Aug 22, 2013
In the initial stages of planning, one of the hardest decisions may be agreeing on the number of guests to invite to your wedding. Whether your favorite venue or budget (or just personal preference!) is determining the number of guests which can attend, having the discussion with your parents, future in-laws and fiance from the start will save you big headaches later on.
Of course the number you invite will be higher than the number actually attending. We recommend using about a 15% decline rate but this can vary on each individual situation – where the majority of guests are traveling from, time of year for your wedding and your guests’ own personal budgets. We advise our clients individually on a percentage to use.
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Three Easy Steps to Master Your Guest List:
1) A key point to address and not to tip-toe around is how you will divide up this total number of invited guests. We have seen lots of scenarios – half for the bride side, half for the groom side – is the most common. Or depending on who is paying. Sometimes couples marry later on in their careers and find themselves contributing substantially to their wedding day so a three-way split is acceptable between both sides of parents and then the couple themselves. Or perhaps four ways, both parents and then a list for each of you.
2) However you split the master guest list, sit down and compare your personal lists as you may likely have a few overlaps and common invitees. This will open up a couple of spots! When making your list, start at the top with your family and friends that you cannot imagine not having there on your wedding day. As you add to your list, widen the circle of must attends. This will help if you have to cut (yes, it does happen) guests from your invite list if you are exceeding the total number of guests to invite. You will have done your work and eliminate from the bottom up.
3) Equally important is sticking to this guest list! The master guest list is easily the biggest source of contention for everyone throughout the wedding planning. Depending on the length of your engagement, you may hit it off with a new work colleague, your third cousin has returned from their world trip or you ran into your long lost childhood friend. Each wedding is different and if in your situation it works, then the more the merrier, but if it doesn’t, then you need to stick to your guns. If everyone added 4-6 guests, then you could suddenly be looking at an additional 20 guests and so the problems begin.
Spend a little time at the beginning to agree on a course of action and this will save you a lot of stress, contention and potential arguments later on. After all your engagement is your first big test of ‘compromise’ with each other and your new family. Make it a successful one!
Tahoe Signature of Style,
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Nov 7, 2012
Skimming through the thousands and thousands of photos we have of our events through the years, it struck me the range of colors that presented itself. Why not put together a handy dandy little guide to the secret meaning behind each color? Done, and so much fun selecting the right photo to represent each color from our past Merrily Wed weddings…
I never know what colors my next client may fancy and the opportunity to do something new is one of my favorite aspects of my job. Even with the same basic color palette, little twists and adjustments to the lead colors make every wedding different. For example, one year I had two clients with the same color palette and the same wedding day (believe it or not!).
The primary colors were navy and green yet one bride leaned towards kelly green and the other towards a spring chartreuse green. This is where the similarities stopped and the individual personalities of the wedding couples took over.
In fact, both of these weddings were so detailed, original and beautiful, they both landed spots in national and regional publications – Destination I Do Magazine and The knot Northern California Magazine.
This colorful visual guide below will show you what your favorite color means, what it may say about your personality and how the colors you select for your wedding color palette can influence the overall feel of your wedding day.
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Red:
Red is the most intense color of the color wheel. Red stimulates energy as well as increases enthusiasm. Red symbolizes love, passion, courage and rage. Red also emits a sense of protection from anxiety and fears. If red is your favorite color you are passionate, maintain a busy lifestyle, desire strength and may be a risk taker.
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Pink:
Pink is fun and exciting, some shades of pink can have almost the same energy as red. Red is passionate without being an overly aggressive hue. Pink is the color of happiness. Pink stimulates energy, encourages action and confidence. If pink is your favorite color you tend to be calm, sensitive and sympathetic. You are also compassionate towards others and dislike controversy.
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Orange:
Orange, a close relative of red, radiates warmth and energy. Orange stimulates appetite, socialization, as well as activity. If your favorite color is orange you are friendly, confident and full of energy. You balance your life with business and pleasure and enjoy both!
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Yellow:
Yellow shines with optimism, enlightenment and happiness. Yellow is mentally stimulating and encourages communication. Yellow will increase optimism, energy, as well as spark creative thoughts. If yellow is your favorite color you are creative, intelligent and happiness comes naturally to you.
