Tag Archives: Wedding Invitations

Dressing Up Isn’t So Hard To Do

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I know it’s hard to believe but, people used to actually get dressed up….all the time. Men never left the house without a hat (not a baseball hat) and women always wore stockings and heels. Of course with that dress code came a plethora of problems like hat hair and girdles.

Today, it seems, people have trouble knowing how to dress to even go to the grocery store.  I see more flip-flops than I can count in the summer months. I see high school and college children wearing pajama pants to school and generally speaking – females are the worst offenders. Maybe it’s just me – but I have no interest in seeing anyone’s bra, underwear or jammies.

So in this day of casual wear how do you tell your wedding guests that jeans are not acceptable (even with a dinner jacket for men) and that you fully expect them to dress appropriately? It is not that hard, actually. The place to let your guests know what is expected of them is in the invitation. The following terms are perefectly acceptable on the invitation:

“Beach Attire”– If you are having a destination wedding on the beach, your female guests should wear a sundress, casual separates (cruise wear) and they CAN wear dressier flip flops or sandals. The beach is no place for stilettos. Men can get away with a nice shirt, maybe Tommy Bahama or a stylish DaVinci bowling shirt (think Charlie Sheen) with summer pants. I would still advise against jeans, it ruins the look of the super-cool shirt.

“Casual Weding Attire”is not jeans, flips flips, or tank tops. Think if it as a a job interview only with better accessories. A nice skirt and blouse with heels. Hosiery is optional in summer months but, wear a bra if you need one. No one needs to see your jiggly parts moving around on the dance floor. Whatever you do – don’t forget to check for VPL – visible panty lines. No need to break out the rhinestones and glitter, that’s equally inappropriate. Men can expect to wear nice slacks and a dressier button down or polo shirt with a sport coat – tie not necessary.

“Informal Wedding Attire” is a step up from casual. A nicer dress, made of nicer fabric – something you would wear to a college graduation or to meet the first lady. Think of the outfit Michelle Obama wore when she met the Qeen of England. Floor length is out. Men should wear a suit but still no need to wear a tie if the shirt is nice enough. For a preppy look try a navy blazer with Khaki pants and a pastel Foulard tie. Foulard is a woven fabric with a small, symmetrical print.

“Formal Wedding Attire” is dressy, what you would wear to the opera or a State Dinner. Cocktails dresses, long dresses and dressy evening separates. As always don’t forget to have the right undergarments. Men should wear a dark suit and tie, tuxedo not necessary.

“Black Tie” or Ultra Formal is defined as cocktail or long dresses for women and tuxedos for men. Break out the fine jewelry, sparkly accessories and beaded purse. Men do not have to wear a bow tie as long as they have a tuxedo or a fine suit with contrasting fabric on the lapels. Dress like you are headed for the red carpet at the Academy Awards.

If your guests do not have the good sense  to know the definition of Casual Wedding attire, how do enforce the dress code? That is entirely up to you. You could either have security to make sure everyone is  up to par and those who aren’t are turned away or you let it go and tell the photographer not to take photos of anyone dressed inappropriately. If you have a website, this would be a good place to further explain your expectations to your guests.

Lets face it – you can’t legislate good taste. With any luck at all, you could have someone dressed so oddly that it will entertain you for years to come. 

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

The Waiting Game

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Shannon Tweed waited for Gene Simmons to pop the question. She waited for 27 years, through 2 kids and a reality show. When he  sensed she was obviously tired of waiting, he caved and popped the question. It seems no matter how secure and happy you are in the relationship, it is not quite the same without the marriage…. and the wedding! This Saturday October 1, 2011 they will be tying the knot with a wedding fit for a rock-n-roll king, and playboy queen. If the truth be known, I am more interested in this wedding than all the Kardashian women put together. You have a mega-talented Rock-n-Roll superstar, the lead singer of one of the most successful groups of all time (Kiss) and his bride-to-be, a talented actress and model in her own right. They have two gorgeous and intelligent children who are blessing this union with their own unique brand of humor; daughter Sophie wrote a humorous poem and son Nick drew a family cartoon on the invitation itself.  Take a look at the invitation :

So this begs the question, “How long is too long to wait for your beloved to decide you are the one, even if you decided a long time ago?” Not having much experience with this, I would say that 27 years would be the absolute maximum amount of time.

