Is your wedding the largest event you have ever hosted? That’s okay! Feel like an seasoned hostess by learning the things that a bride should never say to her guests. A gracious hostess is kind, courteous, and polite no matter what she is feeling on the inside. It is only one day, after all! After that, you can go back to venting, brutal honesty, and whatever else you need to do! However, on the big day a bride should never say…

“Because I said so”

In the heat of the moment, it might be tempting to assert your role as the guest of honor. The wedding is all about you and your fiance! But rather than sounding like a bridezilla, phrase your preferences in a more subtle way. You can say things like, “I love your idea, but I’d really prefer to wait here for the photographer,” or “our wedding is for adults only“, or whatever other preference you wish to assert.

“Now it’s time for…”

Rather than direct the flow of events, allow your wedding planner, the band leader, or your DJ to speak up. You should never feel that you have to wrangle the crowds

“No photographs please”

Though you are the star of the party, you should not abruptly dictate what others can and can not do. I have been to weddings where a bride wanted only the professional photographer to take photos, and she announced that no one else should take pics. This dampened the mood and made guest feel controlled. If you want to make this request, get your wording down, and request an “unplugged ceremony” well in advance!

“I’m glad they didn’t come”

When you speak with your guests, no matter how well you know them, never speak ill of someone else. A gracious host is kind! When you speak negatively, it affects the way people see you. It doesn’t matter who you are speaking about, or what they have done. Keep criticisms to your self!

“That wasn’t supposed to happen”

There are a thousand little details to your wedding, and some of them are bound to go wrong. A gracious hostess will not point out the flaws, but will rather focus on what is going right! I was at a wedding once when a hurricane warning threw all of the guests into a tizzy. The hostess handled it like a star by remaining positive and calm!

“The venue cost…”

Never, never discuss the price of anything related to your wedding with your guests! This is tacky and will sound rude. Keep the financial details quiet, and redirect conversation by saying something appreciative about the people who have shown up to support you.

Even if your wedding is the largest event you have ever put together, you can handle your hostess duties with tact and grace. Be courteous and kind, and avoid sounding unappreciative or bossy.

How are you feeling about being the hostess of your big day? Leave a note below to share whether you are excited or nervous!

Can’t wait to hear from you!

The post 6 Things A Gracious Bride Would Never Say To A Guest appeared first on Elegant Wedding.

Using Only the Adults Names on the Invitation

For many brides, the solution is to address only the adults on the invitation, rather than using the name “and family.” This is certainly a very subtle way to let guests know that children are not invited, however, it may be a bit too subtle. Some individuals may believe that when an invitation is addressed to them and their spouse, the children are an automatic inclusion.

A Kind Explanation

Some brides are very sensitive to their guests’ feelings and want to explain why no children are invited. This is a great way to let guests know your preferences, and you can use explanations similar to these:

• Our reception will feature an open bar and adult themes, and is not suitable for children.
• While we adore your children, our ceremony and reception has been planned with adults only in mind. We want our guests to enjoy a day to relax, celebrate and have a great time. Adults only.

Blame It On Someone Else

Perhaps our favorite option (because it allows you to tell guests plainly that no children are allowed without being the “bad guy”) is to blame it on someone else. Use phrases like these:

• Venue rules prohibit individuals under the age of 18.
• Regrettably, no children will be permitted due to venue guidelines.
• Adults only, at venue management’s request.

Be Funny

If your wedding is laid back or humorous, you can use that tone to let guests know that no children will be permitted. Phrases like the following will make your guests laugh (hopefully) and let them know that your reception and ceremony is adults only:

• There will be alcohol. There will likely be cursing. The potential for dirty jokes is there. Please leave your kids at home.
• Kids don’t like romance. It’s yuck. Do them a favor and make arrangements for their care on this day.
• Know what’s worse than rain on a wedding day? The tears of small children. Adults only.

No Bones About It

Finally, if you’re not afraid of offending anyone, simply state in plain terms on your invitation that no children are allowed. Phrases like these will work just fine:

• No children.
• Adults only.
• No one under the age of 18.

These are all great ways to let your guests know that children will not be permitted at your ceremony and/or reception. Which are your favorite methods? Do you prefer the subtle, kind explanation or would you rather be funny about telling your guests to leave their kids at home? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Delicate Ways to Tell Wedding Guests ‘No Children’ appeared first on Elegant Wedding.

