Top Tips for Wedding Day Success

Blog Wedding Tips

Blog Pathway Wedding Tips

1) The Special Day – everything, yes everything hinges on “The Day”. If you select a spring wedding, allow for rain; summer’s contenders may be oppressive heat, autumn dates are subject to blustery billows of mayhem and winter weddings can become frozen nuptial popsicles. ~~~ Date selections can be based on romantic “first met moments” or practical options, such as planning around work. ~~~ Talk openly and honestly with your partner and wedding planning participants. Brainstorm resolutions for any possible contentions your selected date may bring. If your budget allows for heated tents in a snow covered forest; then go ahead with that dream winter wedding.

Wedding Day Tips

2) Get to Know Your Vendors – As weddings become increasingly more detailed, the introduction of wedding planners has risen to the ranks as a must have. Planners should be interviewed by you and you should feel completely comfortable with their persona, methodologies and styles. As with ‘project managers’ in construction, a good wedding planner will be your go to person for almost everything. Keep in mind, a great wedding planner will give you the opportunity to meet with each vendor providing services on your special day. The choice to meet them is yours, but you should be encouraged to do so.

Wedding Vendor Blog Post

Your instincts play a pivotal role in these meetings. Do you feel you are being treated with respect? How is the communication and rapport between your wedding planner, yourself and the vendor? Did they come to the meeting prepared? Did they take superfluous phone calls in your presence? ~~~ As the process progresses, you want to know that Joe’s Linens is going to be committed to delivering the crisp white linens you chose rather than Pereolli’s Eatery fire red tablecloths and napkins (don’t ask!!)

3) Speaking of Color – Weddings instantly evoke imagery; imagery filled with our personal color preferences. Determining the palette for your special day should include several factors. ~~~ What are the surrounding natural colors of your venue? Keep in mind fixed items like flooring, wall color etc. Are you striving to compliment or contrast? How well does the preferred color wave look in the venue’s lighting? Take into account the size, shape and layout of your venue. ~~~ If you and your beloved can decide wholeheartedly on one thing, such as flower COLOR, wedding invitation COLOR, bridal party COLOR, linen COLOR, etc then let that selection be your building block; the foundation for each item after – by doing so, the overwhelming options which present themselves will instantly be narrowed; allowing you to be stress free.

Blogging Image Wedding

4) Venue – the origin of the word comes from the late 16th century (denoting a thrust or bout in fencing; also in the Law sense): from Old French, literally ‘a coming’, feminine past participle of venir ‘come’ from Latin venire. Oh my! (another blog post in it’s own right!) Basically a venue is your chosen spot/facility/house or barn/field/boat (or planet, perhaps, one day) where you have decided to hold your wedding day.

Unique wedding

Getting the right ‘vibe’ or ‘feel’ is largely relies on your venue. A disco themed costume wedding, filled with ’80’s  music and glittering dance balls probably will not embrace an ancient cathedral. Be aware of contrasting and complimentary options. Certain interplay of styles can be carried off marvelously; such as farmhouse glam. ~~~ Style dichotomy aside; be practical and assure the number of guests attending can be comfortably accommodated. Give thought to accessibility; for your vendors and deliveries, also.

Wedding Tip Blog post

5) Makeup, Hair, Shoes, Dress, Jewels – Bride, know thy self. Leave the fairytale Cinderella styles at the castle gate if you are a bohemian farm girl. In turn, do not acquiesce to the vestiges modern haute couture if you pine for billows of lace and tulle. Trends are meant to inspire; they should never become mandates. From your hairstyle to your choices in footwear; make sure you are comfortable! When you look in the mirror, do you see someone else? If so, you are on the wrong fashion path. You should be seeing the best vision of YOU. Sizing, sizing, sizing – let that repeat in your head like ‘Marcia, Marcia, Marcia’! Fashion designers around the world agree; no matter the measurements of a woman, a properly fitted garment can make her look stunning.

Blog Wedding Tips

Shoes, (ok, Poetic Pastries could write an entire blog on shoes – but I digress …) Challenge yourself to wear those 3 inch heels at home for as long as your wedding day event(s) will actually be. If you can’t stand the atmospheric pressure, it may be wise to opt for something more comfortable. Changing your shoes, regardless of whether or not you change into a reception outfit is perfectly acceptable.