The average courtship is less than three years at which point it either moves forward or ends. Practically speaking, it is easier, cheaper and more convenient to be married to the person you live with than to merely co-habitate. There are insurance issues, children’s last names, next of kin, power of attorney, taxes and basically everything is more complicated. However, if you have access to unlimited funds, this is a non-issue. Which is what  I suspect with team Tweed-Simmons.

Oddly enough the engagement of this power couple has lasted only a few short months. Was the wedding ‘hurried up’  for ratings since the wedding is the season opener for Family Jewels? I  suspect that played a major factor since Gene Simmons is known to be a financial (and ratings) wizard. I also suspect that the future Mrs. Shannon-Tweed was happy about the length of the engagement since 2 1/2 months is short by any standards… unless you have already waited 27 years.

My guess is that Ms. Tweed has been spending the last 60 days happily planning her long awaited wedding, and I can’t wait to see the results!

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

Is Your Luck Good or Bad?

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There are so many symbolic things about weddings that if you go culture by culture, every single thing from the ring to the gown can be interpreted as either good luck or bad luck. Take for instance wearing pearls: Said to be bad luck in some cultures since each pearl represents the tears the bride will she during their marriage. Of course another culture sees pearls as good luck since each pearl replaces the tears of the bride leaving her care-free and happy forever. Seriously?  Pearls represent  the beauty of nature and nothing else.

More about  tears – if it rains on your wedding day it is good luck since it washes away all the tears. If it rains on your wedding day it is bad luck, dooming your entire marriage to a deluge of tears. Actually if it rains on your wedding day it is because there is a large amount of condensation in the clouds.

It is bad luck for the bride to make her own wedding gown because every stitch represents a tear (again with the tears). The truth is that it is bad luck for a bride to make her gown because there are a million other wedding  things to do. Plus, sewing, if done properly, is hard work and the fittings are next to impossible on yourself without a dress form that is a perfect match to your body. Making your own dress is a recipe for stress, nothing else.

If the bride or groom drops the wedding ring it is good luck since it shakes off evil spirits. However, if it is dropped by anyone else, they will be the first among you to die.  This is probably why modern ring bearer pillows have long ribbon ties since this is too big a sacrifice for a wedding.

Allegedly, if the mother of the groom throws a shoe at the bride as the couple leaves for their reception, the bride and mother in law will forever be best of friends.  I would have been thrilled if all my mother in law ever threw at me was a shoe! My guess is that if she hits the bride, all bets are off.

The time of day that the couple exchanges vows should be when the clock is moving upward so you are ascending toward heaven. Attention Brides: Move the time of your wedding  from 2 pm  to 2:30 pm. If you only have digital clocks, disregard.

Sharing the same last initial is bad luck. This omen comes with a handy rhyme  “To change the name and not the letter is a change for the worse and not the better.” I personally think it makes things a lot easier; monogrammed towels, stationery, luggage tags,etc.

Last but not least it is considered bad luck for the bride to sign her married name before the wedding. But why would she? Unless you are 12 years old and you are marrying Justin Beiber, scribbling your married name on a binder  “Mrs. Justin Beiber”….nobody does this.

Society is fraught with rules and omens  that no longer have any relevance to modern society. I would bet that 300 years ago  when someone handed the groom a wedding ring, they dropped it was because they were coughing so hard  from the black plague  – of course they were the next to die! OMG nobody touch the ring – you’re all going to die!

I am sure that these explanations and theories made sense at one time but not any more. Get married at 2 pm on a sunny day, drop the ring, make your dress and sign your married name the day before the wedding….just make sure you duck if you see your  mother in law removing her shoe. 

