Mother of the Bride Dress Help

{Photo Source: Grazier Photography}

We understand how hard it is to shop for a flattering dress on most days (talk about stressful) however add the stress of a wedding and the fact that the shopper (mother of the bride) will be in ton's of pictures, we understand there's some added pressure to look flawless and picture perfect.

Here are a few tips to help all of you mother of the brides find the right fit.

• Pick a colour that compliments the bridesmaid's dresses
• Try to match the bride's colour scheme
• When in doubt, opt for something neutral and not too short (we think knee length is elegant for a wedding)
• Consider chatting up the groom's mother to try and coordinate colours and styles if the bride is particular about her colours and theme
• Floor or tea length are most flattering
• Stay away from white or cream, unless the bride OKs it

And lastly, remember to have fun with fashion. The most important thing to remember is that mom has to be happy, confident and comfortable on her daughter's big day too!

Q & A: Engagement Party Guest List Etiquette

Q: My fiance and I have a very small budget to work with for our wedding. As a result, we've decided to host a small wedding of 50 people, however our guest list is so long, we're having trouble deciding on who to cut from the guest list. We thought it would be a great idea to host an engagement party for the extra people who won't be invited to the wedding however my mother says it's rude to invite guests to the engagement and not the wedding. Can you help us put this battle to rest? Who knows best?

A: Unfortunately, mom knows best in this situation. While most people are quite understanding when it comes to budgets and wedding planning, we always like to keep everything pretty standardized when planning out the guest list to any wedding related event. If a guest is not included in your head count for the wedding, they shouldn't be invited to any engagement parties or showers as it's seen as bad form. We love that you're trying to include all of your loved ones in your special day and as a compromise, planning a post-wedding bash or house warming party (if you recently moved into a new place) would be a great way to celebrate this new chapter with some additional friends and family members.



Photo by Simply Sophisticated Events



Q & A: Formal Table Setting HELP!

Q: I'm hosting a very small, formal dinner party next month and I want to make sure I do EVERYTHING right, including setting the table. The problem is, I have no idea how to start or what side to put the spoon on! Clearly I'm in need of a table setting crash course, can you help?

A: Don't sweat it, there are tons of resources out there to help you figure out which fork goes where and what to do with all of those glasses. We love this diagram from Replacements.com, it's clear and easy to follow and totally fool proof. Don't forget to print it and put it away for the next formal dinner party you host.

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Q & A: What Are My Duties As a Bridesmaid?

Q:  I've been asked to be a bridesmaid in a friends wedding and although I'm honoured at the invite, I'm really nervous and don't know what my responsibilities will be. Can you help?

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A: Being asked to be in some one's wedding party is a huge honour and we understand how that can make you a bit nervous. Firstly, have confidence that the bride has chosen you because you are a good friend, and she wants to share this special time with you. Secondly, while there are some bridesmaid duties you should take on, remember that most of them are pretty fun and are ways in which you can support the bride during the planning stages. Trust us, she will  need all of the support you can give!

Bridesmaid's Duties

• Helping the bride choose a wedding dress
• Helping the bride make decisions
• Assisting with all pre-wedding parties such as the bridal shower and bachelorette party
• Providing the bride with moral support throughout the planning stages, sometimes it helps to just have a shoulder to lean on
• Make sure you're up to speed on anything wedding related as some people will turn to you for information on where they're registered, when they will return from their honeymoon and other wedding details
• On the wedding day, the bride may need some help directing people to the guestbook or taking care of other things like gifts or clean up after the reception

4 Ways to Announce Your Engagement

We're always asked for ideas on how to announce an engagement. Sure, there are the the tried and true methods like putting an ad in your local paper, announcing it to your friends on Facebook or even sending out Save the Date cards for your upcoming wedding. We like to kick things up a notch and if you're looking to do something different, we think you'll like some of these ideas.

