Hello hello! I was flipping through a Modern Bride today and stumbled across a tidbit about Wedding Apps for iPhones. I love me some color so I had to check out ColorSnap from Sherwin-Williams. I must say – if you’re a color fanatic or just love messing around with colors, you MUST discover it for yourself! Download it here.

It’s super simple to use. Take a picture or select one from your library, then select the area of the image you want to focus on. After that, you can use your finger to move over every pixel of the photo to see exactly what colors are included! Once you find the exact shade you’re looking for, the app will bring up a few additional colors to complete a fabulous color scheme. So much fun (!). Use it for wedding inspiration, new room decorating, or just inspiration.

Here is what Sherwin-Williams has to say about it:

* Choose a color that inspires you and match it with one of our 1,500 Sherwin-Williams paint colors.

* Receive a coordinating palette that complements your color.

* Find your local Sherwin-Williams store where the experts will help you bring your vision to life.

* Save colors to your “My Saved Colors” library for future inspiration.

* Learn more detailed information, including paint names and RGB numbers.

Hey ladies (and gents), I’m so excited to tell you about a fab new program for those planning a wedding – My Wedding Workbook. It’s an online planning tool that helps you track your guest, budget and spending, vendors, and the events surrounding the big day. As you can see on the site, it might just be the next-generation online wedding planner! Even better, it’s free.

While I believe you can’t really replace a living, breathing wedding planner or coordinator (I mean really, a computer program or internet application won’t be there on your wedding day to direct vendors if need be, or tackle minor issues that pop up), this would be a stellar program to use throughout your planning process.

And, for all of you wedding planning pros out there, there is My Wedding Workbook Pro. With just as many helpful tools, this program is easy to use and incredibly helpful with tracking clients and client leads, vendors for every event, and much more.

My Wedding Workbook was created by husband and wife team, Steve and Tammy. While planning a wedding of their own, they realized there could be an even better online planning tool so, they created one!

The actual planning part of weddings doesn’t take much apart from time. There are a few things, however, I’d suggest picking up before you start planning your perfect day! Find my suggestions and faves below.

THE PLANNER – This is quite possibly the most essential wedding planning item (oh who am I kidding – one of the most essential LIFE items!). This is the place where you will keep track of your appointments and dates, parties and planning sessions. If you’re one of those magical people that can keep track of you life by simply using your head – what’s your deal? Share some love and tell us how you do it. But, if you’re not one of these people and someone more like me, make sure you have one of these babies with you at all times!

I’ve always been a fan of Franklin Covey and more recently fallen in love with UnCalendar (they don’t really give off a girly vibe, but they are definitely for the serious organizer). Check out this cute Franklin below. Technically it’s an “academic planner”, but who really cares if it’s good lookin’?

PENS – Or pencils. Whatever works for you. Perhaps some of both. You’ll probably write a lot of things down, so it’s always good to have a few around. I love sets like these (pictured below), that make color coding fun and simple.

PAPER – This can be scratch paper, a notebook, notepad, whatever you like best! Just have some paper handy to make quick notes and to jot down your ideas – you never know when a fabulous one will come to you! I’m a big fan of this one – I’ve always got paper with me! I love these cute and preppy options from The Preppy Polka Dot!

BINDER WITH DIVIDERS AND POCKETS – These were always my favorite part of back to school shopping. Any binder will do (if you’re planning on gathering loads of information, get a big one), along with dividers – 12 or more should do the trick – and pockets.

PAGE PROTECTORS – There are great for stashing business cards, fabric and paper samples, random bits of oddly shaped information, magazine clippings and more. They have top or side openings – I’d recommend an option that opens from the top.

TOTE – Okay, so not everyone needs a bag to keep things together, but I know many find them helpful. I simply adore totes, so that’s the type of bag I’m using for my example. Having all (or most) of your wedding things in a single bag is nice when you’re heading off to meetings with vendors or a planning session with the family. Because so many aspects of a wedding work together, you often need to know something about the cake in order to get all the details for the flowers worked out … you get the picture. The one below is from the always wonderful Vineyard Vines.

