Wedding Tips and Ideas

Our Top 13 Quotes for Invitations

Top 13 Quotes for Invitations

This day I will marry my friend, the one I laugh with, live for, dream with, love
Together we've walked hand in hand, heart to heart, with love on our side we never shall part.
A life of sharing, caring; A love of endless giving together
You don't marry someone you can live with - you marry the person who you cannot live without ~ Author Unknown ~
Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust. Love still stands, when all else has fallen. - 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8
To get the full value of joy You must have someone to divide it with. - Mark Twain
Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale.
I have found the one my soul loves. - Song of Solomon
Grow old with me! The best is yet to be. - Robert Browning
Now join hands, and with your hands your hearts. - William Shakespeare
To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage. - Lao Tzu
Life can be beautiful, shared with each other two happy people who love one another!
An answered prayer he is to me; My greatest blessing she'll always be. And so this day we'll pledge our love, in front of friends and God above

Spring is just around the corner! That means spring weddings are in full speed planning. Many of you brides may be wondering what we have been up to here at Almost Hitched and we have started another website! This one is dedicated to families with a focus on birth and babies. Feel free to check it out by clicking on the banners at the top and bottom of this page. I know many of you are not mothers yet, but when you decide to start trying you will love this new resource. It has tons of hard to find information that is not only educational, but we try our best to show all types of births available to women along with the pros and cons to each. wwwthebirthingsite.com has a very strong social compoment with women sharing pregnancy and birth stories in the forum. This is a world wide site based in Saskatoon, come check us out we are growing rapidly!

Many people are intimidated by technology, I used to be one of these people. But, not anymore because now I'm in love with it. I can now keep in touch with you Saskatoon brides easier and more frequently than before. In the past I had to drag out the laptop, cords, mouse, plug it in and sit at the table. Now I can edit my website directly from the iPhone or iPad, click save and poof it's on the front page for all to see. This may not sound like a big deal to some student types, but for a busy mom of a 2 year old and 4 month old...this is golden! I look forward to blogging, tweeting and just generally keeping in touch better than before. Happy planning ladies and if you have a smart phone be sure to use it 100% to your planning benefit...every little bit helps!

I hope everyone is having themselves a wonderful holiday season! The weather has been as warm as -1 degree!! Seasonal temperatures are consistently at -20 or colder, with the coldest temperatures in the below -40 degree mark. So boxing day in nearly positive temperatures sure was a nice break. It made hauling my newborn and toddler in and out of the car with their gear more bearable!

I see many of you Saskatoon brides are hard at work planning your weddings! Congratulations to all of you ladies who had a Christmas Engagement!! So exciting to have an engagement ring and kiss your single days good-bye. I loved this part, but some will say "it's sad you will never be intimate with anyone else ever again". I say, "Who cares...you've found the love of your life and you've had your last first date, yay!! I hated first dates, everything about them spelled two words...energy and time! Make-up, hair, shaving/waxing, uncomfortable clothes and shoes, not to mention a whole night blown if you didn't hit it off, or worse yet you somehow ended up needing to "chip" in for the bill! First dates, especially blind dates are a heck of a lot of pressure to place on one evening. Good thing, this kind of thing, will never happen again...to any of us!.

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Tips for Picking the Wedding Day in Saskatoon

Favorite Season: many brides first choose the season they prefer. The season will dictate nearly as much as the Wedding Dress itself. A winter wedding will have a very different tone and decorating scheme than a summer affair.

The Month: next choose an ideal month you would prefer to have your wedding. Taking into consideration the average weather temperatures for the month, whether it's fly season or not and so forth.

The Day: many brides prefer having their wedding on a Saturday based on tradition, the Monday to Friday work week and to accommodate out of town guests with travel arrangements. H

Secure Venues for Ceremony and Reception in Advance: book up a year or more in advance, especially for Saturdays in the summer.

Flexibility: once you have chosen your date, be prepared to change it! In order to secure both of your dream places you may have to change the date all together. If you are lucky you will still get the month you prefer.

Note: many reception venues will hold the date for you free of charge for a few days, while you work to secure your ceremony location/church. Be prepared to hold your date with a cash deposit, after the grace period.

Contracts: make sure you have a written contract including all fees, guaranteeing the price you see today is the price you pay in a year or two when your wedding takes place. Venues can be tricky at times and you don't need any surprises down the road! Keep in mind a change in the meal price of $2.50 per guest, multiplied by 150 guests is an additional expense of $375.00. Doesn't seem like a lot, until you realize it's a couple months before your wedding and the cash flow is dwindling!!

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Wedding Planning Checklist

Here is a sample wedding planning checklist to help you plan and organize a wedding.

