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! 

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/

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

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!

Counter Intelligence Against Guestzilla ...Part 3

Welcome first time visitors - the first two installments of my Guestzilla series posted on Monday and Tuesday - check them out!  Welcome Back to the regulars!  Today we're going to take on two more of the Guestzilla complaints and see what solutions can avoid these kinds of complaints from guests.  
So let's get started!

Guest Complaint: You Didn’t Say Thank You
These guests are not just full of hot air. It’s truly important to spend a few minutes with guests and thank them for their support at your wedding and make them feel welcome. And it’s not more or less important for local vs. guests coming from a distance. With a plan in place ahead of time, you can avoid this sort of complaint and earn the title of excellent host!



For buffet meals, your caterer or wedding coordinator can plate your meal and serve you as the DJ is announcing that the buffet is open. This saves you some time in the buffet line and the inevitable conversation that will make getting through the line more challenging. If this is not possible, you really should go through the line first with the wedding party, both sets of parents and grandparents following. This allows you and your new husband to get to sit and eat! You don’t have to rush, but by design, you'll be the first finished eating and then you can begin visiting tables of guests and spend a few minutes at each table, speaking to everyone there.

It will take most of the dinner hour to get to each table, perhaps slightly longer depending on the guest count, but this efficient strategy will make your guests feel valued.  An added benefit is you'll have successfully visited with most of your guests before the celebration really gets underway.

Keep in mind that thanking them for sharing the celebration with you at the wedding does not eliminate the need to send thank you cards to anyone who brought a gift. 

Guest Complaint:  Working at the Wedding
Doing what they view as insignificant (such as the guest book attendant) or being asked last minute to "help" was the frustration.  

The guest book may or may not need an attendant depending on the ceremony location and your personal preference.  If the vestibule is small, putting the book on a highboy near the entrance or adding a decorative sign to draw guest attention to the book will eliminate the need for someone to physically be near the guestbook the entire time.  You may still need to assign someone the responsibility of taking the guestbook from the ceremony to the reception site. 

While it's free to ask someone in the wedding party to watch the flower girl, it's worth the expense to hire a babysitter so that everyone can enjoy the evening.  The venue manager or your wedding coordinator may have recommendations for inexpensive local babysitters. There may be a small room adjacent to the reception room, that can be used for babysitting. 

It's super important to communicate with all of your attendants what duties they will be responsible to perform. Springing last minute work on a guest when it's not an emergency is really inconsiderate. Unfortunately, there are brides that think this is OK. But don't be one of them! Plan in advance for all the tasks that will need to be accomplished. Make a detailed list and as soon as possible, but ideally at least 3 weeks before your wedding, ask your attendants and other honored guest if they can lend a hand in a specific area.

See you Thursday for the final three complaints by guests!

Counter Intelligence Against Guestzilla .... Part 1

How much fun your guests have at your wedding depends on plenty of variables, some of which you can’t even begin to plan for. Recently, an article “What Your Guests Are Really Thinking”, was posted at http://www.theknot.com/ and focused on what people really don't want or enjoy as wedding guests. How can you avoid a guestzilla that talks about your wedding the same way these guests did in that article? Check out these solutions to some common guest complaints! And check back here all week because we'll address a few more complaints from the list plus offer solutions for them each day.



Guest Complaint: This is boring!
The toasts are too long, the band isn’t engaging, the food takes too long to be served and the list goes on. A boring wedding is hard to imagine because the safeguards for this issue are really doable!




Take the toasts! Some toasts can be taken care of at the rehearsal dinner. With only a few toasts at the reception it's more tolerable for everyone! And by giving the list of toasters to your DJ, you'll avoid being the bad guy. To keep it moving, keep David Tutera’s rule of thumb in mind and switch up the activity every 30 minutes - including the toasts! Communicate to anyone making a toast and ask they please limit to 5 or 6 minutes so you can safely have 4 to 5 toasts and still keep the guests attention. Alternately, you can allow fewer to toast and they each may speak just slightly longer.


The DJ or band – do your homework. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to truly see the DJ in action unless you found them at a freind's wedding. Any promo video will be purely their best work so real life recommendations are the key to successfully hiring entertainment! Specifically request to contact some of their most recent clients. And then don’t be afraid to use that list! Of primo importance is to ask the couples if they have any video of their wedding that included the band or DJ and if they would share with you. You’ll get to see first hand how entertaining the group or DJ is vs. seeing only their self-compiled best work cd.


Some keys to a fun reception:

• Offering some fun for the younger crowd – crayons and other no-mess art supplies, games or puzzles - at a special kids table or individually in a backpack or bucket, will keep the little ones from monopolizing the dance floor and allows the adults to feel freer to enjoy dancing!

• Get some inexpensive props and a few prizes so the band or DJ can MC a dance-off, a limbo contest, hula hooping contests or line dances to get the crowd energized and interacting!

Food service woes - Service issues may not be readily fixable on event day. Guests being served cold food will mostly reflect on the venue or caterer, but it’s your responsibility to make sure they plan to be fully staffed. Generally, for each 10 guests, one server should be provided to adequately serve a plated meal. This ensures tables are served simultaneously or as quickly as meals can be plated and put on the tray! If your caterer puts servers on your itemized estimate, don’t dream of making due with one or two fewer than they suggest!


