Your Dream Wedding: Fashion & Fantasy 2012

Your Dream Wedding:

Fashion & Fantasy 2012

Presented by

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Marriott Executive Park
Charlotte

6:30 PM-9:30 PM
Guest Speaker
Tiffany Nieves-Cook

CEO, Dream Design Weddings
and star of  WeTV’sPlatinum Weddings

Come see the latest trends and  fashions, as we present a glittering, shimmering evening showcasing  bridal gowns and thematic décor.

Learn how to make your dream wedding uniquely yours. Your dream wedding inspirations are expected to include these themes:
*Vintage *Modern *Traditional *Southern *Platinum
*Destination *Jewish *Indian *Fun & Funky

Tickets start at just $10.00
and include viewing of inspirational design spaces, hors d'ouevres, dessert tastings, drawing for great prizes, fashion show and advice from Tiffany!  A cash bar will also be available.

For registration information, go to our NAWP Event sitehttp://conta.cc/wFuCpV 

or find us on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/NAWPCharlotte

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 Shannon & Kyle!

Congratulations to Shannon and Kyle Farhland on thier First Anniversary!



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!

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!

Counter Intelligence Against Guestzilla

(Part 4)
Feature Article



By Tracey Baxter




Today we conclude with what were listed as the first three guest complaints listed by TheKnot. I featured these tips in my eZine last week which gave me inspiration to create this series for the remaining guestzilla complailnts. You can subscribe to the Aisle Do eZine too! If you missed the other posts in this series, check out Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday


Guest’s Complaint: Terrible Timing! A ceremony at noon with a reception that starts at 7pm was the timing disaster example. A 6 hour gap between the ceremony and the reception is a tad beyond the call of duty for your guests, but it’s possible that the church will only have weddings at specific times so you have little control over that.


So here’s the thing! If you give your guests something to do between times, they will think that you are the snazziest bride this century.


Even a budget bride can provide an itinerary of events that your guests can enjoy while waiting for the reception. So let your guests become true tourists! The chamber of commerce will have a wealth of information about what is happening around town on your wedding day. Take a look at those brochures you popped in the “OOT Bags” and create a list of affordable activities that will suit the break between wedding events.


Here is a free idea for your guests to be sure to include on your list:

1. Walking tours work well in cities with interesting architecture, art structures, parks, and interesting shops or galleries to check out but can be done anywhere that tries to promote tourism. The chamber of commerce will be happy to provide you with maps and if they don’t already have a walking tour created for your city, for free or a small fee a staff member may be able to help you determine an interesting path for your guests to see the sights. Provide your guests with a heads up that they should keep some comfy shoes in the car in your pocket/invitation inserts.
2. Driving tours through historic districts and other scenic areas are also fun and in inclement weather would be preferred to the walking tour.
3. Provide your guests with an envelope as they leave the ceremony containing both a walking and driving tour options and a map will let them choose what level of touring they are up to.
4. Rather than just ‘map’ the quickest route from ceremony to reception, intentionally take them on a journey through town that highlights what makes it special to you and your fiancé.

Guest’s Complaint: The Wrong Day! Holiday weekends and random weekdays are the guest's issue. This can be legitimate complaint because, cutting right to the chase, in spite of favorable pricing for you, there are logistical issues to consider for your guests. AND don't discount the logistics for yourself in planning an “off day” wedding. First, let's look at the guest POV: Long distance visitors may have airfare to purchase, taking off work days may be difficult and they may have other holiday traditions to consider.


Have you considered how the 'off day' wedding can affect other wedding related events. Particularly for Sunday weddings, the venue is probably not closed to events the Saturday before your wedding. In fact, it’s most likely booked. Scheduling your ceremony rehearsal at a time that it doesn’t interfere with the other client’s event will be the priority of the site coordinator, regardless of what this means for your convenience. So your rehearsal could be at 10:00am. If the groom’s family would like to plan a rehearsal dinner in the evening, there will be quite a gap between the rehearsal and dinner. If you get caught in this scenario, perhaps your bridesmaids’ luncheon and an afternoon of golf for the groomsmen can fill in the odd time between the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.


