31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 29: Your Favorite

Day 29 Question:

I'd say a lot of us have been to a wedding at some point in the last 5 years or so. Think back to that last wedding you attended: what was your favorite part?

 Did they do something that you've never seen? 

Did they find a special way to honor their loved ones that touched your heart? 

Did they have the BEST COOKIE TABLE EVER? 

I would love to hear what your favorite part about that day was!

photo via bridalmusings.com

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 28: The Music (part 2)

Day 28 Question:

We were kicking around the idea of playing the wedding songs of our friends and family at our wedding, however, there are at least 50 couples and there's no way we have that much time (not to mention the fact that we want the music WE actually like!). 

Is there any other way we can go about including this?

Photography by Brett Heidebrecht

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 27: The Bar

Day 27 Question:

Oh, the bar. The ever-important bar. This is one of the main reasons we are seriously considering a "hotel wedding": we want everyone to drink and be merry, but we are very serious about making sure our guests get home safely. Our idea is to have the bar close an hour before the wedding is over and/or make the last hour cash bar. If we are at a hotel, guests who imbibe can simply walk upstairs. If we are not, we plan to hire a shuttle. Does anyone have any creative ideas or any suggestions for how we can make sure everyone has fun and is safe?

Photo via pinterest

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 26: The Money Dance

Day 26 Question:

Have you ever heard of a money dance at a wedding, or is that another "Pittsburgh" wedding tradition? Every place we've spoken to has mentioned it (as in, "we don't offer shots at the bar, except for the money dance"), making me think that this is a regular thing. 

I believe some people may call it a "shot dance"or something similar: 

it is where guests give cash for a shot 

and a dance with the bride or groom.

What do you think? Is it ok to have one? Any nifty creative ideas?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 25: The Ceremony

Day 25 Question:

Our ceremony will be non-denominational, however, we would like to have some people who are special to us somehow be involved in the ceremony. Any suggestions?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 24: Invitations

Day 24 Question:

Invitations...they seem more like little books than cards. WHERE do I start? Can I order them online, or do I have to have them done by hand? Does a "style" of invitation imply anything, or is is all personal preference?

image via Etsy

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 23: Guest Book

Day 23 Question:

Are there options out there for guest sign in books other than the traditional book or large photo mat? I'd love something handmade, cool, unique...you know the drill.

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 21: Out of Town Guests

Day 21 Question:

What is something different and fun that I can do for my out of town guests? All of our out of town guests are family and friends who are very familiar with the Pittsburgh area (many of them are from here and have moved away), so doing something very "Pittsburgh-y" won't really do. 

Thoughts?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 20: The Day

Day 20 Question:

Have you ever been to a wedding on a Friday or a Sunday? 

photo via boho-weddings.com

We are thinking of having a Sunday wedding simply because it saves some big bucks, and to be honest the date possibilities are much more open. What are your thoughts? Have you ever been to a non-Saturday wedding? How did the rehearsal work?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings..Help Me Please! Day 19: Bridesmaids (part 2)

Day 19 Question:

Similar to yesterday's question, today I'm asking for some cool, fun, unique, affordable, awesome gifts for my bridesmaids! Any thoughts, ideas, pictures, and/or links to share?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 18: Groomsmen

Day 18 Question:

Do you have cool, creative, affordable ideas for groomsmen gifts? These are guys who aren't really into cufflinks or money clips, and I don't want to run the risk of flasks (shots + wedding = fail).

picture via vponsalewedding.co.uk

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 17: Getting Along

Day 17 Question:

We are OVERWHELMED! Just looking for a venue has proven to be very stress and anxiety inducing for us, which leads to us not getting along. We HATE not getting along! Can you give me some low cost suggestions for what we can do to take a quick breather from all of this?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 16: Ranking

Day 16 Question:

OK, so this one is more of a survey. Of all of the elements of your wedding (actual marriage to the love of your live excluded), what was the most important feature to you, and why? Photography? Venue? Food? Date?

photo via prettyweddingidea.com

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 15: Desperation

Day 15 Question:

This one is for my friends who have been married: 

 If you had to do it all over (the actually day of wedding part)...would you, or would you elope?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 14: Music

Day 14 Question:

What is the most affordable wedding music option, and is there a ballpark idea of what we could expect to pay for a deejay (about 5 hours)? 

