Let's Give Thanks

It is not a secret that many people are going through some tough times right now. With the economy in the gutter, the negative effect has kept our spirits low. Yet, they say that gratitude will help bring abundance. (Yes- we love the Secret too!)

That is why Be In Love Designs would like to take a moment and thank some important people. We are a new business - in fact we don't even have our full product line up for ordering yet. (Our official launch will coincide with the Bridal Fashion Debut in January.) Many of our friends, and some new relationships we have formed in this endeavor, continue to help push us towards success.

We would like to thank Dana Davidson, Lisa Davison, and David Duda for their inspiring suggestions regarding our site, content, and designs. We would also like to thank Port City Web for working with us to create a beautiful, well functioning site (and working with a picky designer.)

I would also like to thank our friends in the business- Jen with Ever After Florals, Kevin with Piece of Cake Desserts, and Kim with the Event Essentials for becoming instant friends with great advice. Thanks to Nuri and Anita at Bizcard.com, for seeing my potential not only as a designer, but a marketer, and giving me the knowledge and encouragement to move forward with my own business. Also thanks to Shannon and the folks with the Bridal Fashion Debut/ WMBA, for arming me with knowledge and showing their support by sending me referrals.

Most importantly, I would like to thank my husband, Brian. He has pushed me towards my dreams, and although we don't always agree, he has been my biggest inspiration.

Thank you, everyone. We really appreciate it. We hope you to take the time to thank some important people in your life. Happy Thanksgiving!

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Bridal Shower Favors

Part of the fun of planning a wedding is also enjoying the many festivities you have planned along the way. Even though the wedding is about you and your fiance's love and commitment for each other, the bridal shower let's the bride receive all the attention. (Just what she wants!)

Bridal showers can be both simple and elegant, and it can vary in theme depending on the bride that you are showering. One bride might do a wine tasting and cheese party, while others opt for margaritas and Mexican food.

Regardless of what kind of shower is thrown, there is one important detail that you shouldn't forget: thanking your guests for attending. A great way to show your appreciation is to provide shower favors to everyone who attends.

Our favorite favors are Kate Aspen Favors. What makes them so great is they are well designed, packaged nicely and are actually usable! For a bridal shower, some of our favorite picks are the nail files, gel candles, and wine bottle stoppers.



They have a wonderful selection and should certainly have something that not only your guests will enjoy, but will match along with your theme. Please visit our Kate Aspen Favor Shop at www.belove.0.kateaspenshops.com/

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Creating a Budget

One of the most worrisome aspects of any wedding has to be the budget. We can tell you from experience, when you create a budget, tack on at least an additional 5%. Why? Because not only will your taste change throughout the planning process, but also because things will simply will cost more than you expect. Many vendors just hear the word "wedding" and will mark up their prices drastically because they know most customers will pay it.

As stated in an earlier post, the greatest influence on your budget is the guest list. If you haven't read that post, we encourage you to do so and go through with the process of creating your guest list before your budget.

Be In Love Designs has created a simple formula to help you create your general budget. To calculate your budget, simply multiply your total budget by the percentage of each category. You can also modify your budget by slightly changing percentages in aareas where you know you'll spend more or less for those services, (such as a friend is doing your hair and makeup.) Using this formula, a $20,000 wedding would have spent approximately $800 on Wedding Stationery.

Wedding Expenses & Suggested Budget:
42% Reception: beverages, catering, cake, rentals
2% Ceremony: facility, clergy, rentals, license
9% Apparel: gown, formalwear, assessories
10% Photography & Videography: shoot, edit, prints
6% Flowers: ceremony, cocktail hour, reception
6% Music: ceremony, cocktail hour, reception
4% Stationery: invitations, menus, postage, place cards, etc.
1.5% Accessories: favors, flutes, cake & knife servers, etc.
1.5% Gifts: attendants, parents, hosts, to each other, etc.
2% Transportation: bride, wedding party, guests
(Optional)
8% Wedding Coordinator
1% Wedding Insurance
7% Overages: tax, tips, etc.