The main thing to consider when planning the wedding on a holiday weekend or weekday is that the number of guests able to attend may be less than if the wedding was on any other Saturday. So think about whom you most want to share your wedding day! And be prepared to send ‘save the date’ cards or reach out by phone or email well in advance to let them know of your plans so they can get the best airfare or plan vacation time accordingly. Similarly to having a long stretch between ceremony and reception, providing your guests a good list of what is happening around town for the holiday is going to be invaluable to them.
Examples for holiday fun ideas and itineraries should include:


Independence Day Weekend:

• Times for fireworks and the best places to scope them out
• Historically significant locations around town, particularly if they will have any living history exhibits include those times
• Best place for a back-yard style burger and beer

Easter Weekend:

• Local churches and service times
• Restaurants offering brunch
• Easter Egg Hunts

Weekday Weddings:

• The out of town guests will have to take time off to attend. Make the most of their visit and spend some extra time with them. Breakfast with the newlyweds is always appreciated, even if it’s a “Dutch Treat” or “continental”.
• If they don’t have to head out too early head to a park or other lovely place with them for some extra quality time.

Remember - Guests always have the option to decline your invitation and if it’s a hardship or burden for them to attend your wedding, they should could decline. It is your celebration and you thought enough of them to invite them. It's impossible to please everyone!


Guest Complaint: The Food! TheKnot's article states that guests would rather have a great meal over a pretty centerpiece and their gift should ensure a great meal or at least a guarantee that they won’t go hungry. The taste of the food is a subjective issue – one person’s yummy is another person’s yucky.




If you have not tasted the food that will be served at your reception, you might be surprised to find the food isn’t as tasty as they claimed. The wise bride will either request a tasting or will request a referral list. But qualify the list you request to include at least the last 5 event hosts, if not more. You will get a clearer idea of what people liked and what they didn’t. Not only will this be a recent group of clients, it will be non-seeded clients. Just asking for a referral list, you will get a list full of clients who will have had the best experiences with your caterer or venue. If you are sure that the food is something you enjoy, then you can be worry free about the guests enjoying it.




Now that you’ve got the taste of the food as much under control as possible, be sure your menu suits the style of your event and the time of day. Nobody will expect more than cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at and early afternoon reception but if your ceremony will be between 3pm and 5pm, standard heavy hors d'oeuvres may not be enough to satisfy your guests as a meal. However, adding one or two food stations in addition to the passed hors d’oeuvres or changing hors d’oeuvres selections every 30 to 45 minutes will satisfy guests more than a static menu throughout the reception. Change up the signature cocktail a few time throughout the evening too!




Congratulations! With all of the tips in this series, you can successfully avoid inviting the same guestzilla that TheKnot interviewed! As I always say - a properly prioritized budget will avoid a comedy of errors down the road.  Have what is important to you at your wedding invest your money there!

Color Your Wedding Wonderful -Part 2

Feature Article
by Tracey Baxter

To complete our series on color combinations we’ll jump around that color wheel a little more to find complimentary colors for your wedding design scheme. If you missed the first part of this article, be sure to check out the Aisle Do Blog post on Thursday October 28, 2010 to catch up!

Choosing Colors

You’ve chosen your favorite color for your wedding and are looking for a great accent color. Complimentary colors come in a few basic regions on the color wheel. This is where I have to stop and say – there is such a thing as working with too many colors.


Unless you are working to specifically create an ubermodern multicolored event or your cultural traditions typically include multiple colors, working with no more than 3 colors, is going to keep your wedding planning and design life simplest! Brides purposefully working with multiple colors will need to focus on balancing each colors intensity.


Balancing Colors
Back in elementary school, you probably played on a see-saw and tried to make it so both you and your partner were suspended evenly. Like this see-saw trick, on the color wheel directly opposite of your primary color choice, you will find its instant balance! Here is a visual:

 This is the simplest form of complimentary color. If you ever wondered why shades of purple and green can go well together, that is why.