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

Thank You Not So Much

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Every couple of weeks I hear a ‘Thank You Note’  story. From people who sent gifts to couples and never received an acknowledgement to those who didn’t receive one in time to the ones who are offended when asked to address their own envelopes at a shower. Thank You Notes can be a quagmire of  right and wrong, do and don’t, good and bad and sometimes people get enraged for no reason. I have family member who has never sent one thank you note ever. Not for weddings, Holidays, Birthdays- NEVER! One time I called to ask if the gift was received since it was dropped off by someone else while I was unable to attend and the answer was interesting: ” I don’t know – we haven’t gone through them yet”.  Keep in mind this was several weeks after the event and do you know what I did? I just let it go. After that, I stopped worrying about it altogether. It appears as though the problem was me the whole time. She did not do things the way I did and it aggravated me. When I finally let go, things were just fine. Do not impose your standards on everyone else but, do your best to be polite and always let people know you appreciate their gift.

To me, sending a Thank You note is about the easiest thing to do. It is also just about the most overlooked part of wedding planning and frankly I really don’t understand all the fuss. Here is the basic rule: Someone sends you a gift, you send them a  thank you note. The note serves to acknowledge the receipt of the gift and then to thank the sender for their generosity. It lets them know you got the gift, not whether or noti t was your heart’s desire.

BASIC RULES OF THANK YOU NOTES

1) When you order your invitations, order  Thank You Notes and envelopes. For the events preceding the wedding (showers, parties, etc), buy thank you notes that are to your liking. You can always go to a stationery store and pick up more for these events- they don’t need to match. Your stationery specialist will have tons of options and help available for you when it comes to thank you notes.

2) When you pick up stamps for the invitations, pick up additional stamps for the thank you notes.

3) When you make your invitation list, keep a space  to check off when you send a Thank You note. Even the most basic wedding planners have a space for this. 

4) After each event, shower, bachelorette party etc. send a Thank you note to each person who gave you a gift and to the host/ hostess. 

5) After the wedding or after the honeymoon, start addressing and sending thank you notes. Technically you have up to one year after the wedding but, why wait? You may be busier than you think so as soon as you return from your honeymoon (changing diapers in my case) so just sit down together as a couple and do this. You will send a note for even the smallest gift and even for  the ones you don’t like… it goes like this “Thank you for your generous gift” . You don’t have to say anything else.

6) The notes don’t have to be hand written, they can be printed with a standard message or you can print them on the computer. But, they should be signed … in ink, by hand. If you receive the gift at an event prior to the wedding, sign your name only. If it is a wedding gift, sign your name as a couple.

7) Don’t forget to send thank you notes to your parents and siblings. It may seem like overkill but, everyone loves being acknowledged. And everyone should be acknowledged.

8) It never hurts to send a thank you note  to vendors who went above and beyond to make your day special. Even though you have paid the them, they will still enjoy hearing how much you appreciated their work. Most people never hesitate to complain but rarely send accolades.

9) Never mention anything about returning a gift. Never mention you don’t like a gift. Never mention if you think the gift was cheap or stupid or unwanted or something you would never use in a lifetime. Send a simple note and then sell it on ebay or give it to someone else….just be careful when re-gifting as it can come back to bite you if not done carefully.

10) Men should send thank you notes, too. Pick up a few masculine notes for the groom to send to his best man for the bachelor party and anyone else who presented him with a gift prior to your wedding.

 If someone asks you to address your own thank you note – do it. If someone asks you to write your own thank you note – laugh  (to yourself) and do it. If you have not received a thank you note for a gift you sent,  it is not rude to ask if they received the gift, maybe they didn’t. If someone calls you and asks if you got a gift they sent because they never received a thank you note, don’t be offended – maybe it was lost in the mail.

That wasn’t so hard, was it?

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

Who Gives This Bride?

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It is a well known fact that it is the responsibility (and honor) of the bride’s father to walk the bride down the aisle, presenting her at the altar to her future husband. and then later sharing a dance while an appropriate song plays in the background.   In some cases, both parents walk the bride down the aisle and in other cases she walks alone and rare cases where two grown men come together and share this responsibility equally.  This is one of those ever-changing customs that seems to get more complicated every day. To offer a little help if you are trying to decide who should do the honor, ask yourself the following questions:

Who is paying for the wedding? If your stepfather is paying for the wedding 100%, he should be given the place of honor at your side, right? Maybe.  That is unless, of course, he had absolutely no hand in raising you, barely knows you, recently married your mother and you never lived under the same roof with you, he is not exactly a parental figure – yet.

