Who's Invited?

It's a good idea from day one of being engaged to start thinking ahead and asking yourself, who is invited to our wedding? You want to start making a guest list as soon as possible because you'll be surprised how long it will take to compile this list. I remember adding people to the guest list weeks before my wedding because my parents had accidentally forgotten some people.

Here are a few suggestions, rules and tips for proper wedding etiquette: 

As far as who is invited start adding anyone and everyone you would want to include and once you finalize venue arrangements and food plans you can slowly start removing people from the list.  Consider all family-even second cousins, friends of your parents, co-workers, people from church etc.

To organize this list instead of writing it down on some random piece of paper that you will end up losing, you should put it all into an excel file with the name of the person: Example: Mr. & Mrs. Tyler O'Bryant or if you are going to address less formal Tyler & Jocelyn O'Bryant. You could even choose to add family at the end if the whole family is invited to attend. Then make sure you add their full address. You can even make this list in a Google document so it's all in once place, which might be easiest so that multiple parties like your parents and fiancé can view the list and add to it as well.

If you are sending out save the dates then you really do need to have a good idea of who is invited. If you do decide to invite other people last minute then you can send out announcements/invites. Just because you're doing save the dates doesn't mean you should ignore sending out announcements/invites. There is no rule to this so it is up to you in the end. But it is a good idea so you don't have that awkward oh I forgot you phone call.

Make sure to send everyone in your immediate family a save the date/invite if they live in a separate home than you. (This includes brothers and sisters who are already married if you have any.) Don't assume, "Oh, they're family and will just come." Especially if you're having a summer wedding. That is the busiest time of year and most families make plans and have prior commitments.

Since Ty and I got married in the summer and wanted everyone in our family to be able to come we called/texted/emailed them the date right away so they could plan accordingly and make travel arrangements.

Happy wedding planning :)

The Best Way to Organize your Wedding All in One Place

Something that brides typically don't think to do is to create a blog or website for their wedding. It is perfect for friends, family and guests to get information on the couple, and all the wedding details. It is such a cute, smart idea and I wish I would've done it. If you are engaged for four months or longer then you should definitely find the time to create a blog or website. It doesn't take too long, but if you are feeling like you don't have the time your wedding planner (me) can help you. This is right up my alley.

Things to include on your Blog/Website:

-Your Story: how you met, how long you have been dating, when he proposed, etc., etc. This can be very entertaining and everyone loves to hear the story of how you met. You can also include a portion about the bride and the groom separately.

-Wedding Accommodations: Where your guests should stay. Usually you have a few hotels close to where the wedding will be. As the bride it is your responsibility to you call the hotels and get prices. Sometimes they will give you a good deal on some rooms if you tell them it's for your wedding. Your guests will be very grateful for that.

-Directions to Wedding: You will want to include maps and directions to the ceremony, reception, rehearsal dinner etc. and anywhere else that guests need to be.

-Carpooling: If there will be carpooling available for family etc. to get to the destinations.

-Attire: What you expect guests to wear for the rehearsal dinner (formal or not), and any other wedding festivities.

-Weather: This is especially important for out of town guests traveling to the area. Be sure to update this regularly especially the week before. A direct link to a page with the forecast that guests can check so they know what to pack and bring would be helpful.

-Registry: A lot of guests lose their inserts from the invites that tell where you are registered. on where you are registered. Your blog can contain that information easily for your guests to reminded of those locations. Even easier for them, you can provide links to your registries that they can follow and purchase the gifts online.

-RSVP form: If you are requiring your guests to RSVP to your wedding this is a lot easier than sending in a form. They can just go to your website and RSVP there. This way you can make sure you get all your RSVP's quickly and track them easier. Make sure you include when you need this done by.

-Poll: This can be used to gather real information or just for fun. You might ask for a song or drink requests. Or maybe you'll see which bridal member will be the first to cry at the wedding etc.

-Contact Info: This is perfect so you can gather guests addresses easier and quicker than making a page on Facebook or going through old address books of your parents. Who is sick of getting a notification every time someone posts on So and So's getting hitched page with their "Congratulations" and address? I know I am.

-Open Houses: If you're going to have an open house in the groom's home town, include that date and location.

-Guest Book: You can include a guest book where guests can type a message online whether or not they are able to attend.

-Wedding Party: You can introduce your wedding party with pictures and a little information about them.

-Honeymoon: If you want to include your plans for your honeymoon you can do so on here too.