Multiple Color Combinations
If you want to work with 3 different colors, you have a couple options. Split complimentary colors are found on the color wheel on either side of your primary choice’s complimentary color. Waaa? OK, the see-saw analogy was helpful so let’s get a visual of this too. Think of a peace sign. Now think of that peace sign over a color wheel.

So you have your primary color choice, its complimentary color and on each side are its split complimentary colors! That was so easy. Split complimentary colors are great fun to use. They are exciting and unexpected combinations that work well together.


Triads create very bold color schemes. A triad, as the name suggests is created by making a triangle on the color wheel. Finally, an obvious one! But just in case, there is a visual aid for this also.

Your Wedding Planning Homework

 

It's time to get inspired and finalize your color schemes. If you are well into your planning process, you can start using these same color combining techniques when choosing home decor items for your registry or to compliment what you already have.









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

Color Your Wedding Wonderful -Part 1

Feature Article
By Tracey Baxter

Your wedding color choices should embody your personality. After all, that is the spirit of the event! Even if you want a light and airy feel to your wedding, if you don’t like yellow, you won’t enjoy the décor. So first think of colors that you love for the dominant color for your flowers and decor. If you love rich colors you can still achieve a breezy feeling by choosing lighter tones of your favorite shades.



Once you have narrowed down the main color, you have to decide how you’re going to accent it. You could search the internet for “orange weddings” and see what design boards come up. But if you want to create something a little more unique than everyone else’s color palette on the web, start with a color wheel. Remember from grade school ROY-G-BIV? Now take that concept and put it in a circle and you’ve got a color wheel. So let’s explore some color combining techniques.



Monochromatic:


If you want a monochromatic style, you’ll be using your main color in darker and lighter shades. On a color wheel, the darker shades are toward the outer edge of the circle and the lighter shades move in toward the center. Not getting that visual? Think about the paint department in your local home improvement store and what easily comes to mind is the array of paint swatch cards on the wall. The cards are typically arranged in monochromatic schemes with a dark shade on one end, a light shade on the other end and 2-4 shades in between. Find your favored color on a paint card and voila instant monochromatic scheme right? This is a fairly straightforward idea but you should still take the time to choose your shades wisely. To be sure to create an authentic monochromatic event, continue to check your color palette swatch against the linens, flowers and other décor you select. It’s easier to veer off the monochromatic path than you think. The danger in monochromatic schemes is they can look monotonous so carefully think of the space where your design will be used.






Analogic:


Analog colors neighbor each other on the color wheel. Because of this, they will have an harmonious feeling when used together. In simplest terms: red, orange and yellow are great autumn tones but technically speaking; they will work together because they are neighbors on the color wheel. Analogic color schemes are quite common.


If you want to try creating monochromatic and analogic color schemes, check out our post on 10/12/10 for links to fun and free tools!

Love Story Parody!

I thought this would be perfect for a whimsical day!



Did you see yourself in the first verse?  Embossed invitations, dad's freaking out about the costs... and the bottom line: a wedding without stress!

 What can you do to make your wedding stress free?  Hire a professional wedding planner!  Wedding day can turn overwhelming in a heartbeat! Your fiance will not be a great point person for the wedding professionals.  (Guys, don't trow tomatoes! You know it's true - you don't want that responsibility, you deserve to relax, after all it's your wedding too right!?)  Your mom, your sister, your bridesmaids- they all want to enjoy your wedding day as much as you do!

Aisle Do can help you at whatever stage of planning you have landed.     

The Bride's Shoes

I love this shoe! I would love it more if it had a platform, but that’s a post for another day! I love it because this is an incredibly versatile shoe.

