Say Cheese Paper Props

 Say Cheese Paper Props is a Washington, DC area vendor that sells fun paper props and decor for your wedding or event.  Providing entertainment for your guests is a great way to keep them occupied during the cocktail hour while you and your spouse may be off taking photos.  Providing fun props for a photo booth is great way for guests to have some fun at your reception.  We always love it when couples add unique elements to their wedding, Say Cheese has some fun decorations to bring your personality into your big day!

Happy Planning!

Julie Daniel

All photos from Say Cheese Paper Props

Etsy Finds of the Week: Bridesmaids Gifts

Here are some fun gifts for your bridesmaids courtesy of one of my favorite online shops, Etsy!  Gifts for your bridesmaids don't have to big expensive, just a little something to let them know how much you appreciate them sticking by you throughout the past through months.  I love the idea of personalizing each gift for each bridesmaid.

Happy planning!

-Julie Daniel

Red Silk Clutches

Personalized Necklaces

Monogrammed Tote Bags

I Do Foundation

We wanted to highlight a great organization, the I Do Foundation.  The I Do Foundation allows couples to designate a charity of their choice for their guests to donate money to in lieu of wedding gifts.  If there is a charity you are passionate about, or would like to honor the memory of a relative at your wedding by having guests give money to a certain charity, this is a great way to give back.  For more information on the I Do Foundation and setting up your registry to direct to the charity of your choice, please visit their website at http://www.idofoundation.org/.

What Style of Bridal Shoe is You?

What style of bridal shoe is you?

Every bride-to-be has a vision for her wedding, her dream engagement ring, the ideal venue, the perfect groom... but what about the shoes she wants to wear on her special day? The style of a bridal shoe is special to the bride because it is symbolic and even a direct representation of who she is as an individual woman. It not only shows her style, but her personality and character in a creative, fun way. Finding the perfect bridal shoe is important because they not only have to be super comfortable, but they truly complement you on your big day. There are four styles you, the bride-to-be, can choose from:

Mary Kate McKenna Photography

~Bold: Bright, distinctive, dramatic, flashy colors and prints. Are you adventurous with your wardrobe? Then this is the perfect style shoe for you on your special day. It adds pop and drama to your outfit and shows your adventurous personality.

~Classic: Traditional white, ivory, champagne, or the exact color to match your dress. A simple, elegant design. Are you a traditionalist? Prefer not to draw any extra attention to your wardrobe? Then you should wear a bridal shoe that complements your dress, go classic!

~Embellishment: Any kind of extra decoration or ornament on a shoe, including flowers, jewels, crystal, bows, etc. Do you always try to find something different to add to your classic style? Always looking for something to wear that adds a little razzle dazzle to your day-to-day outfits? Then you should look into wearing a shoe with an embellishment.

~Out-of-the-ordinary: A shoe that shows your personality, background, etc such as cowboy boots or fun sneakers. If you like to make a statement with your style, then the out-of-the-ordinary, unique bridal shoe is perfect for you! Your guests will be talking about your unique bridal shoe for a long time!


Happy Planning!

Katie Teague

Encore Wedding Giveaway Winners

We are so excited to announce the winners of the Encore Wedding Giveaway- Becky and Jason!  The three finalists of the 92.5 WINC FM Encore Wedding Giveaway were all at this Saturday's Remarriage Showcase at River Creek Club in Leesburg, Virginia.  Included in Becky and Jason's encore wedding are:

• Custom designed invitations from Remarriageworks.com
• The Silver Package - affordable, artistic and fun wedding photography by Ron Jones of Jones Photography
• Graceful Flowers by Patricia Collet will provide five beautiful bouquets, five boutonnieres and five medium centerpieces
• Four hours of music for the reception provided by Music Unlimited
• Four coaching sessions from  "The Stepmom Coach, Claudette Chenevert"
• A wedding gown from Soliloquy Bridal Couture
• A Chocolate fountain for 50 guests from the Chocolate Chick
• Dinner for two at Maggiano’s Tyson’s Corner Galleria
• The beautiful Piedmont Club will be the venue of the ceremony
• And of course, the Luxe Wedding Package from A Splash of Elegance!

