Welcome Home Party

A friend of mine from High School got married while he was away from home serving our country faithfully in the military. His mother wanted to do a little welcome home and wedding reception to let friends and family in this area meet his new wife while they were here in January. It was a small gathering. His church provided the space and decorated the tables. Another friend and I put together the food and guest book table. Cake was a basic white cake with cream cheese frosting. It was done by The Cake Pan outside of San Marcos. Everyone had a great time.

Pete thanks for all you do and what a beautiful wife and new daughter you have.

Hobby Lobby Sales.

Here you go ladies this weeks instalments of sales.
50% off Frames. This includes portrait frames photo frames, poster frames, and collage frames.
50% off Floral. This one includes dried naturals (I think these are great for fall weddings) Flowering and green Bushes. Grapevine and staw wreaths.
50% off home accents. This is including Woven baskets. Think flower girls and centerpeices.
50% off Chiffon Fabrics (can be used for table overlays, runners and other accents).
50% off Jewlrey making supplies
Thanks and happy Planning.

Floral Alternative

I ran across a blog and website of a very talented young lady recently. I emailed her to get some more information and let me just say that in that short time I can tell she is as nice and sweet as she is talented. Megan Hunt is Princess Lasertron. She uses vintage buttons, jewels and fabrics to make bouts and bouquets. I would have never imagined how cute these were until I saw them. I had to ask her about her prices, and let me just say I think she can do something to fit in just about any ones budget. She also sells individual stems of flowers so you could use those anywhere you wanted to tie them in (centerpieces, cake, etc). You can check out a large amount of her wedding work here. I hope to work with her soon. These pieces will last for generations to come and the sentimental pack rat that I am can see how this would be something I would be glad to pass on to my children and grandchildren, after years of enjoying them myself. I am trying to figure out where I need something like these in my house because I really love her work.

Historically Speaking Part II

Best man: has its origin with the Germanic Goths, when it was customary and preferable for a man to marry a woman from within his own community. When women came into short supply "locally," eligible bachelors would have to seek out and capture a bride from a neighboring community. As you might guess, this was not a one-person operation, and so the future bridegroom would be accompanied by a male companion who would help. Our custom of the best man is a throwback to that two-man, strong-armed tactic, for, of course the future groom would select only the best man he knew to come along for such an important task. The role of the best man evolved. By 200 A.D. his task was still more than just safeguarding the ring. There remained a real threat that the bride's family would attempt to forcibly obtain her return, so the best man remained at the groom's side throughout the marriage ceremony, alert and well-armed. He continued his duties after the ceremony by standing guard as sentry outside the newlywed's home. Much of this is German folklore, but is not without written documentation and physical artifacts. We have records that indicate that beneath the altars of many churches of early peoples (the Huns, Goths, Visigoths, and Vandals) there lay an arsenal of clubs, knives, and spears. The indication is that these were there to protect the groom from possible attack by the Bride's family in an attempt to recapture her.

Bride stands to the left side of the groom. This was much more than meaningless etiquette. Among the Northern European barbarians (a name given to them by the Romans), a groom placed his captured bride to his left to protect her, as he kept his right hand free to use for defense. Also originating from this practice of abduction, which literally swept a bride off her feet, sprang the later symbolic act of carrying the bride across the threshold of her new home. And speaking of carrying the bride over the threshold, tradition dictates that the bride must never trip and fall as she enters her new home or she will have bad luck for all the years to come.It may well be that even the honeymoon had its origin with this capture scenario. It may have served as a cooling-off period for the bride's family. It was the groom's hope that when the newlyweds returned from their honeymoon, all would be forgiven. An entirely different theory says that the honeymoon is based in Babylonia about 4,000 years ago. Tradition held that the bride's father would supply his new son-in-law with all the mead (honey beer/wine) that the young man could drink. Their calendar was lunar-based, and, as it turned out, this tradition, called the "honey month," was just about the the time it took the groom to consume his gift. Ultimately, this period of time just after the wedding became known as the honeymoon. The infamous kidnapping of the bride soon turned into a fun ritual. The bride surrounded herself with "maids" who dressed identically in a symbolic attempt to confuse the groom and his accomplices. Bridesmaids and ushers have their roots in Roman law which prescribed that ten witnesses be present at a wedding to fool evil spirits who, it was believed, were in attendance at marriages with the purpose of causing mischief and disharmony. The bridesmaids and ushers were instructed to dress identically to the bride and groom, in order to confuse the evil spirits who presumably would then not know who was really getting married.

