Writing Thank You Cards After Your Wedding

Source: Botanical Paperworks

This week, I received a wonderful thank you note from a wedding that I attended as guest. The note was sweet and personal and clearly written thoughtfully. It is a rare treat to receive such a thank you card. Over the past few years I have received some really well done thank you cards, and some really poorly done thank you cards. I realize that couples want to save time, and I definitely understand that there are a lot of cards to write after a wedding, so here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1). Write the card right after you receive the gift. If gifts come in the mail before the wedding, write the thank you cards right away. This way you won't forget to do it, and it will cut down on the number of cards you write after the wedding.

2). Send the card within three months of receiving the gift. Earlier is better, but later is not allowed:)

3). Split the work. The groom can write some of the thank you cards, too. It's weird for the bride to write a thank you card to her husband's friend from high school that she has never met and who gave a power drill as a gift, anyway.

4). Make it personal. No typed thank you cards, and especially do not type your names. Someone has generously given you a wonderful gift - at bare minimum you can sign your own name on the card.

5). Include a sentence that directly relates to the gift. For example, if you received towels, write down that they perfectly match your bathroom. If you received money as a gift, write what you will put it towards such as a new house, or a trip.

6). Pace yourself. Write a few thank you cards a night until they are finished.

A sample thank you card:

Dear Aunt Jane and Uncle Joe,

It was wonderful to see you at the wedding! It has been far too long. Thank you for the wonderful crystal vase. It has been on our dining room table since the wedding, as it looks beautiful with or without flowers in it! We hope to take a trip your way in November, and will be in touch to hopefully get together.

Thanks again,

Melissa and John

Happy thank you card writing, and happy weekend! I've got a great wedding to share next week.

Featured Wedding Vendor: Photo Booth Rentals of Winnipeg

If you are looking for a really unique element to add to your wedding that your guests will love, consider renting a photo booth. Here in Winnipeg, there is one company to go to: Photo Booth Rentals of Winnipeg. I met owner Robert Eaton this afternoon, and I thought I'd share a bit of what I learned with you:

Robert is the third generation in his family to run the photo booth business - it has been around since the 1960's. He carries vintage machines and newer machines including a digital photo pavilion. Robert says he loves bringing his photo booths to weddings and it's easy to believe - his eyes light up when he talks about his company and he's full of stories about the many weddings he has set up photo booths at.

The way it works is the photo booth or photo pavilion gets set up for a set number of hours, and guests have unlimited photos in the booth. As the high quality photos are printed one strip is placed in a scrapbook which the guests sign, and the other strip goes home with the guest. The bride and groom end up with a really neat scrapbook of photos from their wedding guests, and guests get to have some fun photos of themselves to take home. Everyone is happy!

I think it would be so cool to have a photo booth at a wedding, and what I would do is create a background that matches the wedding theme, and provide guests with props. For example, a vintage themed wedding could have a basket of old hats and glasses for guests to wear in the photos. Also, these photos could replace favours as a take-home item. You can contact Photo Booth Rentals of Winnipeg here.

*Photos used in this post are from the Photo Booth Rentals of Winnipeg website. The photo strip above is me, taken in one of the photo booths but do not judge the quality of the booths by that picture - I took it home and scanned it into the computer. :)

Money Monday - Wedding Budget Advice

One of the first things you should decide on when planning your wedding is the budget. You don't want to sign any contracts before you know how much you plan to spend and where the money is coming from (savings account, parents, etc.).

Here's a very basic idea of what you can expect to spend on each part of your wedding:

Stationery - 3-5%
Attire - 6-10%
Cake - 2-5%
Flowers - 7-10%
Rental Items (linens, chair covers, decor) - 3-5%
Photography & Videography - 7-15%
Music - 5 - 10%
Ceremony Site - 2%
Reception (site fee, catering, beverages) - 40-50%
Transportation - 2%
Wedding Coordinator - 5-15%
Gifts, tips, favours, extras - 5-10%

Remember that it's ok to be on the high end for some items, as long as you are on the low end of other items. As you sign contracts, keep track of which items you go over budget on, and which you are under on.  Try to keep a clear head when making decisions.  Consider making appointments with vendors and coming home to reassess your options if they are above your budget, instead of signing on the spot and telling yourself that you'll cut back on other items later. Keep track of spending in excel or with pen and paper, whatever is easiest for you.  And remember that the most important thing is celebrating the love that you and your partner have, and commiting to spending your lives together!

