Bride on a Budget

Let's be honest, planning a wedding would be soooo much easier if you had a limitless budget. A lot of the stress of wedding planning comes from keeping the costs down... and little things add up so quickly, you can be over budget long before you even realize it. We have some ideas for those brides who are trying to throw a gorgeous wedding without emptying their pockets.

Enter today's topic: Centerpieces.

Centerpieces can range on the price scale from "reasonable" to upwards of $700 a pop!!! Isn't that crazy?! I mean, it's an arrangement of flowers for goodness sake. And having one on each table can get very costly, even if you opt for smaller/medium sized arrangements that can cost anywhere from $50-$300+ a piece! The most depressing thing of all is that more often than not, these gorgeous arrangements get THROWN AWAY at the end of the night (we've seen it happen too many times). So they literally sit there to look pretty for 5-6 hours, and then get dumped in the trash. Ouch.

One of the easiest ways to save $ on your big day is by spending less on flowers. Yes, they're beautiful to look at, but sometimes they are simply impractical.

Check out these lovely inspiration photos for smaller centerpieces that still create a "wow" factor. Try using bud vases-- paint them, use different size and shaped vases, use different kinds of flowers in them that are all different colors or shades of the same color. Play with texture in your flower selections, use a lot of candles to create a romantic look, and mirrors can add a lot when placed underneath your centerpieces. Mason jars, fruits, soup cans... the options are endless! So get creative and save a little dough!

All images via Pinterest.

...And We're Back!

We have been SO busy in the past week! We have Glitterati stuff going on, and we have both had our family visiting to help us plan our own weddings. We've had moms, dads and sisters in and out of town and we're finally getting back into the swing of things. Our past week has consisted of work + family + friends + celebration + food, food and more food... and we're not complaining!

Wedding Gowns... we could try them on every day and never tire of it!

Bridal Accessories... so many decisions to make.

Wedding Venues in Palm Springs... Emily is still deciding,
while Morgan has her venue in Hawaii all secured! 

Steak dinners with family, you can never go wrong. 

Lunches at Lemonade... always amazing. 

Videographer Spotlight: Cana VP

No words really even need to be said about Cana Video Productions, a company based out of San Luis Obispo, CA. They have captured weddings of some of our clients, and their work is magical. Check out how they filmed our clients' wedding in NY last year. Epic.

Host A Better Party: Place Cards

We love place cards. Escort cards. Whatever you wanna call them. There are limitless possibilites for what you can do with them. Any party or celebration that includes a sit down meal should include these. Whether you place them at a certain seat or group them together and assign them table numbers, place cards are a great way to make guests feel welcome and cared for. Check out some examples below of just how fun and creative you can get with these!

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Cover them in fabric, tie them to a cocktail or a piece of fruit, write names on a rock or a votive... do whatever you want! Just make sure you have more than enough (in case some people forget to RSVP or a few extra people decide to show up last minute).

Host a Better Party: Food Stations

Let's face it... if you're hosting a party, the first thing you're going to focus on is the food you serve. Something we've come to love at Glitterati Events is the self-serve food station trend. You'd be amazed at the ideas people come up with for a food station. Check these out!

Grilled Cheese Station / via

Ice Cream Sundae Bar / via 

Old Fashioned Candy Bar / via

S'mores Station / via

Wine & Cheese Station / via

Frozen Yogurt Bar / via

Trail Mix Bar / via

Here's why we love food stations: they give the guests a more interactive experience at the party; they're a great conversation piece; the stations give everyone more choice and range in their food options; they give the host one less thing to worry about (phew); and it just makes the guests feel more at home-- you know how we love that.

So next time you host an event, consider a "Make Your Own ___" station... get creative and have fun with it!

xoxo,
Emily + Morgan

Here Comes the Bouquet

As little girls, we practiced walking down the aisle while our friends sang "Here Comes the Bride." We imagined the look of the dress, the way our hair would flow, the uncanny resemblance of our groom to a Ken doll... and the bouquet? A lot of brides (even the most tedious ones we've worked with) forget how much of an impact a bouquet can have on their overall bridal look.

When it comes to a bride and her maids, a beautiful bouquet of flowers can add so much to any ensemble. The perfect bouquet can be considered a wonderful accessory on your wedding day, so put a little thought into the kinds of flowers you like for your bouquets. Talk to your florist about all your {seasonal} options, view plenty of images and print out your favorites to bring along to show your florist. Consider asking him or her for a mock bouquet before your big day so you can bring it along to a dress fitting.

Check out these beautfiul and unique bouquets for inspiration and ideas:

Bright pops of color 

Succulents

White peonies

Dramatic waterfall bouquet

Peek-a-boo peacock feather

Cotton bouquet

Wheat bouquet

Red dahlias & dusty miller

Pine cones

Fall colors

Now we're feeling inspired. Off to plan some weddings...

xoxo,

Emily + Morgan

all images via Pinterest