A few Great Wedding Songs

I was watching PLDA, you know that music concert channel, while doing work at home one Wednesday when this country guy - Brad Paisley came on.  I'm not particularly a country music fan.. but then this song came on, and I almost started crying.



What a great song for a wedding! Here are a few more of my favorites for couples songs or first dances...

Lucky - Ben Folds (this one will make you cry)



Today - Joshua Radin (watch it through - he performed live at Ellens wedding.. awww, sooooo good!) What I would do for him to perform this song live for my wedding...

Wedding Lawn Games

Having an outdoor wedding? Have you considered creating lawn games for your guests?  Who says lawn games are just meant for summer time picnics and birthday parties?  Wedding lawn games can be a really fun way to entertain guests during cocktail hour. Check out some of these great ideas i found on oh lovely day.

Contact your Hawaii Wedding Planner to find out how to rent your perfect and personalized wedding lawn game today. E-mail Erika or Nicole at Best Day Ever - Hawaii's Premere Wedding Planners,  for details. 

5 Tips to Compiling your Perfect Guest List

Creating a guest list for your wedding may seem like a simple task, but once you get started, couples often begin to realize just how complicated it can become.  Here are a few tips to creating a Guest List the easy way. 

1. Decide how many guests you want to invite.  Make four lists: the brides lists, the grooms list, the brides parents list and the grooms parents list.  If you like you may also have one additional list called a wish list.  The wish list can be a list of people you'd like to invite but aren't really sure about.  In each of the first four lists make sure the guests names are spelled correctly and label each with an "A", "B", or "C" notation. "A" standing for those who are definitely invited. "B" standing for those who are most likely invited. "C" standing for those who you don't really need to be there but feel the need to invite them. 

2. Decide on a final head count.  Add your lists together and figure out your final headcount.  If the number is too high eliminate your wish list and your "C"'s from your lists as needed.  Make sure to discuss eliminating guests with parents.  Explain to them the costs per head and why you are choosing not to invite them.  It may help to reassure them that it is not personal, but rather a issue with the budget.

3. Make a Master List.  Use index cards or a computer program such as Google Docs or Microsoft Excel to put your guests in alphabetical order and number the final list list.  If you are unfamiliar with these programs your hawaii wedding planner can also help you with this. You can also put addresses on this list which will come in handy later with invitations and thank-you notes.  Make note of how many kids you are inviting and their ages.  Often times caterers and restaurants charge half price for children under 10 and let children under 5 eat free.  Also, be sure to note how many vendors you have.  It is not uncommon for caterers to let your vendors eat for free or for half price, which could be a huge savings for you.  Remember that having an organized master list will also help your hawaii wedding planner with the seating arrangements, table settings, etc.

4. Don't feel obligated to invite everyone.  It is your wedding, you do not have to give everyone a plus one.  If you have never met their significant other or your guest is single do not feel obligated to give them an extra seat, this is totally dependent on your budget.  Also, consider not inviting children.  It is not uncommon to have an adult only event.  A simple way to do this is to write out the names of the adults invited on the invitation cleverly leaving out the children's names.  Be sure to write a total amount of guests invited as well.  For example: Mr and Mrs. Smith, __ of 2 guests will attend. 

5. Make sure to give a unique number to each invitation.  This way when you get your invitations back you can reference them easily and cross them off your list.  It is inevitable that you may have to follow up with some guests who did not return their RSVP card, but by having your list updated you will easily know which guests you need to contact. 

Guest lists can become overwhelming especially when parents become involved.  Try to keep in mind that this is your wedding.  Ultimately who is on the guest list is in your hands.  Keeping your guest list under control will help you to stay organized and help your wedding planner to create a perfect wedding day.

How to find Inspiration for your Wedding and Your Personal Wedding Style

If you are like most brides you have been looking forward to your wedding day since you were 10.  You have probably imagined your perfect dress, your perfect cake and walking down the isle with your perfect person too.  There is no question every bride wants her wedding to be an unforgettable day, a magical time, and a perfect event that will inspire your guests to weep tears of joy. But how do you achieve this perfection? Well, it certainly helps to start with inspiration. Here are a few tips to figure out your wedding style.

