Portland Wedding Coordinator

Happy New Year! Time to send Save-the-Dates!

Now that the holiday rush is dying down, it's time to send save-the-dates for your 2016 wedding!

Normally, Save-the-Date cards or emails are sent about six months before the wedding, although they can go as early as one year in advance. This means you should design and order them about seven or eight months before the wedding to give you time to print, address, and send. Invitations are sent eight to twelve weeks before the wedding, so order four to six months out.

Do you have to send save-the-dates? No, there is no etiquette requirement for these, but they are highly recommended if you have more than 30 guests coming (where you couldn't just get the news out by word of mouth), and if there are a lot of out-of-towners who will travel in order to attend. This way they can get a heads-up on the date, so they can make arrangements to request time off work, to make travel plans, and in many cases, save up for the trip!

What goes into a Save-the-Date? The only required items are your names, the date, and city of the wedding. If you know your venue, and if you have a wedding website, it's a good idea go ahead and list that too, even if every last detail isn't fleshed out yet. Sure it's great if you know your overall design, but the save-the-date doesn't have to match exactly to what you decide to do down the road with the print invitation -- it's OK for it to just be in the same general design family or color. Remember, it's just a save-the-date to give folks a heads-up - not all planning needs to be completed, so try not to stress!

Here are some great ideas in several styles:

#1 can be personalized to your specific location. We love the laser cut design of #2! And #3 is a coaster and super catchy and lighthearted - would be great for a casual or semi-formal wedding in the outdoors. All examples above come from Wedding Paper Divas.

Save the dates can also be sent over email as well. Make sure to include all the same information - name, date, city location, and your wedding website.

Our friends at Wedding Paper Divas are offering a 25% sale off your save-the-dates if you use our coupon code WEDO2016. Just click this link and it'll take you right to the sale.

Looking for great local sources for your save-the-dates and invitations? Try Puddle Jumpin' Cards, The Card Bar, or The Wedding Cottage.

Happy save-the-date hunting, and Happy New Year 2016!

(for more information about our affiliate partners, please read our FTC disclosure on this page)

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{ Design Roundup } 5 sites to help you choose a wedding color scheme

Wedding Wednesdays Tips for Planning Your Big Day - Nicki's Random Musings

 

 

{ Sponsored } Flash Sale from Tiny Prints!

So many of you are heading off to see family and friends for the holidays, and how awesome would it be to be armed with sweet custom gifts (like your engagement pic on an iPhone case for Mom and Dad!). So I had to let you know about an exclusive flash sale that is only tonight through our affiliate tinyprints.com. Click on the link above, and when ordering make sure to use the code 35GIFTS at checkout to get the whopping 35% off discount PLUS express shipping for only $9.95.

{ Friday Roundup } Unique Escort Cards

Unique escort cards can add a special touch to your wedding, so here are some great ideas that are sure to grab your guests' attention.  Escort cards are a nice way to set the tone for dinner and can even become a favor for your guests to take home!

Using vintage keys are a wonderful way to make your guests excited to find their name. This is one that can double as a wedding favor that guests are sure to keep.

Vintage Key Escort Cards from Style Me Pretty

 

{The Daily Reblog} Do I Mention Gifts/My Registry in My Invitation? - via Alesia Zorn

Today's reblog comes from invitation and calligraphy maven Alesia Zorn. She answers the question, "Do I mention gifts or registry in my invitation?" Head over to her blog and read the full post.

via alesiazorn.typepad.com

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Avoid having invitations, save-the-dates, or RSVPs returned to you - Postal Rates Increase Jan 27th

 

via alesiazorn.typepad.com

This just in from our good friend Alesia at Alesia Zorn Calligraphy - US postal rates go up January 27th. Many of you are about to get to mailing your save-the-dates or wedding invitations, so head on over to Alesia's blog and read all the details.

My takeaway from all this: Always use the Forever stamps, so no matter when your guests mail back their RSVPs, the postage will be valid and the responses won't be returned to sender.

Whew - as if engaged couples didn't have enough to worry about already!

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Annual postal stamp increase

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{Sunday Roundup} 5 Sites to Help You With Your Wedding Color Scheme

Image: The Perfect Palette Blog.

You're engaged, you've got the venue and the date, and are so excited to get going on planning! Yet, you're stuck on what the wedding will actually look like. Envisioning the final event means you need to pick invitations, table linens, flowers, lighting, and all the assorted goodies that go with your big party. And of course you've got to start with a color or two (or a few!) that hopefully go together.