Are there any interesting alternative music options out there?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 13: Food

Day 13 Question:

What was your favorite meal type/food for a wedding?

There are SO MANY options here. I've seen people do buffets, traditional sit-downs, heavy hors d'oeuvres, stations...

(photo from Ruffled)

With the budget always on our minds, we are looking for a budget-friendly option that will also be fun and enjoyable for our guests. This certainly won't be a filet and lobster kind of wedding and overly ethnic foods are out of the question, but I'd like to serve something other than the very traditional "chicken and rigi" (that would be our word for rigatoni). 

Thoughts?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 12: Wedding Activities

Day 12 Question:

Think back to some weddings you've attended (or seen online)...

what are some really cool/fun activities you've seen? 

 (photo from So You're The One)

I am pretty sure I want a photo booth, but are there other great fun things I don't know about?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 11: Honoring Loved Ones

Day 11 Question:

Can you please share some creative ideas for how we can honor our loved ones (relatives and friends) who have passed with something special at our wedding?

I have seen some ideas that I like...one of them is to have a teeny framed photo hanging from my bouquet, which I think is lovely.

I'd like to have something that is visible to our guests without making it a focal point for the evening...maybe something creative with photos that's not the traditional 'framed picture and a rose' deal. Any ideas?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 10: The Officiant

Day 10 Question:

How do we go about asking a friend to be an officiant (we have someone in mind), and what are the guidelines for a gift or payment to him?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 9: The Favors

Day 9 Question:

What kind of favors can we offer that won't be wasted or thrown away?

I just can't STAND the idea of waste, especially when it comes to money. I've been to more than my fair share of weddings, and I've tossed away more than my fair share of wedding favors. 

In the interest of being "green" in both the environmental sense and the saving sense, I'm looking for some ideas for multi-purpose favor ideas. I'm thinking something that can serve as the table decoration and the take-home favor...without being a cheapskate. 

Ideally it would be some kind of plant or something that our guests would use in their homes or lives and think of us when they see it.

Do you have any ideas to share with me?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 8: The Cookie Table

Day 8 Question:

Do we have to have a cookie table?

Well, I suppose I should back that up a step: is the cookie table a Pittsburgh thing, or does this occur at weddings in other places? Of course I know that we aren't required to have one, I'm just asking more for "will it be expected" purposes.

Don't get me wrong: I love cookies. Probably a little bit too much. The cookie table has lots of appeal: the guests seem to love it, extra treats, wide variety, and something yummy to take home. I just don't know if we want to go to all of the expense and trouble to get all of those cookies made, them displayed, then wrapped, then ultimately thrown away when they don't all get taken or eaten. Thoughts??

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 7: The Cake

Day 7 Question:

Can we have cupcakes instead of a cake? If we do, is there some kind of mini cake we can cut for ceremonial cake-cutting purposes?

This is another one of those traditional wedding "things" that I'd like to alter (hmm...are we noticing a theme here with this wedding??). I do love the whole beautiful cake idea, and I definitely want to have the picture of the moment where we cut the cake together, but I was never really in love with the wedding cake part of the night. I don't know why...it just doesn't really appeal to me. Once the cake it cut, it's no longer this gorgeous creation that is a traditional symbol of wedding celebration. I think it would be perfectly adorable to have beautiful little cupcakes to share, kind of a teeny cake for each guest. Thoughts?

Just another idea...I LOVE these!

We're looking at about 200 guests, so if anyone has any suggestions for bakers within reasonable ordering/delivering area of Pittsburgh, please share in the comments!!

