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Wedding Planning

A Newly Engaged Bride’s Guide – Where to Start

  Congratulations! You’re engaged, and the whirlwind of wedding planning awaits you. This time in your life is undoubtedly filled with excitement, joy, and maybe a touch of overwhelm as you embark on this new chapter. To help you navigate the journey ahead with grace and ease, here’s where you should begin.   Celebrate the…

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2024 Wedding Dates to Consider for Your Wedding

SETTING YOUR WEDDING DATE IN 2024 Embarking on your engagement journey is a thrilling adventure, but planning the perfect wedding can feel overwhelming at times. Don’t worry, though – we’re here to help make it a breeze! One of the first questions you’ll encounter is, ‘Have you set a date?’ Choosing the right date is…

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Top 10 List of Do’s and Don’ts for the Bride

    After many, many weddings where I’ve see all sorts of things from brides hyperventilating over the “wrong” shade of purple in the flowers, dresses with no top hooks, shoes missing, and groomsmen drunk before the wedding begins, I decided to list a few things that will help keep you sane on your wedding…

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Wedding Planning – First Steps – What’s Important to YOU

Before you create a budget or pick a date, it’s important to determine what is important to BOTH of you.  Individually answer these questions below.  Wedding Planning is a good time for couples to really see how well they work together  The answers to these questions will determine a lot about your wedding. Where would…

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A Few Facts about Military Weddings

While a military wedding is like any other wedding, there are some traditions in military weddings that are not found in civilian weddings.   These traditions add pomp, pageantry and patriotism, plus they create out-of-the ordinary weddings that are truly gorgeous and meaningful. An enlisted man or woman can marry in uniform.  A female officer can…

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Choosing a Theme or Color for Your Wedding

  One of the earliest decisions that you’ll make about how your big day looks is the choice of a color palette.  It’s an important decision because it will lay the entire foundation for your wedding and dictates everything from invitations to wedding attire to your choice of floral and décor items.  It also is…

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Wedding Planning – The Budget

Both you and your fiancé have determined your priorities and you have made a decision on the money that can be allocated toward your wedding, and where those funds will come from.  The next part is to create a budget based on your priorities.  You have probably heard that the average wedding is over $28K,…

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10 Tips to Stay on Budget for Your Wedding

Saying “I DO” can be a budget buster.  Here are some tips and hints to save on your celebration:       Keep the wedding guest list under 100. Limit the wedding party – keeping it small. This cuts down on the cost of attendant bouquets and gifts to each member in the wedding party….

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Your Wedding Planning Timeline

  Here is an easy to follow Wedding Planning Schedule that you might wish to print out and keep handy.  The secret to a stress-free wedding is being prepared and handling the scheduled tasks on a timely basis.  You should work with your partner on many of these tasks as it is his wedding too! …

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10 Great Tips from Previous Brides about their Big Day

  We recently had a wonderful opportunity to speak with brides who not long ago tied the knot, and we asked them what they recommend (as well as not recommend) the day of the wedding or just a few days before the wedding. Here are some of their suggestions: Watch what you eat. If you…

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Venues that allow OUTSIDE Catering Companies

It’s time for an update and reposting of one of our most popular blogs – venues where you can choose you own catering company. Finding a reception venue if you are catering your own wedding can be a challenge.  A lot of brides have asked us if we could provide a list of venues that…

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2023 Wedding Dates to Consider

SETTING YOUR WEDDING DATE IN 2023 The joy of being engaged is an excitement like no other, but it can also be overwhelming, thinking about how to plan the wedding of your dreams. One of the first questions you will be asked is, “Have you set a date?” The date you choose is key to your…

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7 Common Errors Bride Make When Planning Their Wedding

Photo Credit: Mirage Photo Any bride who has spent even just a little time wedding planning knows it takes an enormous amount of organization.  Since this is most likely your first time, it’s easier than you’d think to fall prey to wedding pitfalls. Here are 7 Common Errors Brides Make When Planning Their Wedding.  I have more,…

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Wedding Trends for 2023

If this year’s trends have taught us anything, it’s that 2023 is all about expressing individuality. After months of delays, reschedules and compromises, couples are ready to be themselves.

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Is money the reason you keep pushing back your wedding?

  You want a beautiful wedding, something special, something to celebrate with family and friends. And yet, it seems impossible to come up with the cash to have the kind of wedding you want? Everyone is feeling it! Gas prices are through the roof, food is expensive, and everything just costs more. While money may…

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2022 Wedding Trends

It is the week of LOVE in February, Valentine’s Day Week.  Yes, I said week!  With Valentine’s Day on a Monday, I think that we need to share and celebrate love all week long…. So how about some 2022 Wedding Trends! The past two years have been a little unusual not only in the wedding…

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How to Have a Low Cost Wedding in Missouri

The average wedding and reception in 2020 cost right around $15,000. This is lower than the average for the past 5 years at $18,000 (pre-COVID) according to the Wedding Report.  The average household income in Missouri is $55,500.  That would mean that the average couple would be spending over 27% of their income on their…

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Beware of these 5 Major Budget Busters!

