Southfield Bridal Boutique

11 Winter Wedding Favors Your Guests Will Totally Keep

December 19, 2018 by aaadmin Leave a Comment

Source: Brides

Not all wedding favors are created equal. Some are cute, some are cheeky, some are tasty, and some are downright tacky! The key to a great wedding favor is to make it both personal and relevant to your wedding—and, of course, to pick something your guests will actually enjoy.

Some more rules of favor giving: 1) Make it pretty. If it’snot already in a pretty package, it’s up to you (or your wedding planner!) to make sure it is presented in a way that seems intentional and put-together (something haphazard or sloppy). 2) EVERYONE enjoys food. Period. And drinks. So any favors that have something to do with either of these will most likely be a hit. 3) Call us crazy, but if you really want your guests to hang onto the favors, (unless it’s something that IS food related that will either be consumed or thrown away when it’s gone) don’t brandish it with your name and/or wedding date. Think about it: would you rather have a cozy throw or scarf that doesn’t say anything or one that is monogrammed with someone else’s initials and wedding date? It’s your day, but give your guests something they’ll actually enjoy!

As the snow falls and the temperatures drop, we say keep it seasonal, too, and treat your guests to one of these winter wedding favors,sure to be crowd-pleasers.

Cocktail Kits

A little hair of the dog never hurt anyone, especially a hungover guest who barely makes their flight home! Buy these cute cocktail kits (we obviously suggest a hot toddy kit for winter!), or put together your own little kits—with all the ingredients your guests need to recreate a warm cocktail on the flight home. Bonus points for an insert with ingredients and recipe so they can recreate!

Christmas Crackers

There’s nothing more fun than a cracker—and they’re so apropos for winter! Put them on your guests plates for a fun surprise when they sit down for dinner. We love these copper, and white ones from World Market,but they’re easy to DIY, too! This version contains a hat, joke and a surprise gift!

Mugs

If you have a fun, warm, winter-appropriate signature cocktail you’re dying to serve at your wedding, serve them in special mugs that your guests can keep after the wedding as their favor!

Socks

Sure, socks may not seem like the sexiest of wedding favors,but your guests will thank you when they’re traveling home and their feet are frozen on the plane.

What Time Should Your Wedding Ceremony Start?

November 21, 2018 by aaadmin Leave a Comment

Source: Martha Stewart Weddings

Timing is Everything

There are a number of factors to consider as you finalize your wedding-day timeline, including everything from the availability of your venue to the time needed to set up and the layout of your space. Before deciding on a start time for your ceremony, you’ll want to consider the logistical details and your personal preference.

Venue Rental

All venues have rules for how long and how late their event spaces can be occupied, and much of your wedding-day timeline will be based off these rules. For example, if you only have the venue for five hours and you know you want to party until ten o’clock, you’ll likely begin the ceremony right at five o’clock to maximize your time. Private estates and some more boutique properties might give you the option of the whole day, allowing you to start earlier.

Sunset Matters

If you’re planning an outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour, you might opt to base your timeline around where you’d like guests to be during sunset. Many couples prefer to have a sunset cocktail hour, but it depends on the time of year and how late the sunset is. For instance, during late fall in California, you could easily set your wedding ceremony time for five o’clock, kick off cocktails at 6 p.m., and head to dinner in the gardens just in time for sunset at 7 p.m.

Season

A peak heat outdoor ceremony is something the majority of couples want to avoid, so you probably wouldn’t plan on getting married outdoors between noon and 3 p.m. in the summertime. In the winter you’ll want to shimmy the timing up a bit earlier so that your outdoor vows don’t take place too close to nightfall.

Alternative Hours

Of course, there are many couples who prefer to go with alternative ceremony times. For instance, some swear by the romance of a sunrise ceremony while others might opt to exchange vows at the very end of the night during a New Year’s Eve wedding. It’s really a matter of personal preference and taking the whole wedding day timeline into consideration.

How to Return Wedding Gifts You Know You’ll Never Use

October 31, 2018 by aaadmin Leave a Comment

Source: Brides

When your wedding is all said and done, you’ll hopefully be left with a handful of good memories, a couple hundred photos, and a pile of gifts. As you’re ripping off the wrapping paper and uncovering the items that your guests have given you, you might notice that some of those gifts will never be used, cared for, or looked at again.

So what should you do with the gifts that you’re most likely going to bury underneath a pile of things you never use in your garage or shoved in the back of a closet? You should try to return them to get money or get something else from the store that you’ll actually use instead.

Here’s how you can return your unwanted wedding gifts. The best part is, the people who gave you the gift never have to know.

Sort Through Gifts ASAP

When the wedding ends, you’re going to feel tempted to want to sit back and relax, taking time off to recover from all things wedding. But before you kick your feet up and catch up on your favorite TV shows, the very first thing you should do is rip open the wrapping paper on your wedding gifts. Start sorting the items you received into two piles: a keep pile and a return pile.

If you received a lot of registry gifts at your bridal shower, be sure to separate them into piles right after as well.

After you’ve made your piles, start taking action. Examine the gifts in your return pile. Do you have a gift receipt for them? Do you know where they were purchased? To meet most store’s return policies, you want to bring items back within the month they were gifted to you. That way, you have a better chance at getting money back or a store credit.

