Many brides choose to have a bridal portrait session prior to the wedding, and during this time, their dress can pick up a little bit of dirt and grime.  So what should they do about it?

First and foremost, do not attempt to clean your dress yourself.  Dresses are made out of a variety of materials and some react well to usual cleaning methods and some do not. Some dresses will stain just from water, so you must be careful!  Some dirt can be softly brushed from the dress, but do not try to wash it with any type of liquid or spot remover.

Second, find a trusted dry cleaner.  It’s a great idea to do this before the wedding anyway so you know who to take the dress to after the wedding.  Cleaning can be expensive, but please don’t choose the dry cleaner just off price.  They need to be experienced and some will offer great packages if you use them to preserve the dress as well.  For example, Andrea Porter with Circle Park Bridal recommends Pinstripe Cleaners located in Denton, Texas.  While they are a little expensive, they do an amazing job on hard to clean gowns.  A perk to using Pinstripe Cleaners?  They include a free cleaning between the bridal portrait and the wedding if you get their preservation package.

Speaking of preservation, most dry cleaners and bridal gown stores offer preservation services.  For gowns that are relatively clean, this gown preservation service is a great option and relatively inexpensive.  The dress is shipped off to a cleaner and preservation specialist and shipped back to you in see through box so you can see your preserved gown.  This allows you to keep your dress for future generations if you choose.

Happy Planning!

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Many, many times I hear the statement “I found a DJ for $500 at the bridal show and I think we will go with him”.  When I hear this, my first question is why that DJ?  Almost always when they say this first sentence, the next sentence is “because we don’t want to pay too much for the DJ”.  While I can of course understand the need to be frugal, this is probably the number one mistake I see clients make when it comes to choosing the DJ for their wedding reception.

A wedding DJ (disc jockey) has become so much more than the person who stands behind the speakers and plays music.  When choosing your DJ, keep in mind that this is your master of ceremonies.  This person will guide you and your guests through the wonderful reception you have planned, from introducing you and your new husband, to letting your guests know when the food is served, to entertaining them and keeping them on the dance floor into the late night.  Their skills behind the microphone and choosing music is truly a talent.

Think about it:  the DJ is the one wedding vendor who can literally drive your guests out of the building.  Yes, the food could be bad, but that just means everyone will be picking up another meal on the way home.  If your DJ is horrible, they can literally have your guests fleeing from the event and of course, it will definitely be the talk at the water cooler the next morning.  Consider this comment one of my clients left on Facebook when discussing the garter toss:  “I was at a wedding and the DJ does the screeching music stop and goes ‘Whoa, slow down buddy! She’s not gonna like that speed later tonight!’”.  Is that really what you want your guests to be talking about the next morning?

Consider more than the price when choosing the entertainment for your wedding.  Look for a personality, attitude and knowledge of music that matches the ambiance you want to create for your special day.  Think about what value you would place on the mood you want to create, then look at the investment cost the DJ is asking of you.  You will not regret your choice if you take all of these details account and balance them according to your needs.

Happy Planning!

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I’ve heard the phrase “Imitation is the highest form of flattery” way too many times over the past year.  While I appreciate that someone valued our company name and website enough to copy it, it has always bothered me.  It was hard to express why something like this bothered me so much.  So many of my friends and colleagues have said they understand that it is an ethical issue, but many said not to worry about it and to take it as a compliment.  While I have tried to understand why someone would choose this path to a business, I’m finally able to articulate a little about it and why it should bother not only the possible clients of these businesses, but other professionals who might choose to work with them.

Copying another company to create their own is a shortcut.  What does this mean to their potential client?  It means that this new person/company could not take the time to do the research and brainstorm an idea that was their own.  If they did not put forth any effort to develop their own name, one should question if this new company has taken any other shortcuts.  Have they pursued any education or training for their chosen craft?  Will they take shortcuts and skimp on quality when it comes to their products and services?  How much do they truly value what they are offering?  Or are they simply out for a quick buck?

For wedding professionals, do you want to be associated with someone who is known to take shortcuts?  How will this affect your business?  Can you trust them if a problem arises during the planning process or on the wedding day?

It is very important to me that anyone who is potentially looking to hire Each & Every Detail or associate with us as a wedding professional knows that we hold ourselves to a high ethical standard.  It is very important to us that all transactions, whether personal or business, are above board.  We truly want the best for our clients and colleagues and we strive to educate ourselves to be able to provide high quality services.  Please do research and make sure you are hiring or working with those you can truly trust.

