tipoftheweek

” I was thinking about getting me and the girls matching phone cases for the wedding day” one of my brides said to me “Look! Aren’t they cute!?” she said as she showed me her a picture on her phone.

“They are super cute! But can I just make a small suggestion…” I said as she started scrolling through the photos of the different colored cases. “don’t have your phone on you during your wedding day.” She looked at me with a blank expression. “I know… it sounds crazy, but you will thank me later!”

Unplug for the day. You aren’t going to need your phone. It will only distract you from one of the best days of your life! Give your phone to your Made of Honor and have her do all the answering. You can even put it on airplane mode and give all your vendors your bridesmaid number and have someone else be in charge of taking the selfies. You deserve to enjoy your wedding and take a break from the digital world. I mean, let’s be real, everyone important to you will either be in that getting ready room with you or see you in the next 5 hours. So, this is what you want to do. Wake up on your wedding day. Turn off the alarm. Hand that bad boy over to whoever is closest to you and enjoy every moment of your wedding. You have spent months, possibly years, working towards this day, don’t miss even one second of your magic. Have your bridesmaids and family take care of all the loose ends and last minute phone calls. Pour yourself a mimosa, put on your “Bride” robe and get ready to be the happiest girl alive.

“The dreaded seating chart. I just can’t get myself to start. It is already giving me a migraine.” One of my brides said as we sat across from each other at La Colombe.  We were putting together the finishing touches of her GuestBook Photo Album and she was filling me in on the ups and downs of her wedding planning. Her wedding was only a few weeks away and she still had so much to do!  “I mean even just making sure we have everyone name on the board is going to be such a process.” She continued as she unlocked her phone to take a look at her never-ending todo list. I saw her concerned expression and heard myself sigh. That’s when the lightbulb went off…

“Hey, have you seen this?” I said as I quickly opened up a new tab on my computer and typed in Digital WeddingWire Seating Chart Designer.

As she looked over the table at my laptop, I realized that she hadn’t.

“This is great!” She said as she scrolled down the page. “this is way easier than using a poster-board!”

Say goodbye to post-its and the fear of forgetting a guest or two. Say hello to the comfort and ease of digital seating charts.  The last two weeks before your wedding is full of last minute changes, unpredictable obstacles and game time decisions. The last thing you want to do is move around colorful post-it notes on a poster-board at 1am. Let’s face it, it’s 2018 and having a digital seating chart is much easier to manage. WeddingWire has created an incredible tool to make your life that much easier. In just a few easy steps you can have your seating chart designed and sent to the venue!

1. Map out your custom floor plan
2. Sync your guest list with WeddingWire
3. Drag and drop names to tables
4. BAM – that’s it

xo,

Yael

.

“I have so many kids coming to my wedding.” She said as we were looking over the timeline. “Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE kids. Specially the ones coming to my wedding.  I just don’t want them to get bored mid-ceremony you know?” I totally knew. This is actually a big concern for a lot of couples. They love the idea of having all of the little ones around, but get nervous about missed nap times and skipped over snacks. “Well, you know what I just saw the other day” I said as I closed my laptop to focus completely on my bride. “One of my couples put together these little fun goodie bags for all kids and gave them out right before the ceremony” She smiled.

“You mean like a bag full of distractions?”

“YES!” Exactly like that. And with that, we both opened our laptops again and started searching for the best things to put in her goodie bags.

Distract the little ones. I love kids. I mean, I do have nine nieces and nephews of my own and I want nothing more than to see them in their pretty dresses and cute bowties at my future wedding. There is nothing sweeter than seeing a child’s face as they witness the magic of a bride and a groom getting married. But, with strict timelines, the crazy chaos and complete newness of a wedding day, it can be a little much for the little ones. By the time the ceremony comes around, the children can be exhausted, hungry and overwhelmed. So, give them a goodie bag just for them. Right before the ceremony, have someone go around to each of the kids with a bag full of quite toys, such as a container of bubbles, a yoyo, stickers and even some crayons with a fun “wedding day coloring book. Anything that is quite and can keep them sitting and entertained. Their parents will thank you and you will love to see what pictures they colored at your ceremony!