Look Up the Store’s Return Policy

If you have a receipt for the gift, look up to see how long you have until you can no longer return it. Some stores give money back within 30 days and then after that, give store credit.

If you find that you don’t have a receipt for the gift, but you know exactly where it was purchased, it’s worth taking the item to the store, asking to speak with a manager, and explaining that it was given to you as a wedding gift. Stores like Nordstrom, Macy’s, Target, and TJ Maxx, have a reputation for being great with returns or working with customers who don’t have a receipt. Usually, they can scan the barcode on the item, see when it was purchased, and give you the amount that the item is valued at now (if it was purchased months or even years ago).

Ask the Gift Giver for More Information

Sometimes, after your wedding ends, you find that you are left with a pile of gifts that you have no idea where they were bought. If they end up in your return pile, strike up a conversation with the gift giver to inquire about more information. Casually ask them where they bought it from so that you can investigate the return policy.

Swap It, Sell It, Store It to Regift

If you’re finding yourself eyeballing a dead end when trying to return a specific item that you just don’t want, you might want to resort to getting your money back or your money’s worth in other ways. If you’ve been given a gift card you know you’ll never use, you can swap it for another one using a website like Cardpool. You can also sell your gifts on Facebook Marketplace or using the website Tradsey. Or, if you’ve received a gift that you know you can’t use, but someone else would adore, you can store it away to regift for someone’s next birthday, holiday, or wedding gift.

Five Entertainment Ideas for an Unforgettable Intimate Wedding

October 24, 2018 by aaadmin Leave a Comment

Source: Bridal Pulse

Having a small guest list doesn’t mean you have to think small when it comes to entertaining your guests. Whether you’re dreaming of a reception that has your guests dancing to the sounds of a live wedding band or you prefer something more subdued like a jazz trio during a cocktail reception, there is no reason an intimate wedding should make you scale back on your wedding entertainment plans.

In fact, with all that money you’ll save on having fewer guests, it will be easier to pull out all the stops when it comes to entertaining your guests. Here are just a few ideas to get your juices flowing:

Mix and mingle artists like close-up magicians are a, well, magical way to dazzle, break the ice, and move the conversation into free-flow mode. Perfect for drinks receptions and wedding breakfasts, where they’ll perform to small and not-so-small groups.

Post-ceremony refreshments? Yes please! A pop-up cocktail bar is a quirky way to stay lubricated. Your bartender can design bespoke cocktails for – and named after – the happy couple, and stock all your favorite beverages.

Solo singers come in all forms, from classical to jazz, swing, and even singer-guitarists, and make a breath-taking accompaniment to your ceremony, drinks reception and breakfast. For a fuller sound, opt for a duo or trio vocal harmony group.

Acoustic bands can be chilled or lively, from fun folk to smooth jazz – the choice is yours! They’ll wander among your guests and some will take requests, perfectly tailoring their set to your crowd.

Stylish and sophisticated, classical musicians like harpists or string quartets can turn their hand from masterpieces to modern chart tracks and movie hits in an instant. They’re perfect mood-setters for your ceremony and ambient atmosphere at your drinks reception and wedding breakfast.

6 Wedding Gifts No Couple Wants to Receive

October 17, 2018 by aaadmin Leave a Comment

Source: Martha Stewart Weddings

The anticipation when you start to open a wedding gift is high: Will the contents of the box be that deluxe coffeemaker that brews lattes and espressos you registered for, or could it hold the gorgeous stand mixer you loved the moment you saw it in the store? The box is open, the tissue paper unfolded, and you lift out the gift: It’s…an electric cheese grater. What? Why? You don’t come across as a person who needs voltage to grate her Parmesan. But bad gifts happen all the time, so be prepared for what lies ahead. Here are more presents that are generally unwelcome.

Anything that’s not on the registry.

Why veer off to the Land of Non-Registry Gifts, where the temptation to buy odd appliances and statues of farm animals is as strong as an ocean current? Buying a gift from the bride and groom’s registry is the way to go. It’s easy, it’s quick, and it’s a guaranteed winner. They picked out some items they really, really like, put together a list, and told people about it. Gift buying couldn’t be easier.

Something that suits the giver but not the couple.

Monogrammed towels are lovely but very traditional. So are crystal candlesticks and fine china. But if the couple has a very informal lifestyle where personal lettering and shiny things are of no interest, the gift giver is better off getting them the wind-surfing lessons they registered for instead.

Re-gifted items.

Oh yeah, it happens. There are brides and grooms who’ve found a “Merry Christmas, Judy” tag stuck to a box of napkin rings or a toaster in a yellowed box that looks like it’d been sitting in the basement for years. Everyone likes to save a buck but giving someone a gift you’ve rejected is just wrong.

“Cute” his-and-hers gifts.

If an engaged couple truly wanted matching aprons or bathrobes, they would’ve registered for them.

Artwork.

Surprised by this one? The reason it ranks as a worst gift is because no one is gifting a Matisse or Warhol—the newlyweds are more likely to get a kitschy painting of kittens dressed as pirates. Unless the gift-giver knows the taste of the couple extremely well, they need to step away from the wall art.

A bounced check.

This gift is just as embarrassing for the couple

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