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Green:
Green occupies more space in the color wheel than any other color and is the second most popular favorite color. Green is a large contributor to the colors of nature. The color green is seen as tranquil and refreshing, with a balance of cool and warm hues. Most shades of green are known to be physically and mentally relaxing. If green is your favorite color you enjoy the nature that surrounds you and love spending time in the outdoors. You also enjoy calming your loved ones, as well as helping the less fortunate.
Teal:
Teal has the calming effect of both green and blue. Teal represents sophistication, generosity and creativity. Teal encourages communication as well as creativity. If your favorite color is teal you tend to be sensitive, intellectual, imaginative and charming. You also tend to be self-reliant and independent.
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Blue:
The color blue is the most common favorite color in the world. Blue is seen as trustworthy, dependable and committed. It invokes rest and can cause the body to produce chemicals that are calming. Not all blues are serene, bright blues can become dramatic and cause exhilaration. Blue is the least gender specific color, it appeals equally to both genders. If your favorite color is blue, friends find you to be very trustworthy and patient. You are also conservative and love to have stability in your life.
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Navy:
Navy symbolizes wisdom, self-mastery and spiritual realization. Navy, being a shade of blue, increases communication within yourself. Navy develops intuition, increases solitude and lets you focus on personal issues. If navy is your favorite color you are spiritual, intuitive and intelligent. You are also self-reliant and tend to take on responsibility.
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Purple:
Purple balances red’s stimulation and blue’s calming effect. With a sense of royalty, purple is a color often well liked by very creative personalities. Purple is uplifting, calms nerves, as well as encourages creativity. If purple is your favorite color, you desire respect, power and often tend to be sentimental.
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White:
White projects purity, neutrality and cleanliness. The color white encourages clarity and enables fresh beginnings. White also encourages clearing clutter and purifying thoughts and actions. If white is your favorite color, you prefer a peaceful surrounding and like to be surrounded by truth and innocence.
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Grey:
Grey is the color of knowledge, wisdom and intellect. Grey is also known as the color of compromise because it is a mixture of powerful black and pure white. Grey can sometimes be unsettling because of this compromise, but can also create expectations. If grey is your favorite color you constantly look for peace and composure. You have good business abilities and tend to work hard, sometimes without reward.
Black:
Black is authoritative, powerful, formal and evokes strong emotions. The color black can create a sense of potential and possibility. If black is your favorite color you are classy and others perceive you as a powerful individual. You are very in tune with your emotions and can be spontaneous.
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Brown:
Brown symbolizes stability, reliability and approachability. Brown is the color of earth and is affiliated with being natural and organic. Brown creates a feeling of wholesomeness, stability and orderliness. If your favorite color is brown you are dependable, patient and reliable. You also tend to not like impulse, because you are organized and everything is well planned.
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Champagne:
Champagne represents the basics, the essentials. Champagne incorporates the warmth of brown with the crispness of white. Champagne creates a feeling that is calm, relaxing and creates a feeling of simplicity. If your favorite color is champagne, you are conservative, dependable and friendly. You also tend to be a perfectionist and like everything to be precise.
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Colors reveal a lot more than just adding some eye candy to an area or object. Keep in mind that a single description may not fit you perfectly and it may be a combination of colors that describe you best.
You may consider these meanings when selecting the color palette for your wedding to instill the feeling that you desire. More importantly though, just have fun with it! Can’t go wrong with your favorites and your wedding will be a true reflection of yourself!
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Tahoe Signature of Style,
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Oct 17, 2012
What if you were planning a Halloween wedding? So for fun (since I probably will never plan a real wedding on Halloween or face my son disowning me for missing trick-or-treating), I thought What If?
The challenge is to create an elegant event, and dare we say romantic, without it feeling like a kid’s Halloween party… but at the same time not to completely lose the obvious inspiration of the hallowed holiday.
What if… we used coffins for benches to sit on during the ceremony? What if…. lighted pumpkins lined your aisle?
What if… your flower girl used a pumpkin to toss her petals from?
What if… we used tombstones to direct guests to various vignettes?