INSPIRATION BOARD – Before you book a single vendor, it’s a good idea to have a few opinions of the overall look you’re going for on your wedding day. Not just your gown and accessories – we’re talking color theme, centerpieces ideas, favorite flowers – the whole shebang. Below is a great example from the very inspiring Snippet & Ink!

These days, who pays for what in the wedding get-up can be however you want it to be! Often, the bride and groom pay for the whole thing themselves. But! If you are the traditional type and like to stick to the books, here is a breakdown of who traditionally pays for what in the grand scheme of things.

The Bride and Her Family

Bridal Consultant Fees

Invitations and the rest of the paper ensemble

Floral decorations for the ceremony and reception, bridesmaids and bride’s bouquet

Wedding day photography

Music for ceremony and reception

Transportation for wedding party to and from ceremony

All reception expenses

Bride’s gifts to her attendants

Bride’s gift to the groom

Groom’s wedding ring

Sexton’s service fees

Cost of soloists

Parking attendants if needed

Transportation and lodging for officiant if invited by the bride’s family

Accommodations for the bride’s attendants

Bridesmaid’s luncheon

The Groom and His Family

Bride’s engagement and wedding rings

Groom’s gift to the bride

Gifts for the groom’s attendants

Ties and gloves for the groom’s attendants, if not part of their clothing rental package

The bride’s bouquet (if tradition in that area)

The bride’s going-away corsage

Boutonnieres for groom’s attendants

Corsages for immediate members of both families

The officiant’s fees or donation

Transportation and lodging for officiant if invited by groom’s family

The marriage license

Transportation for the groom and best man to the ceremony

Expenses of the honeymoon

All costs of the rehearsal dinner

Accommodations for the groom’s attendants

Bachelor dinner/party, if he has one

Transportation and lodging expenses for the groom’s family

Bridesmaids/Honor Attendant’s

Purchase of apparel and all accessories

Transportation to and from city of wedding

A contribution to a gift from the bridesmaids to the bride

An individual gift to the couple

A shower or luncheon for the bride (optional)

Ushers/Best Man

Rental of wedding attire

Transportation to and from the city of the wedding

A contribution to a gift from the groom’s attendants to the groom

An individual gift to the couple

A bachelor dinner/party, if given by the groom’s attendants

Out of Town Guests

Transportation to and from city of wedding

Lodging

Wedding gift

Here is some great-to-know information from an insurance expert. Read up!

Cake- Check, Reception Hall- Check, Invitations Sent- Check…. you planned the big day perfectly and thought everything through hundreds of times, but did you overlook something that you and your spouse will need the rest of your life ?

Thinking about insurance is never something terribly exciting, at this point you would rather plan for your life with your new partner, your honeymoon, your new home, not something as dull as insurance but it should be one of the first things you should plan for to ensure that you and your spouse are covered from the moment you say ” I Do.” At some point in your life you have likely had to use your insurance it may have been just to get some medicine or for something more serious but you know how helpful having that coverage has been. If there is any incentive outside of that you can take joy in knowing that you will be saving money by having insurance plans together compared to being single.

Health Insurance

One of the biggest areas you can start to save money by pooling your plans is through affordable health insurance. It is very likely that there is a decent discount by either moving to your spouse’s policy or having them come to yours. If you are on an individual medical insurance plan, there is typically a discount to add additional family members. There is a good chance that one of you has a group plan from your workplace, if that is the case, check out what needs to occur in order to get your spouse on the policy and what kind of increase it will cause to the premium. This can be done either by looking at the policy yourself or contacting the insurance company itself or perhaps the HR department at your office. If both of you have a group plan then it becomes necessary to see which will provide the best coverage at the best rate and then drop the other policy. The process of adding another member to a policy is generally pretty straight forward and relatively painless.