1. Give Each Bridesmaid a Color

This one is incredibly beautiful and will turn your guests’ heads! Simply start with a neutral bridesmaid dress color and give each bridesmaid a color. Incorporate that color in their bouquet, shoes, sashes, etc. The overall look is really stunning!

2. Opt for a Non-Traditional Dress

Who says your wedding dress has to be all white? Go for a colored dress or incorporate pops of color into your white dress. A colored petticoat, sash and shoes are the perfect accessory to add lots of beautiful color to your big day.

3. Create a Balloon Wall

Tie colorful balloons to a string and hang it along a back wall. Then, repeat the process all the way down the wall for a beautiful, colored balloon wall. This is a perfect place for photos, as it will look quite impressive as a backdrop!

4. Ribbons

Hang ribbons across the ceiling in shades of all colors for a bright and vivid color addition. If you don’t want all colors, you can use ribbons in your wedding colors. This is a fun and affordable way to brighten up your reception.

5. Colored Fans

For an outdoor wedding, give your guests fans in all colors of the rainbow! These are super easy to create and very affordable, so they’re an easy way to add color.

These fantastic ideas can help you beautify your special day and ensure that it’s everything you want it to be!

The post 5 Ways to Add Color to Your Wedding appeared first on Elegant Wedding.

Food

A large portion of guests say that food is important when it comes to weddings. Brides and grooms often spend a large chunk of their wedding budget on food, so it’s important to choose something that will accommodate everyone. Having guests fill out a card with their food choices or simply serving a variety of choices are both great ways to accommodate everyone.

Accessibility

Guests want to be able to get close to the venue and be able to retrieve their vehicle fairly easily once the celebration is over. If it’s in the budget, valet parking can really make this easier for guests and they don’t have to worry about where to put their car. They can focus solely on the fun.

Time of Day

Surprisingly, the time of day is important to guests as well. Most don’t want to attend a wedding that is early in the morning or late at night. It could be because of this that 53% of weddings take place in the afternoon – it’s not too early and it’s not too late!

Entertainment

Finally, the most important part of a wedding, according to guests, is the entertainment. In fact, 81% of guests feel that entertainment is the most important part. Therefore, if you’ve reserved a large portion of your wedding budget for the entertainment, you’re already on the right track.

This information may help you determine where to allocate more money in your budget to ensure that your guests have a great time at your wedding.

The post What Do Guests Feel Is the Most Important Part of a Wedding? appeared first on Elegant Wedding.

Who should the bride buy wedding gifts for? Should the bride even buy gifts for anyone at all? These are common questions new brides have as they make their way through the planning process. Although the wedding is very much focused on gifting the bride and the groom, there are other factors that come into play when giving gifts amongst wedding guests and bridal attendants.

If you are a bride-to-be, here are some people you should plan on gifting on or before your wedding day:

The guests—There’s no need to panic. When we talk about gifting your guests, we simply mean providing small, inexpensive wedding favors at each place setting. This is customary and very affordable, especially if you consider buying your favors in bulk. Buying wedding favors for your guests is a way to thank them for their attendance and to express your bridal personality. It’s also an easy way to enhance your reception decor.

Your bridal party—Whether you get your maid of honor and bridesmaids all the same gift is up to you, but either way, you and your husband-to-be should gift your bridal party in some way. Many brides choose to gift their bridesmaids with personalized jewelry, and grooms often give their groomsmen items like flasks, pocket watches, or tickets to a ball game.

Your soon-to-be partner—While this is by no means a necessity, it is a common tradition to gift your soon-to-be partner with a small present, even if it is a card and flowers or a box of gourmet chocolates. Ideally, you should try and give them something personalized or very sentimental to signify the beginning of your new lives together.

As a bride, you should buy wedding gifts for everyone mentioned above, but there is no need to choose extravagant items or to break your wedding budget.

The post Who Should the Bride Buy Wedding Gifts for? appeared first on Elegant Wedding.

Whether you know it or not, there are actually wedding rules that you don’t have to follow. While they may have applied to brides decades ago, these rules have been phased out of the wedding industry, leaving more room for uniqueness and personality. So if you have an idea that you want to explore and use but aren’t sure if it will break the rules, then check out these wedding rules that are okay to break.