What if… we used a smokey cauldron to serve the special drink?
What if… you dyed your crinoline a fall orange? What if… you dressed your bridesmaids in black and white?
What if… we garnished passed appetizers with mini-tombstones monogrammed with your initials?
and What if… for your grand exit your guests released glowing wish lanterns into the Halloween night sky…
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Top Board, Credits from Top Left to Right – ZoesApartmentBlogspot, BrassPaperClip, BHG, HendCyber; Middle Left to Right – ArsenicWitcheryBlogspot, Etsy Artist Ivanna, Pinterest, WomansDay, Etsy Artist AprilHillerDesigns; Bottom Left to Right – Remodelista, JubileeLauEvents, BridalSnob, Juxtapost
Bottom Board, Credits from Top Left to Right – TheForgeStyleBlogspot, BHG, DevaWeddings, Pinterest; Middle Left to Right – Etsy Artist FlourishingAgain, BHG, WeddingObsession, Squidoo, Etsy Artist DamnFrenchDesserts; Bottom Left to Right – Indulgy, ArsenicWitcheryBlogspot, Pinterest, theKnot
Happy Halloween!
Tahoe Signature of Style,
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May 23, 2012
Several posts ago I introduced you to Michelle Van Otten, a respected San Francisco Bay Area author, international public speaker and consultant with expertise in personal peak performance, business image, first impressions and body language. Here is our second in a series of guest posts in which she will give you valuable hints, tips and clues – helping you to become the most magnetic, radiant, confident version of you possible.
This time around it is all about how to speak confidently and deliver a wedding toast others won’t tune out after the first sentence. Whether you are a maid of honor, best man, mother or father of the bride or groom, or just speaking at a non-wedding event, remember these six tips (or pass them on to someone who needs them)!
6 Powerful Tips for Speaking with Magnetic Confidence and Delivering an Unforgettable Speech or Toast
Jerry Seinfeld said it best…”People at a funeral would rather be in the coffin than delivering the eulogy!” Public speaking may be top on the list of all human fears, but what I am about to share with you will help you eliminate any fear and step into your innate ability to deliver a powerful, unforgettable speech. You can do this and with a little practice you can become a master. Here’s what you need to know…
1. Let’s begin with the basic fact that 93% of our communication with others is non-verbal. That’s right! Only 7% of communication is what you actually say. Non-verbal communication is the single most potent form of communication there is and it’s the very first thing you need to know about how you show up to others. Your 93% comes through your mood, emotions, body language, tone of voice, facial expressions and appearance before a single word is spoken. Knowing that you are already going to be filled with positive emotions and looking and feeling your best, you can relax about the what to say part because you know that the majority of what you are conveying is already being said.
2. The most important thing you must remember about speaking with a group is that connection matters more than anything! When you grab the mic, take a deep breath as you make eye contact with each and every person you can. Taking them in and connecting with them through your eyes first. Let them feel your heart and your emotions and you will move them to tears.
3. Convey confidence and presence with your posture and body language. Stand tall and ground yourself through your feet first. Then lift up through your collar bone as if there were strings attached to your collarbone and those strings were lifting you straight up to the sky. Not only will you appear elongated and graceful, you’ll look elegant and self-assured.
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4. Remember to breathe! Pausing to breath helps your oxygenate your brain and body and also serves you in being more powerful with your delivery.
5. Use cue cards and make bullet points rather than painstakingly writing out a long speech you have to read. Remember that as long as what you say comes from your heart and is a true reflection of your authenticity and uniqueness, people will always be moved and inspired by you. You can’t get that wrong!
6. Relax and know that the difference between being a mediocre speaker and a great speaker is simply knowing that it’s all about the energy you give and the experience you create for others rather than focusing on getting the words right or saying it perfectly. Just be your glorious, beautiful self and speak from your heart. You’ll receive a standing ovation every time.
Follow these steps and Michelle Van Otten will help you give the most magnetic, radiant, confident speech possible! Success in any endeavor is always an inside job first and an outside job second. You’ve got to have the inner game in order to reflect a stellar outer game. She is the master at showing you how easy it is to achieve your ultimate self!
Tahoe Signature of Style,
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