There are many great wedding planning sites that can help you with your budget. We suggest http://www.aboutweddings.com/

Lessons of this post:
• Start with your guest list.
• Create a budget using the formula
• Leave some "wiggle room" for unexpected expenses

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First Step: Guest List

When planning a wedding, there are many details that you have to be aware of. One of the most important ones is the guest list. The people you decide to have at your wedding will help determine what location it will be at, what food and entertainment you may have, and most importantly, the cost of the affair.

When you begin your planning, Be In Love Designs suggest that the first thing you do is create a guest list. While others may argue that a budget should be the first thing, we believe knowing a general idea of how many people will attend can then help you decide on a budget. (Some times it is just not realistic to have a small budget and hundreds of guests.)

How do you start? Well, a great way is to create several lists that help organize possible attendees into categories. For example, write all of your coworkers on a list labeled coworkers, another for family, and another for friends. Then, as most of the time parents are closely involved in the wedding, ask them for who they would like you to invite. (Most of the time their list will be small.)

Once you have compiled everyone on your lists, start separating them into “A” and “B” lists. The “A” list will be those who are definitely invited and “B” for those who may get cut in the future. Many online wedding planning sites make this easy by letting you organize the list this way. You should also include name holders, such as “Mike’s Date” if you are allowing guests to bring dates.

Finally, start removing the guests you are ok with not attending the wedding. Really think about this. Not everyone has to come, and it is your money you are spending, so people should understand if they didn’t make the cut.

As stated before, a budget is very important factor in the final decision of the guest list. Also, your guest list will often change in the course of planning the wedding because of couples getting together or breaking up, and meeting new people. The venue you choose may also not hold as many people you originally wanted to attend the wedding. Just remember to be flexible and don’t feel bad if everyone doesn’t make the cut.

Lessons of this post:
• Start with multiple lists and get input from others.
• Separate guests into “A” and “B” lists.
• Consider budget, venue, etc.
• Remember your list will probably change.
• Don’t feel bad if everyone doesn’t make the cut.

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Ever After Flowers: Orchids

Through mutual friends, Be In Love Designs had the pleasure of meeting a wonderful florist named Jennifer Colvin. She is the owner of Ever After Flowers here in Phoenix, Arizona. We met while attending the Wedding Merchants Business Association after communicating through emails.

Jennifer started Ever After Flowers several years ago, but has decided to take her floral design to the next level. She is very detailed oriented and only chooses the freshest, best looking flowers for her clients.

She recently completed a wedding at Troon Country Club using Orchids. The results are amazing and we thought we should share them with our readers. There are some great ideas for the many uses of flowers and the dramatic impact they can make at your affair. If you are interested in using Jennifer as your florist, please visit her website at http://www.everafterflowers.com/. She is available to both in-state and out of state weddings, but please contact her for more details.

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The Great Debate

As much of the country finds their way to the polls today, I took a moment to ponder all the "for" and "against" arguments of the election. It seems people's opinions became more vocal than ever before. While this great nation of ours does give us the freedom to choose both who we want and what we want them to do, it is not so in every life matter. To be specific, weddings are usually decided on by only the Bride and Groom, and possibly a few close family members and friends.

Just like the elections, not everyone is going to be happy with the decisions you make for your big day. Although you want everyone to enjoy themselves and possibly comment on how good the food and music was, it is ultimately your choices that shape the wedding.

Now, at Be In Love Designs, we do believe that your wedding should be planned and carried out the way you want. Yet we want you to remember you have guests attending the wedding that might not agree with your choices - and it's OK.

A great example of this: you and your fiance' love hamburgers, but half of your guest list is vegetarian. Choose to serve mini hamburgers as an appetizer instead of as your main meal. If you take the time to compare what you want for your wedding to what it will take to please those attending the wedding, you can have a well executed event that everyone will enjoy.

Lessons of this post:
• Look at BOTH what you want and what your guests will like.
• Make simple changes or "meet in the middle" decisions to have the best of both worlds, and possibly avoid problems with other demanding guests.
• Don't forget to vote today!

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