Wedding Details

So it is wedding time again and already I am getting asked " when should we get our marriage license?" Well in the state of Utah there are no blood tests and no waiting period. The license is good for 30 days. Both bride and groom have to be present and they will need I.D. At the ceremony both bride and groom will sign in front of the officiant, along with 2 witness. Your officiant will take the license and mail it in and about 6 weeks you will receive your valid wedding certificate. Its just that easy. Happy planning!

The Hands Ceremony

I came across this while looking at other wedding websites... What wonderful wording for a ceremony or even a reading at a rehearsal dinner...

'Bride and Groom' Please face each other and take each other’s hands,
so that you may see the gift that they are to you.

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow and forever.

These are the hands that will work along side yours as together you build your future.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch will comfort you like no other.

These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief temporarily comes your way.

Read more… or Read more right here… »

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes, tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.

These are the hands that will give you support and encouragement to chase down your dreams.

These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times.

These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.

These are the hands that will lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into eyes that are filled with overwhelming love for you.

And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

Don't Hand Write Your Return Address On All Those Invites!

So, what is the easiest way to put the return address on all those wedding invitations you are sending out? Hand write them? Sure, but how many are you going to mess up doing that (ever try writing the same address 300 times?!) Print out labels? It may be faster than hand writing, but you aren't going to get a very elegant look... So, here is an alternative...

Embossing! Okay, so maybe all you crafty brides out there already thought of this, but for the rest of us I think this is a fantastic idea! They run from about $25-$59 (or more, depending on how fancy you want to get).

XStamper even has it so you can put in your info
and see what yours is going to look like... These are pretty basic, just name and address; I made a quick one that looks like this:

Wilshire Graphic Press has some very cute ones

that you can add a cute design to.

Also check out Crane & Co. for some fun designs.

I'm sure there are tons of other companies out there. Let us know if you are going this route, where you got yours and what kind of results you've had. And remember, you can use these on almost anything! Napkins, programs, wedding favors, etc.

New Invitations!!

So, we just got our new Stylart invitation book in... and it is AWESOME! There are some very new fun invitations in the book that you have to check out if you have the chance. Tons of different colors and layouts that I've never seen before. If you are looking for a picture invitation, these are definitely some you want to look at. Unfortunately, they don't have the new styles online yet... but if you go to a dealer you can check them out. Most Reception Centers, Bridal Shops, and Printers are Stylart vendors, so just ask!

Look for the book with this cover on it,
a different cover will mean an older version!

This Weekend's Bridal Shows...

Well, it's the end of the week... so I am posting this weekend's Bridal Shows! Check them out, let us know any great ideas/deals that you find!!

The Bridal Extravaganza
Tahitian Noni Visitors Center in the Riverwoods at Provo
January 26th and 27th, 2007
Friday, January 26th: 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Saturday, January 27th: 10:00 am - 7:00 pm
**Click on the link above for a
FREE Bride's Pass to the show**

Wedding Festival
South Towne Expo Center
January 26th and 27th, 2007
Friday, January 26th: 3:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Saturday, January 27th: 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
*I couldn't find a website for this show,
for more info call: 801.298.2980*

Bridal Faire
Taggart Student Center at Utah State in Logan
January 27, 2007: 9:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Getting closer...

Well I just picked Brandon's ring up at J. Brooks Jewelers today and I realized...I am so close to actually putting that ring on his finger and being married, I pretty much could not breathe for like it seemed 10 min (really just like 2 seconds), but it seemed like forever. I noticed in all the stress of planning the wedding I never really just sat and thought about actually GETTING MARRIED!! After I calmed myself I became so excited...not only am I getting married to the most handsome man; I have the best photographer in the world (Brody), one of the most beautiful cakes, but now I have the most beautiful soon to be flowers!! I have chosen to go with Petals and Blooms owned by Megan Boyle. She is INCREDIBLE! From the moment I met her I just loved her. Her look is so clean and fresh yet it has this edge that makes such a lasting impression. Megan is so organized and for a stressed out, OCD bride like I am, it is so refreshing. My wedding day will be so special and have such a unique look with the help of Petals and Blooms, I am so excited to see it all come together!!

