Posts Tagged ‘Recessionista Bride’

Welcome back Real Weddings Magazine brides to another installment of The Recessionista Bride Blog Series by our guest blogger extraordinaire Kate Miller of Kate Miller Events. 

This week, in the final installment, she addresses additional details to Recessionista Bride Stevie’s wedding! Take it away Kate! 

“Recessionista Bride Stevie was an uber-crafty bride. She crafted many extra-special touches for her chic vintage modern wedding at The Citizen Hotel. 

One particularly unique idea she came up with was her Bridesmaid necklace design. You can spot them in the photo above. Each had a large pearl drop on a gold chain and was accented by a charm unique to each girl’s personality: a star for the actress, a wing for her most spiritual friend and she even made one for me – a genie lamp, as she said that I, “made all her wishes come true!” So sweet! 

She also purchased the crocheted gloves shown above for each girl – but much to her dismay, they were bright white and clashed quite a bit with the ivory nuanced of our design. Instead of starting from scratch, a simple tea bag dying process softened their color perfectly. Yet another budget craft project done right! 

Lastly, the signature lemonade needed an accent – so I sent over colored patterned paper and monograms that were cut and punched into cute little drink umbrellas. Each was adhered to shortened skewers and added to the glasses to continue the decor for a cohesive look. These were very cheap and easy to make – but made a huge impact for guests!” 

Are you using your crafting skills to add extra details to your wedding day design? 

Want more Recessionista Bride? Check out all the previous entries in the blog series to help you make the most of your wedding budget! 

Introducing…the Recessionista Bride Series 

Recessionista Bride: Alter an Unexpected Dress 

Recessionista Bride: Adding Bling to Your Invitation Suite 

Recessionista Bride: A Non-Traditional Guestbook 

Recessionista Bride: One Room Wonders 

Recessionista Bride: The Dessert Buffet & Bar 

Recessionista Bride: Unique Centerpieces 

Recessionista Bride: Hosting A Bouquet Making Party 

Recessionista Bride: Reusing Decor 

Recessionista Bride: a Dessert and Hors d’oeuvres Reception 

Recessionista Bride: Rose Petal Substitutes 

Recessionista Bride: Additional Details 

About Kate Miller Events (in their own words): 

Kate Miller Events offers full-scale event and wedding planning of extraordinary detail for the bride and groom looking for that extra-special touch. We will keep you organized, on or under budget, and stress-free while designing the wedding of your dreams. We are committed to making sure your day goes off without a hitch — except for the hitching part of course! 

Kate Miller Events offers new technology to keep all avenues of communication open and organized. Our excellent online client planning tools include customized checklists, payment calendars with email notifications, appointment tracking, online idea boards, and contract filing with easy access for all members of your wedding party. Our top-notch organization enables us to be your liaison to all of your vendors – we worry about the details so that you don’t have to. 

All of our packages are unique and completely customized to fit your budget so that you only pay for the services that you need. We offer a wide range of planning services from Day of Coordination to Full Coordination/Design and everything in-between. 

Be sure to check out Kate Miller Event’s Web site and Kate’s blog or call her at 888-808-KATE. 

Photos above from Stevie & Blake’s wedding, one of our featured real weddings in the current issue of Real Weddings Magazine, by Sarah Maren Photography. Kate Miller from Kate Miller Events worked with Stevie & Blake to achieve their perfect day. To read more about Stevie & Blake’s wedding and to view more photos from their wedding, pick up a copy of the current issue or click here. 

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Welcome back Real Weddings Magazine brides to another installment of The Recessionista Bride Blog Series by our guest blogger extraordinaire Kate Miller of Kate Miller Events.

This week, she addresses some unique decor ideas! Take it away Kate!

Fresh flowers are surely beautiful and add to the beauty of your day, but when it comes to rose petals, they can become a little costly and note that many venues come with restrictions regarding their use. They can be a hassle to clean up and can stain concrete, wood and light-colored marble flooring and are often not permitted for use at venues with such environments. Of course, no matter the decor restriction, there is always a color-boosting substitute – you just have to think outside of the box!

