Welcome, Spring!

It has been a long winter, and I think you can relate no matter where you live in the country. It snowed in Savannah...'nuff said. But now you can feel it in the air, and see it bursting from the ground - tomorrow is officially Spring!

It's actually official for me the first time I see a daffodil. And this year that was pretty accurate because I don't think they were coming up prematurely in many places considering the snow and frigid temps. What a cheery flower to include in your spring wedding - fresh and bright!

Daffodil Wedding Cake

Spring bruch table from OnceWed

Bouquet of tulips, daffodil and ranunculus

Happy St. Patrick's Day - A Lucky, Green Wedding

St. Patrick's Day is a BIG DEAL in Savannah. And everyone jumps on the bandwagon of this festive, cultural celebration (it must be the booze). But there are some people who take their heritage pretty seriously, and a wedding is the perfect time to celebrate that heritage - national holiday or not. Here are some pretty, literal gems of green-spiration for the Irish ladies out there.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!

Lucky Shamrock Bouquet and Boutonniere, Green Wedding Cake from Real Simple, Bridesmaids radiant in green, Moss and vintage milk glass, Guinness on the menu, And of course, Bagpipes

Simple Wedding Ceremony Programs

If you are not working on your wedding ceremony programs with a stationer, it tends to be a project that falls to the wayside, to be taken care of at the last minute. That's probably because it's also one of the items that leave a lot of brides thinking - do I really need programs at the ceremony?

I understand the thought behind that - some people never even take one, most people leave it behind, etc. I do however, think that it's a good idea to provide some sort of program - especially if your wedding ceremony is a traditional ceremony in a church where some of your guests may not understand what is going on and need some guidance. It also serves as a helpful coordinating resource - a place to give guests information about post-ceremony logistics. For example, directions to the reception venue or transportation and parking information.

That said, if you are not a stationery fanatic, it's one place that you should really think about keeping it simple (for all of the reasons you have for not wanting to use programs at all). I just saw this simple, cute and chic Program Cover Template on Martha Stewart Weddings that is easy to use, but doesn't look like a complete throw-away!

If you use a decent card stock, you could print the ceremony information on the inside of the same sheet, and you wouldn't even need cords to bind the program, just a nice fold.

Wedding Q&A Thursday: Mother of the Bride

Q: I know that she's just trying to be helpful, but my Mom is driving me a bit crazy. I'm sure you deal with a lot of Mothers, is there a way for me to politely" ask her to back off? I don't want to hurt her feelings!

A: As you said, your mother is just trying to help, and if she's really all over you about things, it may be because she's actually a little overwhelmed herself! I think the best way to "control" family members in general is to think about what their traditional roles in the process should be, combined with what they are capable of, combined with what you trust them to do, thereby creating a personalized role for them. Then sit down with them and discuss all of your plans, and the thought process behind them, highlighting specifically where you would like their assistance, advice, etc.

The wedding planning process is so different from normal life. Everyone wants to help, everyone wants to be put to work. So give them a job! If they have an assigned duty they are less likely to just arbitrarily give you advice and opinions that could start to drive you crazy. Even if your justification comes from a good place - "Mom, I just want you to relax and enjoy the wedding..." - some people will not be satisfied with a hands-off approach.

That said, the "traditional" mother of the bride roles are less defined than, say, the father of the bride or maid of honor. Her job, vaguely enough, is to help! So if she's a little frantic, overwhelmed and, therefore, overwhelming, keep her filled in on the process (maybe suggest a weekly phone call to keep it in control) and ask her to do specific things that will actually help you...

- Mom, would you mind making me a list of addresses of all of our family members as well as your guests, including their full names and the names of their children?

- Hi Mom, I'd love for you to talk to Grandma and our other female relatives and come up with some family traditions that we may consider using in our wedding.

- Hey Mom, I've got that under control, but ya know what I could use a little help with? Calling area hotels and finding out the rates they offer for group reservations! (yay)

- Mother Dearest, you are such a great hostess! I know that you're going to come up with some great ideas for the welcome bags we leave in our guests' hotel rooms (wink).

Your Mom is excited! She will throw herself full-force into whatever task you assign her and be a much calmer ally in the process.

Tricia Huddas & Co. Real Savannah Wedding: Christina and Mika

Above all else, Christina knew she wanted to get married in her hometown of Savannah, GA. So she and Mika packed their bags and flew from the City of Angels to Savannah to celebrate their wedding with 125 of their close friends and family. And celebrate they did! Two weeks ago Christina and Mika tied the knot in the courtyard of the gorgeous Mansion on Forsyth Park. The courtyard looked incredible with beautiful flowers from Garden on the Square. I especially loved the fuchsia stock! But nothing could compare to the look on Mika's face when he saw Christina for the first time as she walked down the aisle. Congratulations Mr. & Mrs Fineo!

Savannah Wedding Photographer Katie McGee captured the couple's style so well, right?

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.