Teaser Tuesday

Corey and Nick wanted a winter wonderland wedding and boy, did they get it! The snow started in the morning while the Gloss hair and makeup team made the girls look lovely. Then, the team from Faith West showed up to start capturing the day. After arriving at Winterthur, Corey and Nick had their first look, and then a snowy photo session with their bridal party. As the sun set, their wedding ceremony, held in the Galleries, took place beneath an arch of silver branches, dripping with crystals that was created by Sweet Peas of Jennersville. The decor in the Visitors Center matched perfectly, with mini trees on each table, crystals everywhere and gorgeous uplighting, and a snowflake ceiling was by Synergetic Sound and Lighting to finish it all off! Guests had a great time dancing to the tunes spun by John from Tom Barrett DJs and eating yummy cake from The Master's Baker. Best wishes Corey and Nick! 

Weddings by Color {Navy Blue}

One of the most popular wedding colors I have seen this summer and fall is navy. It's a great color for all seasons and can coordinate with a ton of other colors. Try navy with a pop of color with pink, coral, green, or yellow. Navy also looks so classic with silver and white. 

Here are some pictures to inspire you for your navy wedding!

Attire

There are so many great bridesmaid dresses out there. Here are a few of my favorite navy dresses. 

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Don't forget a pop of color for the bride. Check out these fun shoes for your wedding day!

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Your groom and groomsmen will look handsome in a navy colored suit or tux. 

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Stationery

Try using navy font for your invitations or programs. Navy cardstock will also make your stationery stand out. 

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Decor

Try pops of color throughout your reception. Try adding a navy tablecloth or napkin to your tables, it can really bring the color scheme together. 

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Flowers

Simple white flowers with blue accent flowers will look beautiful. Think about using a colored ribbon to tie the color into your flowers. 

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Cake

You can do so many things with cakes these days. Add navy ribbon or flowers to bring in some navy color.

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These are just a few ideas on how to add navy into your color scheme. 

-Nicole

Teaser Tuesday

It may have been chilly on Saturday, but the sun was shining the whole day making for some great photo sessions. Meredith and Dave had their reveal meeting in the gardens across from Philadelphia's Hotel Monaco. Shea Roggio Photography took the bridal party around the area for pictures before meeting guests at Old St. Joseph's Church, where Reverend Edward Kearns conducted a beautiful ceremony, while the sounds of Rittenhouse Strings played in the background. Guests then headed over to The Down Town Club for the reception. Cescaphe Event Group outdid themselves again, offering a beautiful display of cuisine for the cocktail hour and dinner. Beautiful Blooms created stunning arrangements made up of warm red, purple, and other jewel toned flowers. Once again, Jellyroll had everyone out of their seats, dancing the night away! Congratulations to Meredith and Dave on their perfect wedding day! -Amanda

Our first wedding weekend of 2014 ended with Ashley and Ben's wedding at Hotel Christiana. TNT Hair Studios and Shayla Eoff took care of the girls' hair and makeup in the morning before Blueprint Photography arrived to start shooting all of the details for the big day. While everyone was getting ready, Belak Flowers decorated the ceremony and reception space with large red floral arrangements, red roses submerged in water, and red and black rose petals on the tables. At the reception, guests finished off dinner with cake from Sweets to You by Ginger and a chocolate fountain. The dance floor was packed the entire night thanks to DJ Caliente who played all of the bride and groom's favorites! Stay tuned for more great pictures from the day! -Caitlin

And here's a sweet note from the Mother of the Bride:

Dear Caitlin,

Thank you so much for your organization, patience and graciousness with the way you handled Ashley and Ben's wedding! Everything went exactly the way we wanted! I couldn't have asked for more! Even though I gave you a "shout out" at the wedding, I will continue to spread the word about Proud to Plan!

Thanks again! ~Dannetta

Hiring a Band vs. DJ

Whether you choose to go with a band or DJ for your wedding reception, one thing is for sure: music is a key element to every wedding and it controls the flow and feel of the entire event. You and your guests might not realize that the flowers on your cake aren't exactly the color you wanted, but you will notice if your guests aren't enjoying the music and aren't filling the dance floor, and trust us they will be talking about it after the fact. Choosing a band or DJ can be a tough decision though, and both have their positive and negative aspects. Here a few things to consider as you make your decision.

