Market Cellers

Fantasy Wedding 2011 is pleased to announce that Market Cellars of Reston Town Center is one of this year's sponsors.  "Market Cellars is your affordable neighborhood fine wine shop in the vibrant heart of Reston Town Center, featuring an eclectic selection of nearly 300 hand-picked wines and craft beers from boutique producers around the world."  Thanks for your participation, Market Cellars! Stop by this lovely shop to check out their fabulous selection of wine, beer and gourmet foods and stay to enjoy the daily wine tastings. You'll be glad you did!

Embracing Your Personal Style With Natalie Jobity

The Tysons Wedding Networking Group was honored to hear ‘The Image Diva,’ Natalie Jobity, speak recently at the gorgeous Tysons Marriot. Natalie is the founder and President of Elan Image Management, an image consulting firm based out of Maryland. Natalie empowers women to look and feel their best by helping them learn and embrace their personal style. Especially important to wedding planners, Natalie reminded us how important first impressions are and how they can cause us to gain or lose a client. How we dress and present ourselves sends a message to our clients telling them how serious and informed we are about our business.

Natalie was kind enough to bring copies of her new book Frumpy to Fabulous: Flaunting It: Your Ultimate Guide to Effortless Style. It was so kind of Natalie to share her evening and impart some her wisdom on personal branding and styling with us!

Edibles Incredible

A Splash of Elegance is pleased to announce that Edibles Incredible will be providing one of their award-winning wedding cakes for A Fantasy Wedding 2011! Edibles Incredible is a premier Northern Virginia bakery and dessert shop with locations in Reston and Brambleton Town Centers. For over 10 years owners Alan Furman and Robyn Hanna have created one-of-a-kind desserts. We are so excited that one lucky couple and their guests will get the chance to have one of their gorgeous cakes to savor at their reception! Stop in to one of their stores and have a cupcake (or two!).

Registration for A Fantasy Wedding 2011 begins January 1st! For more information, please visit www.asplashofelegance.com or fan us on Facebook.

Ten Thank You Note Do's and Don'ts

Is there a statute of limitations on thank you notes? Well, according to Emily Post, you’re not off the hook if you haven’t sent your thank you notes – sending a note for a gift is still a must no matter how long it’s been. So what is the protocol? Contrary to popular myth couples don’t have a grace period of a year in which to send their thanks; it’s more like three months. Ideally, a note should be written the day the gift is received if at all possible. The memory of the pleasure of opening the gift is still fresh in your mind if you write it right away making composing the note all the more easier. Plus who wants to return from the honeymoon and face a mound of thank you notes still waiting for you!

Anna Post in her Wedding Parties book offers the following Ten Thank You Note Do’s and Don’ts to help you appropriately express your gratitude for the generosity shown you as a new couple:

• Do personalize your notes, making reference to the person as well as the gift.
• Do be enthusiastic, though you don’t need to gush. Avoid saying that a gift is the most beautiful you’ve ever seen, unless you really mean it.
• Don’t send form letters or cards with printed messages and just your signature.
• Don’t use email or post generic thank-you messages on your Web site in lieu of personal notes.
• Don’t mention that you plan to return or exchange a gift or express dissatisfaction in any way.
• Do mention what use you’ll make of money gifts. (Referring to the amount is optional.)
• Don’t use lateness as an excuse not to write. If you’re still sending notes after your first anniversary, keep writing.
• Do remember that a gift should be acknowledged with the same courtesy and generosity in which it was given.
• Do promptly acknowledge the receipt of shipped gifts (so the sender knows it arrived safely) by mailing a note right away, or by calling and following up with a written note shortly thereafter.
• Don’t include wedding photos or use photo cards if this means delaying sending the notes while you wait for the photos.

It really doesn’t matter if the bride or groom writes the note, it just matters that it gets written. Regardless of who writes, both of you should be mentioned as appreciating the gift. Either or both can sign the note or one can sign for both – all those options are appropriate.

Try not to think of the task as just so much “homework” or a perfunctory courtesy: a handwritten note and the time you take to pause for a moment and put down your thanks on paper demonstrates your appreciation just as much as the words you choose to write. In a world of email and online registries, such a gesture goes a long, long way!

Deb Merriner, Splash Consultant

Envelopments

A Splash of Elegance is exited to announce that we are now an authorized dealer of Envelopments Stationery!  Take a moment to check out envelopments.com to get a glimpse of the variety of paper products they carry.  Make an appointment to come browse through our Envelopments design library, as merely looking at a website cannot do justice to the hundreds of combinations you can make with their products.  From a beach wedding to a 5-course dinner at the Ritz, Envelopments has the style and color to compliment your wedding or event.  There is nothing that can compare to holding the paper in your hand, so call us today to make an appointment to check out the Envelopments line!

Bridal Silhouette

I received a phone call from a friend several years ago whose daughter wanted to wear my friend's wedding gown but it needed to be redesigned and fitted to her body measurements. In redesigning a wedding gown, my first concern is the condition of the gown and then the vision of the bride for her dream wedding dress. I listen to the bride, draw sketches, sew samples and then get started. I not only bring my many years of designing and tailoring clothes for men, women and children to the workroom, but also my knowledge of fabrics and restoration. When I delivered this brides gown, she handed me her mother's head piece and veil as my next project, and my business, Bridal Silhouette, was born! I loved every minute of the process, handling the beautiful, vintage fabric and lace and gently working with the bride to create her vision and seeing it come to life.

In addition to designing and re-tailoring wedding gowns and veils, I also create Ring Bearer pillows out of vintage handkerchiefs and recreate vintage wedding gowns into christening gowns, baby bonnets and Christmas tree skirts for heirloom gifts.

I'm a representative for Kristina Eaton custom veils and I also rent a full line of tuxedo's and accessories for the groom. I'm a one stop shop!!

Please visit my website; www.bridalsilhouette.com, for more information and pictures.

Lynn Nelson

The Gracious Stepparent’s Ten Commandments

Martha Woodham in her book, Wedding Etiquette for Divorced Families offers some good advice regarding the stepparents’ roles in wedding planning/execution. Recognizing that there can be some rather “ sticky” situations that a bride and groom may have to contend with, she advises talking to parents and stepparents beforehand and letting them know your expectations are for them to put aside any animosities for the wedding and events surrounding it. The following “ ten commandments” written by her may come in handy for this purpose.

The Gracious Stepparent’s Ten Commandments
Or
How to Earn the Undying Loyalty of Your Family

1. Insist that you and your spouse contribute financially to the wedding, especially if he is the father of the bride.

2. Do not expect any control over the wedding planning.

3. Do not pout when your lovingly-given advice is ignored. In fact, don’ t give any unless asked!

4. Do offer your assistance to the bride and her mother in running errands or handling mundane talks.

5. Do not fret when your spouse is asked to pose for family photographs that include his or her ex.

6. Do not insist on standing in the receiving line, even if you should.

7. Do not insist that your children be part of the wedding ceremony, even when they should be.

8. Do host a party of the couple, but do not upstage festivities hosted by the father or mother.

9. Do not insist that your name be on the invitations, even when it should be.

10. Do not try to upstage the parents in any way by dressing or acting to draw attention to yourself .

There are a lot of logistics when blending two families, but not to worry, we are always here for our brides to help them through the etiquette of blending families on their wedding day. Just give us a call!


Happy Planning,

Deb Merriner

Splash Consultant