On My Way to the Altar : Preparation

Organization and preparation are huge factors when planning a wedding. Without them you could end up ordering the wrong amount of chairs, have a guest missing from the seating chart, or misplace your “something blue”, and no one wants that. What am I doing to handle these situations, you ask? As nerdy as it sounds I am compiling a wedding binder, see all those years in school do come in handy! Check out how I divided my binder below.

Important

• Vendor Contact List/Contracts
• Wedding Party Contact List
• Bridal Checklist (See previous post for this)
• Timeline for Wedding Day
• Checklist of everything to be brought to the ceremony and reception, and who is to bring it

Budget

Something that should be talked about before booking vendors and planning begins: setting a budget (with wiggle room for splurges).

• Rough Budget
• List of who is responsible for what
• Actual Expenses (as soon as something is booked, this will keep track of what is booked, and how much is still owned on it)
• Vendor Contracts

Ceremony

• Copy of Ceremony text
• What to Ask Your Wedding Officiant
• List of processional & recessional order
• Officiant contact information
• Cost & tips
• Music to be played and any musicians contracts, contact info and fees
• Decor (include inspiration photos here)
• Any seating arrangements and reserved seating
• Program

Reception

• Timeline of reception (dance, cake cutting, toasts, flower toss, exit, etc)
• Music Playlist with noted special songs (and do not plays, if taking requests)
• Rentals (separate subcategory) w/ contract
• Decor (inspiration pictures/receipts)
• Setup info and instructions
• Menu
• Beverage List
• List of who will be giving toasts
• List of people to thank at reception
• Favors
• Cake
• Guest Book ideas
• Photo booth (if we end up having one!)
• Reserved seat signs
• Band/DJ contact information, pricing, tips etc
• All relevant contracts

Guests

• Guest list
• Addresses
• Seating Chart
• RSVPs
• Gifts Received list
• Thank You Sent

Florals

• Contract
• Pricing & budget
• Inspiration Photos
• List of arrangements for Ceremony
• List of arrangements for Reception
• List of bouquets
• List of boutonnieres
• Flowers for family members

Attire

• Schedule of fittings
• Dress (lots of inspirational photos here…I will also take this to give the boutiques an idea of what I am looking for)
• Jewelry
• Bag
• Shoes
• Veil
• Groom/Groomsmen (inspiration photos)
• Bridesmaids (Dresses and accessories)
• Ring Bearer/Flower Girl

Stationery

• Contract with Paisley Dog Press!
• Pricing & budget
• Inspiration Photos
• Material Samples (paper, envelopes, finishing touches)
• Design Ideas
• Proofs (Save the dates, Invitation, RSVP, Information card, etc.)

Photographer

• Contract
• Must-have photo list
• List of everyone needed for photos – break this down into names (i.e. Amanda, MOH)

Miscellaneous

• Honeymoon plans
• Honeymoon planning checklist
• Transportation
• Gifts (from Bride & Groom)
• Registry info
• Registry checklist (keep track to mark things off that you get after the bridal shower)
• Bridal luncheon plans
• Best Man and MOH duties checklists

Thinking of doing a wedding binder? This is just a starting place to help you, make it as unique as you and tailor it to fit your wedding.

On My Way to the Altar : Inspiration Board

Being a fashionista (and one of my majors in college), I’m not new to putting inspiration/style/mood boards together. While I’m fantasizing about my wedding I thought I’d assemble a general one with some of the ideas I have found that capture my vintage, rustic theme! Interested in seeing even more? Check out my pinterest board.

(From Left to Right, Top to Bottom) 1. Whimsical Cake Topper by Better Off Wed. 2. The Farm in Greenville, PA (family property). 3. Chalkboard Drink Menu courtesy of Style Me Pretty and photographed by Valo Photography.  4. Vintage Wedding Suitcase. 5. Prohibition Cork Glass Bottles courtesy of The Hair of the Dog. 6. Flowers courtesy of Scarlet’s Table. 7. Wedding Dress designed by Ersa Atelier.

On My Way To the Altar : Doilies

While I was fantasizing about my dream wedding and thinking of decor items that would match my vintage/rustic theme, I stumbled upon some amazing ideas of incorporating doilies into my wedding decor and stationery!

