In today’s hive:
- Ramona is wondering what to do about a wedding planner who doesn’t seem to be very thorough
- Its_V wants to know if anyone has recommendations for NYC alterations
- Its_V is also curious about workout tips!
- Jen is looking for a NYC spa that she can order from online (besides Bliss)
- My Wedding Blog is wondering how brides cover the cost of weddings!
- lonely girl wants to know where she can find samples of wedding dinner menus, to see what people are up to
- Lilac’s searching for a DC makeup artists
- Leslie is looking for free templates for ceremony programs.
To add your question to the beehive, leave a comment below and we’ll update this post to include your question. See all past beehives here.
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24 Responses to “Beehive”
Leslie one of the bee was nice enought to show me this when I was looking for the same question
http://www.weddingbee.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/program.doc
Also this bio had a lot of great templates
http://community.theknot.com/cs/ks/user/page.aspx?username=pixelvixen&MsdVisit=1
Hope it helps!
Lilac’s — here’s some great DC makeup artists I’ve enjoyed working with:
http://facemode.com/
http://www.beautymark.biz
http://www.beautifulbyvictoria.com/
http://www.carolamyers.com/
http://www.pictureperfectmakeupdc.com/
Ramona - I think you should talk to your wedding planner and tell her that like things to be thoroughly planned and prepared. You could also tell her that you would feel much more comfortable if she could be more thorough from now till the day of - try to clarify it to her…are you hiring your planner through a larger company? Maybe you can change your planner?
Its_V - I believe there is a discount link for alterations in the “trunkshow” section of weddingbee (mrs butterfly got her alterations done there). And I could check out Shape.com for workout tips in general~ 
Jen - I would recommend Bliss or Mario Badescu.
Lonely Girl - I would persue through websites of reception/banquet halls and caterers. I believe Weddingbee has a master list of all vendors..maybe you can click on each site and see what their current menu is~
Leslie - I would google, “wedding program template.” Or you could even try that search on weddingbee.. I know Mrs. Ladybug posted her program template up before (it’s a very nice program)…or you can try on a knottie bio search on it as well~
yikes..typo alert!!
Ramona, i meant,
“…and tell her that you like things to be thoroughly planned…”
Its_V, I meant, “And I would check out Shape.com..”
it’s been a long day~ haha - sorry~
Leslie–Microsoft has a bunch of wedding templates, including several for programs:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/
HP also has an assortment of wedding templates, although they’re mostly note cards:
http://www.hp.com/
(click on Activity Center)
There’s also this place, but based on the tackiness of their popup ads, I don’t know that that’s a place I would want to go:
http://www.weddingprogramsfast.com/sampletemplatenew.htm
You can google “wedding program template” and plenty of stuff comes up. In fact, I will say that 978 things will come up. I’m not stupid enough to vouch for their quality, though!
Lilac: Try Victoria Stiles. She’s a personal friend of mine and a really nice woman. She has a wide range of experience, including print and video. Her site is: http://www.beautifulbyvictoria.com/
I am looking for cute, classy, dressy, flats and/or flip flops to wear with an “ethereal” silk chiffon vera wang ivory gown for a island wedding (on grass not sand). Everything I’ve found is kind of cheap looking… Thanks!
Megan, flats are HUGE right now. High-end department stores are carrying a lot of variety, so depends on your budget.
My Wedding Blog–I think of all the different ways this can be answered, and all the ways it has been answered here in the past, and my summary of all the answers in this: we plan within our means, and hold ourselves to budgets that are reasonable for us.
Set a budget. Decide what’s most important to you, and what can fall by the wayside. Pick an off-season month, a less-busy day of the week or time of the day, or just use the old standby of trimming the guest list. Don’t go in over your head.
Recently someone posted that she felt like she was being forced to buy buy buy and spend spend spend, and the immediate answer the commenters gave was “throw out the wedding magazines.” That may be all it takes to calm down the spending urge.