Historically Speaking

Okay I am a bit of a nut about all things wedding. I like reading and learning where wedding traditions came from and how their roots got started. So I thought I would research some of the things I thought I knew and see if I was right. Its funny how many diffrent versions there are on the origin of some traditions. While some are very straight forward. So I can't say with scholarly wisdom that these are 100% correct but I will say they are popular explinations. I think that some traditions were started in multiple cultures. That brings the variations to light. Lets start with rings and engagements for this post.

Engagement Rings- This is an Anglo Saxon base. It was a symbol of promised love. The circular band with no begining or end was a symbol of eternal love. The addition of the diamond later stood for the streanth to last through the ages.

The Wedding Band- We go back to Egypt for this one. Egyption men gave their brides a circle of hemp or rush to show others their status.

Wearing the ring on the third finger- this has several theoretical explanations. One says it dates back to the 17th century. Presumably, at Christian weddings, the priest touched the three fingers on the left hand, while reciting "in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." Another theory claims the custom dates back to ancient Egypt, where it was believed that the "ring finger" followed the vena amoris (vein of love), which runs from this finger directly to the heart.

The ring pillow- this has its origin with the pillow that traditionally carried the coronation crown for royalty. The tradition has evolved as a symbolic way to prominently present the most precious of gifts. I am still looking for why we decided a small boy should carry this and be responsible for this precios gift.

Proposing on one knee-this is from back in the days of knighthood and chivalry when it was customary for a knight to dip his knee in a show of servitude to his mistress and his master. The knight would kneel before before a tournament and wait for "his" lady to toss him her ribbon or colors, as an indication of her favor.

Women proposing on leap year-This special privilege given to women on the 29th of February dates back hundreds of years to when the leap year day was not recognized in English law. The day was simply "leaped over" and ignored. Hence the expression "leap year." Since the day had no legal status, one could assume that standing traditions could be broken. Many unmarried women took advantage of this glitch in the law by proposing to the man they wished to marry.

Still looking up the tradition of putting the engagement ring in food for a proposal. I have found things about it for bridesmaids and a glass ring but not the engagement ring. I will keep looking.

Just a Few Years ago

Okay ladies. I finally have a scanner at home. What does that mean? Well it means I am having fun playing and scanning old photos. I needed to unpack the boxes with the pictures in them so I am scanning them as I go. Its not the most efficient use of my time, but its fun. I have not gotten to all the wedding pictures yet, but I did come across one of my favorites. So no laughing. Okay you can laugh some. Here is me and hubby on out wedding day in April of 2002. I loved my dress. Have I seen others now that I wish I had? Nope. It may not be the most contemporary look, but I love it. I was a plus sized bride, but I wanted a great dress that did not look like an 80's prom throw back. When I get to the rest of my photos I will post more pics of this dress. It hid my flaws and showed off my strengths. These flowers are crazy. I asked the florist for a small cascade nothing too much and he said he liked how this turned out and hoped I did. It was great just bigger then I had planned on. There are things that have become popular, or that I might be able to afford now that I could not then, but for the budget we had to work with, and the options available to a small town girl I had a perfect wedding. I don't regret a moment of it. If I had it all to do over and it was 2009 I would do some things differently but very little. More adding to what was already there. And getting a better contract with the venue holding my reception (Good thing my church had a large space I could use for the reception, because I was not shelling out anymore money the week of my wedding like the reception venue wanted). So for your amusement. Me on my wedding day. More fun from that day to come later.

Cake Wreck Addick

I admit that I love the blog cake wrecks and today's entry was dedicated to wedding cakes.

Check it out

Oh and I pray none of your cakes show up looking like these. I might have to hurt me a cake decorator and I hate putting on boxing gloves at a wedding.

Cake in my photo is not a wreck its by the cake pan out of San Marcos.

Fabric Sale

I have not worked with this company yet, but they have somehow put me on their mailing list. I wanted to let you all know about the sale and if its something you need then you can check them out in person. Let me know your experiances. I am thinking of running by there on Saturday but not sure yet.

Fanny's Fabrics
January Blow-out
Semi-Annual Sale and Clearance
Saturday, January 17 - Saturday, January 31
Fabrics 20-50% OFF
excluding silk and special orders
Entire stock Trim 20%

Hours
Mon-Fri 10-6
Sat 10-5
Closed Sun

Wedding COlors

Okay so you have decided on your wedding colors. You based them off your favorite color, the theme of your wedding, the season of your wedding, and that funky dress your mom wore at her wedding when white and weddings were totally not groovy. So now what do you do with these colors? Where to they go. When is too much? Do the shades matter? Do you have too many colors to work with? Good questions. I have seen good and bad use of color over the years, and I try to fend off the bad before it happens, but sometimes there is not helping if your mind was made up. So let think about it before it goes out of hand.