xo,

Yael

” I already know that we are going to spend HOURS trying to figure out who sent in their  RSVPs and who we need to reach back out too. I am already dreading it” my friend said as we walked along the Schuylkill River. She was about to send out her beautifully custom  wedding invitations, designed on Basic Invite (shout out to my amazing card company partners at Basic Invite), and was trying to balance her work, school and wedding planning. This was one thing she really did not want to spend time on. “I just learned this awesome trick” I said as we started picking up the pace to more of a jog. “If you take a pencil, and mark each RSVP card with a number…on the back of course, it will be SOO much easier to keep track of.” I said as the beat of the music started picking up tempo in my ear. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, “That is a genius idea!” She explained as she threw her hands in the air. I smiled and said “Come on, I bet we can finish this run in under an hour!”

Excel + Pencil = Time: Numbers make everything better….Make things as easy as possible for yourself. I know what you are thinking, I don’t want to ruin my RSVP cards with a penciled in number in the corner. I get it, you spent all that money and all that time making sure your wedding stationary is perfect, You are going to love your stationary a lot more when it is easy to organize.  All you have to do is three easy steps:

1. Fill out an EXCEL sheet with your guest list on it (which, I am sure you already have)
2. Make sure each household has their own number
3. Mark each household’s RSVP card with their specific number!

Therefore, when the RSVP cards start coming in but number 43 is still not returned, you can go to your EXCEL sheet, look up number 43 and BAM, you now know you need to call Aunt Margret to see if she wants the fish or chicken. 

“How do I not have enough friends to help with my wedding projects” asked my bestie as she was describing how many hours she spent on her DIY centerpieces the night before. “I mean, when we started all this wedding stuff, I seriously thought we’d have it all done by now.” Her wedding was only a few weeks away and it sounded like she needed all hands on deck. “What can I do to help?” I asked as we made our way through the hustle and bustle of Rittenhouse Square. “OH MY GOD. Seriously!?? You want to help me put the rest of the centerpieces together tonight???  I’ll buy the wine!” She asked me with the biggest puppy dog eyes possible. “Of course!” I said, and with that we walked into La Colombe and I could tell she felt a little bit closer to her goal.

DIY weddings – keep it helpful, not stressful: DIY Weddings can be an awesome idea; Cost- effective and adds that extra little something that makes your wedding personal and intimate. But, and this is a big but guys, DIY takes a lot of time, planning and energy. Some brides absolutely love it! They have a vision, the organizational skills and the creative touch to be able to DIY without even a sweat. And for those brides, I say go for it! You do you booboo! But for those brides who are more like me: for those brides who find themselves never having enough time or never having the specific details in mind and more of a general idea of what you want, I advice you to be very selective on your DIY projects. Don’t go overboard! Sometimes, just like in business, it is easier to outsource than do it yourself. You don’t want to overwhelm you, your family and your fiance even more!

If I was you, I would choose three big DIY projects that can be done months in advance; for example, centerpieces, table numbers and even party favors. This way, you can work on them over time instead of rushing to the finish line. Don’t forget! You are engaged to the one you love! This time is special and should be cherished. These DIY projects are your wedding details and should be meaningful and loved instead of stressful and rushed.  Leave the time sensitive details to the professionals. It will make the wedding planning that much less taxing!

xo,

Yael

“Do you think people will like this!?” one of my brides texted me. I waited for the screenshot to download. It was the cutest save-the-date. They looked happy, in love and stunning in every way. I started typing back, “YES!” but hesitated, shook my head and backspaced, “The more important question, is do YOU!?” I could just imagine my bride grinning ear to ear as she read my text and looked back at the screenshot of her card. A few seconds later my phone buzzed again “I really, really do.”

Does this make me happy? I know sometimes it is easy to get caught up with other peoples opinions, specially the mother’s of the world. Sometimes, and don’t get me wrong, I am no exception, we all can agonize over the little things… Should you have the pink champagne or a speciality drink? Do you pay extra for the bigger floral centerpieces? Do you splurge for the chiavari chairs?? Sometimes, you even find yourself comparing your plans with your best friend (who happen to be getting married a month after you), wedding plan’s. While you agonize, question and compare, please take a step back and ask yourself these questions…. “Do you like it!? Do you even really care? Is this thing you are stressing about now really going to add that extra little something to your big day?” If the answer is yes, then good! Keep doing what you are doing. If the answer is no, then stop your worrying! Everything will be beautiful, lovely and completely and totally you.