Who raised you? If your father raised you, cared for you, packed your school lunches and drove carpool to dance class, he should be given the place of honor at your side even if he doesn’t have one dime to contribute toward your dream wedding, right? Maybe.  Blood is thicker than water and family is more important than money. However, your stepfather ( and mother)  may have some trouble swallowing the idea of paying for everything and receiving no end credit.

Is there a dominant father figure in your life?If your father is deceased or absent from your life and your mother raised you single handedly, she has every right to be at your side… just the two of you. If she declines (and she might) , ask a favorite uncle or a brother.  

Does everyone get along? If so, have this conversation in a group and include his family as well. Keeping the lines of communication open will make planning much easier. For instance; your parents are divorced and both remarried. Everyone gets along and you want to have an honest discussion about who is paying for what and who has what role in the wedding this – do it. It will save tons of time and drama later. Even if you are all on great terms this might be a touchy subject and hurt feelings could turn into a huge family debacle if left unchecked. Always be respectful of the role your parents have played in your life up to this point – it is not all about the wedding. The point is to be inclusive and not exclusive.

Can anyone even be in the same room?If you have the unfortunate circumstance of having suffered through a bitter divorce, subsequent re-marriages of your parents to other people and extremely hostile family relations – buckle up…this is going to be a bumpy ride! Hold on tight to your fiance’s hand and get through this however you can. My advice is to  delegate the dad responsibilities with whomever you feel is the most deserving and be prepared for the repercussions.  Of course this is more complicated than a simple decision but go back to questions #1 and#2 and decide who played the most important role in your life. Do not let anyone hold you hostage by threatening to boycott the nuptials if they don;t get their way, this is your decision (as a couple) and there is no going back once the decision is made.

It is important to make this decision early since the wording on the invitation can be complicated with fractured and blended families. If  parents and stepparents are all assisting financially with the wedding, their names should be on the invitation.  This is can be tricky so ask your invitation specialist to help you with the wording before you make a costly mistake.

For the Father/Daughter dance you can dance with both dads during the course of the song, changing partners after an allotted time, you can dance with one father ‘figure’ or you can omit this routine entirely. No one says it has to be a part of your wedding. Discuss this with your DJ.

The absolute worst thing that can happen at your wedding is to let any of these small situations get out of control. Unless you are one of the rare families that get along famously and never argue, you will have some sort of struggle on your hands. Close your eyes, envision the outcome you desire and  when you open your eyes take whatever steps necessary to make that happen without hurting anyone’s feelings or stepping on anyone’s toes. That means at no point in the conversation are you allowed to say “It’s my day”  since that expression is a tad over-used and completely self-induglent. You have to be respectful and make your point without becoming  a martyr or spoiled brat.

Remember that if you have the luxury of having parents or multiple parents, count your blessings, even if they don’t love each other as much as you would like, they most certainly love you and will most likely do whatver it takes to ensure your wedding is a joyous occasion.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

Show Me The Sleeve!

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In case you didn’t hear, there was a celebrity wedding last weekend. Not just any celebrity but, a  celebrity (?) who has 5 million twitter followers and has the rare  opportunity to change fashion. My hope was to  steer bridal fashion away from the bare shoulders which have completely dominated the first decade of the 21st century, sliding into the second decade still in first place. The Kardashian wedding had more security than a NATO conference and most of it was to ensure that no one took pictures and leaked anything in fear Mom Kardashian (Jenner) could not collect her 10% from the reported $18 million profit so, the only photo currently available  shows nothing but bare shoulders and a diamond (not swarovski) headband and veil. We’ll get back to the headband in a moment.