Guest Complaint: Seating sabotage!
A well thought out seating plan will always combat seating frustrations. Being mindful of speakers, heating, cooling and having casual places to sit and chat will go a long way in making your guests happy. And be mindful of if Aunt Suzy hasn't seen Aunt Jane in a few year because they may want to sit close to each other (or avoid each other!)


The Layout -Check with the band or DJ to find out the dimension of their equipment so you can arrange for tables to be placed far enough away from them that guests are not overwhelmed or crowded. The site coordinator may have a room diagram you can use or can provide the room measurements so you can sketch out a layout using graph paper yourself.


Temperature control -While adding heat or air-conditioning to a tent or open air venue makes the budget tick a little higher, you will be so glad you did this and so will your guests. Everyone is going to be a little warm in their formal wear but fall or early spring outdoor weddings may require heating after the sun goes down. Remember to place generators as far away from the event as possible so their noise will not disturb your or guests!


Seating comforts - Creating seating areas with couches and additional flower arrangements are lovely, but if this is not in your budget priorities, park benches or extra folding chairs and small side table will work just as well. Pillows atop low walls are also an interesting seating option for outdoor venues. Guests do need a place to sit or at least set their drinks down for a short time. But the intention of the cocktail hour is for mingling so don’t overdo it with seating options by recreating the reception room in the cocktail hour.


....See you back here Tuesday when we'll chat about the bar and the single guests!

Planning a Wedding Fit for Royalty, Even on a Commoner’s Budget”

Feature Article
By Tracey Baxter






Your budget is actually irrelevant! A wedding is a time for grace and that’s not a category that can be calculated on the balance sheet. The intrinsic value of proper etiquette at a wedding is immeasurable. So if you want to plan a wedding fit for royalty, the budget is the last thing that will be remembered. Invest some time at your local library or bookstore perusing the wedding etiquette section. Your wedding is a great opportunity to learn (or relearn) how to properly address invitations, how to delicately tell your neighbor that the wedding will be an intimate family affair, and overall how to be a delight to others.


Above all, remember, friends and family mean well! The devil is in the details as they say! What makes your wedding special to you is not necessarily going to speak to your best friend’s tastes and desires. It’s OK to disagree with others on what trend you should be following this season or what menu to offer. This is your wedding and the only thing it should be is a reflection of you and your fiancé’s love for each other. Remember you can agree to disagree without ruffling too many feathers just by saying “You might be right about that!” And then gently change the subject to a different wedding detail or other topic entirely.


Although it might be a given where Prince William and Kate Middleton will be wed, the ceremony location is perhaps the most important place to visit first. Kudos to Kate for her first public wedding planning step she’s taken since the engagement announcement: taking a personal look at Westminster Abbey where her ceremony will very likely be held. Without the ceremony site, there is no wedding. So don’t book too much until the ceremony location is secured.


Guests reign supreme especially when they are royalty and dignitaries from foreign lands. But every bride should take plenty of time considering her guests when planning her wedding. Yes, it’s your day but you want to convey to your guests that you truly desire for them to enjoy your day too. So how can you do that? Plan responsibly! Consider your event day timeline carefully by allowing plenty of time for travel between the ceremony and reception sites. Your guests want to enjoy every part of the event you have planned for them. If it takes more than half hour to travel from the ceremony to the reception site, and your ceremony will end at 4:00pm don’t plan your cocktail hour to start until 5:00pm. Your guests will have time to freshen up and safely arrive without missing a moment of the fun!


Don’t forget the smallest guests! With children in tow, some guests feel it’s challenging to attend a wedding. From individual fun buckets to a table of shared activities, make it easier for guests to relax by providing kid friendly entertainment and fun! This also keeps the kids from controlling the dance floor and thereby allows the guests without children to feel comfortable to enjoy the party too! What should you provide for the kids? Etch-a-Sketch, Rubik’s Cube, Mad Libs, and easy clean crafts in a back pack or bucket are a great start. Lining a kid height table with a stack of butcher paper with a canister of markers, crayons and colored pencils makes a fun table – and it’s sweeter with a centerpiece featuring big yummy lolly-pops for all the kids!


Traditional, trendy, theme-ey or timeless, your wedding above all else should be enjoyable for you and your fiancé. There may be many hurdles to jump but unlike Kate & Prince William you won’t have all the world watching and scrutinizing your every step. Keep your wedding stress perspective! Don’t let yourself get so stressed that you are prone to bride-zilla moments. Take time for yourself to relax and have ‘NWP’ days – Non-Wedding-Planning days that is! Recharge, regroup and relax so you are not overwhelmed. Plan these days into your wedding planning itinerary!



Your Wedding Planning Homework: Plan a spa day, shopping trip or movie night with your bridesmaids, sister, mom or other friends. It's time to relax and recharge your batteries!

