Registry Workshop: Pick 'em Right

So you have done your research, you have picked your stores, and your following the all the "do's and don'ts"...I would say you are on a pretty stellar track to having a successful registry! Only a couple more things to cover in the Registry Workshop and you are on your own! Let us get on to the fun part...actually CHOOSING what you want! Like I said before, think as it as telling Santa exactly what you want (cannot complain there right!).

Choosing what items to register for can seem like a whole bunch of fun from the get go, but beware, do it right from the start, otherwise you can easily get a little "lost in translation." First of, I recommend making a plan for your self, or at least a brief assessment of your WANTS v. your NEEDS. It is important to register for your NEEDS first...you can always add your WANTED items later down the line. For example, if you need flatware, but really want this decorative pillow...it is obviously more important that some gets you all the flatware before the pillow is considered. The last thing you want is to have a bunch of stuff you only wanted, but are left to buy all the things you actually needed. Fortunately, your wants and needs will often overlap - so getting down to the nitty gritty of it all will come naturally. An easy way to plan out your registry is to make a list of all the rooms in your apartment, townhome, or house -- then, make a list of what you need or don't have for each room - that way, you will have an overall picture of what needs to go on your official list. 

Once you have your general "plan" it is also good to look over a list of recommended registry items. Here are a couple of sites that have checklists of all items you might possibly need, and the quantity they reccommend that you should request:

The Knot

Real Simple

These lists are GREAT tools, and easily outline what the average person needs to register for. That being said, you most likely will NOT need to register for absolutely everything on there - however, you it as an overall guide (and cross out things you do not need) for your registry trip. For example, if you do not have a guest bedroom, you probably do not need to register for extra duvets and pillows, or if you have a set of pots from college, you may not need to put those on there either. Bottomline: use your list, plan, and discretion as a guide...it will save you tons of guess work and wasted effort! 

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This is kind of a side note, but one of the biggest registry dilemmas for modern brides is whether or not to register for fine china. Fine china and silver used to be an absolute custom on any wedding registry; however, this standard has fallen off over the years. Today, many brides choose not to register for fine china, crystal, and flatware: (1) because today's gatherings are more casual, (2) china is an expensive gift that may not allow for some of the other items you want to get bought, and (3) many brides are in line to inherit china from a parent or grandparent. Nevertheless, registering or not registering for fine china, silver, and crystal is 100% up to you, your situation, and your taste. Either way you go is excepted it these times!

Registry Workshop: Registry Etiquette

As if there were not enough "do's and don'ts" that goes along with everything wedding...but yes, there too is wedding registry etiquette. Fortunately, a complete list of registry etiquette can easily be laid out, and as long a you check off the following, you will be sure to not step on anyone's toes :) Here it goes...

The Do's

• Start registering early. It is never too early too early to start scanning! Why? Well, for starters, it helps  get a big thing off your "to-do" list early. Secondly, it allows you guests to check out your "wants" from the get-go -- more time for guests to look out for sale prices, seasonal changes, and map out what they want to get you.
• Register for expensive things! Although you want to register for a range of prices, do not be afraid to have a couple high priced items on your registry. Even if you think no one will buy it for you, more often than not, someone WILL - or they will go in on a gift jointly with another couple. The point of registry is to start you and your man off with things your don't have, but WANT & NEED - so put those dream items on there!
• Register for more than you think! Tomorrow I will go more in depth on what to register for, but definitely know that you will need to register for way more than you think right off the bat. With showers lined up before the wedding, your guests will be flying through your list fast.
• Provide your guest with a list of all the places you registered. Whether you list it on a wedding website, a Facebook page, or any invitation, make sure your guests KNOW where to shop! Typically a small line such as, "the bride and groom are registered at..." will suffice.
• Register for gift certificates. Most of the time, you can register for gift certificates from the store you are registered at. Gift certificates are easy gifts to give, and even more easy to use (trust me, the more gift certificates, the better!)
• Register at a minimum of 2 places and a maximum of 4 stores. This number of places gives your guests some freedom to shop, as well as, YOU some freedom of choice on items. The average person registers at 3 stores.
• Register for the most essential items first -- meaning, register for things you need first, and add things you want as guests start buying off the products that were essential (check in tomorrow for a closer look at this Do!)