Maybe I missed something but, the one Vera Wang gown I saw (and the grainy photo of the bridesmaids) looked completely strapless. Wedding gown? Strapless. Bridesmaids? Strapless. Mermaid, ball gown, pencil skirt, satin, tulle or beaded –  it doesn’t really matter since what I was looking for was something with a little more style and coverage. Let me clear this up once and for all: I am not a prude. I don’t have any religious convictions that prohibit me or anyone from exposing their shoulders in church or during a religious ceremony. I don’t particularly care if someone wants to go topless, strapless or completely see-through. My (strong) opinions on this subject are strictly from a design standpoint. Strapless has been done to death and it has quite frankly become boring. Show me something with some style and class and couture detail, show me something other than your boobs! Don’t even get me started on how  few women really look good in strapless, especially larger busted or heavier women. Two words that should never enter your mind at a wedding: Backfat and Sideboob.

Last spring we witnessed Katherine Middleton become the Duchess of Cambridge in a Long sleeved lace gown. Her gown, no matter how beautiful, did not seem to make a bit of difference to designers. Last weekend Kim Kardashian had the opportunity  to  leave an indelible mark on fashion history, to send designers rushing back to the proverbial  drawing board in a  mad dash before next month’s Spring bridal market.  If the small photo I saw is any indication, I doubt if anyone is scrambling.  Maybe one of the other two gowns has some standout quality that I haven’t seen yet and I am completely wrong about the whole thing. I guess we will see when the pictures come out in People magazine.

Back to theheadband:  just like the strapless gown, the tiara seems to have run its course so it was nice to see somthing unique. The headband was unusual because it didn’t exactly frame the face – it was sitting in the middle of it. Unusual? Yes, and no. I’ve seen this before, many times but not for some time. This style was quite popular in the 1980’s and was often accented by a large teardrop shaped stone ( pearl or crystal) in the center. Of course back then it was flanked by dozens of yards of veiling with huge poufs of veiling in varying sizes scattered with sequins, crystals, pearls and everything but the kitchen sink. This was a  version of that and perhaps could inspire brides to revert back to this style. Of course most brides can’t afford $10 million dollars worth of bling. I wouldn’t place any bets on this since sometimes styles  find their place in history and stay there, like the fluorescent, bubble, lame bridesmaid gowns. They made sense in the ’80’s but not so much now and anyone who would dare to bring them back would be banished into bridesmaid hell…. for all eternity. My opinion? The headband was okay but looked costume-y and would have made perfect sense with Grecain style gown or a vintage 1920’s look. With the strapless gown (from  the limited amount I saw) it looked like a wedding scene from the early days of Dynasty. Actually Dynasty seems tame compared to the Kardashian /Jenner production.

So what does all this mean? Actually nothing. Not one thing has changed since Kate or Kim got married and even though a few designers are challenging the  strapless trend (Kudos) it will take the consumers to force the trend to change. I am excited to see what the designers have in store for the upcoming market since I have inside information that there are a few designers offering non-strapless choices. Hopefully instead of cleavage, we can talk  about sleeve-age.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

Reality Royalty – Kardashian Wedding Tomorrow!

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I have stated repeatedly how much I adore weddings. I love them all! Casual, Destination, City Hall, Black Tie. So, it is no surprise that tomorrow I will be checking the news and most likely the E! Channel for details about the  Kardashian wedding extravaganza.

I have seen bits of all of the Kardashian reality shows. I have formed opinions about people I don’t know at all firsthand and my overall take is that of all the Kardashian women (and there are plenty), Kim is the most likely to appease her high-maintenance mom by doing  whatever it takes to turn this multi-million dollar wedding into a profit and not a loss. You’ve gotta love that!  Make no mistake, actually ‘keeping up’ with the Kardashian’s will be impossible after this.

The good news is that in an injured economy, this young bride has had the good fortune to be able to energize the wedding industry in America. Kate who? Kim Kardashian sees herself as America’s Princess and is not only having her cake, she will most likely be eating it on camera and getting paid to do so. Kudos Kim. The wedding industry will most likely see a surge in copycat products and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone hasn’t already approached her to endorse one of the products she has chosen for the big day.

