You’ve likely spent countless hours poring over Pinterest (or the more traditional bridal magazines) looking for the perfect dress, the most beautiful flowers and the coolest trends in hors d’oeuvres, but what about those small details.  It’s the little things that people will walk away from your wedding wanting to copy for their own event.  Unless you have a wedding planner that clues you in to these very important accessories, you might just assume that your venue will provide them.  I don’t have to tell you what happens when you assume things – we’ve all heard that saying before.  This is where a great event planning team, like Party Panache, comes in.  They’ve seen and done it all and can tell you what special finishing touches will make your event that much more unforgettable.

We all know that first impressions count.  When guests arrive at your reception the first thing they should see is a table set up with escort (seating) cards.  For the most part this is an inexpensive item and one that can be personalized with your monogram, a ribbon or a motif reflecting your theme.  Hand calligraphy gives escort cards a beautiful and sophisticated appearance, but machine calligraphy is a great alternative to achieve a classy look for less. We’ve done countless different types of seating cards – from classic to one of a kind; if you can dream it, Party Panache can do it!

During the cocktail hour, imprinted beverage napkins are a nice touch.  Some caterers will supply a small quantity for “show” and supplement with plain napkins or ones that have your venue’s logo.  It’s important to ask your caterer and know what you are getting as suggested quantities vary from caterer to caterer.   Party Panache’s familiarity with many venues can help you make a decision as to whether this is something you should provide yourself for that extra touch of personalization.

When guests enter the main ballroom, you want them to be “wowed”!  Certainly lighting and centerpieces are the first things that are noticed, but why stop there?  The small touches that you add to your table décor should complement the floral arrangements.  Beautiful menus, table number cards, napkin rings, mint boxes, etc. show that you put some thought and your own personal touch into the presentation. You can even take it to another level and have monogrammed Splenda envelopes…people are still talking about those from my wedding two years ago!

Choosing a wedding invitation these days can be an overwhelming experience.  Your invitation sets the tone for the rest of your wedding, so you should consider the type of message you want to convey.   Is it a casual beach wedding or a formal affair?  While traditional invitations are timeless and beautiful, if you’re intentions are for your bridal party to be wearing flip flops on the sand, maybe that’s not the best option!

With so many invitations available, including stylish eco-friendly selections, where does one begin?   While you could always opt to select something off the Internet, you’ll miss out on the tactile experience of being able to feel the texture of the paper and see the difference between several modes of print.   Purchasing from a store or invitation consultant gives you the opportunity to ask all of your questions, including time frame for purchasing, addressing and mailing the invitations.  Not to mention, professionals can also help you determine the best quality for your budget.

Here are just a handful of things to think about when you’re looking for an invitation:

1. Paper color, texture and weight
2. Font styles and colors
3. Type of printing – letterpress, embossing, engraving, etc. (a professional can help explain the difference to you and show you examples).
4. Appropriate text for invitation and corresponding parts

This may be the only time in your life you get to spend this much time thinking about paper, so enjoy it!!

Choosing your bridal party can be stressful for a lot of brides.  There are plenty of places you can go for advice, but at the end of the day, you have to do what is right for you and your fiancé (remember him?).  Some people have a dozen bridesmaids while others choose not to have a bridal party at all.  My husband and I had an average size bridal party, but no best man or maid of honor.  Whatever you fancy, once you’ve decided to have bridesmaids and who they will be, have some fun letting them know!

Sure, you can call them up or invite them over (if they live nearby), but why not take the opportunity to let them know how important they are to you.  There are plenty of cute ways to do this.  Here are just a few ideas, but a quick Google search will definitely dig up more:

1. Send her a picture frame that holds two pictures.  One side can have a picture of the two of you and the other a note asking her to be your bridesmaid.  She can eventually replace the note with a wedding picture of the two of you.
2. Write her a poem – it’s sweet, sentimental and personal.
3. Send her a Bridesmaid cookie.  I found these great looking cookies on Etsy.

We love these designs so much that we’ve now started selling the collection from our showroom on Long Island.  If you aren’t in the New York area, contact us to find out how to order.

Marriage is all about compromise, so when my husband (then fiancé) declared “I do not want a wedding website,” I caved.  If I’ve learned one thing in life, it’s that I have to pick my battles.  Little did I know that his hesitancy to have our “About Us” section aired across the Internet would lead to lots of little annoyances throughout our engagement.  If I had to do it all over again, I would have picked this battle and won.  Here’s why a wedding website is a great idea.

Info on accommodations:  I need more hands to count the number of e-mails I got from out of town friends that read, “I lost your Save the Date, can you send me the hotel details again?”  Really?!?!  Is this a generational thing that we can’t hold onto a piece of paper for more than five minutes?  Is there an app for that?  If only we had a website where my iPhone loving friends could find all these details!

Registries: We all have them, so how do you get the word out? It’s tacky to include registry information on a Save the Date or invitation, but it’s totally acceptable to include your wedding website on a Save the Date.  Problem solved – a wedding website is a great place for wedding guests to find out where you’re registered.

Everything else:  A wedding website can help save you valuable time from not having to field phone calls and e-mails with questions from guests.  It can serve as a one-stop shop for your guests to find all the information they need.  It’s the who, what, when and where of your wedding festivities, so take advantage of it.  I can’t promise that your 90 year old great aunt will know how to find your website, but for everybody else, it’s a really helpful tool.

These days, great wedding websites are a click away.  WeddingWire has a great FREE wedding website service – and you can even choose background music!

It’s a six-letter word most newly engaged couples don’t want to talk about, but I’m just going to go ahead and say it…BUDGET!  If you haven’t talked about it yet, you need to do it soon.  You can have your perfect wedding regardless of your budget, but one of the first things you and your fiancé should discuss is how much you (or someone else – we’ll get to that later) are prepared to spend on what will hopefully be your first and last walk down the aisle.

The first step is figuring out who is going to pay for the wedding – and there are no set rules here.  Traditionally, the bride’s parents paid for the ceremony and reception, while the groom’s parents took care of the rehearsal dinner.  In certain cultures, groom’s parents actually pay for the whole wedding, or offer to cover a specific expense (e.g. flowers, music, etc.).  Nowadays, with couples waiting longer to get married, many chip in for a significant portion of their wedding costs, or even foot the whole bill.   Scary, I know!  No matter who is springing for wedding, it’s important to have a rough idea of your total budget before diving into the details.  Once you have this magic number, there are a lot of great worksheets out there to help you figure out what your expenses will be.  Real Simple a great one posted on their website that does a good job of laying out most, if not all, wedding-related expenses.  Having all your expenses written down will definitely help you manage expectations, because I can tell you firsthand, last minute expenses have a way of sneaking up on you.  Who knew a bus from the hotel to your reception would cost several hundred dollars or more?!?!

Every couple (who am I kidding, every bride) will have their own priorities, so no two budgets will look the same.  If you can’t imagine walking down the aisle in anything other than a Monique Lhuillier gown and you don’t have a money tree in your backyard, you may have to sacrifice elsewhere in your budget.  Here is where an event planner, an expense many people think they can’t afford, can really save you money.  A good event planner will tell you what is and isn’t necessary and help you make the most of your wedding budget.  You can have a fantastic wedding AND stay within your means, because going into debt is no way to start a marriage!