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During this past month, Emily and I decided to take a little time away from the blog so we could focus our efforts on some new projects here at Each & Every Detail.  We’ve been expanding, not only in staff, but in ideas and we are so excited to share them with you!    Here are some of the things that are changing:

• We postponed our info session “Your Key to a Successful Wedding” so we could pack it with more info.  Keep an eye out for the new date as we’ll probably be setting this up for April.
• The blog will soon have it’s own identity and we’ll be getting a little more personal so you can see what inspires us to design, plan and coordinate.
• Our clients will have access to our online resource for their planning process.  From checklists to contracts, they’ll be able to keep tabs with us on what all needs to be done.
• You might see some changes to the website as we add a video gallery and to the blog as we add some of our fave reads.

With all of this, I’d like to leave you with our new mission.  We hope you enjoy it.

Our mission:

To Champion our Clientele

and

Be their Key Resource to Inspired Events

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We are excited to announce that Each & Every Detail, LLC has been chosen to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards^™ 2010. This award recognizes the top 5 percent of local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service and professionalism.

The Bride’s Choice Awards™ are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds (brides and grooms) through extensive surveys and reviews, which our past clients have spoken on our behalf and selected us to receive this honor.

We are so proud and honored by this award from our past clients.  We have loved working with each of  you and continue to wish you the best in your newly married lives!

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Maybe it’s the fact that I watch way too many wedding related movies, or maybe it’s because I’ve been a bridesmaid um… more times than I want to admit? But nothing strikes terror in my heart like a bride saying, “I’ve found the CUTEST bridesmaid dresses!”

I can remember my first bridesmaid dress. It was my oldest sister’s wedding and bless her heart, but it was teal taffeta {I know} and it had a lace collar {I’m totally serious}.  I was 11 and even I knew it was terrible. But don’t judge too hard, it was the 90’s.

Or how about the bride who put me in a yellow dress, she told me I looked like Belle.  I, however, still believe I looked like a half melted stick of butter.

Remember, your bridesmaids should be important people in your life. They can be your lifesavers, they help you dream up ideas and plan the little details and they put up with irrational emotional outbursts {don’t lie. Everyone has them.}.  Why not make them happy in a dress they love?

Here are my five favorite qualities in a bridesmaid dress:

1) Pockets. I’m not talking jean-like pockets but big enough to give you a place to stash some lip gloss and a camera.

2) Straps. Especially if one of your bridesmaids is blessed with curves, strapless dresses can cause some issues. You don’t want your bridesmaid to be pulling her dress up in every candid photo.

3) Tailoring.  Your bridesmaids will look better and more comfortable with a dress tailored to their bodies.

4) Wearable Fabric. Itchy, stiff or easily wrinkled dresses will leave your bridesmaids counting down the minutes till it’s over when they can ditch the dress and throw on those sweats they have stored away in the hotel suite.

5) Their own input! Yes it is your day, and your bridesmaids will be willing to wear whatever makes you happy but nothing will make her as comfortable in her dress than if she had a say in the final decision. Have them pick out a dress in a certain color, or invite them to come along and select their favorites from a few preselected favorites of yours.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Happy Planning!

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Okay much like everyone else I am a certified blog stalker {I may or may not need a 12 step program?}.  So here are some of my favorite cute and quirky wedding ideas I’ve gathered this week.

Buttons!!! Who else collected buttons when they were younger? {Chirp….Chirp…?} Just kidding I didn’t either. But seriously how cute are these and how funny? You can even customize them to say whatever you want! Does it get any better?

What about using these for destination weddings as part of the welcome gift? You can label your guests as Friend of Groom or Friend of Bride? It’s a great icebreaker and lets people scope out who else is there for your wedding!

Or what about these cute and unique Programs? Great idea for outdoor summer weddings, especially down here in Texas.

Or my personal favorite, the LOL camera. Maybe it’s because I love flashbacks or maybe it’s because I still have a disposable camera or two hidden in my closet but I’m in love with the idea of setting them at each table and seeing what photos your guests take, especially when this camera adds little mustaches and other images to the photos! Just look through the viewfinder to see what will be added to your next photo!

What fun things have you guys seen at weddings or are planning on using at your wedding?