More good news is that after seeing the wax likeness of Miss K that was unveiled yesterday in wedding attire, the gown on the display was not strapless. Not to say that KK does not look good in just about everything she wears, because she does. I am just looking forward to seeing a fresh new style emerge and hopefully a little less ‘sideboob’. Designers have been chipping away at the all strapless collections since Miss Middleton became the Duchess of Cambridge in her Sarah Burton gown last Spring and this could push them even further away from the cleavage chasm. Vera Wang, who epitomized the style for Brides in the 1990’s could once again define what an entire generation of brides will pay anything to have.

It is reported that Kim K has three gowns, each Vera Wang and each costing a whopping $25,000 but, has not decided which one she will wear. It is also not entirely unlikely that she will wear one for the ceremony and one for the reception which seems to be a popular trend. Personally, I would like to see her wear all three. Why not? This entire wedding is being filmed for a two hour special and I think she has every right to wear all three gowns. There is some speculation she will wear a bold color since all guests have strict instructions to wear black or white. Wearing white to a wedding is usually a no-no since you don’t want to take away from the bride. I think the speculation is correct and my  guess is she will wear a pink gown, not too pale but, not too bold. The color we used to call ‘Rum Pink’  in the 1980’s when pink bridal gowns first became a popular choice for creative fashionistas. Or perhaps a lighter shade of the same color known as ‘Blush Pink’.

The cake is a copy (exact?) of Will & Kate’s 10 layer confection made by Hansen’s Bakery topped with chocolate chip frosting. The Hansen family has been making cakes since  1520 and offers everything from Old World to High Tech. After visiting their website, I could almost taste the cakes. No offense to the royal couple, I hope (for the guest’s sake) this one is not a fruitcake.

Make no mistake; although this is a wedding and family event, it is also a highly profitable television franchise. There is not one thing that has not been handled expertly; the invitations, the  security, no cell phones or cameras or electronic devices allowed, including the 50+ person crew that will be filming. No tweeting, posting or leaking information unless it is accidentally (intentionally) leaked by a member of the family.  And also – no wire hangers!

The best part of the entire show (wedding) for me will be Bruce Jenner’s actions and reactions to all of this Pomp and the ensuing circumstances. If my prediction is correct there will be a lot of sticker shock for the former Olympian who was raised in a much more humble environment but also a great deal of pride as he walks her down the aisle and watches his entire family come together for a celebration of  love. And ultimatley, that is what it is all about!

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

Do Children Make Good Wedding Guests?

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One of my favorite movie weddings is the fictional Mafia marriage of Connie Corleone to Carlo Rizzi. The Wedding is an elaborate backyard event with thousands of twinkling lights, traditional Italian music, children playing and dancing everywhere and the bride’s mother offering a rendition of  C’e’ La Luna Mezzo Mare. Despite the whole ‘family business’ thing, the movie shows a closeness of family that not only allows children at the wedding, but encourages them to dance, sing and enjoy the fun as much as the adults. Make no mistake about it: this is a family wedding. In reality, it is also a movie and the children were paid actors and sometimes children just don’t really fit into the grand scheme of  certain weddings.

So when should children be invited and when should they be politely excluded? Unfortunately there is no simple answer. For some couples, inviting the young offspring of their closest friends and family is a must. The whole family comes to the wedding and everyone enjoys as much fun as they can pack into the time they have together. It is a celebration and they use this time to sing, dance and  bond with everyone.

For some couples the thought of inviting children to their wedding is about as welcome as inviting ants to a picnic. Usually couples who don’t have a lot of smaller children in their immediate family, couples hosting formal black tie events and those who just think children do not belong at weddings. This is your wedding and you are allowed to invite whomever you want and plan the affair however you see fit. Don’t apologize if you want to omit children, it is perfectly acceptable and there are many ways to avoid conflict if you have chosen this path.

If it  becomes a hot topic and there is contention among your family, offer a solution before it hits the boiling point.  If you are having your reception at a hotel, you can book a room for the kids and plan a  children’s event at the same time with games, food and paid adult supervision.

If the wedding venue is not a hotel, speak to some of the parents who have children that are close to one another in age or relationship and find out if they would be interested in helping you organize a social event for the children off-site.