1. Start a wedding blog and send the link to your friends and family. After some wedding plans have been set, keep your blog updated to share special wedding details such as location, time and party information.
2. Plan a surprise/secret engagement party and announce your news to everyone at once. Celebrities have secret weddings, why can't you have a secret engagement party?
3. If you were lucky enough to have a camera handy during the proposal, create a wedding proposal slide show and send it to the people you love. End the show with a picture of yourselves with "Happily Engaged" as the caption.
4. Announce your engagement on a chocolate bar with a customized wrapper. Check out WrappedHersheys.com or Custom Candy Bars to find out how.

Did you announce your engagement in a unique way? We want to hear all about it, be sure to leave your story in the comments.

Wedding Parties: How Many are Too Many?

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Some brides have visions of large weddings parties and while the idea of having 20 of your closest girlfriends standing up for you on your wedding day may sound like a great idea, the whole experience can take a turn to Stressville faster than you may think.

Choosing how many people to have in your wedding party can sometimes be more stressful than actually deciding on who to ask. Before you decide on that 20 person bridal party (yes, we're talking just bridesmaids) consider these two little questions we think you should consider before deciding to recruit that small army to stand up at the altar with you.

• HUGE bridal parties come with an added expense. While you are not obligated to pay for every one's attire, hair and/or makeup, the bride and groom usually incur additional costs when having such a large group of family and friends standing up for them such as, extra flowers for bouquets, extra attendant gifts and renting additional limos to name a few.
• While having a larger wedding party means having extra hands for things you need assistance with during the planning stages and on the day of, having too large of a group may in turn make the whole experience feel a bit impersonal and/or stressful as it's hard to keep tabs and control such large groups.

Overall, there are no rules as to how many people are allowed in a wedding party (after all it is YOUR wedding and you can celebrate in any way that makes you happy).

The best advice we could give you is to choose the people who are closest to you and who you'd like to share this milestone with. After writing your list you'll know who to ask to be a bridesmaid and how many people you're comfortable with. You never know, you might be surprised at what conclusions you come to, don't be surprised if your 20 girl list gets whittled down to 5 or less!

Save-the-Date Cards: A Must Have?

A save-the-date card is a pre-invitation that officially announces your wedding date. But many brides want to know, are save-the-date cards really necessary?

While save-the-dates are not a wedding must have, it does add a nice touch as it gives your guests a heads up far enough in advance that they can clear their schedule to attend. We like to recommend a save-the-date card for destination weddings, three-day weekend weddings or any event that requires guests to travel. Between all of the hustle and bustle of travel arrangements and work schedules, a save-the-date will help increase guests' chances of attending your special day.

Are you thinking of sending a save-the-date? Here are two things to keep in mind before mailing them out:

• Only send save-the-dates to the people you want to come to your wedding. Once a save-the-date is sent, you can't take back the invitation.
• How far in advance should you send them? We recommend about 6 months before the wedding, to allow guests to make travel arrangements, save money and also to get time off work if needed. While some feel it's best not to send a save-the-date before 6 months, we think sending them up to 12 months in advance is ok if you're planning a destination wedding!

Photo Source: Magic Wand Weddings

News Years Eve Party Etiquette: Hostess Gifts?

Q: Should I bring a gift for the hostess of a New Years Eve party I'm attending?

A: We always recommend bringing a little something for the host or hostess of a party. Whether it be a housewarming, open house, casual dinner party or a holiday party, it's always nice to either ask if you can bring anything or, simply show up with a small item. Giving a hostess gift is just another way to show your gratitude and appreciation.

When it comes to hostess gifts, the sky is the limit in terms of ideas, budget and pricing. To get you started, here are some budget friendly ideas we like to recommend!

• Flowers and chocolates
• Bottle of the hosts' favourite wine or bubbly
• A coffee table book
• Themed gift basket
• Guest book
• Kitchen stuff (platters, bowls etc.)

Tell us, what are some of your favourite hostess gifts you've given or received from a friend?

Office Christmas Parties: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

We've all been there - the office Christmas party. Some offices have a lunch, some have blowout bashes for employees and spouses, and some have midweek parties for just the employees.