Checklist 12 Months Before the Wedding:
Start a wedding folder of ideas
Work out the budget
Choose wedding party
Decide on number of guests
Hire a wedding planner?
Decide on wedding date
Book reception and ceremony venue (save contact info)
Book officiant (save contact info)
Begin researching caterers, photographers, florists, deejays and/or bands
Have an engagement party

Checklist 9 Months Before the Wedding:
Purchase the dress
Book photographer and videographer
Book deejay, band or any other entertainment
Start meeting with caterers
Finalize guest list and save it in an excel spreadsheet
Start gathering guest contact information
Launch wedding website
Reserve a block of hotel rooms for guests (often a discount applies)

Checklist 6 Months Before the Wedding:
Shop for bridesmaid dresses
Plan Honeymoon
Engagement photo-shoot
Meet with officiant
Book florist
Begin gift registries
Reserve decorations, structural and electrical necessities for venues
Purchase Invitations
Hire a calligrapher
Send save-the-date cards
Arrange wedding day transportation, book limo
Begin a day of the wedding time-line

Checklist 5 Months Before the Wedding:
Check progress of invites or start to print them yourself
Order the wedding cake
Book rehearsal and rehearsal dinner venue
Purchase Shoes
Purchase undergarments and wedding night lingerie
Start dress fittings
Schedule hair and make-up trials and book for the day of the wedding
Plan welcome baskets for out of town guests
Register for wedding and bridal shower gifts
Choose reception and ceremony music

Checklist 3 Months Before the Wedding:
Order and begin hand making favors
Finalize the menu and flowers
Finalize readings
Create a toast makers list and start asking people on the list
Purchase wedding bands
Finalize the look and functionality of the reception and ceremony venues
Have second dress fitting
Print menu cards and programs
Send schedule to vendors

Checklist 2 Months Before the Wedding:
Touch base with vendors
Meet photographer and discuss different shots and locations for the wedding day
Submit play-lists to band or deejay for reception
Submit another play-list for the ceremony music
Send invitations (send earlier if no save-the-date cards)
Submit engagement announcement to local paper
Enjoy a bridal shower and stagette
Groom enjoys a stag party

Checklist 1 Month Before the Wedding:
Add those who have RSVP’d into guest data base
Phone those who have not responded
Update gift registries after bridal shower
Mail rehearsal dinner invites
Get marriage license
Final dress fitting
Pay some vendors in advance if possible
Assign guest seating
Write wedding vows
Get hair cut and colored
Make other spa appointments ie) massage, manicures and pedicures
Purchase attendant gifts to give at rehearsal dinner
Stock the bar with alcohol and mix

Checklist for The Week of Wedding Reconfirm details like arrival times with vendors
Send of the final time-line to bridal party, ushers and parents
Delegate small wedding day tasks to friends and family
Have a spa relaxation treatment or mani/pedi
Send final guest count to venue and caterer
Break in wedding day shoes
Arrange decorating and set-up of reception and ceremony venues
Assemble a clean-up crew for after the wedding
Make sure photographer has a list of moments you want captured
Arrange pick up or delivery of your wedding gown
Assemble and distribute welcome baskets to have at guests hotel rooms
Set aside labeled envelopes with payments and tips for vendors

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Wedding Flowers by Season

Top choices of flowers by season:
Fall: Celosia, Chinese Lantern, Chrysanthemum, Crosnia, Dahlia, Statice, Yarrow.

Winter: Amaryllis, Casablanca Lily, Freesia, Gerber Daisy, Heather, Holly, Narcissus, Poinsettia, Rose, Stephanotis.

Spring: tulips, hyacinth, lilies, Gerber daisies and any color calla lilies even a mixed arrangement.

Summer: Anemone, Azalea, Calla Lily, Camellia, Daffodil, French Tulip, Hyacinth, Hydrangea, Jasmine, Lilac, Lily of the Valley, Mimosa, Pansy, Peony, Primrose, Ranunculus, Sweet Pea, Tulip, Violet.

Year Around: Baby's Breath, Carnation, Cattleman, Chrysanthemum, Cymbidium, Orchid, Daisy, Dendroblum Orchid, Freesia, Gardenia, Gerber Daisy, Gladiolus, Iris, Lilies, Protea, Roses, September Aster, Snapdragon, Stephanotis, Tuberoses.

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Wedding Reception Table Centerpieces and Decorations

The rule for centerpieces is they shouldn't interfere with wedding guests making eye contact and visiting, by having to look through or around it. To prevent this a shorter or taller centerpiece is best. Shorter so the guests can look over it or taller so it's not in their visual path. Your centerpiece should also enhance any other decorative elements you're using.

Examples of Popular Wedding Centerpieces and Decorations include:
Vases

Candles

Splash of Color

Themes

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Should you hire a wedding planner?

A big decision some brides face is whether to hire a wedding planner to help plan their wedding? Here at Almost Hitched we feel it’s a personal decision, many weddings go over smoothly without one, but the brides that do hire a planner feel it was completely worth the money. A wedding is a very stressful time, especially for the couple getting married. Wedding planner fees range from approximately $1000.-$2000.00, but prices do vary greatly in Saskatoon depending on the size and workload involved in planning the wedding.