Here's an example of a breakdown of a $20,000 budget:

Stationery - $1000 (5%)
Attire - $1600 (8%)
Cake - $400 (2%)
Flowers - $1400 (7%)
Rental Items - $800 (4%)
Photography & Video - $2000 (10%)
Music - $1000 (5%)
Ceremony site - $400 (2%)
Reception - $8,000 (40%)
Transportation - $400 (2%)
Wedding Coordinator - $2000 (10%)
Gifts, tips, favours & extras - $1000 (5%)

Eco-Friendly Footwear: Summer Edition

Back in Fall, I blogged about the boots that I bought from Simple Shoes. Made from bamboo and recycled tire, they are sustainable and very cute, although not even a little bit practical for Canada.

This Summer, I discovered a company called Tia's Freestyle Sandals. Born almost a year ago, Tia's sandals are really unique. First, you buy the sandal bases, which are simple brown, flat bottoms. Then, you buy the sandal tops, which are made from recycled vintage silk saris. You tie the straps yourself from the saris, and there are three basic ways to tie. You can purchase as many colours of straps that you would like, and have sandals to match all your summer outfits. I love that these sandals are low-key and simple, but so cute that I could wear them anywhere and it is very very unlikely that I would see someone with the same pair of sandals:)

Photo Source

Four Years Ago Today, I Got Married

Almost exactly 7 years ago, I met my husband. I use the word "met", loosely. We were standing in line for supper at summer camp. As I scanned the crowd looking for a friend, my eyes briefly caught the incredibly bright hazel-y eyes of the guy behind me. Although I'd never talked to him, we'd been at camp several years together. The one thing I remember is that one year he made a pair of glasses out of plexiglass and mesh, and wore them to lunch. And sat at my table.

In September, when school started, I told a couple of my friends about this guy with awesome eyes, and one of my friends happened to know his name and have his email address. So I wrote an email to Sam, who wrote back. He lived in Winnipeg, I lived near Steinbach. Very quickly, my favourite part of the day became writing emails with Sam. We met in person in November. Sam was there over the computer to hear about school, friends, work, and life. When my then-boyfriend told me he wouldn't have very much time for me for the next few months because he was going to be playing a lot of strategy games...you know, like Risk?... Sam was the first one I told. And, because he's such a nice guy, Sam told me that my boyfriend was very nice, and I should stick it out. And because Sam was such a darn nice guy, we started dating soon after the strategy games talk, and inevitable breakup with then-boyfriend.

We got engaged after Sam spent a summer in Quebec enrolled in Military training, planning to move to Alberta with the Army. In case you're not a frequent reader, Sam isn't with the Military anymore, and is now a stay-at-home dad/caretaker. He loves his job. When we got engaged I was in University hoping to become a teacher. And in case you're not a frequent reader, I'm not a teacher (and I also love my job)!

Four years ago today, we got married on a cold, windy, misty day, pretty much like today's weather. Although our wedding was great, being married is even greater. We kept forgetting that our anniversary was coming up this year, and now that it's here we're going to be pretty low-key and go out for supper. It's a good time to reflect on where we've come from, where we're going, and give each other a high-five (and maybe some flowers??) to four wonderful years and the rest of our lives.

Wedding Coordinator or On-Site Coordinator?

I talk to brides occasionally who say they don't need to hire a wedding coordinator because the venue has a site coordinator. Occasionally, they are right. If the venue only has one wedding in a night, no restaurant or other things to manage, and the on-site coordinator is willing to setup custom decor for the wedding, an on-site coordinator is sufficient.