Honesty is the best policy to avoid disaster and hurt feelings. Talking to your invited guests about the no-children policy will help to open up the dialogue and give you a chance to work things out if they are having problems with the idea of leaving the little ones at home.

Being a parent is hard work and bringing them to a wedding is equivalent to an Olympic event. The parents may be glad you decided on an adults only evening.

If you have decided that children are welcome, include them in the fun.  Make sure there are some kid-friendly activities like a magician, balloon animal artist and one or two adults designated to ‘entertain’ the children and wrangle them if they become out of control.  Face painting sounds good but can be messy.

Instead of seating children at one table, seat them with their parents. Everyone knows that a group of ten kids can spiral out of control easily, not so much when they are wedged between their parents. Ask about a children’s menu- many caterers will oblige with special requests and it is often less expensive than having children eat the gourmet meal prepared for your adult guests.

Encourage the  DJ to play some songs the the children will recognize and enjoy. If they are dancing, they are happy and not disturbing the cake! There is nothing sweeter than to watch little ones dancing together in their wedding attire, or little girls dancing on their father’s feet.  It will make for a great photo opportunity that can later be included in your wedding album.

At the end of the day you have to decide what fits your budget, your style of wedding and your personal preference.  Make your decision early, stick to it and don’t offer any excuses. This is your wedding and you deserve to plan it however you see fit.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago

Wedding Planning 101 – Bridal Expo

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I am sure you ‘ve often heard that sometimes the truth hurts. The fact is – sometimes it doesn’t hurt at all. Sometimes the truth is easy and painless. I can give you one perfect example: The BEST first step you can take to planning your wedding is to attend one of our luxurious bridal shows. That’s the truth.

However, there are some ways to make it easier and even more painless than you could imagine. I am thrilled to pass along these tips to you so you can save time and money and have a great time at our events.

1) Make a day of it! Don’t plan to come to a show when you are in a hurry. Make this one day very special, plan a fantastic breakfast or brunch beforehand and stay for the entire show. You will not be sorry. You will save more time visiting our vendors in that one day than driving to and from every single vendor we have at our shows. How much time and money would you like to save?

2) Plan ahead. Before attending, bring a checklist of what services you need.  This will avoid confusion and save time. You won’t need to spend time shopping for vendors that you have already booked.

3) Bring your support team. Mom, Maid of Honor, Groom? who offers you the best advice and gives you the most support? Bring those people with you to keep you on task and focused on your needs.  You don’t want to bring ‘Debbie Downer’ with you and ruin an otherwise awesome event.

4) Bring contact labels. At each of our shows, you will have the eopportunity to sign up for amazing prizes and specialdeals from Bridal Expo and each of  our vendors. It saves so much time, not to mention writer’s cramp) if you have address labesl pre-printed with your contact information. Dont forget your email address ! Make sure all the information is current.

5) Bring a digital camera. Yes, we not only allow but, encourage our brides to take pictures. A picture is worth a thousand words. There will be flowers, cakes, gowns,  and all kinds of other things that you will want to remember. This is the best way to document your preferences. Later you can print those pictures and place them in your wedding planner for quick referencing.

6) Leave the kids at home. If you have small children, this is the best time to cash in a favor from a good friend and ask them to watch the kids for the day. Small children will be overwhelmed by the crowds and you will want to be able to stay focused. Plus, there are no strollers in the vendor area. The kids will thank you!

7) Arrive Early. This will give you time to register, and after you have visited every vendor you will be able to find a great seat for the Couture Runway Fashion show. No where else can you see this many luxurious designer  bridal gowns, headpieces and attendant gowns in one place.

8) Come for the show, stay for the prizes.  At each and every Bridal Expo there are fabulous prizes given away on stage before, during and after our luxurious runway fashion show. Large prizes (fabulous getaways, diamond earrings, photogrpahy packages) and smaller prizes (countertop appliances and gift certificates). Either way, you will not win the prizes if you are not there to claim them. If the bride is not present when called, our Fashion Director and show commentator, Carol Tardi, will call another name. Don’t be the one that got away!

