Finding Wedding Dresses at your Favorite Stores

 Budget friendly weddings are all the buzz these days, and we are finding more of our favorite stores are dipping into the wedding scene as well! The Limited, Ann Taylor, Anthropologie and J.Crew all have affordable wedding wear. From the dress to the shoes, they are covering it all. Although some are only available online, which takes away from the shopping experience, some of them are starting to open up stores. J.Crew now has their own boutique in Manhattan and BHLDN just opened one in Houston, sounds like a  good excuse for a "girls only" weekend trip to us! 

Let's talk Bridesmaids. These stores have great dresses that really can be worn again to another wedding or special event.  Not to mention, they are updating their styles every season and having sales! 

MOB's and MOG's will see some classy finds from these sites as well. 

If you don't find yourself shopping for dresses on these sites, they are at the very least great resources for ideas.  Look at the whole picture - colors, hairstyles, and accessories, they might have the look you are going for! 

 BHLDN not only has stylish dresses and accessories, but they have a lot of great decor to use during your Big Day. While you are browsing their site, be sure to take this quiz to find out what kind of bride you are. You will find lots of inspiration browsing through this site, we always do!

Send us an email at info@bigdayplanners.com when you come across a great find! We love to check out our brides' styles and bargains!

Happy Shopping!

Dana &Shannon

The History of June Weddings

Every weekend of the year people are getting married, but what is it about June weddings? It is not only because the weather is getting warmer. Did you realize that there was a history behind bride and grooms choosing June to wed? It actually dates back to Roman times, the month of June is named after Juno, the Goddess of Marriage.

A great musical from the 1950s, "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", watched by little girls at their Nana's house while dreaming of their Big Day. This YouTube clip is a song "June Bride" from the musical, perhaps if you are June Bride you can walk down the aisle to it?

Another fun tidbit about June - the first moon after the summer solstice is called the "Honey Moon", it is the season to harvest herbs and honey, in Roman times they would eat honey for a month after the wedding for health and belief of lengthening life. If you're having a June wedding maybe you can give honey inspired favors in honor of this ancient tradition. Check out these sweet options:

1. Meant to Bee Honey Pot

2. Sweeter Than Honey Wedding Favor

3. Sweet as Can Be Honey Candle

We would love to help you plan your June Wedding, or whenever you decide. Book with us by June 30th and receive a free photo montage.

Happy Planning!

Dana & Shannon

www.bigdayplanners.com

Father Daughter Dance

Since Father's Day is coming up we thought it was only appropriate to post this week about the very touching and one of the most memorable moments on your Big Day...the father daughter dance. Picking the perfect song to dance to can be quite difficult so we decided to give you some suggestions. Hope you find it helpful!

Photo by: Craig Metz Photography

 




1. Harry Conick, Jr. - "A Wink and a Smile"
2. Elton John - "Blessed"
3. Van Morisson - "Brown Eyed Girl"
4. Elton John- "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
5. The Carpenters - "Close to You"
6. John Mayer - "Daughters"
7. Paul Simon - "Father Daughter"
8. Amy Grant - "Father's Eyes"
9. Van Morrison - "Have I Told You Lately"
10. Heartland - "I Loved Her First"
11. Christina Aguilera - "I Turn to You"
12. Bon Jovi - "I'll Be There for You"
13. Madonna - "I'll Remember"
14. Martina McBride - "In My Daughter's Eyes"
15. The Beatles - "In My Life"
16. Stevie Wonder - "Isn't She Lovely"
17. Billy Joel - "Just the Way You Are"
18. Fleetwood Mac - "Landslide"
19. Eric Clapton - "My Father's Eyes"
20. Temptations - "My Girl"
21. The Platters - "Only You"
22. Otis Redding - "That's How Strong My Love Is"
23. Frank Sinatra - "The Way You Look Tonight"
24. Faith Hill - "There You'll Be"
25. Joe Cocker - "You Are So Beautiful"
26. Stevie Wonder - "You Are the Sunshine of My Life"
27. LeAnn Rimes - "You Light Up My Life"
28. Josh Groban - "You Raise Me Up"
29. James Taylor - "You've Got a Friend"
30. Louis Armstrong - "What a Wonderful World"

Happy Planning!
Dana & Shannon

Top 5 Splurges for your Big Day

Following up to our cost-cutting tips, here are five ideas we think are worthy of splurging on, if you have room in your budget of course! 

Top 5 Splurges:

1. Wedding Video
It's usually the first vendor to check off a Bride's list to save money, but think of what you are really doing without here. You will never see yourself walking down the aisle or saying your vows if you don't have video of your wedding. We think it's very important to include this in your budget, it's a big day for you as well as your families. Think twice before checking it out of your Big Day!

2. One more song!
Why not extend your wedding reception? A typical wedding reception is schedule for 4 hours, is that really enough to celebrate the most exciting day of your life? This is not a decision you have to make before your wedding day, this call can be made as the party is going on. Depending on the venue determines the cost of this extra hour. Not every vendor needs to stick around this extra hour, just the supplier of the tunes!

3. Get dolled up
You are already planning on wearing a beautiful white gown, why not get your hair and makeup done to complete the picture? Think of it this way, it's your day-when else will you get pampered by getting your makeup done and hair up? It will also be noticeable in your pictures. Side note: a great bridesmaid gift is to treat your ladies to getting their hair and makeup done they day of the wedding.