Here are some questions to ask an on-site coordinator or banquet manager:
-How many events are taking place at the same time?
-Do you have other responsibilities besides attending to our wedding?
-Will you be available to greet deliveries as they come in? (cake, centrepieces, music, etc.)
-Are you able to set up extra/custom decorations (guest book table, cake table, etc.)?

Here are some of the things that a wedding coordinator can do:
-Set up your guest book, cake table, head table with custom design.
-Greet vendors and assist them with any set-up questions.
-Be the recipient of phone calls from vendors who may be running late/lost/looking for the cake topper/coordinating drop-off times so the bride does not get those phone calls.
-Pin boutonnieres, make sure flowers are in place, cue the wedding party down the aisle, set up the receiving line, provide a timeline for the wedding day, make sure wedding ceremony and reception run smoothly, transport items from ceremony to reception, make sure vendors have everything that they need, make sure family has everything they need.
-Work with the on-site coordinator to make sure your wedding is perfect.
-Help with the entire planning process, from start to finish.

I work with on-site coordinators often, and I always enjoy it - the details of our jobs are so different that it is easy to work together and the outcome is really great service for the bride and groom.

Eco-Friendly Bridesmaid Dresses

A couple of years ago for our youth group Christmas Party, the theme was "Tacky Outfits." My husband and I went to the thrift store (we were leaders by the way, not "youth" lest you think we got married in high school:) and picked out the ugliest, more horrible outfits we could find. The dress I picked was, quite obviously, a bridesmaid dress from the '80s or early '90s. It is entirely cobalt blue, with huge satin-y sleeves, shoulder pads, and a very itchy lace skirt. As I think back on the life of this dress, it makes me a little sad. The dress was obviously designed to make the bride look good and the bridesmaids look ridiculous. I'm sure the poor owner never wore it after the wedding, it ended up in a thrift store where I bought it, wore it to a Tacky Party and everyone laughed at its ugliness.

Bridesmaids dresses have come a long way! Gone are the days of tacky dresses (although we'll see what's hanging on the thrift store racks in 20 years:). Here to stay are beautiful, multipurpose dresses that make bridesmaids feel....pretty! The best of today's dresses are made from organic fabrics and fairly traded. Here's three of my favourites:

From Canadian company Grace & Cello, this dress is 100% organic cotton with a silk lining:

Source

This dress by Stewart + Brown is made of organic crepe cotton. I know it's not too bridesmaid-y, but I love the ruffles:

Source

I'm so happy that long dresses are back in style, and charcoal is so trendy right now. This dress by Kate Organics is made of organic cotton in the USA:

Source

Lovely Bridesmaid Dresses

I am working on a post for Monday about eco-friendly bridesmaid dresses, and I've come across twobirds bridesmaid dresses. I cannot get over the detailing on the bottom of this dress. I love it. Doesn't it look so fun to dance in? twobirds dresses aren't made out of organic fabrics, but the dresses are made in the USA and they are able to be worn in a variety of ways (strapless, halter, etc.) so you can get a few different styles from the same dress. Stay tuned Monday for more bridesmaid dresses.

With a Flourish - Happy Friday!

This has been a very very good birthday week for With a Flourish, with a few solid inquiries and great meetings. On Monday afternoon I drew up a list of goals for year 2, and one of the goals was to be written up online. Well I didn't realize it until yesterday, but on Monday Liz of Liz Fosdick Weddings & Events did just that on her blog! Thanks Liz - this was definitely the icing on my birthday cake:) Liz keeps a really unique blog highlighting local (Victoria, BC is local for her) businesses, DIY projects and links to the best of weddings from around the internet. Please read her blog, and read it when you have time on your hands! I now have a list of craft projects I would love to do, and a load of laundry that I should have had in the washer a long time ago!

Wedding Blueprint Organizer and Planner Book

Well....I can't let the birthday of With a Flourish pass by without offering a gift to brides and grooms.