I’m repeating myself, but yeah: set a budget, decide what you cannot live without, and then STOP and make sure you can reconcile one with the other.
Megan - I got my sandals for my beach wedding at zappos.com. While a bit pricey, I love my shoes - check out Pelle Moda Bea style.
This question goes out to Mrs. Ant and whoever else had or is having their wedding at The Rockhouse in Jamaica. After seeing Mrs. Ant’s beautiful wedding pictures I quickly suggested the venue to my friend who’s planning a destination wedding. Unfortunately she was not able to get much information from the hotel itself and the wedding coordinator has been out. Some questions she had were:
1) Was the entertainment (band/DJ) booked independently or through the hotel?
2) Did the hotel provide flowers for the ceremony and reception? Was it at an additional cost?
3) Does the hotel provide discounts for guests staying there?
I know this is a handful, but any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
Ramona - I would be very frank with your wedding planner, ask for the reason why you were not given the correct information. If she does not have a VERY good reason, I would hire someone else. If you can’t trust your planner to check something as basic as venue availability, how does he/she expect to be trusted with anything else? Becareful because some planners get $kickbacks if you use particular venues they are associated with. Maybe your planner was hoping you’d go with one of those instead of one you like.
My Wedding Blog - my fiance have to pay for the wedding entirely ourselves. fortunately we have some savings and we have some time to save up more before the big day. if we did not / could not afford a full blown wedding, i would have gotten married in a public park (they are usually pretty cheap to reserve) and invite only the closest family and friends to join us for a simple ceremony and maybe a dinner. i refuse to go into credit card debt for a wedding. i do know some people refinance their home to pay for a wedding. that would be a better alternative than credit cards since at least the interest is tax deductable.
my question: my wedding is 1 year and 4 months away and i began search for a caterer. my first meeting with a caterer was a complete waste of time. she insisted a meeting to go over details and not do a food tasting because she claims she has to ‘get a feel’ of what we’re looking for to provide what we need first. we get there, she was unable to show me samples of any display, serving items they use, or anything else. all she did was talk about things i already knew or could be easily handled over the phone or email, and she showed us pictures i had already seen from their website. she says that it’s not necessary for us to look at anything right now because their inventory changes so often that a year and almost a half from now things they offer may be different. has anyone gone to look for caterers, or are most people stuck with the designated caterer of the venue they chose? do you do a taste test BEFORE you book to make sure the food is good? how far out before the wedding do you book your caterer? i want to plan as soon as possible to make sure the best one will be available on my day. if you plan ahead, how do you know you’ll get the same quality, let’s say, a year later? and if you see your favorite caterer from their pictures that their style of decorating does not match what you have in mind (i.e. too gaudy or too old fashion) and they are in charge of the buffet table decor, what would you do?
Ramona,
I’m a planner by profession and this sounds very sketch. I agree with Jann - be very frank and direct with her about what you found out by doing your own research. She may be a professional, but she is contracted to serve YOU. It is unlikely that you will be able to fire her without eating the cost of a retainer/deposit. Definitely check the clauses of your contract to see. If this is early on in the planning process, it may be worth the peace of mind to find someone else.
Jen - I highly recommend Ohm Spa (www.ohmspa.com). I actually *just* had a facial, mani & pedi there tonight! I’ve been to so many spas here in NYC and found Ohm to be the best overall. Their manuka honey facial is the best! I’ve never had a massage there but my best friend (who is my MOH) says it was great when she went last month.
Hi!
Can anyone make any recommendations for bridal hair/makeup in Westchester? It’d be great if they also had experience with Asian brides.
Thanks!
