The Most Important Meal of the Day - The Breakast/Brunch Wedding Reception

I don't understand people who do not eat breakfast. If I do not eat within 15 minutes of waking up, I am mean, and sad, and awful! I also get a little sad on Sundays, which must be leftover from my days of M-F office work. Those two personal traits combined lend some insight into my delight this weekend as my husband and I mixed up our usual Sunday routine to spend the day at a friend's wedding in Pennsylvania.

If good friends and the joy of marriage was not enough to combat my Sunday blues, it was also a BRUNCH reception! With the wedding ceremony at 11:00 am, I'd had my fingers crossed from the moment we received the invitation that we would be feasting on some eggs and breakfast carbs and the reception. Wish granted.

Brunch is one of those meals that feels like a special occasion no matter when you have it! Let’s be honest, it’s generally a luxury that we reserve for weekends, holidays, vacation and celebrations. These associations make it a natural fit for your wedding. And Butler-passed Bloody Marys and Mimosa’s will create the feeling of ease for your guests that only daytime drinking can do!

via Style Me Pretty, by Annie Packman of marryyoume.com

If the appeal of breakfast food alone is not enough to push you toward a brunch wedding, consider the savings. Many reception venues require a lower spending minimum for events held early enough in the day to allow them to turn the room over for an evening wedding, even during peak wedding season, even on Saturdays.

And if THAT is not appealing enough - what about a donut wedding cake?

via martha stewart weddings

Wedding Q&A Thursday: Re-Purposing Ceremony Flowers

Q: Is it possible to re-purpose the flowers from my ceremony (pew markers, altar arrangements, etc.) at my reception. I'd like to save some money and don't want those flowers - that were only really in use for 20 minutes - to go to waste.

A: Waste not, want not. I hear you loud and clear. The value per time used is always a consideration when deciding whether or not you should have elaborate ceremony decorations at all. The answer about whether or not you can re-purpose is also not a simple yes/no.

Yes if...

...there is, logistically, the time and staff available to disassemble, transport and re-purpose/re-assemble those flowers at the reception site between the time your guests leave the ceremony area and enter the reception. You don't want your guests to see the seams of the event - the work behind it. So you can't, for example, expect your ceremony flowers to adorn high-boys during your cocktail hour if it immediately follows. It's also probably not a good idea to attempt this if there is not separation of space between your cocktail hour and reception. Consider your guests arriving to empty vases and unadorned tables, then seeing your coordinator and staff scrambling to get this set - it's not the effect you were hoping for, right? And if you don't have a coordinator, it's not something you want to ask friends and family to do. They may be willing, but do you want to put them to work on the wedding day?

...the flowers are hearty enough to handle the move. If your ceremony was outdoors, on a hot day, chances are that your florist strategically timed set-up to give the flowers enough life to look great through your ceremony before wilting - especially the arrangements without water like your pew markers. However, after that, these tired blooms could end up looking worse for wear after the move and, once again, not have the intended effect.

Otherwise, it's not something to count on. When breaking down a ceremony site, we always keep as many of the flowers as time and transport permit, and bring them along to the reception site. If there's time and a place for them, we will use them to spruce up bars, cake tables, gift tables - anywhere there may not already be a lot of decoration. But it's not something that we like to be a major project. The time between the ceremony and reception is often a busy time for your planner and event staff, as it's the last chance to make everything is set and perfect for your reception.


If you are concerned with your floral budget, talk to your planner and florist about finding a balance between the ceremony decor and your reception. Less is often more, and your florist probably knows how to get the most "bang for your buck," (sorry, I don't like that expression...it's all I could come up with) in a particular venue. For example, things that will and will not show in photographs.

Love stories...

It's Valentine's week! The week leading up to the holiday-o-love. Commercial-creation-of-the greeting-card-industry or not, it's a nice reminder to us of how lucky we are to be, more or less, in the business of love. Some couples have stories that are simple, but strong. Some are amazing, involving twists of fate, struggle and amazing leaps of faith. But they are all pretty special.

I hope you can take a little time each day this week to remember love! This Super Bowl Commercial by Google should get you going...

Tea-Length Wedding Dress Crush

My husband and I were sitting side-by-side on my couch a few days ago as I was rummaging through my google reader. A few short wedding dresses caught my eye and I remarked to my husband that if we ever get married again (we not I...that's very important in such a conversation), I would wear a short dress. After all, we both agree that my legs are one of my better features, and I would be well-served to keep them exposed.

The conversation however, took a turn to discuss whether it would really be right in the church where we were married. Not a question of appropriateness...just looking out-of-place. My conclusion was - well, it would depend on the dress.

Lo and behold, I stumbled upon this photoshoot on the Daria Bishop Photography blog and the dress neatly fit itself right into my scenario. Isn't it sweet?

The Josephine dress by Stephanie James Couture is, I guess, not really short - it's tea-length. I'm normally not a fan of this length, but I can't imagine this dress another way. It's traditional and un-traditional all at once.

Take a look at Stephanie James' blog for pictures of some of the cutest brides I've ever see together on one blog. I honestly just have a crush on these tea-length dresses!