Blog Image Wedding Day Tips

Makeup is not synonymous with being made-up. The individual who ‘styles’ you on your blessed day, should allow the glow of your happiness to radiate without masking. “Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.” said Coco Chanel. For makeup to be effective it must be adeptly applied. Makeup should echo your quirks, it should camouflage only when absolutely necessary and always flatter. Experiment with makeup and hairstyles long before the wedding day, this is not the time for surprises. Narrow down your choices even further when your wedding gown is chosen. Best practices are to literally dress the part from top to bottom. You can get pre-wedding photographs taken or simply check mirrors (360 and magnification). Be the best of you – and smile! ~~~ Jewels ~ if you love them, go for it; but remember you aren’t playing the role of a glitter bomb. Tasteful bits of sparkle and bling should add to the radiance illuminating your face. Anything more will distract from the total package of bridal wow-ness you have strived to achieve.

6) Flowers – My dear friend is a florist by trade. Her floral masterpieces are SWOON worthy. She states, regrettably, brides to be, often put off the florist as the last vendor. The problems and costs this creates can be reduced, if the wedding flower selection begins early. It goes without saying, if you show up a week before your wedding on Valentine’s day and want your local florist to deliver dozens upon dozens of roses … you will be competing with men everywhere! (we hope, anyway lol) But, if in the fall the previous year, you made arrangements to have these flowers, your florist would happily amend their ordering quantity; allowing both you and Mr Abernathy to bask in the sweet aroma of blooming roses.

Wedding Blog post

Another professional tip; florists delight in seeing brides bring inspiration with them; if you have selected anything at this point, i.e. color palette, invitations, dresses etc – bring them. More and more brides are saving ‘pins’ and creating Pinterest boards. It is perfectly acceptable to share these ideas with your florist (this recommendation applies to every vendor).

7) Papier, Ephemera, Invitations – Modern times have incorporated a plethora of stationery designed specifically for weddings and surrounding events (engagement announcements, wedding planners, save-the-date cards, wedding invitations, rsvp cards, table numbers, placeholders – nametags for seating, bulletins, memory cards, guest books, thank you cards; are but a few). These paper gems should reflect the essence of your wedding day style. Our wedding invitations and other event papier are thoughtfully designed; couples can be be confident each Poetic Pastries Studio selection they make, represents their personality, from fonts to form … colors to collections; your wedding, your way!

Blog Wedding Tips

8) Music and Seating – If you aren’t going to be happy with Pereolli’s linens, daresay their choice in heritage Italian bands is not going to meet the needs of your Gaelic inspired festivities. Know your niche, talk to the musical group’s representative. Listen to them play your chosen instrumentals or hear them sing your special event songs; BEFORE the wedding. Wrong song, wrong name, crooned to the wrong person. Don’t let your wedding day be hit with the blues of a bumpy note.

Blog for Wedding Tips

Now, that you have corralled the tunes; let’s take a moment to talk about guest seating. Not every family has a Hatfield and McCoy scenario, but there may be a cousin or sibling who has issues with another; or perhaps a divided/separated/divorced set of guests will be attending. Keep apprised as much as possible to the underlying facets of your family’s relationships. Nuance the seating for all aspects of the event, shower parties, rehearsal(s), the wedding day and the reception. During these activities, play your role as the gracious hostess bride; by visiting with your guests, moving about, outwardly carefree, you will be able keep your eyes and ears open – should anything be simmering on the surface; you now have created the opportunity to squelch it – asap.

Wedding Blog Tips

9) Be Honest – Relay to your wedding planner or/and any vendor(s) your honest assessment/opinion/capability/willingness regarding budget. The detrimental impact of over spending on a wedding can last for months (if not longer); it can cause a rift between the newly wed couple or tension within families. No bride and groom want to return from their honeymoon with a stack of bills; a fiscally mis-managed wedding is not a good start. Comprise and frugality are not four letter words.

Wedded Couple

10) Say No – With your joyful day being the buzz, endless well wishers will be offering tips, (like Poetic Pastries Studio)! Our goal, (including your beloved dear old Uncle Ed’s) is to share, what we believe, is helpful information. Dispensed in the hopes you can create the wedding of your dreams. But, Uncle Ed’s idea of having bbq whilst you are adorned in your ivory ensemble, may not be to your liking. Ever so graciously ‘thank” each person who has made your upcoming day the hot topic; listen to them in all earnest. Savor the caring. Choose those insights which your stir soul. For those that are less than appetizing; you need not indulge.