We've seen it all from quiet affairs, to live entertainment, to mimicking Dancing With the Stars competitions but, if you're still looking for ideas you've come to the right place - we have some some party ideas for all you social committee members out there!

Not planning a party but want a little Office Party Etiquette refresher? Scroll down for our tips on how to have fun but still be professional. It's hard to believe we know, but you can still have fun and still remember what happened the day after!

Office Party Ideas

• Host an in-office pot luck lunch and let the staff go home early that day.
• Whether your party is in a restaurant, a hall or in the office, plan some cool door prizes to giveaway to your staff, they'll really appreciate a neat freebie.
• Have a party theme and change it up each year. Our favourites are: winter galas, winter wonderland, white Christmas, Christmas carnival, Chevy Chase's Christmas theme, movie themed....the options are endless!
• Use a free service such as Evite.com to send your invitations - it makes tracking RSVP's a cinch.
  
• No party is complete without music. Whether you hire a DJ or create you own play list, it would be a fun way to get the staff involved in music selections. Ask employees to e-mail their favourite songs and create your own play list that everyone will enjoy!
• Last but not the least; have a small gift or party favor for every invited person, as a memento of the night.

Office Party Etiquette: We're all for getting jiggy with it at the office Christmas party but just to stay on the safe side, here are a few etiquette tips to keep in mind before you break out the Tequila shots:

• Don't pass on the invitation to the party, it could hurt your reputation. Instead, stay for the dinner and maybe opt out of the dancing (if it's in a restaurant or hall).
  
• Ladies: Cover up the girls - although it's a social function, this time around the girls aren't invited to play! Remember if you wouldn't wear it to the office, then it should probably stay in the closet.
  
• Remember that even though this is a social event, it's still technically a business event. Maybe skip dancing on the speakers tonight!
• Always conduct yourself in a professional manner, the office party shouldn't be a time to blow off steam and complain about how much you hate your job. It's the only night of the year where you can enjoy each others company so make the most of it and get to know your coworkers.
• Remember what you learned in kindergarten: keep your hands to yourself. Grinding on the dance floor, (think Red Red Wine by UB40) grabbing, or pinching of other people's body parts is probably not a good idea. We know, the guy in the photo copy room is a hunk, maybe admire him from afar this time ok?
• That reminds us, stay away from the Mistletoe . . . no one's going to buy that you "accidentally" bumped into copy boy's lips!
  
• And last but not least, never drink and drive.

We hope you enjoyed our party ideas and etiquette tips. If you have suggestions we'd love to hear them, be sure to leave your comments for us and your fellow readers to weigh in on your ideas.

Photo Source: www.classesandcareers.com

Engagement Party Etiquette-Survival Tips

Congratulations on your engagement! You've just entered pre-marital bliss (hopefully!) and before you can even say pass the crinoline please, the planning has already started - with or without you!

For some of you brides, someone in your personal network is thinking an engagement party is the perfect way to kick off the wedding festivities. Don't be alarmed - if you can survive the planning of an engagement party, the wedding will be a breeze!

To help the process run a bit smoother on your end, here are our top three engagement party etiquette rules for you to stash away in your Wedding Planning Survival Kit.

Note: Feel free to whip these out to recite them to guilty parties at any time!

Traditionally the brides immediate family would host the engagement party however these days, engagement parties can be hosted by anyone other than the bride and groom. It's also important to remember it doesn't matter how badly you may want a party, the role of engagement party planner should not be delegated to anyone in the bridal party unless they request to host the event. Why? Because the wedding party has many other events to take care of like showers, bachelorettes, stag and does etc.

Remember, gifts are optional. Guests are not obligated to buy a gift for the engagement party however in the event that you do receive gifts, they should be opened at home, not during the party. Leave the awkward everyone-stares-at-you present opening for the bridal shower. Trust us old married gals, once is enough!

When it comes to the guest list remember this cardinal rule: no one should be invited to an engagement party who have not been invited to the wedding (even if you're having a destination wedding)!

Now that you've read our top three engagement party rules, tell us, what rules do you think should be added to the list?