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Picking the right wedding venue is probably the single most important choice you’ll make when planning a wedding — because it affects everything else. It helps set the mood, the tone, it’s where people will dance and toast and celebrate. You want it to reflect you, your partner, your choices — but also be within budget. I know, it’s a lot. But it’s important not to get swept away by something that looks perfect as soon as you step into it — without taking a closer look. Here are seven mistakes to avoid when choosing a wedding venue, because it’s about a lot more than first impressions.
You really need to go and look at the venue in person — sure, something can look perfect on the internet, but we all know just how powerful photoshop can be. Make sure that you take a look around to see what it actually looks like.
It’s an issue you might not even think about, but if the bathrooms are subpar then it can totally change an evening. Make sure there are enough of them and that they look great.
You need to ask what you can and can’t do as far as design. There’s nothing worse than putting down a huge deposit assuming you can make big changes — and then finding out that’s a no-go. Better safe than sorry.
Find out if they’re planning any major repairs or upgrades and when the work is being done — you don’t want your wedding to look like a building site, or worse yet, for the terrible sound of construction noise to override your sweet vows.
If you’re getting your catering from the venue, actually taste the food. Food is another crucial component that can look great in the picture but be a total disappointment in real life. Set up a tasting.
Make sure you check with them about what payment plans are available. If there aren’t any, don’t be shy about asking if you can create one. Some venues can be really accommodating.
A tiny detail, but an important one — because you don’t want your wedding cake showing up at 9 am… only to discover the venue doesn’t open until noon. Make sure you know if the venue will be available to you.
And Finally…
Once you think you’ve found the perfect venue — you’ve checked every bathroom and looked at the price breakdown — you’re not quite done. If you want your wedding to run as smoothly as it possibly can, you need to ask the venue these seven very important questions:
I know, it’s a lot. But it’s crossing every “t” and dotting every “i” that makes the real difference. Finding the perfect venue and knowing exactly how things will work on the day will take off so much of the pressure. Because when it comes to the actual wedding day, you want to be able to enjoy it if you are doing all of the work!
Happy Wedding Planning!
There are many phases of wedding planning, from picking out the dress to taste testing different cakes. One detail, though, ties together the colors of the wedding and the meaning of the day: the flowers. And there is something fun about choosing the perfect flowers for the wedding.
Finding the perfect flowers to craft the most beautiful and meaningful bouquet really is an art form. The best florists know how to design those bursting blossoms to create amazing scented sculptures. But flowers go beyond color and fragrance. Yes, of course you want to choose a bouquet that will look wonderful against the bridesmaids’ dresses, but you also want to create a meaningful arrangement.
The art of the bouquet and flower selection relies on understanding the meaning behind the blooms. Every petal plays into the symbolism of your bridal bouquet…and the bouquets of your bridesmaids. Looking to craft a symbolically stunning wedding bouquet, use these flowers as a bit of inspiration.
Not all roses are created the same. All rose colors hold a different meaning. Yes, red is symbolic of love and passion. But, according to Good Housekeeping’s “The Meaning of Every Rose Color,” Yellow roses signify being unfaithful, light pink roses mean “grace” and purple roses are enchanting.
Sweet and simple is sometimes the most beautiful. Simple flowers include the daisy and other wildflowers. These are the flowers you grew up seeing in fields. Daisies give a whimsical vibe to a bouquet. They can take you back to the swinging sixties when flower power ruled. But, mostly, they remind us of country fields and sweet happy memories. Daisies are the perfect flower for a spring and summer bouquet.
Your flower choices should make you smile. Maybe happiness to you means hydrangea, carnations or mums. If you want a flower that is the symbol of sunshine and happiness, look no further than the sunflower. Happy and cheery and representative of the sun itself, sunflowers are the state flower of Kansas and boast bright bursting rays of petals. When choosing bold sunnies for your bouquet, opt for simple accents of greenery or small springs of Queen Anne’s Lace. Let the bold sunflowers stand mighty. Use smaller sunflowers for boutonnières.
Some couples choose flowers based on their fragrances. Many flowers are often used as the base for essential oils, and you may love the smell or the benefits of certain oils. For your bouquet, grab the petals that inspire them! Some people believe that the scent of lavender oil may help bring a sense of calm; you may opt to integrate sprigs of lavender for this reason. Whether it does or doesn’t help calm your nerves, lavender still smells amazing!
Some brides love to integrate their heritage into their bouquet. If your family hails from Netherlands, integrate pops of color with tulips. Choose Edelweiss as a nod to Austria or sweet cherry blossom sprigs whose beauty is indicative of Japan. For couples hosting their nuptials abroad, research flowers that are native to the area and integrate them into your bouquet.