The Don'ts

• Do not register later than 3 months before your wedding date. As stated before, the earlier the better - however, if it is not a priority, make sure you still give your guests enough time to get their gifts together - anything under 3 months is no good.
• Do not register at LOCAL stores only. Although small boutique stores offer a registry, make sure that you are registered at atleast one store that has a NATIONAL market presence. Your registry needs to be accessible and "shoppable" by guests all over.
• Do not ask for money ONLY. This "don't" is a controversial one -- many will tell you that asking for money only is ok in this day in time, but I say it is not. Asking for gift cards on a registry is perfectly fine, and if people give you money of their own, that is great as well; HOWEVER, plain out saying that you only want money can easily come off as tacky and offensive. Guests can often feel embarrassed to give an exact dollar amount to you -- many rather buy a gift who's worth is more valued on "functionality."
• Do not choose items that are on clearance -- now take a close look at this one, CLEARANCE is different that SALE. Registering for items on SALE means typically means there is a temporary discount on the item..no big deal. CLEARANCE, typically means that the items is discounted because it is going out of stock, out of season, or being discontinued.

The Wedding Cake Breakdown...Layer By Layer

Brooke Keegan

Hello, Hello! Thank you for your patience while Lucky In Love Event's took some vacation time! My goal was achieved, and I can officially say that I have rid myself of the past "pasty white" stature. I am excited to jump back into action with today's post: The Wedding Cake Breakdown..Layer By Layer!

Many a time..actually most of the time, your groom is not going to be that interested in participating in your planning process. It is not that he does not want to be "a part" of it, rather it usually boils down to that picking out colors, flowers, and dresses is just not in the repertoire of things that guys care about. That being said, one thing guys DO enjoy is FOOD! Your groom will be MORE than happy to take part in any planning involving something edible..especially the cakes! Although deciding on a baker for your wedding/groom's cake is fun (not to mention tasty - who does not like free food?!), it can be a little frustrating... here is why: there is a hefty list of different types of icings, fillings, decorative accents, and flavorings offered, and if you combine those together, you're looking at hundreds of cake combinations available to you. The lengthy options easily become overwhelming, and unless you are well versed on baked goods, many of the "wedding cake" terms may leave you confused - there in lies the reasoning behind today's post. I am going to breakdown The Wedding Cake..Layer By Layer so that you and your groom can have a fun, stress free, and yummy day at the bakers! Since this series has quite a few "layers," The Wedding Cake Breakdown will be featured over the next THREE DAYS! Today I while be breaking down the Icing and Filling options..look out for The Wedding Cake Breakdown Part II tomorrow, featuring a closer look at Cake Flavor and Decorating options.

The Icing 

Fondant

Lisa Lefkowitz

Fondant has become and increasingly popular option over the last 15 years or so - reasoning: it truly makes a FLAWLESS looking cake. Fondant is a thing sugar based pasted that can be rolled and molded much like pie crust. Fondant can be used to cover the cake entirely (usually with a lining of buttercream icing underneath) or sculpted into figures, objects, or ribbons. Although Fondant creates a seamless surface for you cake, the truth is it taste awful! Many people claim that true premium grade fondant tastes good..but I have tried the premium stuff...in my opinion, you cannot make sugary playdough taste good?! More often than not, guests will peel the fondant off and simply eat the cake with the small layer of buttercream underneath; however, Fondant cakes cost MORE?! So you are paying extra for an unpalatable product. Nevertheless, fondant DOES make a flawlessly beautiful cake..it is up to you to decide which you rather serve beauty..or deliciousness?

Buttercream

Brooke Keegan

Buttercream is the most popular and traditional icing used on wedding cakes - and for good reason! With the main ingrediants being BUTTER and CREAM, this icing has a medium consistency, lightly sweet taste, and can easily be flaoverd to your liking. Do not be fooled either, you are not making a complete trade off between "perfection" and "taste". Due to buttercream's medium consistency and airy structure, any good baker can smooth it seamlessly! Your cake will look beautiful and leave guests anxiously waiting to dig in!

