Repost: Great Bridal Show Tips by Wedding Planner M. Elizabeth!

It's Bridal Show Season!

Posted by Meghan E. Cease

For all the newly engaged brides and grooms out there, you do not want to miss The Bridal Market presented by Perfect Wedding Guide on Sunday, February 28 from 1pm - 5pm at The Wynfrey Hotel.  This will be an incredible event with some fantastic vendors (including yours truly!)

It's a known fact that in the wedding world that the period between THanksgiving and Valentine's Day is known as engagement season.  Due to all the holidays and love in the air, 19% of engagements happen during this time.  And with engagement season comes bridal show season!

Most of the year's biggest and best shows and bridal events happen early in the year, so even if your guy just slipped a ring on your finger, go check out a show to get tons of great information and ideas.

Click below to read our tips on what to do at a bridal show!

What can you do at a bridal show?

- Learn what colors and trends are going to be hot this year.

- Meet a variety of vendors and put names with faces of those vendors you've already started researching.

- Stay for the fashion show to see what dress styles are in and to get a feel for which designers you love.

- Sample a variety of cakes all in one location, then pick your top two favorite to set up a consulation with.

- Meet other recently engaged brides.

Here are some other tips on how to make the most out of your bridal show experience:

- Know your budget before you go!  You do not want to fall in love with a particular vendor only to realize later you can't afford them.  Bring a list of which vendors and services you need and how much you've budgeted for them.

- Bring a camera and notebook to capture your favorite ideas and to take notes on which vendors you spoke with and what you learned.  You may meet 6 photographers, 4 bakers, 5 florists, 7 DJ's, etc.  It's helpful to write things down or you won't remember who's who.

- Print labels with your name, wedding date, email, and mailing address to enter contests or attach to vendor information forms.  It's much faster than writing his information 30 times.

- Don't book vendors on the spot at a show!  A five minute conversation with them is not enough.  After visiting the booths, pick 2 or 3 in each category to set consultations with.  Do more research or hire a wedding coordinator (hint, hint) to find out if that vendor is reputable.

- Wear comfortable shoes and bring water.  There's a lot of food and cake offered but rarely do vendors offer anything to drink.

- Relax and enjoy yourself!  You'll probably feel completely overwhelmed especially if you're just starting the planning process but try to just take it all in.  You don't need to make any decision right away, just learn as much as you can and have fun!

Re-Post from Memorable Events : Tears from Heaven

Tears from Heaven: "I am in love with this photo. It was taken this past fall at Apple Blossom Chapel & Gardens. The downpour arrived just as the couple was being pronounced husband and wife. What a great story to have from your wedding day!

The reactions from everyone are just priceless. The guys are clapping and laughing, the girls are worried about their hair and make up and the couple is just in love.

*Photographer unknown, let me know if it's yours

"

Cool Shots PhotoLounge heads to a Bar Mitzvah

Well, 2009 was a very cool year for the Cool Shots PhotoLounge and it's off to a great start in 2010 as well!  One of the first events of the year was a Bar Mitzvah for a really cool guy named Charlie.  Charlie and his family worked very hard on all the details and it showed!  The theme of the event was karate, since Charlie is a black belt, and the colors were black, red, & white.  They had a DJ for entertainment, the PhotoLounge, an airbrush artist, a sorbet & ice cart, yummy food including a candy rollup that looked like sushi, and then a "take-out" candy counter where the guests chose their favorite candies to take home and enjoy!  So many cute details are sure to make an event feel special and really show the time and effort that was put into the planning.  It was this attention to detail that inspired the next 'upgrade' for the Cool Shots PhotoLounge.

Now,  if you're not familiar with the "PhotoLounge" concept yet - I'll catch you up :)  We take the Photo Booth and create a lounge by surrounding it in drape and then add in a bench and lamp for a swanky effect.  Add in some silly props plus the happy party-goers and you have hours of entertainment!  Typically with an event with a guest of honor, like a birthday, bar/bat mitzvah, or a wedding, we also put together a scrapbook for them to keep.  The Photo Booth prints out two identical prints - one goes home with the guest as a keepsake and the other goes into the scrapbook.  Well, for this event, we had the help of a professional scrapbooker, Dina Glass with Close to My Heart Scrapbooks, and boy did she make a difference!  Her cool scrapbook pages were just another element of planning that really added some "Wow" factor to the final product!  Here is a picture of a couple of the finished pages (the kids got to add on the photostrips & stickers themselves).

