It is Your Day and guest consideration - where do you draw the line?

True Story: I recently had a bride look me dead in the eye and say “I hate my father-in-laws name, do I have to put it on my invitation?”

But here is the truth – there is no simple answer to that question. The answer comes through the process that we went through:

I asked her: “Are your in-laws helping pay for the wedding day?”
She said: “Yes”
I asked her: “Would your in-laws be offended by being left out of the invitation?”
She said: “Yes”
And finally I said to her: “We could put only Mr. and Mrs. with their last name, but I want you to think for a minute. The last thing you want to do is start a family feud or issue with your invitation – so think how important to you is your relationship you’re your Father-in-Law vs. how important it is that you dislike his name so much to think of not putting it on your invitation”

She thought for a minute and found her line between Her Day and Guest (in this case in-law) Consideration. She realized that her distaste for the name he was given was, for her, petty in comparison to the care she did have for her future father-in law.



Other places:
Think about how timing could affect your guests – send invites too late and maybe they won’t have the time to make travel arrangements, get off from work any days needed, schedule a babysitter, or even to save for a wedding gift. (not everyone has fast access to extra money for gifts or envelopes in this current economy)

If you know in particular that you have several guests with allergies – perhaps going light on flowers would make everyone’s night a little more enjoyable. (unless you want a band of sniffles and sneezes)



It is your day – for every couple there is a different definition to a “happy medium”. Give it some thought and think of your day from your guests’ point of view.


Written by: Kathleen Zagula. You can find more from her on twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+

Don't Sell Yourself Short... On time!

So now you have “Surfed for Style” and it is time to start making the appointments to find the right people to help you get the vision of your day made into reality!

The next step is: Don’t Sell Yourself Short! On time that is…

It is going to take time with each appointment you make in order to have the clear communication you need to get every detail covered. If you are having a planner handle most of your arrangements for you, then most of your time will be spent communicating with them. But get ready – you still need to spend the time with them and give them the time to do the leg work you are asking to be done on your behalf.

If you are venturing out to the vendors yourself, please allow yourself time with each one. DO NOT assume that you can schedule one after the other, after the other with only a half hour in between. Details do not happen that fast.

Some examples for your consideration:


Unless you plan on spending your big day taking pictures yourself, a few things from the list that A photographer needs to know not only what kind of pictures you want taken, but where you want them taken, where do you want them taken, with what specific bridal party or family members do want pictures taken with?


Just a few things from the list that A florist needs to be able to take the time to consider the colors and flowers you are requesting, the season you are asking for them to be provided and if it will even be possible. They need time to be able to brainstorm design with you and options available to you.


As a stationer, we need time to go over with you not only your choice of invitation, but also the wording that will be perfect for your occasion and your family. The type style or font that you would like to use. We need time to discuss colors, guests lists, kids or no kids at the reception…and so much more!

So please do yourself the biggest favor possible – make the time to take the time with your wedding helpers. No matter if they are paid vendors, family or friends – unrushed, clear communication is the best ingredient to making your day smooth and flawless!

www.nikapaperworks.com
www.yourinvitationplace.com/nikapaperworks
www.nikapaperworks.mcphersons.com

Wedding Pricing - Myth or Malicious Intent?

A question wedding pros get so very often is – Why is the price of wedding stuff always so much more than everything else?

I went around my kitchen counter and collected some of the cards my family has either received or bought over the last year. You can see them pictured below with their prices face up. As you can see they vary from $2.25 all the way up to $4.97.

All of these cards were pressed and printed in mass amounts, all have a standard message flat printed inside. The mass amounts of cards are then separated and shipped in smaller quantities world wide. So while your local card store, pharmacy, or grocery store may only have 5 -10 of these cards, thousands of stores world wide also are selling 5 -10 of those same exact cards.

So now let’s take a look at what the difference is in these standard cards and wedding cards and how the pricing adds up.

Let’s start with obvious differences, wedding cards are personalized with your own event information, names, font choice, ink color choice, and usually printed with a thermograph, engraving press or letterpress.

So with the given differences, what do you think the difference in price will be?

Drum roll please…..

That’s right, same price, but certainly not the same card.


Also, keep in mind that more than one card per set means more than one print press set up and print press run.

Don’t forget the personal services that your professionals provide. For us at Nika Paperworks (www.nikapaperworks.com) that means hand assembly, personal service, custom designs and etiquette guidance.

So where is the value? Truth is that your $5 dollars goes a lot further in the “wedding” world of pricing.

And so it is also true with the other wedding services, personal setups from DJs, personal editing and shooting from photographers and videographers, personal and arranging from florists, and food made to just to your liking from venues.

As the year begins and we start at the beginning, so do many brides start their wedding planning. But the big question is - Where do I begin? What do I have to do first? And while there are tons of standardized schedules and checklists available, none of them include the most important step, The Very First Step toward having your perfect wedding hour, day, weekend, week, or whatever time frame you choose!

Take the time to Surf for your Style! Google, Bing, Weddingwire, Pinterest, Twitter, Houzz, You Tube - Search it All! Bridal Magazines are good as well, but take on the challenge of a variety. You may be pleasantly suprised to find a great idea or tip in a Bridal Magazine that you think isn't your aesthetic. Think of Colors that you love, think of a time period that you aspire for, think big with no boundaries, because that is the best way to really find out what you want and how to get it. Once you have collected your bits of inspiration in amounts that almost make your eyes cross and head spin.. stop! Don't overwhelm yourself, this is the perfect point to take a look at everything you have compiled and start to really focus your vision for your perfect day. Narrow down to your favorites, which you like better, which you could really do with or without. And put your final selections into a binder, collage, some sort of easily transported method of display. Bring this with you to all of your consultations!! This is a very visual event, and Wedding Pros tend to be very visual people. There is no better way to convey what you want, then to show the Pros you meet with exactly what you see. It will help you quickly determine who can and will work with you toward your vision of your perfect day. So get on the computer, get in your local magazine store, grab some wedding books and Get Inspired!! Need invitation inspiration? Check us out www.nikapaperworks.com And stay tuned for more tips and need to knows.

A special thank you

We want to send a special thank you to Josie at SeFaireBelle, for their feature of our unique save the dates in their own blog.

http://sefairebelle.wordpress.com

Bring Home Your Destination Wedding

This year we have had the pleasure of working with some great destination brides. Each one had a wedding at their choice of destination and then celebrated with their extended family and friends at their "home-town" reception. The one question they all had: "How do I make my guests feel more included in the destination part of our wedding?" Here are a few things we did with these lovely ladies to help them achieve just that!

The first thing we did was to choose stationery designs that really depicted the locale of the destination part of their wedding. Whether its a beach, a romantic private garden, or a more novelty locale including the ambiance of your ceremony location in the invitation package will give your guests a piece of your destination.

Next, was the matter of the actual reception. Did you know that you can get a backdrop to hang at your reception to replicate your destination? You can search google or check out www.backdrops.us to find a backdrop to dress up your reception celebration. Your guests will love posing for photographs in front of the backdrop and it brings your ceremony location to them!

Finally, it came down to the tables! It is amazing how you can transform a plain neutral reception hall into a wonderland, just by adding your personal touches to the tables. It is all about the accessories. When you incorporate elements from your destination ceremony throughout your table-scapes, you will bring the destination to your guests (which will save you a lot of money in plane tickets). Keep in mind it is not just about the centerpieces! You can personalize napkins, you can rent linens with appropriate designs and textures, designed favor boxes and accented tea light holders. Honestly the possibilities are endless.

For more ideas or inspiration we are always available at www.nika-llc.com