Many people get engaged over the holidays... and if you are one of them, here are a few things to consider...

• take a deep breath 
• take your time, no need to rush into details and planning right away
• seriously take a deep breath
• talk to both families, & consider their requests
• pick up a bridal magazine or check out a wedding blog
• figure your likes and dislikes
• getting a feeling for what is ahead of you
• take a moment to just love the fact that you are engaged
• talk to your future spouse about their 
• wants
• wishes
• traditions
• thoughts
• needs
• & ideas
• start to think about a guest list
• how many people
• kids or not kids at the wedding
• wedding on site or at a church
• type of food
• and a lot more
• talk to your friends and family who were recently married or have been engaged
• vendors they like
• things they learned
• things they wish they knew 
• don't rush, don't sign contracts right away and don't make a choice in the first week 
• tour a few venues
• talk about wedding dates, season and time frame
• don't buy a dress
• think about who you want in your bridal party
• remember you don't need to pick everything right away

Just a few ideas to get your through the first two weeks of being engaged. Happy Engagement!!!

Engaged??

Many people get engaged over the holidays... and if you are one of them, here are a few things to consider...

• take a deep breath 
• take your time, no need to rush into details and planning right away
• seriously take a deep breath
• talk to both families, & consider their requests
• pick up a bridal magazine or check out a wedding blog
• figure your likes and dislikes
• getting a feeling for what is ahead of you
• take a moment to just love the fact that you are engaged
• talk to your future spouse about their 
• wants
• wishes
• traditions
• thoughts
• needs
• & ideas
• start to think about a guest list
• how many people
• kids or not kids at the wedding
• wedding on site or at a church
• type of food
• and a lot more
• talk to your friends and family who were recently married or have been engaged
• vendors they like
• things they learned
• things they wish they knew 
• don't rush, don't sign contracts right away and don't make a choice in the first week 
• tour a few venues
• talk about wedding dates, season and time frame
• don't buy a dress
• think about who you want in your bridal party
• remember you don't need to pick everything right away

Just a few ideas to get your through the first two weeks of being engaged. Happy Engagement!!!

Save the Date!

We here at Engaged Connecticut are celebrating another great wedding season.  Come celebrate with us!  

January 22, 2015

connecticut· Connecticut Wedding· Connecticut Wedding Vendors· Engaged Connecticut· Wadsworth· wedding planning· Wedding Vendors· Weddings

Year End Gala

Save the Date!

We here at Engaged Connecticut are celebrating another great wedding season.  Come celebrate with us!  

January 22, 2015

The best things to drink on wedding day:

First off, start with good old H2O leading up the big day!   Especially the day before and the morning of.  Your skin will thank you, and your body will thank you.  Of course you can enjoy a sweet mimosa in the morning but remember to have a glass of water or a bottle about 2 hours before the "I do" moment.  

Choice Bar Services recommend to stick to one or two types of drinks you love on the big day. "When you start mixing the types of alcohol you consume, it may result in feeling ill sooner. Do yourself a favor and drink things you know and enjoy."   

We recommend that you even toast with things you love to drink instead of just settling for champagne if that isn't your thing.  We promise your toasts just a tiny bit more.  

Thank you to Pinterest for these cool drink photos! 

Day Drinking

The best things to drink on wedding day:

First off, start with good old H2O leading up the big day!   Especially the day before and the morning of.  Your skin will thank you, and your body will thank you.  Of course you can enjoy a sweet mimosa in the morning but remember to have a glass of water or a bottle about 2 hours before the "I do" moment.  

Choice Bar Services recommend to stick to one or two types of drinks you love on the big day. "When you start mixing the types of alcohol you consume, it may result in feeling ill sooner. Do yourself a favor and drink things you know and enjoy."   

We recommend that you even toast with things you love to drink instead of just settling for champagne if that isn't your thing.  We promise your toasts just a tiny bit more.  

Thank you to Pinterest for these cool drink photos! 

The idea of getting through all of your wedding formals during an hour long cocktail hour may seem daunting.

Things to consider to make this process move faster

Sassy Mouth Photography 

...A First Look:  Yes, we know, it isn't traditional.  We agree but it might be the perfect thing for thing for you.  It gives you a chance to not only do your personal photographs with your soon to be new half but it can also get many of the family and wedding party photographs out of the way. Leaving your wedding, a time to really celebrate with friends and family right from the start.  