Having a wedding isn’t as simple as saying “I do” — and it can be expensive.  The average cost of a wedding in 2020 was over $20,000. Figures for 2021 were just a bit lower, and 2022 weddings are toping the charts once again. Exclusive Venues While recommended vendors are great, having exclusive vendors is much…

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Selecting Your Wedding Date in 2022

SELECTING YOUR WEDDING DATE IN 2022 The joy of being engaged is an excitement like no other, but it can also be overwhelming, thinking about how to plan the wedding of your dreams. One of the first questions you will be asked is, “Have you set a date?” The date you choose is key to your…

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Fall Wedding Colors – What’s HOT

FALL WEDDINGS  – Hot Color Choices As Fall approaches, it’s a good time to start planning your 2022 Fall Weddings.  Take a look at the colors of autumn and consider some of the perfect fall color palette options that will reflect the season for you. Cream, Red Crimson, Golden Amber: This is a classic color…

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Looking for Unique Ways to Personalize Your Wedding?

Looking for a unique way to personalize your wedding? You may want to consider a Monogram Wedding – one where you and your future husband’s names are intertwined to create your own custom monogram.  Starting with the invitations and carrying through to thank you cards, your monogram will be prominently displayed and will be truly…

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Brides – Don’t Make These Mistakes

  As you are preparing for your wedding day, you might want to refer back to this blog post to remind yourself exactly what a wedding is about – getting married to the one person who’s the love of your life.  The Wedding Day Ceremony and Reception is a celebration of your love and commitment…

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Are you considering a First Look?

A “First Look” is the term used when a bride and groom decide to see each other before the wedding ceremony.  Many couples go back and forth on this decision.  While, a traditional bride might prefer to have her groom enjoy the first sight of her as she walks down the aisle, there are many…

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Tips to Cutting Your Guest List

With many brides opting to have fewer guests at their wedding, the question often arises as to how to cut your wedding guest list without stirring up any tension.  You and your future spouse probably know a lot more people combined than you realize.  So – here are a few tips on how to cut…

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What are YOUR Safety Plans for Your Wedding?

What are YOUR Safety Plans for Your Wedding?   (Note:  This Blog Post was written during the Covid Pandemic) We have been talking with a lot of brides about their upcoming wedding and a typical topic that surfaces is “What Safety Plans are you putting in place for your wedding.” Now that some weddings will be starting…

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Colleen’s Journey – Gift Registries and More – Part 5

  Welcome to part five of our wedding planning journey.   I am sad to report that I did not meet my goal of finding a photographer.  I had every intention of sitting down for a few hours and doing research, making a spreadsheet, and narrowing down my options.  However, my laziness got the best…

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Saying “Yes” to the dress!

I said YES…to the dress!  A wedding dress can take anywhere from 5-6 months to come in (not including alterations) and with my wedding coming up in less than 6 months, I knew what I had to do next!  As much as I dreaded dress shopping, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had expected….

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Colleen’s Journey – Wedding Planning – Part 2 “Choosing a Venue”

  Welcome back, St. Louis brides!  The next step in your wedding planning process definitely requires a glass (or three) of wine!  It’s time to think about your venue!  This was definitely the most stressful part of wedding planning that I’ve experienced so far.  Yet, once it’s over you can breathe a HUGE sigh of…

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Colleen’s Journey To Her Dream Wedding – Introduction

Hello St. Louis Brides! We are introducing a new “feature.”  Colleen, one of our very own team mates is getting married this year, and we’ve asked her to share with you her journey as she prepares for her wedding this coming July.  Witness her decisions, frustrations, and joy as she journeys to her “Dream Wedding”….

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11 Things to Know BEFORE you talk to any Wedding Vendor

As couples begin planning for their wedding most are in completely new territory. Hiring a venue, photographer, bakery, caterer, florist, and all the other services that make for a wedding isn’t something they do regularly. As a result, most couples have no idea what questions to ask potential vendors. Then, armed with limited and often…

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7 Color Themes for Your Fall Wedding

So many of us here in the St. Louis area absolutely love FALL – and as October is one of the busiest months in our industry, it’s obvious that our brides love Fall too!  Fall represents COLOR!  Find inspiration from the leaves changing and seasonality around you.  There are so many shades of autumn’s color…

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Are you looking for a Distinctive Destination for your wedding?

Are you looking for a Distinctive Destination for your wedding?    Here are fourteen suggestions of great wedding venues that will set your wedding apart. Garth Woodside Manion, Hannibal, Missouri  – www.garthmansion.com Contact: Julie Phone:  888-427-8409 Of the many wedding venues in Missouri, Garth Mansion is special as it offers their beautiful historical mansion and bed…

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