For our Recessionista Bride Stevie, we chose four different types of Fresh Rose Petal Substitutes to offset some of the cost of decor at her wedding, each with its own purpose. The first, Bright Yellow Pom Poms, were to add a vintage touch to her candle-laden centerpieces. These fresh florals are inexpensive, hearty enough to withstand water-less display, and provide a more contemporary look than the classic petal. Loose petals are not commonly purchased in a yellow color, so to save Stevie’s friends and family the time and energy in breaking apart fresh roses, we chose to go this route.

Mushroom Birds in the yellow and gold colorways were added as accents to the tall and short centerpieces as well as on the Dessert Table. They were a fun, vintage, accent that added a touch of whimsy to the design.

The next Fresh Rose Petal Substitute was the Faux Rose Petal Aisle Runners. These faux petals would not stain the concrete flooring and would be easy to clean up – but still added the pop of color that Stevie wanted. If you are hesitant to use fake flowers, utilize them in places where they will not be available for close inspection, like the flooring instead of tabletops.

The last Fresh Rose Petal Substitute were the Colored Pom Poms. These were chosen for the farewell and met the strict no petal and no confetti requirements of the venue. They were easy to sweep up, added a touch of vintage style and a nice pop of color. Not to mention, they are much more pleasant when tossing compared to rice or seeds – as they are soft to the touch!

Are you using Fresh Rose Petal Substitutes at your wedding?

Tune back in to the Real Weddings Magazine blog on the lastinstallment in the Recessionista Bride Blog Series on Additional Details.

About Kate Miller Events (in their own words):

Kate Miller Events offers full-scale event and wedding planning of extraordinary detail for the bride and groom looking for that extra-special touch. We will keep you organized, on or under budget, and stress-free while designing the wedding of your dreams. We are committed to making sure your day goes off without a hitch — except for the hitching part of course!

Kate Miller Events offers new technology to keep all avenues of communication open and organized. Our excellent online client planning tools include customized checklists, payment calendars with email notifications, appointment tracking, online idea boards, and contract filing with easy access for all members of your wedding party. Our top-notch organization enables us to be your liaison to all of your vendors – we worry about the details so that you don’t have to.

All of our packages are unique and completely customized to fit your budget so that you only pay for the services that you need. We offer a wide range of planning services from Day of Coordination to Full Coordination/Design and everything in-between.

Be sure to check out Kate Miller Event’s Web site and Kate’s blog or call her at 888-808-KATE.

Photos above from Stevie & Blake’s wedding, one of our featured real weddings in the current issue of Real Weddings Magazine, by Sarah Maren Photography. Kate Miller from Kate Miller Events worked with Stevie & Blake to achieve their perfect day. To read more about Stevie & Blake’s wedding and to view more photos from their wedding, pick up a copy of the current issue or click here.

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Welcome back Real Weddings Magazine brides to another installment of The Recessionista Bride Blog Series by our guest blogger extraordinaire Kate Miller of Kate Miller Events.

This week, she addresses some unique reception food ideas! Take it away Kate!

“You’ve found the perfect venue, the perfect dress and the perfect decor – but your budget is so strapped you’re not sure what to do! If you have catering minimum negotiating power, you could work on a nontraditional menu of delights that is both palate pleasing and budget friendly! There are many ways that you can give yourself a one-up on the negotiating bandwagon:

• Choose an unpopular wedding date. If you’re willing to get married on a mid-week or even on a Friday or Sunday, your event venue might be more apt to lower your catering minimums.
• Choose a brand new venue and plan on the short timeframe. I highly recommend you hire a planner to help you with this process, as planning a wedding in two - four months can be difficult if you’re not well-versed in the wedding world. However, if you’re willing to push up your date, a new venue may be more apt to lower their minimum for a date that they would otherwise not book in such a timeframe.
• Choose a unique time. A luncheon, Sunday brunch or afternoon tea party plan may provide you with more flexible catering options that are more friendly to your budget.

If you have managed to get your catering minimum lowered or have found a venue with an already low minimum, the next challenge will be how to feed 100 guests within that estimate!

A $4,000 minimum with a catering menu where the per guest cost starts at $95 will not be much of a help if you have 100 guests. If your reception is later in the evening, make sure your guests don’t go hungry! Recessionista Bride Stevie chose to serve their guests a sumptuous selection of comfort food inspired bites – that also happened to be rather filling:

• Mashed Potato Martini Bar – including Russet and Sweet Potatoes
• Mini Sliders with Blue Cheese
• Tomato Soup Shooters topped with Mini Grilled Cheese Panini
• Locally Grown Crudite

For dessert, we offered guests their choice of five different cake flavors from the Dessert Buffet  – and not one guest left famished!