Royal

Alders Photography

Royal icing is the popular choice for more casual occasions - it is the icing you have continually tasted on birthday cakes and childhood cupcakes. Its main ingredients are egg whites and SUGAR! It is light, fluffy, and super sugary tasting! Royal icing is not the best for getting the "seamlessly smooth" effect, however, it is great for casual icing (which will be explained in Part III).

The Filling

Fruits

Fruit preserves are an extremely popular filling choice. It is a refreshing break to the sugar coated cake and allows you to add an additional flavor within. Fruit fillings come in several varieties including strawberry, raspberry, lemon curd, pineapple, and peach. Tip: make sure your baker is using fresh fruit preserves. You do not want a fructose syrup filled jelly inside your cake!

Ganache

Ganache is a very rich filling created from heavy cream and dark chocolate. It is a premium filling for all you chocolate lovers and goes well with any buttercream icing. Ganache can actually be used as an icing...but that is ONLY for extremely chocolate lovers..this stuff is super rich!

Mousses and Custards

These two fillings have a consistency similar to pudding, with mousse having a more "whipped" texture. People choose these fillings because they can be easily flavored to your liking - from chocolate and strawberry, to more extravagant flavors like Kahlua and Almond. 

Miscellaneous

Your cake can truly be filled with anything. These days layers are filled with peanut butter, cream cheese, caramel, or your favorite liquor!

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Layer Part I gives you a complete breakdown of your icing and filling options! Grab something sweet to kill your craving..and be sure to stop by tomorrow for The Wedding Cake Breakdown..Layer By Layer Part II to continue our journey on a super sweet path to making your perfect wedding cake!

Insider Tip: Not Letting Your Guest List get the Best of You!

Stationary Credit: Paper Moss

Oh the inevitable guest list - it is the single factor in influencing almost every facet of your BIG Day! Just think, by adding only 5 more people to the list could cost you an extra $250 extra for food + $125 for drinks + $25 extra for cake + $50 for extra seating + $20 for extra favors...and so on (you get the picture). The average wedding ends up costing $100 dollars a guest when all said and done, so even a tiny addition to your guest list could be catastrophic to your budget! But where do your draw the line?

Deciding which people to invite is often a sticky subject and can be the main cause of stress in any event planning process. Often the situation arises where if you add this ONE person, then you feel obligated to add a certain "group" of people that the original invitee is associated with. I like to call it the "church syndrome." For example, lets say the mother of the bride feels she needs to invite Mr. & Mrs. John Doe, who are close friends from her sunday school class...which seems all fine and dandy till 'mom' then feels obligated to invite the WHOLE sunday school class so no one is offended! As you can see...the "church syndrome" (which applies in many settings) can be detrimental to your guest list! Personally I remember palnning my wedding and our list was at 180..then litterally, in 2 minutes time, it was up to 280 people! Crazy right?! And on top of all this, creating the list is not half as bad as DOWNSIZING a list if it gets to long - I felt like an Simon Cowell on American Idol kicking people off!

To prevent A LOT of stress on yourself, my number one tip is to set up guest list guidelines before you start writing names down. If you set up guidelines for the guest list, you will create a much more manageable list, and you feel as though you "fairly" judged each person(s). Below is a list of similar guidelines I typically recommend for my clients - feel free to customize your guidelines to YOUR event and budget!

1. Invited guest must.....

• Be immediate or extended family or...
• Have a close, personal relationship to the bride/groom OR the mother & father of the bride/groom, or...
• Have been in contact with the bride/groom within the last year or have physically been in one another's home

2.  Do not invite a guest's date unless they are in a long-term relationship or engaged

3. Do not invite children unless they are family, or if you have a close relationship with them and they are above the age of eight

Stationary Credit: Atelier Isabey

Although the guidelines above are extremely SIMPLE, you would be amazed on how many people may not fit into the categories - especially when it comes to people the mother/father of the bride/groom are 'feeling' obligated to invite, eventhough you yourself do not know them well! Remember, definitely add or subtract guidelines to the list above so that it fits to your event and budget! If you stick to the guidelines you set for yourself, your guest list process may be a much HAPPIER one ;)

Important Insider Note: Typically 20-30% of the guests you invite will be unable to attend (and that calculation is usually right on the spot!). So do not worry if your venue only holds 200 people but you have invited 260 - it will most likely work out in the end!