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 6: Registry

Day 6 Question:

If we have most of the "household" things that we need, can we register for something like home improvement store gift cards?

So, I am 33 and Erik is 37. We have each lived on our own for several years and thus both have the large majority of things we need to run our households. Looking down the road to the wedding registry...what we really need is to remodel and furnish our (well, his until I move in) home. Flooring, paint, maybe a new appliance or two, furniture, etc. That's what we REALLY need.

 Is it acceptable for us to "register" for those kinds of things?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 5: Programs

Day 5 Question:

Do we have to have "programs", or can we just go with a cute sign?

Programs are adorable (especially the ones I found from Rustic Wedding Chic on Pinterest. They look cute, they tell people what's going on, and they let guests know "who's who" in the wedding.

 

 I suppose at this point it's becoming clear that I am doing my very very best to have this gorgeous special day on a budget...just like everyone else. I also don't like waste, and just like the cut flowers, I kind of feel like the programs are a pretty big waste of paper that will ultimately get tossed.

Is it acceptable for me to simply paint a sign, or is there some kind of really cool program alternative I don't know about yet?

You all have been sharing some amazing ideas so far...I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of your input and advice!!!

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 4: Flowers

Day 4 Question:

What are some creative alternatives to flowers as decoration?

I LOVE flowers. In the spring I eagerly await the first peek of color on my sweetly scented hyacinths, the first blooms on my prized irises, that first pop of green in the landscape of dull brown. It would seem natural that I would have loads and loads of flowers at my wedding, right? Well, there are some roadblocks there.

1) I have some pretty major allergies. I am one of those people who is basically allergic to "outside", which sadly includes many of the flowers and greens I find so beautiful.

2) I just can't see spending all of that money on something like cut flowers that will simply be thrown away in a few days' time. Of course I want to have a bouquet and the wedding party will have the requisite floral adornments. I'm talking more about centerpieces and decorations.

So, I am looking for some creative alternatives (other than simple potted plants) to replace the flower decor at the wedding. Thoughts?

31 Days, 31 Questions About Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 3: Color

Day 3 Question:

What are your thoughts on a colored wedding dress?

First and foremost: please be kind with your comments (as you always are!)

Second: when I say "colored", I mean like a pale hint of a shade of a color like blush or pale aqua. No reds or yellows or anything real crazy. 

Surprisingly, my fiance is the one who posed the "colored dress" as an option. To be exact, he really likes the idea of a pink dress. God love him, he went as far as to cite celebrities who have recently sported pink wedding dresses, and they were all totally adorable.

The fact is, I love pink. LOVE pink. I would rock a pink wedding dress like a pro. I suppose my only hesitation would be that I might not look like a bride, which is kind of a moot point because on that day I will quite clearly be the bride. 

So...what do you think? A pink wedding dress for bel monili? I have to admit...I kind of love it!

(oh, and if you come across any pretty pink bridal dresses online, feel free to share links!)

31 Days, 31 Questions about Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 2: The Bridesmaid Dresses

Day 2 Question:

How long before my wedding date should we order the bridesmaid dresses?

Photo found on Pinterest via Elizabeth Anne Designs

You would think I'd know the answer to this one since I've been in a total of 9 weddings, 3 of which I had the joy of serving as the Maid of Honor. Sadly, though, all of those memories flew right out of my head, and now I don't know when to start!

31 Days, 31 Questions about Weddings...Help Me Please! Day 1: The Dress

Day 1 Question:

How long before my wedding date do I need to buy my dress?

Maybe I should back up just a step: I have no idea what kind of dress I want. 

I am pretty sure I know what I DON'T want:

-No princess-y puffy dresses

-No strapless dresses

-No mermaid-y dresses

-No long train

-No "average" or "popular" dresses

So, once the decision is made, how long before The Big Day do I need to drop the cash and put in the order?