It’s the Flash 647 and it also comes in a chocolaty brown. The white is great because it’s dyeable. I know, yawn – a white satin dyeable shoe, BTDT in 1987 right? But I look at this and see a graduated shade of your favorite color or maybe in blues to complete your set of somethings. With each fold of the satin, the color gets gradually darker.  Or instead perhaps make the heel, back and front most folds one of your wedding colors and the other folds are the accent color. This is the kind of shoe you can really get creative with. A strappy shoe also makes an easy DIY dye project! There are lots of dyeable shoes out there and there is no reason why you have to dye them a solid color.



How else can you customize your shoes? Add crystals, add ribbon, add glitter, sequins, a broach, paint the toe, paint the heel (yes, you can paint shoes!)… jazz up the soles with paint or if they are new add blue crystals to spell “I DO”, your names or initials, your wedding date or other lovely words. If your shoes are not new, you might want to get them resoled (any shoe repair shop can do this) or if they are in good shape but just dirty, clean them up well.


Don’t be the only one with great shoes – let your bridesmaids have some great shoes too! A cheese and chocolate gathering to work on some shoe crafts would be a fun addition to your bridesmaids itinerary!  

Don't Invite Trouble

Feature Article
by Tracey Baxter



Have you checked out the Internet for inspirational wedding décor? Of course! There are great websites chock full of fun ideas. So who wouldn’t spend hours searching for inspiration and help? Many of the fabulous inspiration sites have an “Ask Us” section where you also can find all the answers for your biggest wedding etiquette questions. But beware – etiquette doesn’t change with the times and trends like the wedding décor ideas that you have found.





Let’s talk invitations! Invitations should be hand addressed for both the outer and inner envelop. So many websites will tell you that it’s OK to print labels or print the invitations. It’s not. It’s really not!! The first impression your guests will have of your wedding is based on the invitation. A printed label screams that you care so little about your guests attending that you can’t spend the time to write their address on the invitation. Ouch! Surely that is not the message you want to send with your jazzy invitation.






Do you have to get a calligrapher? No! Anyone with legible handwriting will do just fine. In fact, my brides often enlist a group of friends for an invitation addressing party. Sometimes its bridesmaids and sometimes other friends who want to help in any way they can. And this wedding planner I know (wink) usually shows up with wine, cheese and other treats! 5 girlfriends + 20 envelopes each = the work is completed fast and fun is had by all. But wait, you say? You’re concerned your half dozen friends all have different handwriting? That’s OK. It doesn’t have to be the same handwriting. It just has to be done with handwriting. Your guests are not going to call each other to compare envelopes. Trust me on this – you want the invitations hand written!






What about the guest? You know the guest - the one you don’t actually know … the one coming with your 3rd cousin twice removed. Oh yeah, that guest. Is it proper to address them ‘and guest’ on the invitation? Let's be honest. It looks awkward because it is. The best thing you can do is call your cousin and ask their guest’s name and address so they can be properly invited. This gesture conveys that not only do you want this cousin to attend; you want their guest to feel truly invited and welcome at your wedding too. The rare times an ‘and guest’ would be necessary, this would not be included on the outer envelope. Rather, you would address the inner envelop Ms. Jane Doe and Guest. If you are not using an inner envelope, including a personal hand written note indicating that they are welcome to bring a guest and request they let you know with the RSVP. Then enclose this note with the invitation.






Etiquette may seem like a lot of extra work. But it’s well worth the effort. The time you take to do these important details will be appreciated by your guests. They will also be freer to enjoy the other special wedding day décor details you have created because they know you didn’t take etiquette short cuts. You only have this one chance to make the best first impression on your guests.




Your Wedding Planning Homework!


Practice your handwriting! Set the date for the invitation addressing party! Invite bridesmaids, friends from the office who want to help or your mom and future mother in law. It's a great way to get make a seemingly big task more manageable and fun!






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

Surprise the Bride

Do you love creative engagements and surprise dances or skits at weddings too??!  Me too!! Actually, I just love all kinds of surprises but I pay too much attention to everything so it's pretty impressive if someone surprises me.

This choreographed toast is so much fun!  It continued to be surprising even after it got going.  My husband would have scored major points if he pulled this off at our wedding! 

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Appearing at The Bridal Showcase

Sunday January 23, 2011

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Who's Ready for Some Cake?