A Bride Has to Wear White

Have your eye on that gorgeous blush pink wedding dress but keep hearing that you should wear white? Well, contemporary bride, go for it! Wearing white is one of those wedding rules that you don’t have to follow. While this rule may have applied to your grandmother, the days of plain white dresses are long gone.

You Have an Obligation to a Bride that You Were a Bridesmaid for

On the days leading up to your wedding, you want your bridesmaids to be girls you spend time with and talk with often. You don’t have to choose someone as a bridesmaid just because you were one in her wedding ten years ago. This is one of the oldest urban legends on our list of wedding rules you don’t have to follow. However, if by chance you are inviting your old friend to your wedding, consider offering her a moment to give a small speech so she doesn’t feel left out. This will help avoid any hurt feelings while you debunk this urban legend.

Guests Should be Separated During the Reception

This is another wedding rule you don’t have to follow and it actually extends to cover a few other myths as well. For one, you don’t have to separate bride’s side and groom’s side during the ceremony. You don’t even have to have an aisle or sides. You can seat guests in a semi-circle to create a more intimate feel on your wedding day. Don’t let these wedding rules take away from the intimacy your guests can experience on your wedding day and don’t be afraid to break them.

The post Wedding Rules You Can Break appeared first on Elegant Wedding.

Planning your dream wedding can be an exciting yet overwhelming experience. From choosing the perfect venue to finalizing the guest list, there are countless details to consider. However, amidst all the hustle and bustle of wedding preparations, it’s crucial not to overlook important aspects like financial security for your future together.

When thinking about safeguarding your new life as a couple, one often overlooked option is life insurance without a medical exam. This type of insurance can provide peace of mind by offering coverage without the need for extensive health assessments. It’s a convenient way to ensure that your loved ones are protected financially in case the unexpected happens.

Consider looking into this hassle-free insurance option early on in your wedding planning process. By addressing this aspect sooner rather than later, you can focus on creating beautiful memories on your big day without worrying about unforeseen circumstances. Remember, a little preparation now can go a long way in securing a bright and worry-free future together.

Every couple wants to avoid wedding planning nightmares, but in reality, they can sneak up at any time during the planning process. Some planning flubs might not classify as full-blown catastrophes, but they can still throw a wrench in your plans. To make sure your wedding planning process runs as smoothly as possible, keep the following tips in mind as you arrange plans for your big day:

Invest in professional coordinating services—It’s not uncommon for couples to try and bypass the expense of a professional wedding coordinator. While it’s true you can do much of the planning on your own, a professional wedding planner really is a must no matter how large or small your wedding will be. Why? Because they can handle and organize your plans in ways you cannot, and they have all of the resources you need at their fingertips, making booking appointments and finding the best deals much easier on you. Although a wedding planner is an additional expense, it’s one of the best you can make for your wedding day.

Be proactive—The number one tip for avoiding wedding planning nightmares is to be proactive. Whatever you do, don’t procrastinate—especially when it comes to the small tasks! Those small tasks turn into big responsibilities when you’re down to the wire and have a huge list of to-dos to take care of at the last minute. Plan ahead, take care of the small details as soon as you can, and try to streamline your task list to avoid missing important details.

Know when to say no—Much of the stress and frustration that brides deal with as the big day approaches stems from taking on too much during the planning process. Don’t stretch yourself thin. If you load up your schedule too much, you’ll end up cutting corners or forgetting key wedding planning elements. Managing your time well while you plan your wedding is crucial to avoid wedding planning nightmares.

The post Tips for Avoiding Wedding Planning Nightmares appeared first on Elegant Wedding.

When couples think of easy ways to make the wedding day memorable, they immediately think of typical services like photography and videography. While a professional photographer and videographer can certainly capture those once-in-a-lifetime moments through video and pictures, there are other ways to make your wedding day memorable. If you have the cash for those services, by all means—take advantage of them! However, here are three simple, additional ways to preserve your wedding day memories and make your wedding day memorable:

Time Capsule Keepsake Boxes—The time capsule trend has been around for a while and is used by employers, teams, and scientists around the globe to store goods or certain communication pieces that are to be opened years later and shared with later generations. To make your wedding day memorable, save some items from your wedding day and create your own time capsule when the reception is over. Seal it up and then set a date to reopen it in five or ten years (whenever you’d like) to relive the memories.