While the concept of a cash bar is a very personal decision, I always let my clients decide based on what they are comfortable with. For Stevie and Blake’s wedding, instead of just sticking the guests with an added cost, we offered a non-alcoholic signature beverage of lemonade. It provided guests a fun drink alternative without all of the costs of an open bar!

Last but not least, do not forget the 20% +/- Service Charge and Tax, not typically included in the minimum. Many couples come to me asking how they can negotiate that Service Charge percentage and I will tell you what I always tell them: This 20% fee is not just the venue taking it’s fair share of the profits – it’s what pays for all of your setup, service and clean-up on the day of the wedding. This, of course, increases with the size of your wedding and intensity of your menu (three, four or five course meal) as the setup, service and cleanup will also increase with these changes.”

Are you planning a non-traditional menu for your wedding day guests?

Tune back in to the Real Weddings Magazine blog on April 23rdfor the next installment in the Recessionista Bride Blog Series on Fresh Rose Petal Substitutes.

About Kate Miller Events (in their own words):

Kate Miller Events offers full-scale event and wedding planning of extraordinary detail for the bride and groom looking for that extra-special touch. We will keep you organized, on or under budget, and stress-free while designing the wedding of your dreams. We are committed to making sure your day goes off without a hitch — except for the hitching part of course!

Kate Miller Events offers new technology to keep all avenues of communication open and organized. Our excellent online client planning tools include customized checklists, payment calendars with email notifications, appointment tracking, online idea boards, and contract filing with easy access for all members of your wedding party. Our top-notch organization enables us to be your liaison to all of your vendors – we worry about the details so that you don’t have to.

All of our packages are unique and completely customized to fit your budget so that you only pay for the services that you need. We offer a wide range of planning services from Day of Coordination to Full Coordination/Design and everything in-between.

Be sure to check out Kate Miller Event’s Web site and Kate’s blog or call her at 888-808-KATE.

Photos above from Stevie & Blake’s wedding, one of our featured real weddings in the current issue of Real Weddings Magazine, by Sarah Maren Photography. Kate Miller from Kate Miller Events worked with Stevie & Blake to achieve their perfect day. To read more about Stevie & Blake’s wedding and to view more photos from their wedding, pick up a copy of the current issue or click here.

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!

Welcome back Real Weddings Magazine brides to another installment of The Recessionista Bride Blog Series by our guest blogger extraordinaire Kate Miller of Kate Miller Events.

This week, she addresses the idea of a Reusing Decor! Take it away Kate!

“There are so many fun events to enjoy leading up to your wedding day, including engagement parties and bridal showers!

Recessionista Bride Stevie has lovely family members and friends who wholeheartedly embraced her color scheme and aesthetic – so each event had its own “Stevie and Blake” touch.

In fact, some of the decor that was created was too perfect to just pack away. We decided to re-use it at the wedding after graciously thanking the hosts for the double-use. This saved Stevie a bundle!

Here are the items we reused for Stevie’s wedding:

• the Monogram Banner
• the L-O-V-E Letters
• the Yellow Table Runners
• some of the Placesetting Monograms were used again”

Do you have any decor that will have a dual-use at the wedding?

Tune back in to the Real Weddings Magazineblog on April 17th for the next installment in the Recessionista Bride Blog Series on a Dessert and Hors d’oeuvres Reception.

About Kate Miller Events (in their own words):

Kate Miller Events offers full-scale event and wedding planning of extraordinary detail for the bride and groom looking for that extra-special touch. We will keep you organized, on or under budget, and stress-free while designing the wedding of your dreams. We are committed to making sure your day goes off without a hitch — except for the hitching part of course!

Kate Miller Events offers new technology to keep all avenues of communication open and organized. Our excellent online client planning tools include customized checklists, payment calendars with email notifications, appointment tracking, online idea boards, and contract filing with easy access for all members of your wedding party. Our top-notch organization enables us to be your liaison to all of your vendors – we worry about the details so that you don’t have to.

All of our packages are unique and completely customized to fit your budget so that you only pay for the services that you need. We offer a wide range of planning services from Day of Coordination to Full Coordination/Design and everything in-between.