• Schedule: Schedule where and when everyone needs to be and make sure they know!  Get your wedding party shots done before hand, leaving the cocktail hour for family shots.  The people you intend to have photographed need to know before hand.  "Consider adding a note card into your welcome bags for you family members. It is a great way to personalize the bag and remind them they are needed. " says Estoccasions. 
• Announcement : Have the officiant remind family members during the start of the ceremony, that if they are family, please remember to follow the wedding party for photographs.  Also have them ask to have other wedding guests refrain from following the wedding party & taking their own photographs.
  
• Importance: Let your photographer know which photographs are the important ones to get. Having a discussion before hand about the must haves will be a life saver for you and them. Marisa from Sassy Mouth Photography says:  "Before the wedding day, tell all of the people you would like to have in your formal portraits that their presence will be required for photographs during the cocktail hour. If the photographer doesn't have to stop working to have people found, they will be able to breeze through the portraits. That create extra time for fun photographs, or allow you to go off to your party early." This has lead to a lot of success for her clients.

One last thing, make sure the catering company and the bar, provide you and your wedding party with drinks and food.  You shouldn't miss out on that even if you can't join the cocktail hour. 

cocktail hour photographs· connecticut· ct wedding planner· ct wedding planning· estoccasions· Sassy Mouth Photo· wedding photography

Photographs + Cocktail Hour

The idea of getting through all of your wedding formals during an hour long cocktail hour may seem daunting.

Things to consider to make this process move faster

Sassy Mouth Photography 

...A First Look:  Yes, we know, it isn't traditional.  We agree but it might be the perfect thing for thing for you.  It gives you a chance to not only do your personal photographs with your soon to be new half but it can also get many of the family and wedding party photographs out of the way. Leaving your wedding, a time to really celebrate with friends and family right from the start.  

• Schedule: Schedule where and when everyone needs to be and make sure they know!  Get your wedding party shots done before hand, leaving the cocktail hour for family shots.  The people you intend to have photographed need to know before hand.  "Consider adding a note card into your welcome bags for you family members. It is a great way to personalize the bag and remind them they are needed. " says Estoccasions. 
• Announcement : Have the officiant remind family members during the start of the ceremony, that if they are family, please remember to follow the wedding party for photographs.  Also have them ask to have other wedding guests refrain from following the wedding party & taking their own photographs.
  
• Importance: Let your photographer know which photographs are the important ones to get. Having a discussion before hand about the must haves will be a life saver for you and them. Marisa from Sassy Mouth Photography says:  "Before the wedding day, tell all of the people you would like to have in your formal portraits that their presence will be required for photographs during the cocktail hour. If the photographer doesn't have to stop working to have people found, they will be able to breeze through the portraits. That create extra time for fun photographs, or allow you to go off to your party early." This has lead to a lot of success for her clients.

One last thing, make sure the catering company and the bar, provide you and your wedding party with drinks and food.  You shouldn't miss out on that even if you can't join the cocktail hour. 

  

When it comes to the wedding day, and the days leading up to it, the one thing you want to avoid is DRAMA.  No good has ever really come from it, but it seems like for some, it is hard to avoid it. If you know that there might be some drama brewing, the best thing to do is not tolerate it or encourage it. 

• From the start, it is a great idea to let your family know that it won't be tolerated. That there are many more important things to focus on and why "Aunt Betty" and "Aunt Linda" still hate each other isn't an issue that needs to be addressed at your wedding.  
• When it comes to your wedding party, they need to know the same thing right from the start.  That they are there to help, and not add to any of the stress. There will be plenty of things to worry about and stirring up old issues isn't going to be helpful. 

Sticking to the rule of no tolerance may be hard, and it is sad that you may always need to be the bigger person but you have to understand drama filled issues only take away from your day.   

Do you best to always:

• Take a deep breath and ask yourself if you really wanna waste time worrying about other peoples issue.
• Delegate an awesome friend or planner to handle any issues on the day.
• Remember, it is okay to ask a guest to leave if they really become a problem. 

The wonderful planners at Always and Forever Weddings said this when we asked them how to handle family drama on the big day: 

"The best way to handle drama is to remove yourself from it. Your wedding is about celebrating the start of a life-long commitment and should be a happy and stress-free time. Someone else's drama rarely has anything to do with you but has everything to do with them. Walk away, ignore it and if that doesn't diffuse the situation, send over your planner or your feisty maid of honor to handle it!" 

