Welcome to a new week SJE fans!  I hope your weekend was as relaxing as mine.  Today I want to highlight a different take on the bouquet.  Personally I believe there are two ‘objects’ a bride should love on her wedding day despite all the other frills: 1. The dress 2. The bouquet.

Each one of these bouquets are handmade and no two are exactly alike.  The best part of course is that they don’t wither away like flowers. 

Photos courtesy of Letters4Lilly

It’sFriday, SJE Fans!  We hope you stay cool this weekend.  Every Friday this month has been focused on an aspect of food for weddings.  Today I’d like to highlight just a few points about a buffet versus a sit down dinner.

Advantages of the buffet meal:

• If you want your reception to be more casual and laid back, a buffet might be a great choice because guests will probably feel more comfortable.
• Buffets are usually** less expensive than sit down dinners. There’s no wait staff to pay, and the food is often cheaper.
• You can offer your guests a variety of food choices. Aunt Pearl will be satisfied with the meat and potatoes, and your vegetarian cousin Sunny will be happy with the veggie lasagna. People enjoy having a bounty of food to choose from.
• Buffets encourage mingling. They force people to get up from their table, at least once!

Advantages of the sit down meal:

• If you want your reception to be formal and elegant, the sit down meal may be the better choice. Picky guests will be impressed.
• Guests don’t have to work for their food! Elderly guests and people who have small children will benefit from this.
• For guests who have traveled a long distance, it may feel appropriate to feed them with a more formal meal.
• You don’t have to worry about running out of food.
• Guests don’t have to worry as much about making a mess on their nice clothing while they carry their food to their seats.

***Having a buffet is not always less expensive than sit-down service, as you’ll need to order more food than you would otherwise.

1.   Cookie display.  You could have small cartons of milk chilling on ice to make the display complete.

2.  Soda Fountain.  How about an old fashioned soda fountain display where guests can make their own floats?

3. Sundae Station.  Allow guests the opportunity to embellish their own ice cream sundaes with all the trimmings!

4. Salty Treats.  Maybe you or your fiancee love trail mix, pretzels, and potato chips.  Let guests pack a snack for later!

I hope you were inspired!  Don’t eat too much this weekend.

Good Morning SJE fans!  June has proven to be hot and rainy so far for Houstonians.  But we’ve come to expect the unexpected here.

The team here at SJE considers NOLA to be our second home.  We’ve spent a lot of time in the great city of New Orleans over the years and the vendors have come to know us quite well.  As matter of fact we’ve had 2 weddings in NOLA this year and we have 2 more in October!

One of our favorite vendors in the Big Easy is Fat Cat Flowers.  Our brides love Fat Cat too!   Often we find that brides who reach out to us in the middle of the planning process have already booked Fat Cat Flowers.  This is a testament to the stellar work and reputation of the team at Fat Cat Flowers.

The photo shown here is courtesy of MQ Photography and features a bouquet from the wedding of Melanie and Peter 04-19-2009 in NOLA!

Is it polite to inquire about the attire the band or DJ will wear on my wedding day?
Yes it is perfectly fine to inquire about the attire of your band or DJ. If you’re having a very formal event you shouldn’t leave this detail up to interpretation. Do ask your band how they plan to dress or make it clear what the tone of your event will be.
Who should walk me down the aisle, my absentee father or my stepdad who has always been there for me? Or could I have them both?
Today’s bride can have anyone walk down the aisle with her. If you feel uncomfortable leaving your stepdad out, you don’t have to! Have your father walk you halfway down the aisle. Then let your stepdad escort you the rest of the way.
If my dad was not there, could I have my mom give me away?
You most certainly can have your mother give you away.
Could I pass on the bachelorette party in favor of a Prayer Night? Would people think I’m weird?
If it’s your wish to have a Prayer Night in lieu of a bachelorette party then go for it! As far as being concerned that people will think you’re weird, don’t worry about that. Hopefully you’ll be including the individuals who love and care for you the most. Chances are they know your faith and style so it will make sense to them how you choose to celebrate.
When was the tradition of “Wedding Favors” started and by whom?
It is believed that the European aristocracy began the tradition of bestowing wedding favors upon all of their guests. They were called bonbonniere and consisted of small boxes of crystal or porcelain, which held delicate confections such as cubes of sugar, then considered the ultimate symbol of wealth and royalty. **This information was provided by: www.trulyweddingfavors.com **

Things I think I know about Wedding Planning and don’t…There are hundreds of things to be considered to plan, not just the Rehearsal Dinner…….. List three that are not the first to come to mind.
1. The details : A lot of brides don’t consider the small details that often fall through the cracks i.e. Who will transport your gifts from the reception.
2. The budget: Many brides aren’t aware of how much things actually cost i.e. The price of your wedding floral doesn’t just include the cost of the flower. Labor, shipping, vase rentals, and the season can affect those costs.
3. The importance of making decisions quickly and to prioritize i.e. When choosing a wedding professional that you love, make sure you book them as soon as you are sure so that they will be available for your day. Prioritize items in the order that mean the most to you so you can spend your budget wisely.

Info Courtesy of : Romance Stuck

OK SJE fans, what’s your favorite wedding fact?  Feel free to share!

I know what you may be thinking, “I have to buy insurance too?”  But think of it like this, you pay for coverage for your automobile which costs 25k.  Yet you could spend 50k or more on your wedding day.  Why not protect this investment, too?

• What is wedding insurance?  Generally there are two types of wedding insurance which are: Liability and Cancellation/Postponement Insurance. 

Liability Insurance

Liability insurance is used to cover the Bride and Groom from certain types of claims arising from accidents taking place during the wedding, reception, and rehearsal.  It offers protection for the wedding couple for damage to the facility caused by a guest or vendor, bodily injury to guests, and alcohol-related accidents they are found liable for.

Cancellation/postponement Insurance

Event Cancellation/postponement insurance is designed to safeguard your wedding from unexpected mishaps.  It covers cancellation/postponement and losses such as no-show vendors, bankruptcy of vendors, damage to the wedding attire, theft of gifts, and more.

• How much does it cost?

As with all insurance the cost is dependent on the coverage amounts you choose but I used a coverage calculator from Wedsafe.com.  I requested a quote based upon a 75k wedding and the cost was $511.00 for the liability and cancellation/postponement coverage.

• Does cancellation/postponement Insurance cover weather related disasters?

Yes, it will provide coverage if the weather conditions are extreme enough to prevent the Bride/Groom and/or their immediate families from attending the wedding or reception which renders the event unusable or unsafe.

• Can you give me a recommendation for companies that offer this type of insurance?

Wed Safe 

Protect My Wedding

 NASEP

Now it’s your turn SJE fans!  For our brides-to-be, have you heard of any stories from your married friends where a vendor filed bankruptcy before their big day?  Event planners, do you know of a situation where a venue was damaged in a natural disaster?  Feel free to share!

Today we thought we would introduce you to a term often used in the printing industry to refer to a type of print used on invitations.  The term is thermography or thermographic printing as defined below:

Thermography printing is a type of printing process which uses heat to melt powdered ink onto the paper, resulting in a raised effect. It is also known as offset thermography and raised printing.