Money dance

It has been a great start to the new year! Bookings are better than ever. Wedding plans have already begun for tons of brides. Most couples are choosing the celebration style of reception as opposed to the traditional Utah receiving line reception. Dancing is a very big part of these receptions. Now the big question. Do they do a money dance or not? Well here is your first clue, if I need to tell you what a money dance is, the answer is no. Most brides are attracted to the money dance because of the chance they will make extra money for their honeymoon or their new home. I would say one in fifty money dances are successful. Most families do not even have cash at the wedding unless the family has a traditional money dance at all of the family receptions. Of coarse the choice is yours, think about it hard because it is pretty embarrassing to be standing on the dance floor and no one getting up to dance with you. Maybe be prepared. One of my weddings in December the mother of the bride had 100 one dollar bills and she passed it out to everyone so they could have their turn with the bride or groom. Great idea! Tell me what you think, or share your story with us, we would love to hear from you.

Wedding Mapper

I found this awesome Wedding Mapper site the other day. I thought it was a neat alternative to mapquest as you can place pins at your ceremony, reception, hotels, dining, attractions, etc and customize the map. You can add links and descriptions on all of your custom places and your guests can click on them to get directions. You can even set it to satellite view to get a true view of the land. You can easily email and post the map on your wedding website. It is free to register.

This Weekend's Bridal Shows...

Just a reminder of this weekend's Bridal Shows...
You've got Ogden, SLC, and Provo, so wherever you are you should be able to check one out!

Standard Examiner Bridal Gathering
Union Station - Ogden, Utah
January 19th and 20th, 2007
Friday, January 19th: 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Saturday, January 20th: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm


Salt Lake's Premier Wedding Show
Joseph Smith Memorial Building and The Lion House
January 20th, 2007: 10am - 6pm
*This is a free show, register online to speed up the process*

The Bridal Fair
Provo High School on University Ave in Provo
January 20th, 2007: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
**By Pre-Registering, the Bride & Groom can get in FREE**

Sale at Pottery Barn!

So, as much as I love Pottery Barn, I am usually hesitant to buy much from them, not for any other reason than I am CHEAP. Okay, not cheap, maybe just frugal.... BUT, they have these super fun black frames that have a black mat, which I think is very cool... they run from $19.99 to $59.00, not too bad, even for my cheapness!

Welcome New Vendors!

I just wanted to drop a quick note to say "WELCOME" to a couple of our new vendors that have joined

Utah Bridal Solution!!

First, Digital Izatt Photography. Dustin is a great photographer out of Layton, he is such a nice person and so fun to be around. We are super excited to have him be part of our team!

Second, Reverend Sharon Lewis, she is an ordained minister that does an awesome job at non-religious and inter-faith ceremonies. Check her out if you are looking for someone to perform your ceremony.

We love that Utah Bridal Solution is expanding!
We can't wait for our new partners to help us gain insight on planning the perfect wedding.

The Bridal Showcase

We are still recovering from the The Bridal Showcase show but I did want to post some pics of some of the best parts of it. First off of course there is my booth.


I also made a lot of new friends at the show. Our booth was directly next to LatterDayBride and I look forward to working with them very soon on a couple of great projects. They had a model wearing some amazing dresses in their booth all day. If you need a dress this is a great place to go. And they are just a block down the street from our new studio in downtown SLC. Here is the booth crew for LatterDayBride.


I also got to say hi to my friends at Laughing Gravy Entertainment. If you are thinking about hiring a DJ for your wedding these guys are THE BEST in the business! Durven is the King of music!



Another thing that was super cool at the show was this ice sculpture that you poured the drinks through the top and spun down inside the sculpture and then poured out a spout. I am so sorry but I'm not sure who had the sculpture. There was so many people around it I had a hard time getting close to it. Check out the pic though.