Where do I use the colors? Before the wedding day even starts you can start incorporating your colors into your wedding. From save the date cards, to invitations, to thank you notes for your showers. You can also include them on your wedding website or blog if you have one set up. These items help set the tone and feel for the whole wedding. A simple red bow on the invitations brings out the red in your red and black formal event for example.

At the wedding ceremony the colors can be tied into decorations on signs directing guests to your wedding. You can use it in the decorations on the doors to the ceremony or gates to a garden reception. Use the colors in bows and ribbons on pews and chairs and in the flowers and arrangements of flowers. At the reception use it in table decorations with over lays or table runners. In the centerpieces. On the cake. In lighting. There is no limit where you can put the color in your reception.

When is too much? Well this is a personal opinion but I don't think every surface should be covered in your color. I went to one event that was shades of pink. It was a sweet sixteen party I was invited to so I was not prepared for what I saw. I walking in and there was soft pink draped over all the walls with hot pink accent drapes. Three colors of pink for table cloths with pink bows on the backs of pink chair covers. They had pink lighting. Pink on Pink cake. Pink Balloons and streamers. I was a bit dizzy and sick feeling when it was all said and done. Oh I forgot pink lemonade and pink salmon were on the menu as well. I think the color pink made me nauseous for a month after that anytime I saw it. Moderation is fine and people will still get the idea and feel and theme.

Do shades matter? Yes. Take green for example you can have a muted green or a bright green depending on the shade. One will give you a deep winter feel the other an Irish spring feel. And they don't look good up against each other. Also when using two different colors consider the shades and make sure they compliment each other. Hot pink and bright green are very popular together. They are similar in how bright they are. Soft pink and Sage Green can work together in some situations nicely, But soft pink and bright green didn't even work in the eighties (a decade when all colors seemed to get put together).

Do you have too many colors to work with? Well depends on what you have picked. Most events I like to have one or two colors in the theme. This does not mean there are not other colors used in the event at all. Your colors may be Blue and Silver. Well this does not mean that you have to have blue and silver everywhere. You may have white table clothes and other white accents using the blue and silver to make it all pop, and pull it all together. Now If you are managing more then three colors for your wedding there is a chance that its a little too much. Not that those other colors are not great and they might make an appearance in your day they don't need to be in everything you do.

Also monochromatic color themes can be very nice. But again make sure its not a color your guest are going to be ill over. White on white is very classy and modern at the same time.

Get those color wheels and start planning.

Little Birdie...

...Told me a local favorite Austin/Lakeway venue has an opening April 25th its hard to find places for Spring with so much to offer as this place, they are usually booked up. If you know someone looking for a venue for that date let me know and I can pass it on to them, or to you.

Wow, what a month.

I am happy to report that you my trusted Brides...Past, and present are the best. I have been a little lazy on my craigslist advertising on my services. I was just so busy with moving and the holidays. I thought I am never going to make my goal this year if I let these weeks go and don't advertise and get out and network some more. Well yesterday made my year and its not even the end of January. I had a meeting planned for last night with a new prospective bride. I asked her how she heard about me. She tells me my brides on the knot told her. Great. Then I check my emails I get an email from someone that I talked to earlier in the week over the phone with a confirmation that they are booking a wedding with me. Then there is another email that leads to a phone call. Talking to this Bride she heard about me from my past brides. Then while on that call I get another call it goes to voice mail. I call them back its another bride and she was referred to me from the girls on the knot. I don't know if the last two will book or not, but let me tell you it pleases me beyond words. This means that you have enjoyed working with me as much as I have with you, and that you are telling others. I am three weddings away from my annual goal set for this year (If I meet my 5 year goal this year in year 3 I might just have to have a big party for all of you).
Now with all that January and February are traditionally slow months. This is the exception this year. I don't have weddings booked, well not anything large (a reception for a friend this saturday). But I need to meet with lots of you all for meetings in the next week to month. So I will be setting some specific times with all of you. Be looking for emails on what works for us both. I am going to try and have some office hours of sorts where I will be in one place south to centrally located and hope to meet several of you over the course of a day. But if that time doesn't work we will work something out. So I am pouring over the schedules and starting to get these dates out to you in the next day or two.

Stress Free Brides hang on this is going to be a great year.
Oh and look for my inventory items coming soon. I almost have it all together. Shh don't tell my husband I ran away to Hobby Lobby today and picked up a few more things just to have on hand. He thinks the wedding items are going to run us out of storage at the house but I have a friend with an empty office that is going to be loaning it out to me to store things.

Again all that to say. YOU ALL ROCK!!!

Hobby Lobby Bridal Event

Yep its on for another week. 50% off all things Bridal. This is the way to go ladies. I also saw picture frames and baskets, and a few other things on sale there are well. I need to pull the add. I stopped in for one thing and came out with a basket full. I hate when I do that. I forgot what was on sale and what wasn't. Its worth a stop that much I know

Hidden Wedding Cost.