Kyle and Olin's Wedding
Photo courtesy of Philip Gabriel Photography

Guest List

Is your wedding guest list mostly made up of family members, some that might be older, or do you have a younger wedding guest list, mostly made up of your friends? If it's an older crowd, they may appreciate the sound and classic feel of a band, while a younger crowd may prefer to hear their favorite songs played by a DJ, just like they sound on the radio. 

Venue

Because of noise or space constrictions, some venues actually have restrictions on bands being in their space. Your first step is to speak with the venue manager to see if both bands and DJs are allowed and can be accommodated in their space before you make any decisions. 

Music Variety

Most bands can play anything from Motown to Jazz and R&B to Top 40, but the one thing to consider is that a band still has a limited number of songs they can perform while a DJ has an endless list of songs you can choose from. If you want to control every last song that plays during your wedding and you are already creating a playlist in your head, you might want to go with a DJ. If you aren't a music fanatic a band's list of hundreds of songs they can perform will be plenty for you to choose from. 

Beverly and Charles' Wedding
Photo courtesy of Lindsay Docherty Photography

Budget

It's true, bands cost more than DJs, but you have to consider what is most important to you during your wedding day. If music is your thing and is an important factor to you, we can assure you that you won't regret spending the extra money on a band. If however, you are looking to cut costs in your budget, choosing a DJ over a band will definitely save you some pennies. Be careful though, if you cut costs too much and go with a DJ that is charging you a low cost that seems almost too good to be true, you may get what you pay for. 

Vendor Meals

If you hire a DJ, they usually come with 1-2 people, but a band can be comprised of anywhere from 3-15 members. One thing to remember is that you have to provide vendor meals for each vendor, so if cost is an issue, hiring a 15 person band can really add an additional cost onto your catering bill that you might not have planned for. 

Expected vs. Unexpected

If you hire a DJ, you are traditionally going to hear the album versions of all of your favorite songs, besides mixing the songs, the actual sound of each song is well, exactly how you would expect it. The benefit here is that they guests will join in and sing along to almost every song. When hiring a band, they way each individual band performs a song can be completely varied. The sound, the voice, the instruments, all are unexpected and don't sound exactly how the song is usually heard. This can be a good thing to offer variety, but if you don't choose a talented band, it can also leave guests disappointed that their favorite song isn't living up to their standard. 

Live vs. Not Live 

A band is of course live music and who doesn't love a live concert? Seeing a band perform right in front of you, seeing their emotion, and hearing the music come out of an instrument is something that a DJ simply can't replicate. What a DJ does have though is personality. A DJ with a great personality can really get the crowd going, while one without a great personality can quickly clear the dance floor. 

See Them Live

Most talent companies who manage bands will have showcases at different points throughout the year, even monthly. This is a great way for you to see several different bands perform live and choose the right one for you. When it comes to choosing a DJ, it mostly comes from word of mouth from friends and family or maybe even ratings online. There are a few DJs that you have the opportunity to hear before booking them, but not all DJ companies offer this option.

If you're thinking of asking us if we like a band or DJ better, our answer would be- we LOVE both! It really does come down to the right fit for each wedding and each couple. So the choice is yours!

-Caitlin

Weddings by Color {White & Gold}

White and gold wedding colors are most often seen in winter weddings, but this color combination can be used anytime throughout the year to achieve a high-end classic look at your wedding. From the dress to the cake, there are easy ways to incorporate this color palate. If you're looking to add a third color, black is always a great complement, or keep it shiny and add silver to the mix! Here's a little inspiration to get your creative juices flowing. 

Invitations

Start to show off your color scheme through your save the dates and invitations. The options for this are endless so you're sure to find a design you feel shows off your colors and the feel of your wedding. 

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Dress

Start with your dress. If you really want to have your dress go with the theme and you're willing to step outside of the box, go with a dress that is similar to this gold sparkle one. The big catch here, make sure it doesn't look too prom-ish, there is a fine line between the two. 

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Groom

Don't forget to have your groom sport the colors as well. A white shirt and gold tie will do the trick quite easily but you can also consider a fun pocket square, a gold watch, or other small details to make your groom match your color scheme. 

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Shoes

Don't forget to incorporate into your shoes as well. I love that these are mostly white but have a hit of gold. 