"But I like everything!" you say. Or maybe, "Our site has this weird carpet and I'm not sure what goes with it." Or possibly, "I don't want my wedding to look too matchy-matchy." How do you decide on a color scheme that, while not as lasting as a bedroom paint job, is still super-important and something you'll remember for years to come? Here are five tools and websites I like to use when I help clients formulate their color ideas.

1. The Perfect Palette This blog updates several times a week with wedding color palette ideas and an explanation of each. You can search the whole site by color family to find exactly what you want.

2. ColourLOVERS A bit broader in scope, ColourLOVERS covers not just weddings, but other design solutions such as graphic, print, and web; interior design; and fine art. Users are encouraged to get social by creating accounts, uploading patterns, and sharing with the community. (A side note: ColourLOVERS also has the great widget Themeleon, for creating Twitter screen backgrounds. It's where I got mine - look here.)

3. Kuler - Adobe Inc.'s Kuler tool makes it possible for you to take a photo of your site (or any photo, for that matter) and extrapolate a color scheme from it. Click on "Create" > "From an Image" and upload your photo and wow! You can also select different moods for the same picture. A great tool if you are feeling a bit stumped. You do need to create an account if you want to save your palettes.

4. Design Seeds Similar to The Perfect Palette, but not exclusively about weddings. This blogger takes hundreds of artful photos and applies her own aesthetic to draw out each custom color palette. A wonderful inspiration site.

5. You knew I would mention Pinterest. If you're following my boards already, you know how addicted I am and how you can be sure to see a 2am pin from me on your dashboard now and then. If you haven't had the pleasure of using this site, it is a sort of visual Twitter where you can "pin" just about any image on the Web to a virtual bulletin board, keeping all of your ideas in one place. You can create as many boards as you like and name them anything, from "Color Inspiration" to "Cute Pictures of Pugs". All boards are public, so you can search the site for your desired color scheme or idea and re-pin other folks' images to your boards. All of the above tools can be used in some way along with Pinterest.

Similar to Gmail and Spotify in the past, getting a Pinterest account might involve a bit of a wait for an invite. For you wonderful readers of The Portland Wedding Coordinator Blog, I'm offering up my next 4 Pinterest invites. Just share this post, then comment and let me know where you shared it (Facebook, Twitter, G+, Tumblr or whereever!) and I'll send you a Pinterest invite. Please make sure to include your email (which won't be publicly shown) in the comment field where asked.

Are there any other great color tools you're using to design your wedding? Please share with me in the comments as well.

5 slipups that can spoil your reception, Part 4: "We didn't know where to sit" {Planning the seating for your wedding reception}

Slipup #4. “We didn't know where to sit!”

Our next in the "5 slipups that can spoil your reception" series is: when guests don't know where to sit, don't feel comfortable finding a seat, or when there aren't enough seats for the type of meal being served.

Whether or not you decide to assign seating for the wedding reception, you should make it easy for your guests to find a place to sit.

Our rule of thumb is to always provide 100% seating for any full meal, whether it is plated or buffet. This means you need to have a table and a chair for every person (including children) coming to the wedding if you are serving brunch, lunch, or dinner, no matter HOW the guest gets their food.

If you decide to have an informal, hors d'oeuvres reception, where you want people to stand and mix and mingle, we recommend keeping seating to no more than 50%. This is because, the closer you approach 100% seating, the weirder it is to have a few people who do not have a chair and table space. Mix and mingle parties are far less popular than those with 100% seating. Know your group before trying a casual,mix-and-mingle wedding. Err on the side of comfort if you aren't sure which way to go.

If you aren't assigning seats, we recommend having 5-10% more seating than your RSVP count. This is because, unless you tell people where to sit, groups do not always break down into neat tables of 6, 8, or 10 (or whatever table type you and your venue are providing).  The wasted seats add up and can result in a large family or group of friends standing in a corner saying, "There aren't enough seats for us to sit together," even though you provided exactly the number equal to your RSVP count.

If you assign seats, make sure your method of directing guests to their table is intuitive, and easy to understand. Escort cards or a large seating board are the two most popular ways to do this.

Whether you choose a seating board on an easel over escort cards, make sure to list the names in alphabetical order, rather than by table, to make it easier for guests to find their location.

Also, make sure to give your coordinator or venue manager a copy of the master seating list, in case an escort card accidentally does not print out. In addition, the master list can help your coordinator or venue manager find empty spots in case there are last-minute changes. Let this person also be in charge of helping guests find their spots in case there are any questions. There's nothing worse than a guest not being able to find their name on the list and feeling like they were forgotten!