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 Most Common Mistake Made by Newly Engaged Couples"

Feature Article


"The most common mistake made by newly engaged couples!"

by Tracey Baxter



This major mistake can be costly in many ways. Whether you are dreaming of a very intimate gathering or a bash that rivals New York’s Times Square on New Year’s Eve, the most important factor to consider is creating your wedding guest list. Most brides and mothers of these brides estimate that they will host a certain number, say 135 guests, and jump right into booking venues and dress shopping. Unfortunately, what they think will be 135 guests actually tallies to something quite different when they finally sit down and make a list of who they really would like to invite. Let’s examine a couple examples of how guessing your guest list total sabotages your wedding planning before you get started.







Some brides justify procrastinating creating an accurate guest list thinking there will be a large number of guests that will be unable to attend. This is not usually the case. Inviting more than 10 guests over what your venue will safely accommodate is not a gamble worth taking. You will be in a world of hurt much too late in the game to change the location and your venue will have no choice but to force you (or your family or wedding planner) to turn guests away at the door because they take fire code violations very seriously. This would be more horrific than not inviting some people to begin with don’t you think?






When you over estimate your guest list and choose a venue scaled for well over your actual needs, you’re still not making the most informed decision. Hosting a small event in a massive space is not the end of the world but you will still have only two options if you don’t care for the idea of your intimate event getting lost in the expanse of the ballroom. And your options could be expensive. You will need to either increase your budget to make the space feel more intimate by adding fabric, tents or other large scale décor or forfeit the deposit so you can find a venue elsewhere that is more appropriately sized for your event.






The guest list, particularly the trimming of the guest list, has more potential for prickly discussions than any other wedding planning category. When brides immediately start searching venues and caterers, they often choose a site that is too small because they underestimated their guest list. This creates unnecessary stress as the guest list has to be reduced. Traditionally, the guest list size is determined by the host and is divided in half for each family to select their share of the guests. But if the reserved venue is much smaller than the guest list needs, there are only two options. You must either trim the guest list or lose your deposit and booking somewhere that safely accommodates all of your invited guests.






Guest list size makes the financial impact. If you have a large reception in mind, say 300 guests, allotting $65 per person will total $19,500. The same reception for 200 guests drops to $13,000 and for 100 guests to just $6500. This example of $65 per person included bar service, cake, décor in addition to a plated meal. If you selected a menu that alone is $65 per person, revisit the numbers above and add to them at least 50% for the addition of décor, bar service and cake. You can easily see the financial significance of accurately figuring out the guest list right from the start.






Communication is key!  Regardless of if you go with the traditional guest list allocation, tally based on who is contributing to the budget, or some other formula, clear and compassionate communication between you, your fiancé, and both of your families is important. Not only are you more likely to create an event that you truly desire, it will also set the standard for a future of good communication between you all.

Your Wedding Planning Homework!

It's time to make that guest list! Don't procrastinate! I like to use a spreadsheet and make columns at the top for the guest first name, last name, their spouse or guest's name, names of children, total guests in the party etc. The auto tally feature also helps so you don't have to count them up when you are done. If you already have a gotten started on your guest list, have you considered a column for how the invitations outer and inner envelops should be written?


If you're closer to the wedding then sending invitations, on your guest list spreadsheet, don't forget a column for how the escort or seating cards should be written and recording the date when you wrote a thank-you card!

Feature Article

“Manage Your Motif So You Don't Make a Mess”


By Tracey Baxter

Managing your motif means prioritizing your spending. Never before has DIY wedding planning been so easy to do. The web has numerous wedding websites, blogs and professional design boards just a click away. With so many inspirations, it’s also easy to get carried away and attempt to pull too many elements into one wedding. I’ve heard it before, “I just want this one last thing to pull it together…” Meanwhile, this bride had to increase her budget to accomplish this. Prioritizing from the beginning, this bride would have kept the budget in check and clearly communicated her wedding style without needing a single thing to pull it together. And really, will that one last thing pull it together? Not likely!


So many elements, where to begin? Bengaline, damask and pin tuck – Oh My! A Candy Buffet or a dessert buffet ...or both – but why? Using a notebook to collect and file ideas is an easy way to remember what you like. But pulling it together should not be an afterthought. It really should be the very next thing you do after determining your total wedding budget and guest list. Does having both a candy buffet and a dessert buffet even make sense? Maybe, if your overall theme is inspired by a sweet shop. Do you need trinket favors and a candy buffet? Again, this depends on the overall style of your wedding. But rather than taking on all the latest trends, let your personal style influence your décor and menu choices. This is your day so begin by examining who you are and what you love.


My advice to brides is regularly examine what you have collected in your notebook. While you are in the early planning stages you should weed your notebook regularly. Some ideas might have been added in the impulse of the moment. And some are truly things you will want to include in your wedding décor. Invest in the areas that make you say “Oh yes, I need this” and minimize or eliminate everything else. Carefully choosing elements you want most and doing them exceptionally well will be more appreciated by your guests. More importantly, you and your fiancé will be happier with the polished end result!

Your Wedding Planning Homework:
Start your wedding planning by figuring out who you are.  How do you really want to celebrate your wedding?  What elements are the most important?  Let the answers to these questions be your guiding light.


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