The next week, I grabbed up some colored paper and a few scrapbooking supplies and tried to recreate the look myself!  It was much more challenging than I had expected but also a lot of fun.  It inspired me to pay more attention to this aspect of the PhotoLounge. Putting together the scrapbook at an event is just another cool activity to engage your guests.  It lets them be spontaneous and creative, while also giving them a chance to leave special messages to the guest(s) of honor.   I get chill bumps thinking about how twenty years from now, Charlie will find that scrapbook and look back through it, and have such a great record of everyone that was there and all of the fun they had.  To be able to be a part of someone's biggest life events like that is truly one of the greatest rewards of my job.  Thanks to Charlie & his family for having us out, and special thanks for letting me make a few choices from the candy counter :)  Also, here are a few of the scrapbook pages that I did -

The First Bride of 2010!

Happy New Year!!                  I  am so happy to share some pictures with you all from the first wedding of 2010, although Feel the Beat was not involved with the event.  My long-time friend and former college roommate got married to her high school sweetheart on January 1, 2010!  The event was held at Jester's Florist in downtown Tuscaloosa.   The setting was casual and intimate, with only the bride & groom's closest friends and family in attendance, which fit this couple perfectly.  The entire occasion was filled with unique & personal touches that really spoke to the couple's personalities and proved that even on a smaller budget, you can still create an event that reflects your style.

The venue was a unique space in historic downtown with an open, lofty feel and more space outside to mingle by the fire pits.  The food served was a twist on typical New Year's Day fare with black-eye peas, ham sandwich sliders, and spanakopita to reflect the groom's Greek heritage, but made with greens so that we can all look forward to a prosperous new year! In lieu of the traditional wedding cake, we had bridal cookies from Celebrations Bakery and a Little Debbie groom's cake from Mary's Cakes!   I have to admit, I was nervous about Swiss Rolls on a cake but one bite and I was a believer! Yummy!

Tables were decorated in silver and white to create a simple and elegant background.   Carnations, packed tight in large, low silver urns, took on an elegant air surrounded by candlelight in the center of the tables.  Even the music was hand-picked by the bride & groom and had all of their favorites including Band of Horses' beautiful ode "No One's Going to Love You" (which seems like an unromantic title until you hear the next line - "more than I do").  It was a beautiful event with special touches everywhere and I was happy to be a part of it!  Here's to more beautiful weddings in 2010!!

Linda & Harriet Moose Lovelies

Linda & Harriet Moose Lovelies: "



I am loving all the moose items over on the Linda & Harriet site for the holidays. Go check them out!  Although, I think these are mainly for Christmas gifts, this is such a great example of how to tie a theme into various parts of your wedding.  Start with a basic image used on your printed materials - invitations, save-the-dates, etc - and carry it on throughout the events with it recurring in the placecards at the rehearsal dinner, a theme for the cake table, or incorporate it into the favors.  It creates a great unity and ties everything in to your special day!

"

Gold Glam Holiday from Swanky Tables

Gold Glam Holiday: "
Bring on the glam and glitz with gold holiday decor. The gold pear display is amazing! I love it!

Images: Home and Garden, House Beautiful

"

Epic Save-the-Date

If you are looking for some fresh ideas on what to send out for a save-the-date, the newest trend is to send them electronically.  This gives you the opportunity to work with your photographer, videographer, or just some creative friends to create a save-the-date that is truly unique.   I've seen a few video save-the-dates on YouTube but today I found one that is really a work of art.  I can not imagine the amount of hours that went into putting together a trailer like this but it truly will be something that they treasure for a lifetime.

See it for yourself here - Jeff & Erin's Wedding Trailer