While many brides choose real flowers for bouquets, silk flowers are a beautiful—and nearly forever—alternative. While real flowers may be difficult to preserve for a keepsake, silk flowers will likely last a lifetime—as long as you clean them properly. Silk flowers also are lighter in weight than their real counterparts. If you choose high-quality silk flowers, most guests won’t even be able to tell that they aren’t the real thing!
Some brides opt to not even carry flowers. You can choose alternatives to the traditional bridal bouquet. Carry bold arrangements of feathers, puffs of tulle or even a bouquet of paper flowers (a very now trend!).
Feeling really nonconformist? Carry an edible bouquet. Cookies wrapped in colored cellophane or maybe an arrangement of candy bars…the choices can be as bold and crazy as you like! You may even opt to carry a bouquet of lollipops!
No matter what flowers you choose for your bouquet, design an arrangement that is symbolic to you. This could mean integrating meaningful colors, regional flowers, blooms that are native to your ancestry or your bouquet could feature no flowers at all! Your personality and style define your look for your wedding day…and that personal inspiration even plays a part in the bouquet in your hands. Whatever bouquet you design, just make sure to remember to have a back-up for tossing!
Growth in popularity of recycled materials for wedding rings
Ethical rings, metals, and stones have taken on a new meaning in today’s world. With the spread of awareness of unethical, non-ecological, and non-recycled products in use, couples tying the knot are more conscious about the products being used to celebrate their union. When considering wedding and engagement rings, couples now pay attention to environmental and human rights effects.
For socially forward brides and grooms, ethically-sourced, environment-friendly rings are a must. Thankfully, there are a lot of people and organizations that are as socially forward as these new earth loving couples. Katie from Orla James firmly believes in sourcing and promoting ethical, conflict-free stones, and recycled materials for wedding rings. She only deals in jewelry from companies that are green-certified and trade in fair-trade gold and conflict-free diamonds.
Why use recycled metals?
Gold mining has many times been labeled ‘dirty’ owing to the economic strife, labor abuse, civil wars, and environmental devastation it has caused throughout the years. Gold mining is one of the most environmentally devastating types of mining. Apart from the environmental effects of gold mining, the miners earn meager wages and live in uninhabitable conditions. They get paid below minimum wage and are not adequately compensated for the dangerous work conditions and deaths due to mining accidents and cave-ins.
Using recycled metals helps in curbing the environmental effects of re-mining gold for constant use of wedding and engagement rings, jewelry sets, and designs. They also help in diminishing the impact of dirty gold on the mining community by reducing demand. The more the market for newly minted gold arises, the higher the effect of mining will be on the environment and the lives of miners through inhumane labor and violations of human rights.
What can we do?
We can opt for recycled metal obtained from elders, family members, and heirlooms. By doing this, we can ideally decrease demand for newly mined gold and metals for jewelry, weddings, and gifts. This will slowly diminish the adverse effects of social malpractice in the mining community and reduce the demand for ‘dirty’ gold. Precious metals are a naturally renewable resource that is successfully recycled over generations without losing the value or degrading the quality of the metal.
We can also opt for precious recycled stones without giving added stress to diamonds. Uses of other gems to replace diamonds are a sure-shot way of ensuring the ‘blood diamond’ practice reduces considerably. In his film ‘Blood Diamond’, Leonardo DiCaprio showed the adverse consequences of sourcing rare stones from conflict areas that resulted in tremendous bloodshed and war across Africa.
Brides today can opt for jewelry passed down from parents and grandparents. These brides can also consider recycled materials as against precious metals and gold. Handcrafted ring designs and patterns are slowly becoming the new norm for environmental-friendly couples.
What options do we have for recycled material rings?
There are plenty of options to choose from when considering recycled materials for wedding rings. Let us look at some choices instead of traditional gold.
Wood:
Wood rings are soon becoming a stylish alternative for eco-friendly couples wishing to tie the knot. Wood rings can be fashioned from different types of wood like rosewood, birch, teak, and so on. Bespoke wood rings are made non-toxic and are covered with a waterproof, transparent finish that protects the wood from harmful chemicals, harsh surfaces, and abrasive substances. Most jewelry manufacturers of wooden rings ensure there is no excess manipulation done to the wood and is only compromised till it can be bent. You can do your part in reducing global waste by opting for a wedding ring that has been made from responsibly-sourced wood.
Alternative materials:
Alternative materials are a popular choice today. Wedding rings made from strings of guitars, computer circuit boards, sprockets, and silverware are gaining a tremendous advantage over metals like gold, platinum, and palladium. Rings crafted from springs, silver spoons and recycled materials are a great way to celebrate shared interests while protecting the environment. With so many metals and artifacts that might end up decaying the environment further, wedding rings made from these materials are sure to promote less waste.
You can do your part in reducing the demand for new gold and destructive mining practices by recycling jewelry and using recycled materials. The growth in popularity of recycled materials in wedding rings for our loved ones shows commitment and dedication to saving the environment as well as declaring a love that promises to flourish over time.