-Wedding Itinerary: This is such a good idea if your having a lot of events. I had a friend who had a dinner for out of town guests at her house with the date, time, location, what was going to be served, what to wear, directions etc. Following that was the bachelor and bachelorette parties with locations, times etc. The next day was a spa day for the bridesmaids and a golf date for the groomsmen, and that night they had the rehearsal dinner with again, location, time, attire, directions, what was going to be served etc. Then of course all the information for the wedding with even more details. This is a very important piece to include. All the different events can very hard for guests to keep track of so having it all typed up for them so they can just print it off will help it all run more smoothly.

I love to go and look at different couples wedding websites and blogs, not only because I love weddings, but also because everyone's is so unique. Making a website or blog is really the best way to keep all your information organized and in one spot. Once you make your website or blog get the word out via social media or by any other means but also remember to put the web address on your save the dates, announcements/ invites.

Here are a few examples of wedding websites and blogs.

Lisa & Ryan Barker

http://www.jasonandashleysayido.blogspot.com

Sarah & JJay Jensen

Invitations/Announcements

There are so many styles to Wedding Invitations & Announcements these days, which makes it so much fun to choose. You obviously want to play off your colors, theme, and tone but the options really are endless. Some people put an engagement picture with their invitation, which is typically people who don't send Save The Dates. If you send Save The Dates then you don't need to send another picture with your invite unless you want to. 

I wanted a more classic look so I sent a picture with an announcement and that is how I have seen most people do it these days. Another way is to send a picture with their announcement on the picture which is a great way too, and usually saves on costs.

A current trend in wedding announcements is designing your own. My mom and I looked all over at Michaels, Target and a few other places and I just didn't love any of them. My good friend Wesley Bird, was telling me how she has been designing lots of Baby Announcements and Wedding Announcements, so I asked her if she would do mine. She did a fantastic job and I got tons of compliments on them. She even used the same design from the announcements to make some food cards for our food table at our reception.

I have seen some very interesting announcements over the years. You can definitely tell from an announcement how the wedding reception will be. The more fancy the invite, the more fancy the reception/ceremony. I once received a wedding announcement that was in the form of a magazine. It looked like a modeling magazine. There were different pages of engagement pictures of the couple, and then finally on the back was the actual invite. This to me is overkill and unnecessary. 

When do you send Wedding Invitations/Announcements?

Six weeks before is good so people don't get them too early and lose it, or misplace it. If you send it later, there is a good chance that they will already have plans, especially over Holidays or in the summer. Make sure you have accurate lists from the Groom's side and your side. If you don't do RSVP's you can expect to have half of your guests show up. If you are having a more formal dinner, you need to send out RSVP's that include: Yes/No attending, How many attending, What dinner option (if you're having two options which I recommend), when they need to send it back by, and an envelope with a stamp on it so they can easily send it back. Once you get some RSVP's back that aren't able to attend you can put someone back on the list and send them an invite.

How many Wedding Invitations/Announcements do I order?

Add up the two final lists and then order 10% more after that for mistakes. Make sure to proofread your invitations over and over, and it's always a good idea to include printed directions. Always write the addresses on them. Your return address you can stamp or get a sticker but write the guest's address. 

Please brides do not put where you are registered at on your announcement.  It looks very tacky. If you want people to know where you are registered most registries give you little pieces of paper you can stick in with your announcement, or you can make a separate little card for that purpose. For LDS weddings, you can insert a small card that invites them to the Sealing. If you're going to have events at your reception like: a line, dancing, bouquet toss, garter toss, speeches/toasts, cake cutting, couples first dance, daddy/ daughter dance etc. you can include that with times so people can get that party feel and can plan accordingly.

I have attached my announcement, my good friends Ryan and Lisa Barker's wedding announcement that her and her husband designed together, and an announcement that my aunt Angela designs and sells on Ebay.

Angela Atkin-Classy Invites

Lisa & Ryan's Announcement

Save The Dates

Who's planning a destination wedding? Who's planning a wedding over a Holiday or during a busy time in the summer? 

Well, then I suggest you send out some Save The Dates. You don't have to, but it let's your guests know when the wedding is, and that they are invited. If they need to travel for it, it let's them know in advance so they can save money and book travel plans. 

When do you send them? 

A rule of thumb, is about 6 months prior to the wedding. The earlier the better. I had a friend send her's out in December last year, and her wedding is this August. 

What happens if the date or plans change? 

It is best to make a website with all your information. That way if something changes you can go on your website and update it. A lot of people use social media sites-like Facebook that you can create your wedding page on, if you didn't want to make a website. You can also spread the word by phone, or if you wanted, you could send out another mailing that explains what's going on.

What information goes on the Save The Date?

Usually you just put the date of your wedding, and location as in the city and state unless you already have your venue picked. You can also include your engagement photo or any other photo if you are going to use your engagements for your actual wedding invitation.

Along with my blog I am starting to design Save The Dates and Announcements if anyone is interested :D

Here is a sample of one that I did...