding timeline, schedule, or event plan is the chronology or order in which all actions will occur on the wedding day.  For a wedding, the actions are many:  Get hair styled,   flower girl arrives, photographer takes groomsmen’s photos… and the list could go on....and on...and on!

The timeline can be created at any time once you get engaged and start planning.  Getting started early will help make sure decisions being made throughout the process, such as whether the photographer leaving at 9pm will mean they miss your last dance and departure!  While it’s unwise to intentionally leave anything to the last minute, the timeline is something that it’s never too late to start and complete. 

Timelines can be elaborate or simple, but the important thing is to have one!  A wedding day without a plan is guaranteed to be stressful and potentially costly if the schedule gets delayed enough to run beyond contracted time limits.  So creating a timeline will be among the most important pieces of your wedding planning puzzle to reduce stress and last minute expenses.

Creating your timeline starts with good organization.  If you don’t have everything you need to get started, you will leave important parts off the schedule.  Organize your ideas and your materials for efficient use of time.  You can create the timeline with paper and pen or on computer, but starting with a rough draft or brainstorm will yield your best results. 

Creating an effective timeline means you will have to do a little math!  Allow a realistic amount of time for each event element, venue change, and travel and set up.  This is where the timeline will either create a seamless day or show its weaknesses.  Remember the sum of the time allowed for the parts cannot be greater than the time available for the entire event! 

10 Questions to Ask Your Wedding Planner

Check out this great article about choosing a wedding planner!  



Question 10 is going to help you to have a successful relationship with any professional you hire. You want the professionals you hire to relate to you and understand your vision and it starts with communication.

Especially note of question number 1.  This question is so important!  It’s suggested for brides as an “ask your-self” question, but don't be afraid to answer this question directly if you don't feel it was thoroughly covered during the interview or consultation. 

Enjoy!

"Feeling overwhelmed with all the work that goes into planning your wedding? Consider hiring a wedding planner to help with the preparations so you can relax and enjoy your big day. You can choose from planners who handle last-minute tasks leading up to the wedding, or those who take charge of every detail of your event, from the rehearsal dinner to the honeymoon and everything in between. The right planner not only keeps things organized and on schedule, but also advises you on where to find the perfect venue, dress, cake and bouquet. For many couples, wedding planners are so important to the event's success that the best planners are booked more than a year in advance.

These 10 questions won't just help you find the perfect wedding planner -- they'll also help you maintain your budget (and your sanity) leading up to the big day. Consider this your cheat sheet for interviewing prospective wedding planners..."

Read the full article right here…

Article citation:   Turner, Bambi. "10 Questions to Ask Your Wedding Planner" 20 April 2010. HowStuffWorks.com. 22 June 2011

Happy Anniversary to ME!

TODAY is anniversary number 16 for Pete and I!  There is no "traditional" 16th wedding anniversary gift which I find rather annoying - and someday I'll research the dissing of anniversaries with no traditional gift category!  Anyway, although I love the "modern" gift version: Silver Holloware - I'm just not feeling it right now.  There's just not a metal bowl that I'm dying to have.

So I've made up my own personalized albeit hodge podge gift collection featuring a few of our favorite and most memorable things that we've shared through the years. 

So here's what I've put together for Pete and I to enjoy:

Cake!  I am a cake person. Wedding cakes are a particular obsession. I bake a pretty great cake if I may say so myself! And Pete loves my cakes. But since it feels like 900 degrees outside  I ordered an anniversary cake from the bakery that made our wedding cake ...in the same flavors!  We have done this a few times before and it always brings back fond memories of June 24, 1995!   Capital Y - Yum!!  Thank you Edible Art of Charlotte!  See you this afternoon to pick it up!

Tea! In the summer we take it ICED with lemon thank you, but we are hot tea lovers from the north and if it's remotely cool outside, I can expect around 9:30pm to hear "hey, wanna cup of tea?" and I promptly hear the kettle whistling.  So I stopped in Teavana in South Park Mall the other day and picked up some Chai something or other teas to mix or use individually (they guy at Teavana will love that I don't remember what these are called I'm sure), some German rock sugar and since these teas were loose leaves and herbs and whatnot, I picked up a nifty tea steeping contraption that is sort of like a reverse French press but uses gravity instead of pressing. It's going to be a fun new kitchen toy!

Hawaii!  No, we're not actually going :(  ... but we had a supercalifragilistic trip to Maui a few years ago.  I have ordered pineapples from the plantation we toured and this will be just like bringing a little bit of Hawaii here! Maui Gold -the best pineapple ever! They arrived on Thursday afternoon and I can hardly wait to dig in!