And the last cool thing is Carries Cakes! She had some really amazing cakes on display. Just incredible and in my opinion she is the best in the state when it comes to wedding cakes.


If you missed the Bridal Showcase there are a few more bridal shows coming up so don't miss out. Unfortunately I wont be attending any of them. One show a year is plenty for me.

Brody

Never assume anything

I have this funny story to share with you. In one of my previous posts I mentioned how we at Tuscany Gardens are under construction. The big demo dumpster in the back of the building, the foot prints in my carpet from the construction crew, all of the inconveniences of remodeling. We are still doing tours for new couples, and actually are booking a lot of weddings. Yesterday a bride and her mother came on a tour of our building and fell in love with it. They wanted full sit down dinner for 150 people, open bar, dancing, outdoor ceremony, brunch for the girls before the ceremony, basically, " the works". The only thing that the mother had issues with, which she was very hesitant to even mention. Was the fact that her family would be devastated to walk past the big dumpster in the back lot to get into the building. Well I laughed because I just assumed that it was a known fact that the dumpster was temporary for construction, she thought it was a permanent trash bin. I am so glad that she asked me about it. So now I do not assume that everyone knows it is temporary, I make it a point to tell them the dumpster will be gone by Feb. As you tour different venues, ask all questions that come to mind, believe me the reception center will not mind. Better than you walking away not knowing and not booking.

Bridal Shows this Weekend...

Hey everyone,
I posted after Christmas about the Bridal Shows coming up this month... Here is a quick reminder to this weekends Bridal Shows. It's supposed to be cold this weekend, but that is all the better reason to go check out all the local vendors in a warm place!

Utah Wedding Expo
Show Barn at Thanksgiving Point
January 12th and 13th, 2007
Friday, January 12 3pm-8pm
Saturday, January 13 10am-6pm
**By Pre-Registering, the Bride & Groom can get in FREE**

BRIDAL SHOWCASE
Salt Palace Center
January 12th and 13th, 2007
Friday, January 12: 2 pm-9 pm
Saturday, January 13: 11 am-8 pm
*There are discount coupons on the website*
PLEASE NOTE!!! I have a few FREE Passes to this show! If you
would like one, please e-mail me at: Crystal@utahbridalsolution.com
First come, First serve!!

Google Notebook

I came across the Google Notebook the other day, which is a great (FREE) tool for saving all your important information that you find online. Whether it be for your wedding or a vacation, this is very cool. Basically, you highlight the info you want to save, 'right click' and choose "note this". It saves what you highlighted, the link to the site, AND you can add little notes. Here is a picture of the my notebook I was playing around with...


You do have to play with it a little bit to understand it, but once you do it's a nice thing to have. Plus, you can print the pages with all your notes, links, pictures, etc. Much easier than bookmarking and having to find everything again!

Guest Book Alternatives...

Tired of "boring" guest books?

Exclusively Weddings

Most of us have seen the signature frame matte, where your guests can sign around your picture...

Exclusively Weddings


But here is another option: Custom made Signature Books.

Brody Dezember Photography

These are professionally made books filled with pictures from your engagement sitting. These are wonderful because you can make the books as small or big as you like, as well as placing the pictures how and where you want. This is a fun option because your guests will have the opportunity to see a ton of your pictures in one spot. Also, they are more likely to write a personal note, rather than just their names as is the case with a 'boring' guest book.

These books are from Brody Dezember Photography, but most photographers should be able to do these for you...

Pets in your wedding

When you think about your wedding day and all of your close family and friends, alot of you are going to want to include your family pet in your celebration. Be sure a animal fits into your certain type of wedding. Maybe it will be outside at a park, which would be very appropriate, or at a very high class reception center or hotel which may not be acceptable.Be sure the pet is welcome at the wedding venue before you start to make plans as how to involve your animal. Animals are welcome here at our event center, and most people are respectable and do not let their animals run. Try to put someone in charge of your pet that can control them, and take them outside if they need to be walked. Not all pets are suited to a wedding. Is he friendly or aggressive? Does he make alot of noise? Does he steal food? Once you have decided how to include your pet, -as a ringbearer or flower dog - be prepared to be flexable. Animals do not always perform as we would like them to, so dont be dissapointed if things do not go as planned. Here are some tips to keep in mind if you are planning to include your pet.