I subscribe to theweddingreport.com and the average cost of weddings now is just over $25,000.00. This is not the case for every wedding just the average cost across America. Can you have a nice wedding for less than that with careful planning and budgeting? But what about those sneaky costs that you forget to budget for. Here are some of the items people forget about when planning their weddings.
Wedding Insurance. This is optional. No one said you have to have it, but it’s a small price to pay in case something was to happen. This covers in case something was to happen to your venue at the last minute by spending $250-$450 in insurance your whole wedding day up to $50,000 could be covered.
The Marriage license. In Texas you will pay anywhere from $30.00-$45.00 dollars. Each county varies and you need to call ahead and check. Also they only take cash so be prepared. Now in other parts of the county the fees go up to $75.00. Don’t forget you usually have to take time off from work to do this and that is another expense. Texas does not require blood test or physicals. But some states still do, check so this is not a surprise to you.
Honeymoon insurance. I recommend this for anyone traveling for their honeymoon. Medical and travel expenses are covered for a $5000.00 honeymoon for less than $200.00. Just ask your travel agent for help on this one.
The Three T’s Taxes Tips and Time. I pulled this information from here. But so it’s all in one spot keep reading. Once the celebration are over and you and your spouse open up your new mailbox to see the invoice from the revelry of your reception, you'll need to be relaxed - almost every quote for a reception will increase by at least 25% from when the deposit is first made. Why? Many quotes do not take into account the tax and tip on the food and drinks, how much alcohol the guests will consume or how long the event will take.And if a couple has any friends who like to have a good time, the alcohol bill (and the tax and tip on it) will skyrocket from the conservative estimate previously given. According to a wedding budget planner on WeddingBells.com, it is estimated that every guest will drink a minimum of one beverage every hour, and it averages the alcohol bill for a guest list of 125 people will be $1,250 (for four hours). Now add applicable taxes and, say, 15% tip and the cost is over $1,600 for alcohol alone. This, of course, will increase as the quality and level of alcohol consumed goes up.For a cheaper alternative, a couple can choose to have a friend man the bar and provide their own beverages. The couple now shoulders the bill for their friend's time, the alcohol, the corkage fee (the charge per person for bringing in the couple's own alcohol, depending on the site) and the chance that if they choose a bartender who likes to flirt, they may be paying for a lot of free drinks.If the couple is planning a cash bar, or planning on subsidizing the cost of its guests' drinks, the couple will need to budget in the hidden cost of paying for a ticket seller and/or the cost of the tickets (price depends on the venue). So, a cheaper alternative to a full-service bar still has hidden costs.Finally, make sure that you add the cost of tax and/or tip to the quoted price of your dinner, limousine service, hair and makeup stylists, DJ and any other purchased service to avoid a shocking invoice in the mail.Discover the Cost of Timemany newlyweds we be startled to see yet another added cost at the bottom of their long wedding bill - the cost of running over their time limit. Most sites will provide a certain amount of time for each event (because the venue pays its employees by the hour and may have other bookings to consider), and, if you go over that allotted time you may be subject to large penalties. These fees can be avoided by planning ahead and talking with family, friends, photographers and caterers to help get speeches and other presentations done quickly - this can save hundreds of dollars in overtime fees.The same goes for a limousine or car rental service - even going over the allotted time by 15 minutes can cost as much as $150! That fee can add up quickly if the time it takes to do your formals at a dream location and get back to the reception site during rush-hour traffic wasn't accounted for properly in the first place.Is there are way to avoid any of these things? Yes. Ask your vendors for an all inclusive price. Have them include tax, and tip on the invoice. Just take your time and look into all of it before you sign on the bottom line.

Deals

While you might not thing of class and elegance when you think of oriental trading I wanted to pass on a like to their wedding stuff that they have on sale. I like the candles and such. I have a silver plated cake knife and server from my wedding that my mother got from them and it was engraved by them. It is very nice. engraving or personalization on most items is free right now.
here is the link.
I stopped at Target today (what else should I be doing on New Years Day?). I saw in their dollar bin glass hear shaped tea light or votive holders for a dollar each. They had clear glass, pink, and red. I wish I had my wallet with me so I could have picked up and wiped out the San Marcos Store. If glass hear holders are on your radar now might be the time to check out target.
Most the other craft stores have deals this week on Christmas Items, in an effort to clear out their stock. Check it out for things like lights and ribbons that you might want or need for your big day.

Happy New Year. (some photo memories of the year)

Just some of the happy couples from 2008. Here is to a wonderful 2009. And many more happy couples united in marriage. My blessings to each of these couples in the New Year as husband and wife.
Becky and the rest of the Stress Free Events Staff.