Winning couple Becky and Jason with Lisa Herndon Broyhill from WINC FM, Victoria Wagner from A Splash of Elegance, and Paula Bisacre from ReMarriage Works.

Congrats Becky and Jason!

Green Event Inspiration

March is here and spring and St. Patrick's Day are just around the corner, so here are some event decor props and and goodies for a green (color- not necessarily eco- friendly) themed party!

Green Stripey Treat Bags

Paper Cupcake Wrappers

Striped Paper Straws

Round Polka Dot Balloons

Happy Planning!

Julie Daniel

RSVP Tracking

Image Source

After you've gone through the long, arduous process of compiling a guest list, ordering, addressing and mailing your invitations, getting your response cards back in the mail can feel like a huge sigh of relief.  More often than you would believe, you will get response cards that have either accepted or declined- they have just left off one key piece of information, the guest's name.  This can obviously be very frustrating, but something that is easily can be managed very easily.

When making your guest list identify each guest or family by number:

1. Jane and John Smith
2. Laura Webb

On the back of their response of their response card, pencil in very small #1, or 2 to correspond with the family's number on your spreadsheet.  When you get a response card in the mail with no name on it, but #2 written on the back, you will know that Laura Webb forgot to write in her name (and then you can call her and give her a hard time for leaving her name off).  

Happy Planning!

Julie Daniel

Southern Wedding Traditions

Originally posted on DCladies.com

Photo Credit: Photography by Mandi White

While we are technically south of the Mason-Dixon line, D.C. might not seem like the hub of southern culture and tradition.  Rarely do you find born and bred natives (like me), and most locals would not identify themselves as Southerners.  D.C. residents are from all over the country and the world which makes for a very unique culture.  Should you be getting married in the D.C. area and want to include some Southern traditions as a nod your family’s background or just for the heck of it, I wanted to share with you some of the top Southern wedding traditions.

• Stand in Bride- At the wedding rehearsal the bride will not walk down the aisle with her father but rather send a friend or bridesmaid (usually the maid of honor) in her place as it is considered bad luck for the bride herself to walk down the aisle at the rehearsal.

• The Father of the Groom is typically the Best Man and the bride’s brothers serve as groomsmen.  The bride’s brothers being groomsmen is not too surprising but the Father of the Groom is not something you see every day in most parts of the country.

• Groom’s cake- Why have one cake when you can have two?  A groom’s cake at the reception is an opportunity for the groom to show off his personality a little bit or pay homage to his favorite sports team or hobby.  They can range from tacky to classy and are catching on throughout the country.

• Brides will often receive pearls from her mother as a gift, from the time the girl is seriously dating a boy as a hint to hurry things up (as I have first hand experience- Southern mamas are relentless) or at some point during the engagement or on her actual wedding day.

• Monogramming- Not just for weddings, Southerners love to monogram everything.  One of my favorite bridesmaid gifts I’ve seen given is pink satin robes monogrammed with each bridesmaid’s initials that they wore while getting their hair and make done.  If you are going to be using your monogram on thank you notes for wedding presents, proper etiquette is to use your maiden name initials before the wedding and to not start using your married name initials until after the wedding (it’s considered bad luck).

• Registering for silver and china was traditionally a huge part of getting married and coming of age for a southern lady.  This tradition is slowly becoming less and less prevalent as brides are getting married later in life and already have (mostly) fully stocked kitchens by the time they get married.  Formal entertaining where silver and china is required is not on the top of most couple’s wish lists.

For more Southern Wedding inspiration one of my favorite resources is Southern Weddings Magazine.  Whatever your culture or heritage, I always encourage brides to incorporate it into their big day!

Happy Planning!

-Julie Daniel