My Wedding Blog-
I don’t know many people who are “good” at budgetting. There is always more you could spend, more you could add to the menu, the program… but there are also beautiful weddings hosted on a shoestring budget, so the most important thing to do, before you do anything, is to sit down with your fiance and decide what is important to you- what is something you “need” to enjoy your wedding, and what are things you merely “want.” Once you establish your priorities, what to spend is kind of determined by how much discretionary income you have, and what you are willing to spend. You could get married in a park with a white dress and a bunch of wildflowers you grew in your yard from ten cents worth of seeds, and as long as you have what you need- your husband, your family, a beautiful setting, and a bouquet- that might be all you need in a wedding. Your husband might need music and might want a violinist, but maybe he has a friend who plays guitar… or maybe you need Pachelbel’s Canon in D but don’t mind if it’s played off a CD instead of by pianist or a string quarter. The way to afford a wedding is not to let other people’s ideas define what you want. You can’t keep up with the Jonses when it comes to weddings- you’ll end up with a shellacked, sterile affair with all the depth and feeling of styrofoam. A wedding is an emotional, social ritual. Once you search your souls for what things you, as a couple, need your wedding to do, the choices become clearer and your wedding actually becomes beter, and more personal, because you’ve focused on what means the most to you as a couple- the things you are comfortable investing your time/attention/money on- and edited out the distractions.
I’m looking for MOB dress suggestions. We need to buy off the rack and my mom really doesn’t want to wear a “typical” MOB dress - no long skirt with boxy beaded jacket. She is in great shape and wants to look great, but still motherly enough, and we’re having a really hard time finding a dress for her. Any ideas? Where did your mothers get dresses?
Ok…here’s a question…I am making ornaments to give as favors for our wedding. The plan is to have them on the table in front of each place setting since they will add to the entire centerpiece ‘concept’ and will therefore be part of the decor.
Since I am inviting everyone with a guest, and of those most of them are married (in-other-words, living in the same place) will it seem weird that every guest now has an ornament? Do people really need two ornaments of the same thing? Is it a waste of time to be making all of these?
A picture of the ornament is on my blog…you can see it here: http://girlgonegreat.blogspot.com/2007/04/favors.html
Has anyone ever been through the wedding gown restoration process before? I have a vintage William Cahill gown that I bought a year ago for $25 that I desperately want to wear… but my family demands that I have to wear white. The dress is gorgeous on me, but has yellowed over time. I want to get it restored! Would it be worth it, and what are some companies to trust?
here’s my other wedding question…
…my dad has wanted to dance to Butterfly Kisses at my wedding since the song came out in ‘97. I am not the biggest fan of the sap, but it is my dad, so we will do it. The issue is that my dad is disabled and can not stand for the ALMOST 6 MINUTES that the song lasts…and I don’t want to subject our guests to that either. We are having a band at our reception, but we were planning on having them play the three major dance songs (B&G, G&MOG, B&FOB) using a CD. Does anyone know of any shorter versions of Butterfly Kisses that are out there? Any suggestions on how to shorten it?
How do you think a bridal bouquet made with white and cream roses will look against an Ivory wedding gown? Or should I go with cream and peach colored roses? My bridesmaid will be holding bouquets of orange roses.
I was wondering what is the average cost most brides are spending on BM gifts?
Kelly,
I’m getting married at Rockhouse on July 28th.
1) Was the entertainment (band/DJ) booked independently or through the hotel? I booked a band and DJ through the hotel. They’re independent but work Rockhouse on their weddings.
2) Did the hotel provide flowers for the ceremony and reception? Was it at an additional cost? Basically, no. There’s a package that includes a bouquet but it’s the most basic one and I think petals are included. They work with a florist, Floral Fantasies and so far my experience has been great.
3) Does the hotel provide discounts for guests staying there? They don’t do that anymore.
Good luck. It’s an amazing place to get married.
Beehive
Feature Launched: Aug 31, 2006
About: A forum for readers to post questions and get feedback from the hive, aka the weddingbee community.
I have a question. I am looking for free templates for ceremony programs. Does anyone have any I could use or know where some good ones are that I can download?