Tip 1: Magazines. Take a trip to the drug store and grab a bunch of wedding and fashion magazines. Thumb through them and start imaging how you can fit some of these ideas into your ideal wedding venue, dress, bridesmaids dresses, and reception. Start a wedding inspiration book or binder. Cut out any images or pictures you find inspiring and glue them into your inspiration book. After you have several pages in your binder you will start to see a style or pattern. Do you love pinks or rock and roll ideas or vintage themes? You can use these themes to show your wedding planner what you like. You can also use this binder to help you chose your venue and flowers and even your dress!

Tip 2: Wedding Blogs. Spend some time on the internet. Check out the best wedding blogs and make tabs or bookmarks of all the real weddings and wedding ideas you love. You can also copy out pictures that you like and print them out to add to your inspiration book. You can find bridesmaids gifts, wedding planning ideas, decorating ideas, photography poses, cake designs, seating arrangement design and more. There is no limit to the ideas you will find in wedding blogs and websites.

Tip 3: Wedding Expos. Take a trip to your local wedding expo. Explore the different vendors and get an idea of which vendors you feel most connected to and would like to use. Make sure to talk to everyone - get an idea for their style and personalities and don't forget to grab a bunch of brochures and business cards for later. Once you have your inspiration book & have gathered a few ideas of what you want your perfect day to be like, spend some time looking at your local vendors websites and make a few appointments to meet with your local Hawaii wedding planners.

Tip 4: What do you love?  Inspiration for your wedding does not have to come from a specific blog or magazine. You may be inspired by your childhood beach house, your favorite movie/book or even your favorite far away place. Colors and design can based around any idea you love. For example, if you love the beach and ocean you can choose aquas, teals and sandy beiges as your colors. Incorporating beach glass, sand and shells to your table design could also be an option. Bridesmaids dresses could also be in shades or blues and bridesmaids and groomsmen gifts could be really cool shades.

You can find inspiration for your wedding just about anywhere, it is just a matter of taking the time to figure out what you like. Once you have a few ideas of inspiration you like, spend some time with your wedding planner and discuss together how you can create your dream wedding. Your Hawaii wedding planner can help you find the best local vendors, venues, photographers, videographers, etc.

This is a day you will remember for the rest of your life, so make sure to take the time to figure out exactly what you want. Try not to get discouraged with too many outside opinions. And most importantly, don't forget, this is your day!!

Personalized Coloring & Activity Book

Why not do something different for your wedding & get personalized activity book for all the kids? Super cute idea to keep the kids entertained during the reception & I'm sure the parents will love looking through it too. Here's the Activity Book I designed for my wedding in November. The characters I drew even look a lot like us:) And the word search includes all the kids names - how fun!! If this is something you'd like for your wedding, check out our website or shoot us an email today!

Me, Kenji & Cally - I think it looks like us.. What do you think? 

Kenji really does l o v e peanut butter.. (and pizza) lol.

I added in all the kids names who are attending our wedding. Thought it be fun for them to find themselves in the word search. The littlest kids names are the easiest to find and the older kids have it a bit harder:)

Personalized Crossword Puzzle - Tried to make some questions easy for the kids and others a little harder so they'd have to ask their parents... What questions would you have in your crossword puzzle? 

What do you think? Would love to hear your comments! Also, if this is something you'd like for your wedding, check out our website or shoot us an email today!

Trash the Dress

A great way to get more out of your very special wedding dress is to do a "Trash the Dress" photoshoot. Any excuse to wear it again, right? Here are some "Trash the Dress" photos that are simply awesome!

bluenaluphotography.com

photo: Erica Berger

Photo Courtesy of OnceWed.com

photo: Erica Berger

Photo: Rachel Robertson Photography

Dos and Do Nots of Guest Lists and Invites

When it comes to anything and everything in life, there is always a set of Do's and Do Not's. Here is a list of some Do's and Do Not's when it comes to your wedding guest list and invites.

1. Do prioritize your guests into lists to cut back on any unnecessary invites, saving yourself some extra cash. Check out our previous blog: “Your Guest List, Easy as ABC”.