If neither of you are insured at this point, it would be a good idea to look into individual health plans.

It should also be noted that if you are a younger couple getting married, and you are still on your parent’s health coverage, you will be dropped by that plan when you are married.

Home Insurance

If you are moving into your spouse’s house (meaning not buying or renting a different house than either of you lived in before), it is important to look at the policy in place for the home. As you will be bringing all of your possessions as well, the value of the goods within the home will be much higher and thus you will need the appropriate level of coverage. Whichever partner is moving needs to make sure that they cancel their current policy at their home or apartment. If they plan to rent out the place they should contact their current company and switch the status to married and see about getting a landlord’s insurance.

Auto Insurance

Insurance companies consider those who are married to be more responsible, meaning more economically stable and mature, and will typically have lower premiums for couples. For a young couple this particularly good news as young men typically have higher premiums as they are considered higher risks. The odds are you both drive and thus both have insurance , a policy together will generally allow for discount auto insurance.

Life Insurance

If at this point you and your partner are without life insurance this is the perfect time to look into it. Policies can be very affordable for a young couple. It may not seem like a good time to get life insurance but in this new phase of your life you will be relying on both of your incomes. Having a life insurance policy in place allows for financial protection if something ever happens to you or your partner and helps to ensure that they are taken care of. There are two types of insurance, term- which means for a period of time, and whole – which means for the whole life, and depending on your age one may be a better choice than another and thus you should look into both as an option and make the appropriate decision.

And Now For the Honeymoon !

Your wedding went off without a hitch and now you can go off to your honeymoon knowing that you have everything sorted out with your coverage. As you are now married, you will be paying less for coverage than if you were still single , per person, as you can get joint policies or family policies that meet your needs and allow for a good discount.

* * * *

This article was written by Barbara Waltz one of the founders of 247QuoteUs.com , an online resource blog and insurance quote comparison guide.

RULE #1: SET YOUR BUDGET BEFORE YOU START PLANNING

To all of those that have champagne taste on a Martinelli’s budget, the best thing that you can do is to set your budget FIRST. Who among us hasn’t wanted more than what we can afford? If you put realistic budgetary limits in place before you start planning you will save yourself heartache and frustration.

RULE #2: IF YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO PLAN AN EVENT and BUDGET, HIRE SOMEONE TO DO IT FOR YOU

There are already many reasons to hire a professional event planning, and being able to throw your event while staying within your means is another excellent one. A good event planner will be able to purchase wholesale, use proven vendors and contacts, use space wisely, AND keep your budget. It is worth it…trust me.

RULE #3: CONSIDER USING WHAT DECOR YOU ALREADY HAVE

Whether out or in a storage closet, often times you can create and build a lovely concept around the decor that you already possess. Re-using your decor can potentially save you hundreds of dollars by utilizing the “small things” that you (and your budget) may have taken for granted or forgotten about all together. These types of often-forgotten decor include:

• candles, candle holders, candle plates, etc.
• lighting
• linens (or sheets), place mats, napkins, coasters
• silverware or flatware
• art, photos, sculptures…items that you can create interesting centerpieces or stations with
• tables, chairs, and other seating options

RULE #4: IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE AN ALL-NIGHTER

The reality is that the longer your guests stay, the more money it will cost you. To put it bluntly:

• If you are serving alcohol, after 2 drinks per person your costs can sky-rocket to about $11 per person per hour.
• Same goes with food. The longer they are around, the more food they will need to consume.
• Same goes with toilet paper and other household products.

Consider capping the night off near 10 PM, instead of 1 AM. Or, consider holding a lunch instead of a cocktail hour.

RULE #5: THE POT LUCK IS BACK “IN”

By coming-up with another way to spin the name “Potluck” you will be able to excite the interest of your guests’ friendly, competitive cooking sides. How many of us know others that would LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE to show-off their cooking skills? (I do!!!) And, to be honest, who among us doesn’t like the idea of trying several dishes from several different Chefs? (I would!!!)