Here's what RIPE -DELISHIOUS Pineapple looks like ~

PERFECT PINEAPPLES!

SO YUMMY!

Have a wonderful weekend! 

I'm off to enjoy my pineapples... and my anniversary!



 

Happy Anniversary Jackie & Ian!!

Congratulations to Jackie & Ian Dargavel on their First Anniversary!



Happy Anniversary Shannon & Kyle!

Congratulations to Shannon and Kyle Farhland on thier First Anniversary!



Delishiously Defined

Let's continue on our journey through cakelishousness!

Your wedding cake is an investment of $3 to $9 per slice or more depending on what you choose. So to avoid wasting this money, the goal is to find the bakery that creates the type of cake you like. Isn't cake just cake? Nope! Just like there are many types of frostings, there are as many (more really) cakes!

If you are visiting a bakery, it's helpful to know the lingo. Not all bakeries will make the same type of cake as their standard wedding cake. And not all bakeries will make the same type of cake taste ...um...tasty! :) Like frosting, cakes are more or less defined by their ingredients. The main categories are 'butter cakes' and 'sponge cakes'. Within those categories are the specialty flavors.


Pound Cake: This dense butter cake is often used as a wedding cake because when done properly is moist and sturdy. Traditional recipes consist of 1 pound each of butter, eggs, flour and sugar plus the flavoring and leavening. This makes quite a large cake! Most recipes call for creaming the butter however I have found a recipe from the fabulous Cooks Illustrated to be the best ever and it's a little non-traditional in the mixing method. A membership will be required if you want to check out this recipe, but they'll give you a 2 week membership for free - a great deal! They have the best recipes ever! My husband particularly likes their equipment reviews and the taste testing so we have several (I think 6) of their cookbooks, many magazines and have not been disappointed with anything we've tried (which is really A LOT!) I'd recommend getting the full membership so you can start your marriage with an arsenal of great recipes!


(Side note: Obviously, you are not going to ask the baker their process for mixing and making a pound cake. But if you are looking for a consistently great recipe for entertaining at home or if you're adventurous enough to DIY your wedding cake, Cooks Illustrated has the best!)


Chiffon Cake: Chiffon cakes are not technically 'butter cakes' because they don't have butter. Instead, the fat in this recipe comes from oil.  This creates a moist light cake. They lend themselves well to refrigeration so fillings of fruit and custards work nicely with chiffon cakes.


Sponge Cake: This cake, as suggested by its name is like a sponge. It's got some squish to it but firm enough to bounce back. It's not overly sweet and a little on the dry side, so a sugar syrup is often poured over the cake. There is little or no fat (butter!) in this cake and most often the egg yolks are beaten separately from the whites. Sponge cakes typically don't have any fat in them... except the Victoria Sponge cake, brought to us by Queen Victoria of course who, was said to enjoy sponge cake with her afternoon tea.  BTW- she also brought us the white wedding gown!


Genoise Cake: from France, a sponge cake using whole eggs rather than separating the yolk from the white to be beaten separately. This can be a very dense batter, thick enough to be piped or spread on a flat sheet without running all over the place.  As you might imagine, this thick batter creates dry cake! But this variety that is really great for soaking with liquors or flavored syrups!

So that's what goes into the main types of cake that bakers will use as their basic wedding cake!  Which one is the best? Well, that's what you and your fiance have to decide. 

By popular demand, next week we'll talk MORE about cake but get into international delights and non-traditional wedding dessert options! Woohoo!

Defining Delicious!!

My Aunt Dolly made the greatest cakes the world has ever known, including wedding cakes! She passed away when I was around 3yrs old. We made a real connection in those few years though, so when I create an awesome cake, I know she had her hand in it.   And yes, I did just say I create awesome cakes because I have been known to do this from time to time.  I've created some real disasters also!  Experience is the best teacher! lol!   Someday Aisle Do will have a cake division but meanwhile I love sharing my practical cake knowledge. 

There are many trendy things happening in the world of wedding desserts.  Maybe I'll make this a series and talk about the other less traditional but very cool dessert options out there. (should I?) But for the moment, I'll focus on the traditional wedding cake!  There are enough aspects of wedding cake that we could talk about this all week and still have more to say next week.  So let's get on to it.

What makes a delicious cake?  Well, there's a variety of cake types, frosting types and endless flavors to choose from. So it might help to know what is what so if you are heading to a wedding cake tasting, you can compare apples to apples and buttercream to buttercream!  