4. Play that funky music
It is personal preference if the couple wants a band or DJ to perform at their wedding, but when do you get a chance to have a live band play at a party? Considering your wedding will have a mixed age range of guests, a live band will play to the liking of every generation, and a guarantee to get your guests out of their seats and start dancing. Think about it before totally crossing it off your list.

5. Candid Photos
Nowadays a second photographer is more in demand that ever. The main photographer is there to focus on the couple and main event. Meanwhile, the second photographer can be getting the reaction shots of the bridal party and guests as well as more natural shots of the day as it progresses. On most occasions the second photographer is not there the entire day so you are not paying as much, but it is a great splurge to get more photos and most importantly different types of photos from throughout the day.

We hope you consider these splurges when planning your Big Day, every wedding is different and will have different needs, but don't be afraid cut what you can and splurge when you can!

Here are some links of vendors we work with, check out what you can include on your Big Day!

Video - Iron Bird Studios
Photography - Craig Metz Photo
Hair/Make-up - Fetch Beauty
Wedding Band - The Jersey Joint

Happy Planning!
Dana & Shannon

Top 5 Cost Cutters for your Big Day

Most brides try to figure out ways to cut costs, but sometimes it does make sense to splurge a little.  This blog will explain five ways to cut costs for your Big Day.

Top 5 Cost Cutters:

1.  Trim your guest list
Start out with your A and B list and make sure both sets of parents know that co-workers you never met and distance cousins you haven't seen (or met!) are not allowed! This part of wedding planning can get out of hand. Remember, the more people, the more mouths to feed.  When creating the guest list, picture who would sit with who, this way if you need to make some cuts it can be easier to cut groups of people instead of individuals.

2.  One Stop Event
Think about having your wedding at a venue that has everything you need, Ceremony, Reception and guest rooms to spend the night. Transportation costs can add up when you have to get your guests safely from the reception to a hotel.  Having a venue like this cuts costs in transportation for the bridal party to get to the ceremony and reception too. Steer clear of a la carte weddings because tents, rentals and caterers add up.

3. Blame it on the Alcohol
Open bar - do you know it could add up to $40 per guest when you have an open bar wedding? Why not have a running tab, which on average could end up being only $10 per guest, depending on how important alcohol is to you and your wedding guests. If the venue allows you can limit the bar to wine, beer and a signature cocktail. This is also a good way of saving money on an open bar.

4.  Favor Savers
In lieu of favors, opt to make a small donation and leave your guests a small note telling them about your charity of choice. Another favor saver is making your place card holder double up as a favor. Consider the guest's name and table number attached to a savvy luggage tag or jar of homemade jam - something that ties along with your wedding theme.

5.  Be a DIY Bride
A time consuming but easy money saver is to make your own wedding photo album. It could be pricey getting it done by a professional. There are a lot of free websites that you can upload photos and create a digital album.  If you are a crafty bride, why not make your wedding album a scrapbook?  This allows you not to have any limitations that a professional photographer might have.  Stay tuned for a DIY Blog in the future about more DIY ideas!

Next week check back for our blog about the Top 5 Suggested Splurges for your Big Day!

Happy Planning!
Dana & Shannon

MOB's & MOG's

In honor of Mother's day, we are dedicating this week's blog to all the Mother of the Bride's  and Mother of the Groom's, otherwise known as the MOB's and the MOG's these days. Traditionally they used to have specific duties - the MOB's would be behind all the decisions of the wedding where the MOG would basically "show up, shut up and wear beige". Thankfully, times have changed and tradition is getting a little...untraditional.

My Mom's lighting the Unity Candle

Treat your MOMs to something nice before the wedding, maybe a spa day, get their hair and makeup done. In the end it is your day, but it sure is a Big Day for them too, they have been dreaming of it since you were little too!

What to do with your engagement photos!

Most photographers include an engagement photo session with their packages. Most of the times the photos are just a nice picture of the future married couple that they will probably frame and post on Facebook. Why not put those photos to good use! Here are some ideas of how to do just that!

1. A common but sometimes overlooked idea is Save the Dates. Some photographers might be willing to work with you on creating the perfect Save the Date. If you know the inspiration for the wedding you should try and portray that in your engagement photos. Maybe it is a color scheme or even a theme. For a garden wedding you can take pretty pictures in a garden, or have fun with it and get dirty....as in actually get out the gardening tools and get your hands dirty in a playful way.

2. As previously mentioned, having your engagement pictures portray the inspiration behind your wedding can make them even more useful on your BIG DAY. Use them as table numbers. Take the picture and photoshop a number on it, (if you are not familiar with Photoshop - We can help!) or forget table numbers and give your guests a wallet size photo same as what is on the table they are sitting at. You can have them alphabetically in a photo album for your guests to easily find theirs.

3. Another use of them on the BIG DAY is to use them in your guestbook. There are a lot of variations on the "guestbook" these days(keep your eyes open for our future post on guestbook ideas), but if you are keeping it traditional and using a book why not adhere a small photo from your engagement session to each page. Maybe it will inspire your guests while they write you well wishes.

4. Another common but sometimes over looked idea is for your Thank You cards. During your engagement session bring along a thank you sign to hold up in one of your shots, or maybe your photographer already has one.

5. Last but not least, use them in your looping slideshow or photo montage used at your rehearsal dinner or on the BIG DAY. This is something that Big Day Planners can help you with so check out our add-ons page at http://www.bigdayplanners.com/ .

Don't let those beautiful engagement photos go to waste!

Happy Planning!
Dana & Shannon