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Now that you are fluent in lighting language we can talk about pricing. {Disclaimer: these are the average lighting costs that we’ve seen from Dallas vendors. Cost does change frequently and varies upon location.}

Gobo: $300.00

Break up pattern: $375.00

Pin spots: $40.00 per pin spot

Up lights: $40.00 per up light

Color Wash: between $275-$350 depending on the size of the area

Most lighting companies require a minimum dollar amount to be spent on lighting to create your “package”.  Also, set up and delivery charges vary, but are usually 10-15% of the lighting bill.  (So if you are spending $1000 on lighting choices, then you will see an additional $100-150 added for set up and delivery.  Always talk to your lighting professional to see what options they offer and you can creatively use lighitng to add that dramatic element without a dramatic bill, if you have less of a buget to work with. Maybe use pinspotting only for your sweetheart and cake tables, while using uplighting to add color.  Or just a gobo without a color wash or break up pattern behind iton the dance floor?  Maybe just add up lights to architectural details of your reception venue.  There are so many options you can choose from when it comes to lighting.

When choosing your lighting vendor, you want to look for a lighting professional, not someone who has lots of twinkling Christmas lights that can hang them nicely. You want a vendor with nice equipment. It doesn’t need to be the newest top of the line equipment; it just needs to look professional and work well.  This can mean the lovely LED lighting that allows you to change colors at your whim, or the less modern “can” lighting that uses gels to tint the color.  Also don’t forget to look for a love match; you need to be comfortable trusting them and paying them.

If lighting is something you decide you want, make it work for you and your budget!

Happy Planning!

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Think lighting your reception means flipping a light switch? Think again. Lighting can be a fabulous way to kick your wedding up a notch, to make it a simply stunning event.

When talking to different lighting companies or lighting designers it can seem like they are speaking a different language. But don’t worry we’ve got you covered, just gather round for today’s Vocab Lesson!

Pin spots: a focused beam of light shining directly onto an object, like a centerpiece or the cake, used as a highlighting effect

Gobo: a projection of a wedding motif, like the wedding date, a monogram or a symbol

Up lights: projects light up to give the wall a dramatic effect or to highlight an area

Color Wash: basically a technique that “washes” an entire area a different color

Break up pattern: a projection of a pattern or an all over design, can be projected under the Gobo or over a color washed wall or over a blank wall, etc

Well now that you’ve learned the language of lighting, let’s chat about what lighting can do for your wedding.

Lighting is a great way change the look or feeling in the room. If you are doing your ceremony and reception in the same room, try color washing the room in a warm, soft amber color and then have the lighting switch to a dramatic color like purple. It can completely change the ambiance and your guests won’t even realize it’s the same room. Color washing the walls can also help set the tone for your guests, for example having a softer color during dinner and pumping up the vibrancy when it’s time to party.

If you don’t want to color wash, think about using up lights between windows or over pillars. You can have a break up pattern by the dance floor and have your monogram or another symbolic symbol as your gobo over the break up pattern. You love your centerpieces, pin spot them so they are more of a focal point. In love with your cake, then pin spot it!

Using lighting is a great way to add a little more drama {the good kind of drama} to your event.

Now that we’ve talked about light terms and what you can do with them, next I’ll post about pricing and different options that you can choose from!

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When planning your wedding, whether by yourself or with the help of a wedding planner, it can be hard to know exactly which vendors to hire.

Here at Each & Every Detail we call it finding a “love match”.

Finding your love match doesn’t mean you and your florist need to be best friends. You don’t need to go to coffee or brunch with your photographer. No need to exchange BFF necklaces with your DJ.

A love match means finding someone you trust to come through on your wedding day. They understand your vision and help you come up with ways to get the desired results and stay within your budget. But most importantly they are someone you feel comfortable with, this person is going to be helping you on one of the most important days of your entire life and you need to feel comfortable to speak your opinion and say if you like something or how you want it changed.

Your budget and vendor pricing are of course a factor in finding your lovematch.  Sometimes you might fall in love with a florist, or another vendor, that is out of your set budget and it can be a hard choice whether to sign a contract with them or not. My advice is to continue to shop around, meet with other florists. You may end up finding a less expensive florist that you click with as there are lots of vendors out there.  However, while the less expensive vendor can help create your vision, you may not find you trust them as much. Sometimes the stress and worry you save yourself from can be worth spending more money than you expected to.  Go with your gut feeling.  It’s a personal decision and it’s a hard decision, but always know you have options.

I wish you all the best in finding your love match and as always Happy Planning!

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