Buttercream Frosting - in it's most basic form:  butter (unsalted), powdered sugar (10x Domino is my favorite, recipe on the side of the box!), flavoring/extracts (vanilla, lemon, almond, etc. ) and a scant amount of liquid (milk or water) to make the mixture smooth and spreadable is all beaten together until fluffy.  The more liquid added, the less likely this can be used to make frosting flowers and other piped decorations.  Buttercream frosting could get fancier by adding cream cheese.

 - note, if this is made with shortening rather than butter, 1- it would be decorating frosting and used to make roses and other flowers that need stability.  2. It will not be nearly as tasty even with extacts. 

Buttercream

French Buttercream -  Rather than powdered sugar, granulated sugar is made into a hot syrup and poured into beaten egg yolks. This is beaten until cooled and then butter is added in - twice the butter of the above buttercream frosting!  So this is a rich flavored and creamy frosting.

Italian Buttercream - similar-ish to French Buttercream.  The hot sugar syrup is poured into beaten egg whites, making this a fluffy and light tasting buttercream.  It takes to flavorings / extracts well.  It's also going to be closer to a pure white than it's French cousin.




Not really Swiss or Italian Buttercream, but close variation called White Mountain Frosting.


Swiss Buttercream - good gracious, does every country need their own version? Well darn good thing the Swiss got in on this, because this is quite tasty, albeit a tad more technically involved.  There is no sugar syrup that is poured into this, it's just egg whites, butter and sugar (and flavoring / extracts as desired)  But since you don't want to serve raw egg whites, this frosting is beaten in a bowl over a hot water or steam bath.  Also called a Bain Marie. 

Fondant - This is a rolled out dough-like coating.  It has a smooth satin finish (although any of the above buttercreams when applied by a real cake-pro can be just as smooth!) and it can give a rounded edge where the top of the cake  I honestly couldn't tell you how to make fondant because when I have used it, I just bought it. I know there is powdered sugar, glycerin, gelatin, shortening and flavoring.  There are homemade varieties that use marshmallows as the base.  I haven't tried this, but if you like marshmallows I'm sure it would be delish! Not all commercial fondant is created with good taste in mind, but there are a few good ones!  Satin Ice and Fondarific are brands that deliver a high quality and tasty product.  If you are considering covering your wedding cake in fondant, definitely ask to taste it or ask them which brand of fondant the use if they don't make their own. 

The stars, letters, cap and gold stripes made of fondant.

Chocolate frosting!  Before I sign off (we'll talk the cake part of the wedding cake tomorrow!)  I would really be unkind to not mention chocolate frosting!  All of the above can be made as a chocolate variety. However, chocolate is a very temperamental little son of a gun. You can't just add chocolate and expect that it will be a delightful chocolate version of buttercream - or anything for that matter. 

Over the years, I have made an undisclosed amount of really heinous chocolate frosting.  I am not even kidding! I would not kid about nasty chocolate!  So here's what I've learned - if you taste a chocolate frosting and it feels dry, flat, and just short of good, it's because cocoa powder or melted chocolate alone was added to the existing frosting recipe with hopes for the best. 

Alternately, some bakeries will make a ganache which is fine, but ganache is ganache and buttercream is not ganache! Chocolate needs some extra love and care.  I use both cocoa powder and melted chocolate and I find a the pinch of salt I typically don't add to a regular buttercream, adding it to a chocolate buttercream frosting is kind of necessary.




Chocolate!  Before I learned how to make good chocolate frosting!


Tomorrow we'll talk "cake"!  Just cake and nothing but cake!

Spring Gown Collection

Here's how you know you have chosen the right gown - you put it on and you can almost hear choirs of angels singing!  I've heard others say the same. But ok, I'm a fickle person when it comes to fashion. I'll admit that much! When I went gown shopping, I was almost afraid to look and more afraid to buy because I know myself and thought I'd pick the wrong gown.  And I was all about the gown so this really kind of terrified me. 

Well, here's an interesting revelation- When I first saw my gown, it was on a mannequin in the shop window.  It was not remarkable enough for me to even think about trying it on. But after a few "so so" gowns, the sales lady brought in the one from the window.  I had my choirs of angels moment and bought the gown. It was like -OMG a totally different gown on me!   To this day, I LOVE that gown.  17 and a half years later, all things being equal, I'd pick the same gown! (I was 8 when I got married! ;) lol!) But, really I would! In fact, I think the true test of loving your gown will only come years down the road, when you look at other gowns and think you absolutely got THE gown!