Be sure you inform your attendants, vendors, including your weddingplanner,florist,deejay, or musicians, and photographer, that your pet will play a role, and discuss what special measures you would like them to take.

Put some one in charge of your pet.

Be sure your pet is kept safe. No pesticides on the venue grounds, no other animals to distract yours. Be sure your guests do not feed your pet,. Certain wedding fare can be dangerous, chocolate, alcohol, and meat with bones.

Be sure your animal is groomed before the wedding so he looks his best, and smells his best.

Excited about the "NEW YEAR"

This year is going to be a exciting one here at Tuscany Gardens. Today is the first business day of the new year. We arrived at 8 am, the construction crew was here, and work began on our new addition. Hopefully the work will take about one month. When it is finished we will have a much larger ceremony/dance room with a stage area for bands and ceremonies for over a hundred people. Access to the lower courtyard thru french doors outside so the guests can mingle in and out. Come take a look if you have time, we would love to show it to you, and of coarse we will keep you posted. Hope all of you have started planning your wedding, most of the reception centers are already booking for this year events, I know we have. Good luck and Happy new year!

If I could do it all again...

I got married a few years ago... more than five, less than ten :), and sometimes I have brides ask me what I would do differently if I could do it all over again. Well, now that I am in the "Wedding Business" I (pretend to) know so much more, so I would change quite a few things, but also keep some things the same.

I would go to Vegas... Okay, maybe not, but sometimes when you are planning a wedding that seems far easier!

I would postpone the wedding a bit to be able to afford a "better" wedding... Unlike other Utah weddings, my husband and I pretty much paid for our own wedding, rather than our parents paying for it. We bought a house a few months before we got married, so that pretty much depleted the wedding fund.

I would use FRESH flowers instead of silk... Don't get me wrong, my flowers were beautiful and I loved them, but I, like many other brides, wanted to "save" my flowers! Well, lets just say they have been sitting in my cedar chest since right after my wedding. Fresh flowers are so beautiful, I would definately suggest going fresh if you can! Look into flower preservation if you want to save them.

I would use a Caterer... I chose a location that I could do my own food, because I wanted to save money. That was the dumbest thing I could have done. It was a pain to organize family members to pick up the food, set it up, serve it, etc. etc.

I would hire a different Photographer... At the time we got married, photography was more of a hobby for my husband. My pictures were not bad, but the engagements and bridals were very posed and the wedding day pictures were pretty boring. I wish I had more pictures with emotion and showing the true us, not the "posed" us.

The Dress... I loved my dress, I got it from The Bridal Corner, and they were wonderful to work with. I might choose a different dress, but that's normal, how many shirts do you have from five years ago that you still wear??

The Cake... I had a friend of the family do my cake for very little money. Let's just say you get what you pay for. It was okay, nothing fancy, but if I could do it again I would definitely do something a little different. Probably a simple fondant cake with fresh flowers.

The "Officiant"... We had a family friend perform our ceremony, and I wouldn't change anything with that. I think it is important to meet with the person performing your ceremony before the actual wedding day. By meeting with our officiant we were able to discuss what we wanted included in the ceremony and didn't have any surprises.

Invite less people... I would have preferred a more intimate wedding that included a sit-down meal. We had a 3 hour reception which was way too long, and most of the people that came were friends of our parents and not friends of ours.

Okay, so maybe I would change quite a few things... but we learn from our mistakes and we also change our preferences as we get older. One suggestion I would make is to go for quality and not quantity in your wedding. For example, invite fewer guests which will allow you to choose a better menu. Budget according to your priorities, maybe a harpist is important to you, but favors for the guests are not. Only you can decide what is important for your wedding day, don't let the details stress you out (too much). Your wedding is supposed to be the happiest day of your life!