"Also we always like to know potential family issues that may arise during the planning phase or day-of; whether it be divorced parents cannot be in photos together or in one case we had a father if the bride who was a recovering alcoholic and everyone was both very nervous and proud of how far be had come. We helped to diffuse the situation during toasts by offering ginger ale in stead of champagne. The more your planner know the better we can assist during the drama/chaos that may arise"

always and forever weddings· bridesmaids· Ceremony· connecticut wedding planning· ct bride· Engaged Connecticut· wedding drama· wedding planning tips

Drama, Drama, Drama

  

When it comes to the wedding day, and the days leading up to it, the one thing you want to avoid is DRAMA.  No good has ever really come from it, but it seems like for some, it is hard to avoid it. If you know that there might be some drama brewing, the best thing to do is not tolerate it or encourage it. 

• From the start, it is a great idea to let your family know that it won't be tolerated. That there are many more important things to focus on and why "Aunt Betty" and "Aunt Linda" still hate each other isn't an issue that needs to be addressed at your wedding.  
• When it comes to your wedding party, they need to know the same thing right from the start.  That they are there to help, and not add to any of the stress. There will be plenty of things to worry about and stirring up old issues isn't going to be helpful. 

Sticking to the rule of no tolerance may be hard, and it is sad that you may always need to be the bigger person but you have to understand drama filled issues only take away from your day.   

Do you best to always:

• Take a deep breath and ask yourself if you really wanna waste time worrying about other peoples issue.
• Delegate an awesome friend or planner to handle any issues on the day.
• Remember, it is okay to ask a guest to leave if they really become a problem. 

The wonderful planners at Always and Forever Weddings said this when we asked them how to handle family drama on the big day: 

"The best way to handle drama is to remove yourself from it. Your wedding is about celebrating the start of a life-long commitment and should be a happy and stress-free time. Someone else's drama rarely has anything to do with you but has everything to do with them. Walk away, ignore it and if that doesn't diffuse the situation, send over your planner or your feisty maid of honor to handle it!" 

"Also we always like to know potential family issues that may arise during the planning phase or day-of; whether it be divorced parents cannot be in photos together or in one case we had a father if the bride who was a recovering alcoholic and everyone was both very nervous and proud of how far be had come. We helped to diffuse the situation during toasts by offering ginger ale in stead of champagne. The more your planner know the better we can assist during the drama/chaos that may arise"

New England Wedding Trends

As many of us know, the fall months tend to be the busiest months here in New England.  Maybe it the crisp air, the blue skies and the stunning range of colors thanks to the changing leaves. There are venues that book almost two years in advance during these months.  If your idea is to plan a Fall Inspired wedding in New England, make sure you plan ahead.  Once again, our planner Kia, from Estoccasions was on air at NBC Connecticut at the beginning of the month. The amazing Hair and Make Up,not just for the model but also Kia was done by the crew from Larissa Lake Make Up Artist and Company.  They are beyond talented and the best part was that Estoccasions looked like herself but a better version. Dresses were provided by The Wedding Embassy, Menu and Invitations by Tulaloo, Cake by A Little Imagination Cakes, Rentals by General Eclectic Rentals.

Take a look!!! 

ct make up artist· ct wedding cakes· CT wedding gowns· ct wedding invites· CT wedding make up artist· ct wedding planner· ct wedding rentals· nbc connecticut· new england wedding trends

New England Wedding Trends

New England Wedding Trends

As many of us know, the fall months tend to be the busiest months here in New England.  Maybe it the crisp air, the blue skies and the stunning range of colors thanks to the changing leaves. There are venues that book almost two years in advance during these months.  If your idea is to plan a Fall Inspired wedding in New England, make sure you plan ahead.  Once again, our planner Kia, from Estoccasions was on air at NBC Connecticut at the beginning of the month. The amazing Hair and Make Up,not just for the model but also Kia was done by the crew from Larissa Lake Make Up Artist and Company.  They are beyond talented and the best part was that Estoccasions looked like herself but a better version. Dresses were provided by The Wedding Embassy, Menu and Invitations by Tulaloo, Cake by A Little Imagination Cakes, Rentals by General Eclectic Rentals.

Take a look!!!