Here is a breakdown of what to expect from a wedding planner. First and foremost they work with you to create a vision of the type of wedding you want. You still get to make the major final decisions on each individual item ie) venue, theme/colors, cake etc. Next they help with creating the budget and helping you manage it, staying on track with spending. The wedding planner will also suggest other businesses in the industry to work with, based on their experience and your price range. This can often save you money, wedding planners are pretty connected! They organize your to-do-list, take care of emergencies if they arise and create the wedding day schedule. Some wedding planners will even set-up for the wedding and take-down after. This saves the Saskatoon bride a lot of time and stress, because the set-up and take-down can be very time consuming and often you need multiple hands to help.

We hope this gives a clearer picture of what to expect from hiring a professional wedding planner. Click here to get connected to local Saskatoon Wedding Planners in our business directory.

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Tips for Brides

First and foremost...get organized! You can create a bulletin board, or clear off your fridge to keep everything visualized. You can created a bulletin board out of bristle board, making a huge chart with important dates, times, and whether or not an item has been been paid.

For decorations do a checklist on this board and every time you think of something write it down.Carry a notebook with you at all times! You never know when inspiration will hit or when you will remember something again...that will undoubtley cause problems later on if not addressed now. The notebook does not need to be fancy, the Dollar Store has some for, you guessed it $1.00! When sitting at home you can look through it and follow up, when time permits.

Keep an envelope with all of your receipts as you pay for things. You never know when a business you are dealing with may try and charge you twice, believe me...this happens!

Use Excel Spread sheets for guests, addresses, keeping track of your RSVP list, tracking your wedding budget or anything else you can think of. Excel can really simplify your life if you know the program!

Give guests plenty of notice for showers, parties, etc etc etc.. people have very busy lives and sometimes need more than a few weeks notice.

Keep a stack of thank you cards near your lounging area at home. That way when cards and gifts start to arrive prior to the wedding by mail, you can write out a thank you card while watching TV or on commercial breaks.

For the wedding bring an extra pair of shoes that are comfortable for later in the evening, your feet will thank you.

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Some Tips For Tastings

One of the best parts of the wedding planning process so far has been the tasting. Also Dave and I, in our penny-pinching, have not been going out to dinner lately, so it was nice to be able to go out, have a drink, and spend some time together.

So, on a chilly Thursday evening we drove the 30 minutes to the Lincklean House. We were welcomed by Ellen, the cute, young, friendly receptionist (who later in the evening imparted some good wedding advice based on her recent marriage) and shown to our table. Once we dropped our belongings at the table, Dave and I made a beeline for the fire place to warm our butts up just a bit (you can go ahead and picture it, it was a cute as it sounds). There were only a few people in the restaurant, which gave the evening a nice intimate feeling.

We came prepared with our wedding folder, which is decorated by birds, a gift from one of the places we registered with. It is pictured below so you can understand why Dave makes me carry it; I think it is fun and kitschy. What we did not come prepared with was an elastic waist band because there was SO much food!! There was 5 courses of food to taste, and even though I like to eat, I found it overwhelming. We took about 3 bags full of food home. I had thought that tastings were free, but when I asked some people I know who have done wedding planning for hotels, they said that trend has changed, so we were not surprised when we were told there was a cost involved. But to our surprise, when we were ready to go, Carrie said that there was no charge! (we like to think that is because we are so pretty, and you can’t disabuse us of that notion!!) We were very happy with the food and have narrowed down our menu.

A question for you all, Dave wants to put cucumbers instead of lemons in the waters…what do you think? Kitschy? Pretentious? Spa-like?

What also started to become clear during our dinner was how excited Dave and I are getting for the wedding. When we first started this it was an abstraction. Now that we are less than 150 days away from the wedding (eeek) it is starting to feel more and more real. I get that Christmas Day anticipatory feeling in my stomach. We are at the point where the major planning is out of the way and now all the little details start to come into focus, and that really excites us. I know that going into the final part of the planning process will be fun, hectic, and challenging.

Some tips for tastings:
If you are serving red meat be sure to ask how it is prepared. We like our steak medium rare, and that is how they prepare it, but they will take requests from our guests if they choose to have it another way. Also make sure you ask about presentation, Carrie, our event coordinator, was very open to changing things around if we did not care for the preparation. We also found it helpful to ask her thoughts about options, what is more popular, accessible for people, etc. That really helped us make some decisions.

(Not that you care, or maybe you do, I am listening to a song I just found–thanks Pandora!–Heart Upon Demand by John Gorka. Since I am such a Judy Garland fan–stop rolling your eyes!!–I am not sure why I have not come across this before, but, anyway, give it a listen)

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