Call it a food tasting. Call it a communal meal. The potluck is SO “in”, again.

RULE #6: HOLD A CHARITY EVENT, WITH 50% OF THE PROCEEDS GOING TO A LOCAL CHARITY

Tough times mean tighter wallets, but many good-natured folks would enjoy combining charity with a great event. Why not charge “x amount” per guest, but with the commitment that half of (or whatever percentage is left after the cost of the event is paid-off) the proceeds will go to “such-and-such” charity?

Pick a worth cause. Pick a worthy occasion. Pick this winner!

Alisha Forrester Scott of La Ruche can be reached by e-mail at: studio@enterlaruche.com.

A cautionary tale

Wedding #3 of our 2009 spring wedding season was beautiful. A year of planning happily ended on a high note, guests were happy, the couple was happy. However, let’s rewind to four weeks before the wedding.

Of the 225 folks that the couple had invited, only 65-75% were "supposed to" RSVP with a yes, statistically-speaking, that is. Imagine the financial horror, to the tune of nearly $10,000 more than was budgeted for, when, at final count, 200 people RSVP’d. Do the quick math, that is a nearly 90% response rate.

I’m not sure if this high response rate is partly due to the economy (and everyone wanting stuff for free), but FAIR WARNING: If you do not have it in your budget to seat and feed all of the folks on your invitations list PLEASE REVISE YOUR INVITATIONS LIST.

To those who may have parents partially or completely funding their wedding – whose parents may also have a large “invitation guest wish list” give your parents this very important message:

• You are welcome to invite whomever you want; since you are funding the wedding.
• However, if you are to invite all that you wish to invite you will need to contribute “amount” more money. Otherwise, we are not able to afford the wedding.

Plain and simple

Be honest with yourselves and your budgets or you risk getting bitten by the RSVP Fairy.

Alisha Forrester Scott of La Ruche can be reached for comments or questions at studio@enterlaruche.com.

I am often surprised at the creativity of my clients! Today, while walking the grounds of a museum where she’ll marry in March, my client introduced me to yet another idea which will act as her alternative to a guest book . Many of my clients and acquaintances feel similar – guest books are now becoming antiquated . Creative "guest projects" are now preferred.

In the spirit of alternatives and trends, below you will find a list of the most interesting guest book alternatives that I have "found", heard of, and recommended.

Just a hint: If you have invited two groups to your wedding…one group for the ceremony + reception, and one group for ceremony-only, you may wish to consider using a traditional guest book to register attendance for your ceremony, then use the alternatives below for the reception (where guests will have more creative time to spend).

1. [This idea is from today's client meeting... ] The Guest Tree

(Note: After researching this idea is also sometimes called a "Wishing Tree")

This idea combines the idea of a guest book and a "best wishes" guest area. (A best wishes guest area may be defined as an area set aside for guests to write personal thoughts for the couple. Today, many brides still use photo mats for guests thoughts and signatures.)

• A Guest Tree is a potted, "indoor" tree that will feature paper "ornaments" which contain guest’s best wishes to the couple. As it was explained to me, there is a table with strips of paper (not to be folded) and pens and ornament hooks. Once the guest has completed their thought to the couple it is hung by an ornament hook onto the tree. (Keep in mind that you will want to punch holes into the ends of the strips of paper so that your guests will not have to fumble and rip their paper.) The tree that my client is using is a manzanita tree, pre-decorated with blue Christmas lights. However, there are many other tree varieties that would be appropriate.

  Hint: You may wish to place a card containing directions for the less-creative-minded guests. (Being told how to complete the project is often times helpful.)