Music Playlists—Making a music playlist from your reception and ceremony is a quick, easy way to hang on to memories from your special day. Speak to your live band or DJ beforehand to go over the list of songs that will be played during your event, and then make a compilation CD of all the songs. You can listen to them in the car on the way to work or pop the tunes on for a romantic dinner after you’re married.

Gown and Tux Preservation—Paying to have your gown and tux preserved is one of the easiest ways to make your wedding day memorable. It is relatively inexpensive and can keep your wedding wardrobe from fading or tearing over the years.

Try these three easy ways to make your wedding day memorable if you want to keep the wedding spirit alive and strong!

The post Three Easy Ways to Make Your Wedding Day Memorable appeared first on Elegant Wedding.

Unique and personalized thank you cards can give you just the inspiration you need to present your guests with a thank-you gesture that they will love and cherish for years to come. But if you’re having trouble coming up with ideas, you may be tempted to just purchase stock thank-you cards. Or you may be stressing because you really do want to offer something unique. Not to worry! These unique thank-you card ideas can help you find just what you’re looking for.

Want to give your wedding guests a thank-you card they will cherish for years to come? Try some of these unique thank-you card ideas for your wedding.

Unique thank-you cards can give you just the inspiration you need to present your guests with a thank-you gesture that they will love and cherish for years to come. But if you’re having trouble coming up with ideas, you may be tempted to just purchase stock thank-you cards. Or you may be stressing because you really do want to offer something unique. Not to worry! These unique thank-you card ideas can help you find just what you’re looking for.

Photo Album Thank-You Cards

Photo album thank-you cards are probably the most time-consuming yet unique thank-you cards to put together. To use this idea, ask your guests for photos that they took during your wedding and reception. If you had a destination wedding, you may even be able to collect photos from your actual honeymoon. Once you have the photos, upload them on-line or take them to a photo shop and create a thank-you card template. If you had a small wedding, try to include pictures of all of your guests so that everyone can feel special when they receive their thank-you card. If you had a large wedding, however, you may find it impossible to include all of your guests.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Instead of trying to involve all of your guests in your unique thank-you cards, try taking a picture of you, as a couple, in a special place on your honeymoon holding a thank-you sign. You can have the sign specially made if you like. You may even want to make the photo a little more romantic by kissing in the photograph. Guests are certain to love these unique thank-you cards!

Taking a Different Direction

Another option is to create a thank-you card that is directly on your wedding website. Using e-cards to thank your guests can cut down on the cost of your thank-you cards if you are on a budget, while still giving everyone a way to view your wedding photos, making these the most frugal, unique thank-you cards.

The post Unique Thank-You Cards for Your Wedding appeared first on Elegant Wedding.

Resolving your guest list dilemmas can be pretty overwhelming. Plenty of arguments have sprouted from this early wedding planning element. Couples have a hard time agreeing on who should go and who shouldn’t. Both the bride and groom struggle with the process of narrowing down their guest lists to fit the wedding budget and venue accommodations. Worries of offending people by not inviting them start to surface. Yes, the guest list dilemma is one of the most difficult aspects of wedding planning, but there are some tips that can make resolving your guest list dilemmas just a little easier.

Start with Your Dream List

The first step to resolving your guest list dilemmas is to start with your dream list. Bride and groom should make their own lists for this phase. Don’t worry about your venue accommodations. Don’t worry about your budget. Just make a list of every single person you would like to see at your wedding.

Trimming the Fat

The next step in resolving your wedding guest list dilemmas will be a little more difficult because it’s time to come back down to earth. Start by singling out the very most important people on your list – the people that your wedding wouldn’t be complete without. This is your A-list. Set this list of people aside. Now, start to look at the other guests on your list. Consider why they are important. Have you talked to them in the last six months? Do you talk to them regularly? If not, consider removing them from your list. Now look at who is remaining and write this list out. These are your B-list guests.

Bringing it Together

Bride and groom now need to take their A-list guests and combine them. How many guests do the two of you have between each other? Will your budget and venue accommodate all of them? If so, then you have completed your first round of guests. Send out wedding invitations to these guests early and obtain an RSVP from all attending guests. If you have room for more later, then great! Then it’s time to invite those on the B-list. If not, know that the people most important to you will be in attendance and you have successfully completed the task of resolving your guest list dilemmas.

Looking for bridal shower favors. Check out this post!

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