Be sure to check out Kate Miller Event’s Web site and Kate’s blog or call her at 888-808-KATE.

Photos above from Stevie & Blake’s wedding, one of our featured real weddings in the current issue of Real Weddings Magazine, by Sarah Maren Photography. Kate Miller from Kate Miller Events worked with Stevie & Blake to achieve their perfect day. To read more about Stevie & Blake’s wedding and to view more photos from their wedding, pick up a copy of the current issue or click here.

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!

Welcome back Real Weddings Magazine brides to another installment of The Recessionista Bride Blog Series by our guest blogger extraordinaire Kate Miller of Kate Miller Events.

This week, she addresses the idea of a Bouquet Making Party! Take it away Kate!

“With our gorgeous budget-friendly candle-lit centerpieces planned, the next floral topic to contend with are the personal flowers.

Recessionista Bride Stevie was lucky enough to have a very talented mother and wanted to make the wedding flowers into a family affair. While admittedly not a professional, Stevie’s mom had generously donated her time for many past events. But, with out-of-town family being hosted at their home and all the typical last minute tasks at hand, the last thing they wanted on their mind were the assembly of five bridesmaid bouquets, a bridal bouquet, the groom’s boutonniere, five groomsmen boutonnieres and a multitude of family flowers.

The solution? Stevie hosted all of her bridesmaids, family members and friends for a Bouquet Making Party! In this situation it worked because the bridal party was particularly crafty (if your chosen ones are not crafty, like the commercial says, “do not attempt this at home”.  You do not want to risk your wedding flowers’ beauty!).

During the party, Stevie’s mom gave gentle guidance on flower preparation and worked the room helping each bridesmaid straighten their bouquet and kept everything looking gorgeous. With the bulk of the work done, the storage, packing and presentation were left to the mother of the bride on the day of the wedding.

While this scenario worked for Stevie’s wedding, no matter what, I still believe that you will still need a flower-savvy person to be in charge of your flowers on your wedding day, so just keep this in mind in your planning and considerations.

While a Bouquet Making Party does sounds fun, it simply isn’t for everyone, as not everyone will have a super-talented family member who can (or wants to!) perform these floral-related tasks (or knows how to pack, store and refresh flowers), there are a plenitude of options at your fingertips. Your best bet is to leave the floral bouquets for your special day up to the professionals.

But you can still get a sense of the fun and camaraderie by hosting a Bouquet Making Party for your attendants to use for your rehearsal. Here are some creative ideas for you to experiment with:

• Wire vintage brooches into a Brooch Bouquet
• Use kraft, tissue paper or coffee filters and create a Paper Flower Bouquet
• Fasten peacock, ostrich and other types of plumes for a Feather Bouquet
• Buttons make a beautiful Button Bouquet

Tune back in to the Real Weddings Magazineblog on April 10th for the next installment in the Recessionista Bride Blog Series on Reusing Decor.

About Kate Miller Events (in their own words):

Kate Miller Events offers full-scale event and wedding planning of extraordinary detail for the bride and groom looking for that extra-special touch. We will keep you organized, on or under budget, and stress-free while designing the wedding of your dreams. We are committed to making sure your day goes off without a hitch — except for the hitching part of course!

Kate Miller Events offers new technology to keep all avenues of communication open and organized. Our excellent online client planning tools include customized checklists, payment calendars with email notifications, appointment tracking, online idea boards, and contract filing with easy access for all members of your wedding party. Our top-notch organization enables us to be your liaison to all of your vendors – we worry about the details so that you don’t have to.

All of our packages are unique and completely customized to fit your budget so that you only pay for the services that you need. We offer a wide range of planning services from Day of Coordination to Full Coordination/Design and everything in-between.

Be sure to check out Kate Miller Event’s Web site and Kate’s blog or call her at 888-808-KATE.

Photos above of Stevie & Blake’s wedding, one of our featured real weddings in the current issue of Real Weddings Magazine, by Sarah Maren Photography. Kate Miller from Kate Miller Events worked with Stevie & Blake to achieve their perfect day. To read more about Stevie & Blake’s wedding and to view more photos from their wedding, pick up a copy of the current issue or click here.

Subscribe to the Real Weddings Magazine Blog!