9) Be ready to save money. Many of our vendors  offer booking specials. Dont be afraid to save money. If you are not ready to make a decision,  ask for their information so you can contact them later. They will be happy to oblige. 

10) Relax. The wedding planning process should be fun and Bridal Expo will help make it easier.  Organization is the key to staying stress-free and focused.

Call 847-428-3320 today to get  tickets to a Bridal Expo in your area, you won’t be sorry!

-Penny Frulla For Bridal Expo Chicago

Unwrapped Showers – A Disturbing Trend

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From time to time I hear a wedding idea that I have never heard before. If  I hear something twice in one week, I know it is something that deserves further research. But, before I will label it a ‘trend’ I need to see proof that more than one person is using this idea, that it seems to be catching on and that people are universally accepting the idea. In my humble opinion, some trends are good and (in this particular case) some trends are bad.

Recently it has come to my attention that invitees are being asked to bring gifts to Bridal Showers….. unwrapped. On the pretense of being open-minded I have responded with the obligatory, “That’s interesting, tell me more.” when, in reality, I am saying to myself “That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard”. I can’t even imagine what that gift table looks like. Haven’t they ever heard that presentation is everything? Furthermore, am I losing my mind?

The alleged purpose of the “unwrapped shower” is two-fold: To save on paper waste and to save time for the bride who could be spending that same valuable time ‘bonding’ with her guests. Lets examine this carefully:

Reduce Paper Waste: Being abut as green as any average person could be without using a palm frond for toilet paper, I find myself stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one. I understand not wanting to waste paper, I recycle and re-use everything possible. I still carefully open Christmas gifts so I can re-use the paper for  next year, I purchase only paper made from recycled products, I measure gifts so that I can use as much of the paper as possible and not waste a scrap. However, this is where I draw the line. In good conscience I cannot bring an unwrapped gift to anyone, anywhere, for any reason. It’s like wearing a beautiful outfit and not combing your hair. In addition, if everyone across the globe collectively stopped using all wrapping paper of any form, there would be a huge gap in the job market and parts of the economy would be out of work…. not on my watch. I always say you don’t have to sacrifice style to go green, that being an environmentalist doesn’t mean you have to change everything about the way you live. Could I be completely wrong?

If going green is really your main purpose, then you need to address that in the invitation and make it clear. Maybe you could ask guests to use ribbon only. And speaking of ribbon, when wrapping a gift for any occasion whatsoever, you should only use fabric ribbon.  It can be tied, untied, ironed and tied again. Recycling ribbon is the perfect way to go green and the plastic shiny ribbons are just not as pretty. My favorite is the ribbon with a small wire edge so you can make a big swirl-y bow and it stays in place! The real  purpose of the ribbon is to keep the box closed or the package tightly shut. So, if the box has a lid – are you supposed to just tape it or what? Could this be the reason that Tiffany & Co, uses beautiful blue boxes and fabric ribbon? You don’t need to wrap a gift from Tiffany & Co, the box is pretty and the ribbon keeps the lid closed. Whoever came up with that idea was way ahead of their time: elegant, beautiful and no waste!

Saving Time:In cases where the bridal shower is large and the bride is expected to open gifts in front of everyone, the theory is that this will save time  that could be used socializing with her friends. I understand that wedding protocol dictates that the gifts should be opened in front of everyone so the guests can oooh and ahhh over the lovely items. For me, this a tradition that could be broken without  regret. Open your gifts later and spend this time with your friends. I can think of a million ways to save time and this is not one of them and the amount of time it takes to tear into a package is the least of my concerns.

Maybe everyone should just walk into the shower and hand you a wad of cash (no card or envelope so we don’t waste paper) in front of everyone and annouce the dollar amount.

If I was invited to an “unwrapped shower”, I would bring my gift in a decorative box sealed shut somehow and attempt to understand the motive behind it and hope I could keep my opinion to myself  and not offend anyone.  But, of all the ideas I have heard in a long time, an “un-wrapped shower” is just about the worst.

-Penny Frulla for Bridal Expo Chicago