2. The Wedding Canvas – A work of wedding art

• Recently, at my sister’s wedding, we used a large blank canvas for guests to "make their mark". Permanent markers, paints, scissors, and interesting pictures were placed on a table next to the canvas which was held on an easel (my sister’s request). An 8" x 10" rectangle section in the center of the canvas was marked and designated as a spot for a future photo to be placed, and the guests were helpful about not writing or marking in that area. A variation of this idea would may be to use watercolors (paints and paintbrushes), or just colorful permanent pens. (It all depends on what you want the guests to "do".)

3. The Wedding Vase

If you are the type to place flowers in your home, consider purchasing a vase for your guests to sign. (Again, you may wish to leave a card printed with helpful directions to the guests.) If you are going to choose a dark vase, use a light paint pen , and vice versa.

4. The Wedding Quilt (Important: This requires sewing)

Have you ever seen patchwork quilts? Well, the premise of a patchwork quilt is to take squares of fabric and sew the edges together to make a quilt. Imagine then squares of fabric cut for guests to write well wishes or thoughts for the couple on with a permanent fabric pen ! You would want to have a table set-up with fabric squares, directions to the guests, permanent guest pens, and a "finished" box or bin where guests could put their finished squares. You could go shopping for your favorite fashionable quilting squares, or you could just purchase a generic set online.

A bit of Caution

Giving gifts to the couple that are used in daily life, such as aprons or plates, makes for a sad day when the markings wear-off when being laundered or washed. Although aprons and plates are cute ideas you may be happier with an item that isn’t used as often or as regularly.

Happy guest project-ing!

Best,

Alisha Forrester Scott, Owner

La Ruche. event design studio.

You can reach AFS by e-mailing: studio@enterlaruche.com.

I want to focus on a topic that is not discussed often, if at all – preparing your Bridal Suite. If you can imagine a wedding day filled with non-stop action and passion, tears, and excitement, you can then imagine the "crash" that many couples feel once they leave the reception to head back to their Bridal Suite for their first night together as a new couple. This post is dedicated to making your overnight stay "post-wedding" a comforting success. If you are unable to prep by completing the tasks described below, perhaps you can ask a trusted friend or family member not in the wedding party to accommodate.

During your planning phase, consider the following questions and suggestions and how they will relate to your post-wedding overnight accommodations experience:

What will you eat? You may have just spent eight to ten hours looking and acting perfect, and perhaps you did not feel like or did not get a chance to eat at your own reception. You’ll likely feel like consuming something light, something healthy, something without sugar or caffeine. Consider packing a meal to have waiting in the room, or better yet pre-order room service with your ideal meal. Remember, indulge yourselves…you don’t have to eat the same thing if you don’t want to! If all else fails (or you forget to plan this part) you can always just order in pizza or Chinese and be less formal. Just make sure that you are able to find napkins and plates.

What will you drink? First, something hydrating, then perhaps something soothing. Whether a cup of tea or a night cap, have your favorite beverages and the proper equipment (ice, cups/glasses, tea, etc.) waiting for you in your room. Keep in mind that if you order alcohol from the hotel bar you can expect a price mark-up of literally at least 100% – A $35 magnum of Grey Goose will be marked-up as high as $100 – so plan accordingly.)

What will you listen to or watch? (Hint: not TV)…but maybe a movie you both like playing in the background? (Will you need a DVD player?) What if you want to listen to a favorite CD, or what if you have packed along your mp3 player and some little speakers (will you need your charger or batteries?)?

What will you want to smell? Soothing scents can enhance nearly everyone’s experience, no matter the situation. Consider bringing along some scented candles, incense, or room fragrance. Soothing scents such as lavender or vanilla will help your post-wedding transition.

What will help you to relax? Perhaps your idea of relaxation is popping open a beer, or perhaps you are anticipating sore feet and muscles. To relieve a day’s worth of stress consider scheduling an in-room double massage for you and your sweetie. Believe me, there are companies that offer this in-room service – be sure to ask your concierge for a referral. (Don’t feel bad if you both find yourselves totally unwound and napping during the massage!) If a professional massage is out of the question, give each other a little rub-down (at least your feet!).