Feature Article

by Tracey Baxter




Ahhhh -the wedding cake! Few wedding elements are as anticipated! Even those who won’t eat any will still marvel at it! So of course you’re going to look at photos and pick a super design and taste the finest cakes in town right? But do you need to spend a fortune on a cake? No. Here are some ways to make sure you get the most bang for your frosted sugarlicious buck:



Know who is cutting your cake! Of course I am aware that by the time it’s to be cut, you’ll have already paid for your cake, but you don’t want that money wasted. Cake slices are typically 1 inch wide by 2.5 inches long. Bakers will use that as the guide when planning the tier sizes and number of tiers needed. If the person cutting the cake varies greatly from that standard slice, some of your guests may not receive a slice of cake. In effect you just increased your cost per slice. So proper cake cutting is a must! If you don’t have an event-day coordinator, just be sure your caterer does not pass the cake cutting off to an untrained intern! Unfortunately, I have seen this happen at all wedding price points and have had to offer 'on the job training' and have even taken the reins myself when I was just supposed to be a guest!






Don’t plan for extra slices so guests can have seconds.  Bakeries charge “by the slice” so definitely use an accurate guest count when you tell them how many guests you’ll serve. Few guests want a second piece of cake and fewer will be bold enough to ask. In fact, some don’t eat cake at all; especially if they have been provided a full meal at the reception. Nor should you think about giving a bigger slice for all guests. Properly cut, a standard 1 x 2.5 inch cake slice is a generous portion at 5 inches tall.






No cake will taste good after a year in the freezer. Not even a cake from the best bakery and covered with industrial foil wrapping will taste good after 12 months in a freezer! So instead of saving it for your anniversary, plan to cut and serve that top tier. 6 inch round cakes serve 12 guests. At $4 per slice or more, you’ve just saved at least $48! A larger top tier would be even bigger savings. To celebrate your anniversary with your wedding cake, order a small cake in the same flavors from your baker in a year. If your baker offers a free top tier, ask if you can have a certificate to be redeemed for a fresh anniversary cake instead. Trust me; you’ll want a fresh anniversary cake in a year!




Fondant is smooth and elegant but always additional per slice. Not to mention it's a rare baker that makes fondant yummy. Most bakers offer butter crème frosting with piped butter crème decoration in their base per slice fee. A professional wedding cake decorator actually can create a smooth butter crème frosting that is almost as flawless as fondant. I know this because I can do it and I’m not even a cake pro! So just ask to see photos of their butter crème covered wedding cakes specifically. That way so you can compare their work to the other decorators’ frosting smoothing capabilities. You’ll probably be surprised at how smooth butter crème really is!





Brides often ask, “What about sheet cakes in the kitchen and a dummy cake just for pictures?” Well, I didn’t want to go here but… there is a reason these things are called ‘dummy cakes’! Dummy cakes are not free. “Dummy” cake forms are made of Styrofoam and still must be decorated. Styrofoam forms are not cheap so to the cake form price, add the decoration costs, the decorator’s time plus the real sheet cakes you still have to purchase; added up dummy cake is not a money saving option. Oh yeah… and then what do you do with the dummy cake? Put it on your mantle? Toss it in the trash? Nope, not such a wise investment after all. I guess if you are enterprising, you could rent it to others. Which leads me to – can you rent a dummy cake? Yes. They are usually around $150 to rent. That’s One Hundred Fifty Dollars…. to rent….a cake…. that isn’t real … that you have to return … because it will be rented to others again. ...just like it was rented to others before it was yours. Yuck. Yes, I’ve seen them cheaper. Yes, they look cheaper too.






Your Wedding Planning Homework!


It's time to taste some cake! Cake tastings in most bakeries are free. Take advantage and schedule one ...or two ...today! Bring pictures but until you've tasted their cake, don't show them. They'll always tell you " Yes, of course we can do that lovely design". The question you need to aske yourself is - do you like the taste of their cake enough that you actually want them to?














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