The gowns that I see now that really make me oooooo and aahhhhh are strikingly similar to my Priscilla of Boston silk and tulle ball gown of yesteryear!

So given that description, is it any surprise that I really love this gown! 

Mia Solano M1155L

I think it's just stunning! 

Check out more of Mia Solano's spring collection!

Fabulous Giveaway!

Calling all engaged couples!!

Follow @colincowie on Twitter!!

He'll be announcing an amazing giveaway

Monday - 2/14- Valentine's Day!

Fanciful Finds

I'm always searching for better ways to organize my stuff. It's kind of a never ending search, even though there are lots of great tools out there. What I really need is someone to just do it for me.  I like the creative side of creating but not so much of the clean up and organize it side.  You can probably relate!So I picked up the latest Cloth Paper Scissors magazine in hopes of finding some ideas and started scouring it last night. Yeah!! Found some great organization ideas for all my glitters and ribbons and stuff!

But I love when I find something unexpected!!   How about some fanciful little sparrow clips? Check'em out:



at Stacks and Stacks




At Organize It

 

What would you do with them at your wedding you ask?? Think about your favor bags, OOT Bags, clipped to napkins, in wishing trees! I can think of plenty of ways you can incorporate these cuties into your wedding day! These would be really fun for a spring wedding, aviary inspired wedding, or anyone who just wants something whimsical and different.

Being a practical person, I like that they have a usefulness for after the wedding but not being chotched up with a monogram or wedding date, your guests may actually enjoy using them.

 -side note alert -
Seriously... the practice putting the names or monograms or dates on things guests take home should take a hiatus until about 2060. Then everything old can be new again and this Charlotte wedding planner just may be too old to remember that I thought it was "chotchy" the first time.    And since I'm on a tangent, my mom said "chotchy" all the time. In her definition it's something that gets wrecked, specifically by adding too many details that basically ruins your artwork... however, I just looked it up at www.urbandictionary.com to see if it was a 'real word' and wow, probably not telling my mom after 30years of using this word how derogatory it really is based on some of the street slang offerings. She'd probably be aghast! Or maybe she knows. wow, then I'd be aghast! lol!

Alrighty, let's get back on track! These clips really economical too! They come in packs of 16, for under $20 depending on where you buy them. Each photo caption is linked back to the source sites if you care to shop. They are also at Amazon, but best deal I found so far is $10.99 at Stacks and Stacks!

Happy Planning!

Can Stylish Plans, Slumber Parties and Amusement Parks Really Coexist!?

Feature Article
by Tracey Baxter

At The Bridal Showcase, the biggest question I heard was “How do I choose a venue?” The best place to look first for a great venue is right in your own mind! No joke! Think about the style of your wedding.  Really imagine it – if you could be ‘on location’ in the perfect venue for your wedding, what do you see in your mind?  Are you in a ballroom or lakeside? If you are outdoors in your vision, you have effectively eliminated a lot of venues right off the bat! Or if you are in a mansion or historic site you’ve also effectively eliminated many! This is great! You’ve saved yourself time and energy and can avoid visiting places that you wouldn’t prefer to host your wedding ceremony, reception or both.






When choosing a venue, when you walk into the space, do you feel like it conveys your style? Keep in mind; I am using the word style – not the word theme! Eliminate theme from your wedding vocabulary and think style. Themes are for 2nd grade slumber parties and amusement parks. Both fun? Absolutely! But theme is not fun for at least 90% of weddings! Now, yes there is that 10% or less that want to do some sort of over the top “theme” but pulling that off without creating a hot mess needs cautious planning! In my experience theming is not what most brides are looking to achieve on their wedding day – it’s style!






Let’s talk for a minute about this because if not theme, what constitutes style? Style is not something that you beat your guests half to death with by making everything matchy-matchy like something out of "The Stepford Wives". It’s not the favor tags, seating cards or other details, although those elements can enhance the style if used properly! Style is like the big picture. Style is a ribbon of continuity throughout your wedding that creates a feeling or ambiance. Style starts with your save-the-date cards or invitations, ends with your thank you cards and includes everything in between, but it is not any of these elements individually. So now with style clarified, again picture your perfect wedding day. How does the venue make you feel? When you go on site to check out a venue if you don’t get that very same feeling you’re imagining at this moment, you’ve not found your venue yet.