Wedding Tips

11) Thank You – The tide subsides; the wedding day will have come and gone. You and your beloved are now looking at wedding photos; placing heartfelt gifts throughout your new abode. The wedding clock rings the hour of ‘gratitude’. Take this precious moment and write a thank you to Uncle Ed. “Dear Uncle Ed, thank you for being a part of our special day! We also wanted  to tell you how much we appreciated your wedding bbq idea. You will be pleased to know that our first dinner party will be a bbq; inspired by you!”  …. Poetic Pastries Studio believes kindness is a gift that costs nothing but one which lingers a lifetime. Ponder these words written in 1876 by English Professor Westlake “Take pains; write as plainly and neatly as possible; rapidly if you can, slowly if you must. Good writing affects us sympathetically, giving us a higher appreciation both of what is written and of the person who wrote it. Don’t say, ‘I haven’t time to be so particular’ Take time or else write fewer letters and shorter ones.” Thank you cards act as a sweetener to the souls of both the sender and the recipient. We believe that etiquette should be a must; never an after thought.

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Rev. Snyder Visits The Little Sprout

At times, I have to do some errands for the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. It’s not that I like to do these errands, but I have learned this is one secret to getting along with her.

The errand she had for me was to go to the Mall and pick up something she had ordered. In my own way I tried to finagle out of that errand, but the more I finagled the more insistent she was. So, I decided to finagle no more.

As the pop song says, “I have a million reasons not to go, give me one reason to go.” I tried to play this on her and her response was, “Because I asked you to.”

You just cannot get any better than that. I know, because I have tried.

Since I do not go to the mall that often, I thought I would stop in at a coffee shop and have myself a cup of coffee and just chill out a little. Taking my coffee out in the main area of the mall, I sat in one of the lounge chairs and watched the people go by.

As a young person, my favorite author was Ernest Hemingway. In one of his books he says that the important thing for a writer is to, “listen, listen, listen.” I tried to practice that throughout my life so I thought here at the mall would be a good opportunity to do just that.

It was rather noisy, but I tried my best to listen. Some of the things I heard I wished I would not have heard, but that is the price you pay for listening.

In my situation, I could not hear much of a conversation, but the little that I did hear I tried to figure out what they were trying to say. I know I got some things wrong, but I laughed very discreetly at some things I heard.

Halfway through my coffee something struck me that I never thought of before.

So many young people and children were racing through the mall. I did not know there were that many children on planet Earth. They were running and laughing and whatever else they could think of.

I just sat back and watched. I tried to listen, but there was so much noise I really could not listen so I watched. Here these young people were having the time of their life. They were laughing and joking among themselves and just having a good time.

Occasionally I caught the joke and laughed to myself, but most of the jokes I did not understand. I guess that has to do with an age difference.

It was right after Halloween and so a lot of the gibberish in the mall had to do with the Halloween spirit. I thought several were dressed for Halloween, but realized that that is exactly what they wear every day.

I saw one young girl wearing blue jeans with so many holes that they really lack purpose. I was later to find out that you buy these blue jeans with all the holes in them. Moreover, the more holes they have, the more expensive they are.

When I was young I had blue jeans with lots of holes, but I earned every one of those holes.

My spirits were beginning to rise and I was enjoying my visit in the mall. Do not let that get out, I do not want anybody to know I was having a good time, particularly, you know who.

It seemed the more I watched, the more young people and children flooded the mall. And, the laughter rang from one end of the mall to the other with me in between.

As I was enjoying this little episode, a thought snuck into my mind. I must confess that it is a rare occasion when a thought actually comes to my mind. This time a thought did come to my mind.

What I wanted to know was, why were all of these kids happy? Why were they having so much fun?

Don’t they know how miserable the world is today? Don’t they know how sad and horrific things are on the outside? The hatred, the anger, the putrefaction of the world as we know it.

Quickly my smile turned upside down and I frowned.

It then came to me. These kids in the mall having a wonderful time were not all caught up with what is going on out in the world. Their world is a world of fun and excitement. It is only the “old geezers” that know about all of the terrible things going on in the world. The young only see the good.

In pondering this, I asked myself a very serious question. Why in the world did I grow up?

Why couldn’t I have stayed young and naïve and only focused on having a good time? If I had stayed young, I probably would not be so depressed by everything that is going on “out in the world.”

In pondering this, I thought of what David once said. “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psalms 37:25).

I can appreciate what these young people see, but they really cannot appreciate what I have seen through the years. That is simplyArticle Search, God always takes care of his people.

Guest Article; Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship. He lives with his wife in Silver Springs Shores. Call him at 1-866-552-2543 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. His web site is www.jamessnyderministries.com 

The Muse’s Children’s Tale > The Little Sprout

Little-Sprout-childrens-book-by-muse-of-poetic-pastries

 

Pansylee VanMeteren Illustrator, Author, Poet, Songwriter Lyricst, Artist of WV - The Muse - Poetic Pastries