Our wedding blueprint package is now available for $250. Make your appointment before next week Friday (August 21st) to take advantage of this promotion (regular price is $300). The wedding blueprint is designed to give you all the tools you need to start your wedding planning, including:

- One two-hour meeting with Lead Event Coordinator Jess Ehlers (that's me).
- Answers to any questions on decor, ettiquette, planning, budget, timeline, etc.
- A customized wedding timeline.
- A customized wedding budget sheet.
- One ten-picture decor inspiration board.
- Access to our vendor recommendation list.
- Three "help along the way" emails between our meeting and the wedding.

Also, pick up the Wedding Organizer (pictured above) for $24 until August 21st (regular price $29).

Contact us to set up a wedding blueprint meeting or purchase a Wedding Organizer.

Happy planning!

With a Flourish Turns One

This week marks the one year anniversary of With a Flourish. In some ways a year feels like a very long time and in other ways it feels like it was only a few weeks ago that I was typing the first words to my very first blog post. 5 weddings, 102 blog posts and too many cups of chai latte to count later, here are a few highlights:

1. Working with very fun, creative brides and grooms.

2. Creating a wedding planning organizer with Yoko of Pulp & Circumstance and Vert Yoko Chapman.

3. Entering my catchphrase (made up by Nicole) into a Jasmine Star contest and winning a website for a year – best part was being mentioned on Jasmine’s blog.

4. Meeting fantastic vendors and mentors.

5. Having a booth at the Wonderful Wedding Show and being interviewed for CTV news.

6. Also being interviewed on Breakfast Television.

I know that I am very blessed to have a job that I love, and I have been surrounded by very talented people, 3 in particular: My husband, Sam, who may not have known anything about weddings a year ago but knows me and is a safe and practical sounding board, Nicole who designed everything from the business name to magazine ads and is one of the first people that I run business ideas by, and Adrienne who is the decor coordinator of With a Flourish and works on wedding days with me - she is highly organized and super creative and I don't know what I'd do without her to brainstorm with. Blessed.

Year 2 is looking good. We’re well on the way to tripling our numbers, and launching a really neat new concept in the next few weeks. This blog has expanded from being read by my mom and sister-in-law, to being read by an international audience looking for green wedding tips. Thanks for reading! I can’t wait to find out what’s in store for us in the next year.

Kris Ojisan

This morning at a crazy hour my younger (but taller) brother left for Japan to travel and then study for a semester. Here's a few photos from Christmas of Miles and his Oji (Uncle) Kris:

See you in December Kris!

I'm off to a really cool wedding today that I can't wait to blog about:)

Corporate Event Management in Winnipeg

Photo courtesy Michelle Zerr Photography

Over the past year, With a Flourish has coordinated weddings, social events, and fundraisers for non-profit organizations. This is my first full wedding season (we launched in August '08) and I must say that I love my job! There's more to come on that topic with a one-year anniversary blog post next week.

We are expanding our services (or at least we are now advertising that we've expanded) to include corporate events.

With a Flourish is available to assist with corporate events in several ways, from earth-friendly event consultation to full service event management. Just a few events that we can help with include awards dinners, gala events, fundraisers, product launches and holiday parties.

Why should your company hire an event coordinator? As a corporate client, we want you to enjoy your event and not tend to little details that can easily eat up your time and energy. As a lead event coordinator, planning events is my full-time job - I am on top of industry trends, constantly learning and very efficient. Your investment will be well spent - we usually work quicker than in-house event planners and planning the event will not be taking up valuable time from your employees jobs. Our team is happy to work with your team or committee - the best projects are the product of brainstorming and sharing fresh ideas, after all.

Please read more about us, and contact us for more information or to set up a complimentary consultation.

Wedding Flower Donation Program

Kathleen was one of the very first people who contacted me about donating her wedding flowers, nearly a year ago when the program first started. Kathleen & Justin's wedding was on July 25th. The beautiful centrepieces were created by Villa Flora, and I put several together in a vase for one of the arrangements and placed it in a retirement home lobby. As I was carrying the flowers into the building, and setting them up, there were several comments on the beautiful flowers and the kindness of the bride and groom, and a conversation on hydrangea's. Thank you Kathleen and Justin for giving your flowers a second life - they were much appreciated! For more information on flower donations please write to celebrate@withaflourish.ca