The reason finding a venue that is suitable to your event style is critical is because to create that feeling of your style, in a space that doesn’t naturally convey it, can quickly become time consuming and costly. To a degree, it’s like reinventing the wheel! Yes, you can bring the outdoors in but if a ballroom is bright yellow and grey, it will be take more to mask that décor and create something natural and outdoorsy, than if you found a ballroom with a more neutral or green décor scheme that could easily blend into your style.






On the other hand, if you are not locked in to a specific color swatch yet, then the ballroom or other location you select can determine your scheme so you are easily coordinated with the style of the room.  And there is really nothing wrong with that approach as long as you walk in that space and feel “Ah” instead of “Blah”.



So that is the essence of venue selection!






Your Wedding Planning Homework:


Connect with a venue this week! Remember while visiting to really envision the style of your weeding and how it will appear.










copyright 2011 Aisle Do


Want to use this article in your e-Zine, blog or website? You may as long as you include this complete statement:

Wedding Solutions Specialist Tracey Baxter publishes the "Aisle Do" bi-weekly e-zine. Get your Free Report: "From Drab to Fab - The Five Secrets to a Show Stopping Favor Display” available  at http://www.aisledoweddings.com/

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Creating the Ultimate Guestlist

Feature Article

By Tracey Baxter



Guest list management is of primo importance through your wedding planning process. The first ingredient in successful wedding planning is taking the guest list head on. There are lots of resources available online and traditional stores both free and for purchase developed especially for brides to use in their wedding planning. But you probably have everything you need to get started already. With the basic office management software that comes with your PC, you can manage your entire wedding planning process quite easily - the key is knowing how to effectively use it.

A database or spreadsheet is most efficient because these can manage multiple aspects of your wedding plans in one program and the information that you input can be rearranged quickly.

In the spreadsheet pictured above, the columns can be sorted. The guest names can be sorted alphabetically or sort by RSVP’s received, or by any criteria that you have entered as a column header. I always suggest brides list the number in the RSVP column rather than a yes or no because you can then run a ‘sum’ of that column and have your total guest count in a flash.

Other columns might include: the entrée selected, special needs such as if they are elderly and use a cane, walker or wheel chair, the table name/number assigned, if invited to rehearsal dinner, RSVPs for rehearsal dinner, whether in or out of town guests, – this is not an exhaustive list! Anything you need to know about your guests can be cataloged in this way.



Having all of the guest information in one place saves time, energy and avoids paper shuffling when you need these answers fast for calligraphers ...or mom! Keeping all of this information organized in one spot makes it easy to create the reports you need – such as entree lists for the caterer, and lists for the wait staff so they serve the right meals to the guests. If you have a plated meal with a choice of entrée, many guests will not remember what they selected weeks before your wedding.



Your caterer will probably plan a few extra entrees, but certainly not enough for half of the guest list to forget (or just plain change their mind). Without an accounting of what each guest specifically requested and providing which entrée is needed for each table to the catering staff, the last tables to be served may not get what they chose. And nothing brings out the guest-zilla in the guests that DO remember what they chose, than not getting what they selected because the kitchen ran out before they were served!





Guests forget more than just their entrée choice. Sometimes the guests forget to write their name on their RSVP cards. This happens surprisingly often. In order to keep track of blank responses, number the RSVP cards and assign each to a specific guest. In the example above, Mr. John Doe’s family received RSVP card #23. If they forgot to write their name on the response, we still would have known it was Mr. & Mrs. John Doe’s card that was received.




Seating cards are a snap to create using this spreadsheet or database also. With a seating card column, you can feed that information for their names (first, last or formally with titles) along with the table number or name assignment into a word processing program using “mail merge” to create your seating or escort cards. If you sort columns alphabetically first, you have less to do when you set them up at the reception because they’ll already be in order!



Using tools you already have at your disposal, you save time, money and sanity! And not having to log into a wedding website to manage your wedding plans, means you can work on your wedding even if you’re without Internet access or just want to work offline! If you don’t already have some basic office management software on your PC, check out OpenOffice.org, Google Docs and other free online sources.



Your Wedding Planning Homework - make your ultimate guest list spreadsheet now so you can just float through the last two weeks before your wedding instead of messing with counting guests, meal selections and other minutia!














Want to use this article in your e-Zine, blog or website? You may as long as you include this complete statement:

Wedding Solutions Specialist Tracey Baxter publishes the "Aisle Do" bi-weekly e-zine. Get your Free Report: "5 Fun and Fabulous Reception Ideas for a Reluctant DIY Bride” at www.aisledoweddings.com

Happy New Year!

Wishing You A Very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!