Looking for a resource site that is useful and simple navigate?  Have you been to Elegala.com yet?  Kudos to them!  This site is useful, simple to navigate and because it’s ad-free, you’re free to roam without all the distractions and busyness.

Being a national directory, elegala features vendors and venues that they pick and what’s really cool is that you can customize your search for a vendor or service by location.  Elegala also offers specific planning tools; for instance, you can download a complete event planning guide for nearly every venue in the directory.  Not only do they offer step by step planning guides for you~ but also for Mom and the rest of the wedding party… There’s a cost estimator, fun planning tips and advice with great articles, photo galleries and more!  Lots of inspiration and information!  And, they’re continually adding to the directory so be sure to keep checking for even more listings in your area.  That said, check it out and make sure to visit their blog Unveiled for more fun and goodies!  Let me know what you think!

Best,

Heidi

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The 2008 Twin City Bridal ICON Awards held their black tie extravaganza with red carpet reception at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Sunday, November 16.

The ICON Awards are the highest honor for merit of excellence in the Twin Cities.  The nominees are recognized for their contribution to the wedding industry and selected based on anonymous entries judged by a panel of national experts in their respective category fields.

MagnetStreet Weddings was nominated for Excellence in Graphic Design. We were thrilled and honored to be nominated and sit among the best of the best in our industry!

What a fabulous evening of fun and glam.  Here are Graphic Designers (from L to R) Mindi, Amanda, Jen and Lisa.  Lisa’s holding up the Menu Card.  We were asked to design the Menu and Place Cards for this particular table setting.  Love the way the table looks~ so gorgeous and dramatic!

Live music, a fabulous dinner and the various vignettes exhibiting the latest industry ideas for 2009 were fun, exciting and inspirational!  A great time was had by all.

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Does the idea of creating a seating plan sound incredibly daunting?  While this task can certainly can be challenging, it is well worth it and certainly with a large guest list.  A seating plan with Place Cards makes a guest feel cared for.  And, in the end, it will be easier on you (having a record of who was there), the catering staff (knowing which entrees are at which tables) and ultimately takes the guess-work out of your precious guests, keeping them from wandering about trying to balancing their hors d’ oeuvres and champagne while they find a place to sit.

That said, it’s best to get a head start on creating your seating plan.  Consider beginning it as soon as your guest list is prepared.  Where to start?  Use the free seating software available at sites like Wedding Wire, or you can use an excel spreadsheet or simply go about the tried and true, good old-fashioned method of hunkering down on the floor with pieces of paper that represent your guests and tables.  Have fun with it!  Make scones and coffee… invite your mom, your soon-to-be MIL and your MOH over and host a Geneva Conference of sorts~ to help decide who should sit where.  This is a big job and just as your guest list will be revised, so will your seating arrangements need revision.  Use your common sense.  There will always be extenuating circumstances and situations you cannot possibly predict, but with your guests’ well-being in mind, it will be hugely successful!

Tips:

• One rule of thumb is to unite not divide.  We all know that there will be guests who simply cannot sit next to each other for whatever reason.  Unite family (including step family) as much as possible using separate tables only if you have to or if there simply isn’t enough room. If you have to split, split evenly.
• Seat your guests with those they already know and are comfortable with.  No one wants to sit at a table full of strangers.
• Seat guests with common interests and lifestyles.
• Mix it up by combining age groups, singles and couples so that these folks will not feel awkward or singled out.
• If there are quite a few children attending, consider having a kid’s table (with supervision nearby).
• Avoid seating guests with hearing problems next to the loud music.
• Avoid seating guests in wheelchairs in main areas, walkways, etc.  Keep them safe.

Your guests should respect your seating plan, but more than likely, there will be some who do not.  Oh well!  Don’t take it personally.  You can’t please everyone, all the time… and that is OK!

Find additional Reception Stationery Items at MagnetStreet Weddings.

Do you have tips to share with your seating plans?  How are you uniting and not dividing?

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What could be more simple, clean, or pure than a country wedding, complete with eyelet lace, sundresses . . . and sunflowers in your hair?  Sweet!  Imagine casual shirts and ties, skip the tux and go with a light colored summer suit.  Or to keep it really casual, don nice khakis or even dress jeans.  Yes!

The setting?  How about renting a barn or farmhouse, and decking it out with picnic tables dressed in red and white table cloths and floating candles?  Spread or hang borrowed quilts, string up lanterns from tree limbs for a really warm ambiance . . . are you catching the vision yet?

Flowers could be super easy ~ yellow sunflowers and/or daisies in large pitchers.  Line the “isle” you’ll walk down to meet your groom with brightly colored dahlias in pots set inside large baskets.  Nothing fussy, just beautifully natural bunches of fragrant color that give the appearance of just being picked that morning.

How fun would it be to hire a local square dance, swing or bluegrass band!  You and your guests will be dosey-doeing and swinging your partner ’round and ’round all night long.  Old and young alike will experience the celebration and joy of this day!

For your favors, how about home baked cookies (or purchase them at a quality bakery) wrapped in clear colored celephane . . . and your centerpieces could be small groupings of fresh local produce, like beautiful tomatoes, a bunch of plump grapes or a pint of sweet raspberries.  So fresh and healthy!

Keeping your guests as comfortable as possible in an outdoor setting should be another top priority.  If you live in a warm to hot climate, provide small paper fans so that your guests stay cool and are not distracted by the heat.  Burn citronella candles on the outskirts of the area large enough to control the mosquitoes, too.  Provide plenty of comfortable casual seating with hay bales.  Take full advantage of the setting and let it sing out your personal style!  Today, it is actually all about you!

And, don’t forget to add your own personal touch.  Jessica and Rob got married in Jess’s back yard, and when it came time to say their vows, Rob who is always a jokster (and a charming one at that), pulled out his accordian folded list of vows.  This wedding was chock full of personality and fun.

Check out these totally country layered invitations from MagnetStreet Weddings ~ so very simple and clean.

This and so many more invitation styles and designs are available to choose from, all perfectly fitting your country-themed day and reflecting your own style and personality! Give your guests just a small glimpse into the celebration they will be a part of with these one-of-a-kind yet classically styled invites.

A country-themed wedding is all about keeping it simple so that the natural charm with all its relaxed details and down-home decor shines through . . . and, so that everyone can relax and truly enjoy the day, including you!

Love, Cheryl

Photo Courtesy BacklitCreative.com

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