What type of lighting is present? Candlelight is most flattering, white (holiday) lights are magical. Whatever your lighting preference consider using dramatic lighting. There is a chance that the room you are staying in has adjustable lighting (which means no extra work for you), so be sure to ask. Important: if you are going to bring candles make sure that you bring candle plates or holders to catch the melted dripping wax…you don’t want to have to pay for room damage. Also, make sure that they have a fire extinguisher in the room (or at least nearby) for unforeseeable emergencies.

What will you want to wear? If you have packed something sexy to ‘play’ in, don’t forget to pack something new and comfortable to sleep in. Sleeping in your ‘everynight’ pajamas is not exciting, so consider purchasing a new pajama set…it will make your first married nights sleep a huge and special success.

Take a nap. Seriously. Whoever "invented" sex immediately following post-wedding may have been unwilling to discuss the sheer exhaustion which tries to infiltrate most newly married couples bedrooms. Before you both completely unwind for the evening, consider setting an alarm or scheduling a wake-up call with the front desk, and then settle down for a nice mid-sized nap. Once you wake-up you can shower or bathe and then begin the next phase of your night together.

The formal wake-up call . Perhaps you have brunch with your family scheduled for the next morning, or perhaps you are both going to get a massage. Be sure to call the front desk for a wake-up call, or be sure to pack and bring your own alarm to set, or have one of your friends call your hotel room. You won’t want to oversleep if you have plans for the next morning.

Do Not Disturb (DND ). If you end up getting into bed late (and waking-up late) you won’t want to be disturbed by the hotel staff trying to clean so be sure to place the DND sign on the door and enjoy. Another form of DND will be to hold your phone calls (call the front desk to request this), or simply unplug your hotel room phone. Don’t forget to turn-off your cell phones. You’ve earned a night together without any outside interruptions.

Enjoy your first night together!

Best,

Alisha Forrester Scott

La Ruche. event design studio.

You can reach AFS by e-mailing: studio@enterlaruche.com

You must keep track of the people you invite to your wedding! Otherwise, things could be disastrous. So, here are a few fun things you can do with your response, or R.S.V.P, cards.

Keep it Traditional. Use small, pre-printed cards that ask guests to fill in their names and the number of people attending. Included with this small card is a similarly sized and shaped envelope, already marked with a stamp and addressed to the bride’s or her parent’s home. Below is a fabulous little number from Wedding Paper Divas.

Wish you were here! Save on postage and paper by sending postcard response cards. Generally the stamps cost less, and not needing envelopes will save you a bunch of money (and trees)! Below is an example (minus the stamp) from Custom Paper.

Blank looks. The way response cards are “supposed” to be – blank. Send with your invitations, along with corresponding stamped envelopes, and guests write their own little message to you. You may get something like “0 will attend”, or, you may get a nice note explaining why the whole family can’t come yet they wish you all the best. The image below is from Eclatante Event Design.

Tech Savvy. Inviting a small number of guests? Absolutely sure all of your guests use computers and could easily find their way to your wedding website? Some sites offer RSVP options that allow your guests to RSVP right on your wedding website. eWedding.com is a site that has this feature (along with many others).

And a few more things to keep in mind:

-It’s wise to keep track of guests in a spreadsheet, either in Excel or via Google Documents (I love Google Documents because it’s always online and can be updated from any computer that’s connected to the internet….and in case there is a crash, you won’t lose your stuff!).

-Keep the guest information all in one place; names, phone numbers, addresses, the number attending from each family, what they gave you as a gift and whether or not you’ve sent a Thank You note.

-Keep the response cards in one place. Either separate the Yes’s and No’s into separate boxes or separate areas of the same box so if a question ever arises, you don’t have to run around the house looking for one or the other.

-Always open the response cards and sort them right away. Don’t leave them sitting around or tuck them into you planner so that you can file them away later. They could get lost or forgotten! And that would be sad.