Photos courtesy EJP Events.  

 

Tomorrow: Join us on Portland Wedding Coordinator for the final Slipup, #5: "The bartender wouldn't serve me!"

Did these tips help you? You may like our past advice and more wedding planning tips.

 

5 slipups that can spoil your reception, Part 1: "We didn't know where to go!" {Maps and directions to your wedding}

5 COMMON SLIP-UPS THAT CAN SPOIL YOUR RECEPTION

A Special Series from EJP Events and the Portland Wedding Coordinator blog

But first! Introducing Lauren, a not-so-new addition to the EJP Events Team:

Hello! I'm Lauren and I've been working with Emee of EJP Events since December 2009. I am thrilled to finally make my debut as her co-blogger. A few tidbits about myself:

My interest in event planning began to tug on my sleeve when I was in high school. My amateur event planning experiences drove me out of town in 2007 and into my first years of college, spent at the University of Oregon. There, I studied Public Relations which soon led me to new opportunities in Portland, OR.

This fall, I transfered to Portland State University and I am quickly wrapping up my college education career. Next March I will be receiving my Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, approximately 29 credits from now, but who's counting?

By the end of my time spent with Emee at EJP Events, I hope to have proficient knowledge and experience that will enable me to fulfill my future academic and career undertaking. I look forward to sharing my thoughts, advice and inspirations with you.

 

Now, on to 5 COMMON SLIP-UPS THAT CAN SPOIL YOUR RECEPTION:

You put so much time into your wedding planning, carefully considering every decision, from the invitations to the cake.  But many things don't show up anywhere on the online checklists, and if forgotten, can throw off the enjoyment of what should be a delightful day.

Every time we meet with a new client, we ask them, "What have you seen that you didn't like at wedding receptions you've attended"?  We compiled Top 5 reception mistakes from years of listening to real brides and grooms talk about what they didn't want to see at their own wedding, and we'll be covering one slip up each day this week.

Today's Common Slip-Up:  "We didn't know where to go"

Photo courtesy: Wes Peck

This is a basic no-no, but unfortunately lots of weddings get caught up in it. Online maps aren't always reliable, so it's best to have someone drive the route before you commit it to a printed invitation. In addition, create maps for other important wedding weekend locations, such as rehearsal and rehearsal dinner site, salons, getting-ready-hotel, and photography meeting spot.  All of these maps should go to wedding vendors as well. Also consider those coming from out of town. We suggest issuing maps showing return directions to each hotel to ensure your guests get back safely.

When creating a parking area for your guests, particularly at an unusual location such as a field or clearing in the woods, properly designate this area with some form of signage or markers. Make sure that finding the location is intuitive; if you're having your fête out in the country or a secluded spot, engineer an entrance through creative decor or lighting so that guests never feel lost.

Finally, some facilities are big enough that it makes sense to provide signage and/or attendants at the entrance to direct guests and vendors to your particular space. Consider this is your event is in a large hotel or event center with several events going on at the same time.

 

Tomorrow: Join us at Portland Wedding Coordinator for Slip Up Number 2: "The band/DJ sounded terrible!" (Planning the music and audio aspects of the wedding)

Did these tips help you? You may like our past advice on more wedding planning tips!

{Printed Program Tips} Good item to include in your wedding program

 

You've listed all the interesting ceremony traditions, acknowledged and thanked all the important people in your lives, and used a gorgeous detail or motif in your wedding program. What else are you missing?

How about your new address? We've seen several couples do this and had to let you know -- we think it's a great touch! It's so helpful for your guests, since many of you move house right before or after the wedding. 

Usually placed near the end or on the last page, this part shows your new address and new names (if applicable), so people will be sure to hang on to the program and update their address books. This is similar to the "at home" card in invitations, but super convenient if for some reason you didn't have your new address locked down yet at the time you designed your invitations.

Photo courtesy Andy Orenstein.

Rite in the Rain: A Very Portland Wedding Favor

Favor alert!  I was strolling through Powell's Books the other day and came across these cute little all-weather notebooks from Rite In The Rain.

Can't think of very many things that would be more Northwest-y to give to your guests than this!  A waterproof notebook in which they can record their thoughts about the weekend, the wine tastings they might go to during their visit, or important names and numbers as they catch up with friends and family.

The great thing is, the fiber is from FSC Certified sources, printed with soy ink, the covers are made of post-consumer content, and the whole shebang is made in USA in the Pacific Northwest. You can even order custom imprints and sizes.