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Bridesmaids

Have your bridesmaids match along to your dress or stick to a simple dress for yourself and have your bridesmaids show off your color scheme with these shimmering dresses. If you want to keep their dresses simple, find them each a great statement necklace in gold and white. It will bring in the theme without being obvious. 

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Bouquet

White flowers are the obvious choice to match a white and gold themed wedding, but the addition of pinecones to this bouquet make it a more unique choice than just using white flowers. Using gold pinecones subtly throughout the wedding will give it a winter feel without going overboard. 

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Aisle & Chairs

Of course an aisle like this comes with a big price tag, but this is just for inspiration. The use of white branches, gold lanterns, and various white and gold candles along the aisle is a design you can replicate without breaking the bank. Another easy choice is to use gold chairs for your ceremony and reception. 

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Escort Cards

To bring in the pinecone theme again, I love the use of pinecones as escort cards or placecards. Guests could event take them home to put them on display as a simple reminder of your wedding day. 

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Tables

From the centerpiece to the table numbers and place settings, white and gold can be easily featured on the tables. Bringing gold branches into the centerpiece works best for a winter wedding and using a gold tablecloth will make the room shine. If you don't want to cover every table in gold, choose every other or only feature it on your specialty tables: sweetheart or head table, cake table, gift table, bar, etc. Gold frames also make for easy table numbers. 

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Uplighting

In order for your venue to match with the color scheme and the overall room to glow in gold, uplighting can make a huge difference. You can see how the whole room screams gold in the picture below. Although it is an additional budget item, uplighting is always something you should consider. Plus, everyone looks better in amber light!

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Cake and Dessert

There are so many ways you can incorporate white and gold into your wedding cake, white is the obvious choice but talk to your baker about how you can add gold accents like the ones below to your design. Also consider adding fun different desserts including the always classic rice krispie treat. I love the coconut and white chocolate on these that also add that snowy winter feel. 

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Sparklers

Ending the night with a sparkler sendoff is a must if your venue allows and it is the last way you can show off your gold theme to guests. 

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-Caitlin

Food Options for Your Reception

Cara and Andy's Wedding
Photo courtesy of Jeff Wojtaszek Photography

When planning your wedding, one of the things you'll spend a lot of time contemplating is the food. Not only do you have to decide what and how much to feed your guests, but you also have to decide how you want to feed them. How many courses do you want to have? Will you give your guests a choice or choose for them? Do you want a sit down meal, a buffet or stations? Do you prefer a more relaxed atmosphere with lots of hors d'oeuvres or a seated formal meal? The time of day you choose to have your reception may also have an impact on the type of food and style of meal you choose to serve. 

The most traditional option these days is an evening reception with a plated, multi-course meal. But there is no right and wrong. It all depends on the type of reception you want to have and what you and your guests will enjoy. If you like the idea of a complete meal, but would rather give your guests more choices, you could do a buffet or stations. A buffet is typically set up in a line with a number of different dishes for guests to choose from, main dish options, sides, and starters. Stations are typically set up around the room and have different main course options- sometimes representative of different cultures or ethnic cuisines, as well as sides. 

Another option if you want to do a seated meal, but give guests more of an assortment, is to serve them family style. Choose a number of dishes and large, family style platters will be delivered to each table for guests to share. It requires guests to interact and gives variety. 

If you're having a late afternoon or early evening evening reception and don't want to do a full meal, you could do a cocktail reception- a number of drink options and hors d'oeuvres. They could be butlered as well as stationed throughout the reception space. People tend to enjoy the cocktail hour of receptions- it's fun to mingle and catch up with people, you may not otherwise be seated with- it also gives guests quite a varied choice of foods. 

If you'd prefer to have a morning or early afternoon wedding reception then you could serve your guests brunch- and that works nicely as a seated meal, a buffet or stations, as there are a number of food options. 

Once you decide the day and time of your reception, then you can start thinking about the type of meal you'd like to offer. Certain foods lend themselves better to certain times of the day. And you may want to offer a greater quantity of food depending on the time. There are a ton of options when it comes to feeding your guests, and really no "wrong" choice. Discuss all of your options and ideas with your caterer and don't hesitate on bringing up some new and unconventional ideas- your caterer may be open to them!

-Becky