2. Do Not feel obligated to give your "single" friends a plus 1 invite. Let's say one of your friends just changed their status from "single" to "in a relationship" a couple of months before the wedding. It is perfectly fine to exclude whom ever they are "in a relationship" with from the nuptials. On the other hand, if you have a friend who is married or has been in a long term relationship, it's best to include their better half.

3. Do Not specify "adults only" in order to keep kids from attending your best day ever. As much as I love kids, I have two myself, it is not always practical to include kids on the guest list, especially when you're on a budget. Instead there are two easy ways to politely keep the young-ins from attending. The first would be to address the invitation to the parents only, for example, Mr. and Mrs. John Smith. Typically to include the kids or invite the whole family, one would address the invite as "Mr. and Mrs. John Smith" or simply "Smith family".

Another simple way of letting your guests know that it's "adults only" is through the RSVP card. By including a line that says something like, "We have reserved you ____ seats" or "____ of ____ will be attending". In both cases you fill in the blanks with how many are invited. In the latter, your guest is to fill out the first blank.

4. Do Not hand out invitations with past RSVP dates. Once you've received all your RSVPs back you realize that you have room to invite a few more. Make certain that you do not include an RSVP card that's past it's date. Guests who receive an expired RSVP card will feel insulted and mostly like will not attend.

5. Do make certain you have adequate postage on your invites. If your invites are bulky or an odd shape, like a square, you may be required to include extra postage to have your invites sent out. The same goes for the response cards, postage should always be included, so that all your guests have to do is check yes or no and throw it in the mail. Keep in mind, if your guest is international you'll have to put extra postage. Information on how much postage is needed can be found online at usps.com or better yet, bring your invites to your nearest local post office.

6. Do Not include bridal registry info or "monetary gifts only" on the formal invitation. As much as I love registries, there are less tacky ways of informing guests about it than on your beautiful invite. Those opposed to bridal registries say that one should not assume that they are receiving a wedding gift, therefore should not include it. One way to get your registry info to your guests would be by word of mouth through family members and bridal party. Second, post the information on your wedding website. Check out our previous blog on “Wedding Websites!”. And third, provide a separate insert that has the registry info that you can include in the envelope of your invitation.

For more on invitation etiquette, check out Emily Post.

This Video will make you cry

Ok - so in my search for a videographer I also, began researching videos - just so that when I did find the perfect videographer I could have a few links in mind as to what I was looking for and wanted for my own video. Here in Hawaii it is difficult to book the good videographers and even more difficult to know who the good videographers are without a wedding planner. Call us today to get the scoops on who to use and book early! Especially on special dates like 11.11.11 or 9.10.11, etc.. In the meantime, check out this video I stumbled upon. It's so good! Listen to their vows - so sweet! I warn you- watching this may bring tears...  but more importantly it will remind you what this whole wedding process is all about:), the two of you!

After going through their blog - I actually inquired about getting these guys to come out to Hawaii to do my wedding - and believe it or not they said they DO TRAVEL TO HAWAII! They said they love hawaii and would be happy to make the trip as long as the date is open. For more on Capture Studios or other really good local videographers, email us today!


Gene + Jill // Two Pease in a Pod from capture studios on Vimeo.
5Dmk2 and 7D. Steadicam Merlin in hand. Cinevate Atlas 30 for tracking shots.



MUSIC BY BEN RECTOR : "WHEN SHE COMES AROUND"

Vintage Wedding to die for

I love this wedding, the old school furniture lounges in the middle of a field - always loved this idea, the special hand-painted signs (we rent these out also - and can create them special for you), you can tell Audree & Matt spent a year collecting and ravaging the swap meets vintage estate sales in order to pull this one off, it truely is amazing... OH and then theres their video, the 2000 Days of Audree & Matt.. video - so cute!


Stop Motion Wedding Invite 2000 from M and A on Vimeo.

Look at how each guest has their own special vintage dish. If you love this detail as 

much as I did mention it to Erika & I ... we spent months collecting vintage dishes, 

dinner plates, dessert plates, silverware, antique silver detailed cake servers, etc. 

so we could create this same warm & old school feel. We do rent them out to special

couples who want something unique and one of a kind for their special day.

 Original post from 100 Layer Cake - click here to read the whole story.