Let me fill you in on a little secret… Wedding guests really only care about three things; dancing, food and whether or not they had a good time. They don’t think about how much time and effort you put into handwriting, rewriting and then re-rewriting the seating chart. They don’t know how many hours you spent contemplating if there are enough peonies in the centerpieces. And they definitely don’t have any real understanding how many emails you sent questioning the number of candles on each table.   You are better off focusing on the bigger picture and most importantly, what makes YOU and your fiance happy. So, when in doubt, ask yourself this yes or no question…”Does this make me happy?”

xo,

Yael

“So I think we found the perfect venue” one of my bride’s said as we were chatting on the phone.

“Oh great! Which one!?” I asked as I pull out my pen and notebook to jot it down.

As my excited YPbride continued, my heart sunk. I could tell she was thrilled! She found an amazing venue that fit her style, her budget and the coordinator even said they were still available for her preferred wedding date! She was over the moon excited! The only problem was, she was inviting over 350 people and the venue was slightly too small for her guest list.

As I waited for her to take a breath I calmly said “That all sounds great… but do you know the trick in figuring out how many guests can fit in the venue?”

She hesitated and said “oh… no, what is it.”

Friends and family come first. You want everyone there don’t you? That’s why you have to take into consideration how many people are near and dear in your heart before you find your venue. Ok, I will make this as easy as possible. If you are anything like me, numbers are not your friends. Your favorite number is now 30. All you have to do is multiply 30 x the number of names on that guest list and BAM, you have your number. The rule of thumb = 30 square feet per guest. It is that simple. I know, it sounds like a ton of space and you are probably wondering, “Yael, is that really necessary?!” I promise you it is! Think about it… you don’t JUST need a place for your incredible friends and family to sit.  You need room for not only the guests, but the tables they will sit at and enjoy the delicious food you chosen, a dance floor to show off their coolest dance moves, space for the amazing waiters and waitresses to move swiftly and comfortably and a good amount of space for the band, the cake, the incredible dessert table, the bar, and the other bar (because sometimes, one bar is just not enough). Your wedding is much more than a sit down affair and you and your guests deserve to be able to move around comfortably. So, when you start researching venues, pull out that calculator baby! 

February 2008:

“So, I have exciting news” My mom said as she walked down the stairs to the living room. “What?” I said, as I lounged on the leather sofa in my school uniform and UGGs, not even looking up from my Samsung Alias phone. I was clearly way more interested in my text conversation with my best friend from sleep-away camp (shout out to Dina Sebrow) than what my mom had to say.

She sighed and continued to talk “Bec and Sim picked a wedding date…”

She just looked at me, being the typical, uninterested, 15 year old girl that I was, I said nothing.

“It’s going to be the Sunday of 4th of July weekend” My mom said.

I looked up…”Why would they do that! It’s a holiday for crying out loud” I finally said in the most dramatic voice that could ever come out of my mouth. I put my Alias down next to me and crossed my arms.

My mom sat down on the sofa next to me and taught me one heck of an important lesson.

You must be thinking “Well duh, Yael. That is an obvious one.” and in ways you are totally right, there are certain dates that you already know are never going to happen. But here is the cool part… Did you know that high sought – after seasons and days of the week are more expensive? A Saturday evening reception at the end of the summer and a Friday midday wedding in the middle of winter at the same venue can have vastly different prices. So, if your SO is dying to see you walk down the aisle at his favorite venue, pick a Friday or a slightly colder day of the year. It will save you money, make him happy and allow you to have a larger budget for the dream dress you have always wanted. In my book, that is a win win win! 

Becca and Simcha did it right; not only did they get married on a Sunday, but a holiday weekend no less! Which, at the time, was one the smartest wedding decisions they could have made!

They have now been married for over 10 years and have four incredible kids… I mean how can you NOT want to follow their lead : ) 

xo,

Yael