Decor

Thanks to my BFF Pinterest I have found countless ways to incorporate doilies into my decor. From centerpieces to cakes to garlands, doilies can be used for so much and you can get large amounts at reasonable prices. One idea I absolutely love will take the place of traditional name cards – place a doily underneath a clear plate (if you are budget conscience like me this is a way of getting away with using clear plastic plates instead of expensive china), then write the person’s name on the center of the doily with a font matches your theme or a calligraphy pen (see first picture below). Another way to incorporate the doily in my decor is through the centerpieces. I would like the doily to be the element that connects all the smaller items that will make up my centerpieces. Others have done this by placing the doily on a piece of wood using various size doilies as almost like table runner. While that is how I will be using them, also pictured below is are a couple other ways to incorporate doilies into your wedding decor.

Stationery

Obviously, Paisley Dog Press will be designing (with my tedious input) and printing all my wedding stationery. I owe the inspiration to Janelle for finding the idea of using doilies with your invitations and sending it to me. I have seen a lot of invitations that use lace detailing as part of the invite (like our Washington D.C. Private Label Semi-Custom Suite) and others that package their invitations in lace or Doilies! I love this idea, considering this lace/doily look is very vintage and will compliment my theme. While I’m not sure of the exact design of the invites quite yet, we are contemplating printing right on the doilies, because at PDP we are always willing to try printing on any material (leather, fabric, etc.). I believe adding this unique feature will be the perfect way to give guests a glimpse into the theme of the wedding. Since the invitation is the initial feeling of what guests can expect at your wedding, it’s your chance to wow them, and I plan on doing this! Check out neat ways others have used doilies in the images below.

Looking to get large amounts of doilies for decent price?  Check out these retailers : JoAnn’s Fabric, Ebay, The Webstaurant Store, and Hobby Lobby.

On My Way To The Altar : Checklist

Hello again. So I was browsing through a Brides magazine and found this really helpful checklist. I thought it would be helpful for all the other brides out there to keep organized.

Download the pdf to print here.

On My Way to the Altar : Location, Location, Location

Welcome back, guess who is in total wedding overdrive? Me! Why, you should ask….well this past weekend Andy and I visited our wedding venue and nothing spikes inspiration more than this place. I have known where I wanted to get married for years now and seeing it made it all real. While my family is very familiar with the place, everyone else has yet to experience it’s majesty, so let me share it’s history with you.

To everyone that knows it, it is known simply as The Farm. In the 1920′s my great-great grandparents Alma and LaVina Cadman bought the then 100 acres of land and it was thus forth known as The Farm. The Farm is located in Greenville, Pennsylvania (which is north of Pittsburgh, south of Erie, and about right on the PA/Ohio line). Both my grandmother and mother lived in this house at one point. After my Great Grandparents the house was passed down to my Great Aunt Alice, the youngest of the Cadman (my grandmother’s generation) children. While I grew up in Missouri, my family took vacations out East almost every summer and along the way we would stop at my other grandmother’s house in Indiana and then we would move on to The Farm. I can always remember The Farm because we loved that Aunt Alice would let us eat ice cream for breakfast! Aunt Alice was an incredible woman and always made the trips out there special. After Alice passed away the house went to my mom’s cousin, and Alice’s youngest daughter, Carrie (who is now the current owner and 4th generation). I always believed that I had a special connection with The Farm and Pennsylvania (one of my mom’s kids had too), I would even like to be one of the next owners of The Farm.

When planning my wedding I couldn’t think of a more beautiful place to get married than The Farm. The land is over 90 acres and consists of the original house (with a small well kept addition), the original barn, a crick (as both mom and Andy call it, I say creek), an in-ground pool, and lots of ravishing fields and woods. Also right next to the property is a stunning, very old covered bridge, the only Smith Bridge Company bridge left East of Ohio (can you see the pictures yet). With all the riches of the property the wedding will be a vintage/rustic theme. Carrie and I already have soooo many ideas. Andy tuned us out when talking about colors, flowers, and centerpieces! What ideas come to your mind when you see The Farm (pictures below)? Now that I have my location, you should read on to how it inspired my wedding color decisions!