Location, location, location

Pittsburgh has so many unique wedding venues! As I started to research and write my piece about all of them, I came across this:

http://iheartpgh.com/2012/01/09/15-creative-places-to-have-your-wedding-in-pittsburgh/

Couldn't have said it better myself. Enjoy!

Signature Drink

Having a signature drink at your reception can be a huge money-saver! You can offer your guests wine, beer, and your special drink. Going to Hawaii for your honeymoon? Maybe offer a fun blue martini with an orchid garnish. Met your man in Dublin? Maybe offer a sweet Bailey's drink on the rocks.

For the ultimate cute signature drink, use Pearl Wedding Cake Vodka as the main ingredient! Check out some recipes HERE:

The Drunk Uncle looks especially good!

Saying thanks

Always send thank-you notes within three weeks of receiving a gift. Never wait longer! It tells your families and friends how much you appreciate them and the gift they gave you. And always hand-write them!

A proper note thanking someone for a gift reads like this:

Dear Sally,
Thank you so much for the beautiful vase, it will look so perfect on our mantle in the new house. It was great to see you at the wedding, we hope you had as much fun as we did!
Much love,
Nicole & Justin

Thanking someone for cash is a little bit different:

Dear Sally,
Thank you so much for your generous gift! It will go a long way in helping us save for our first home. It was great to see you at the wedding, we hope you had as much fun as we did!
Much love,
Nicole & Justin


Be sure to mention the specific gift or gifts given so your note doesn't read like a form letter. And remember - people love you enough to give you a gift, you should be gracious enough to receive it kindly.

Free wedding website

Do you need a wedding  website? Would you like one that matches your Save the Date cards, invitations, etc.? How about getting one for free?  Wedding  Paper Divas has what you need! A free  wedding website to  go along with over 40 of their most popular wedding invitations. This means  that you can now easily create an ad-free personal wedding website complete  with online RSVP capabilities and more—and keep it FREE for one year!

Match  your site to over 40 of Wedding Paper Divas bestselling invitation designs.
You don’t need to be a programmer to do this! Just point and click  at anything on the site to customize. You can truly customize your site with a domain that is just for you  like ourwedding.com.
With unlimited photos, online  RSVP, a blog, password protection, guest list manager, and more!
Get  started now to ensure that everything  will be beautifully designed and perfectly coordinated as you prep for your big day.

Wedding Paper Divas

Movin' on up

Beginning May 1st, On the Nose Events is moving into a new office! We have great space by the East End Food Co-Op, off of Penn Avenue. Office warming party details to follow, of course.

Come on over and see us some time!

Something Blue

On the Nose Events is expanding! We are starting an exciting new part of our business - selling and renting gently used wedding decor. For now, we need help building up our inventory! If you (or anyone you know) is spring cleaning and looking to get rid of some extras, email nicole@onthenoseevents.com

We pay top dollar, in cash and will pick up. You can't beat that! Plus, you can feel good knowing that you'll be helping another bride have the wedding of her dreams without spending a fortune.

We are looking for any and all decor items, no lot is too big or too small. Talk to you soon!

On the Nose needs you!

We are looking for a bride-to-be or recent bride to do a little blog swapping. If you, or anyone you know, is interested in writing a few posts about your experiences, let us know! Email Nicole@OnTheNoseEvents.com and we can get started. Talk to you soon!

~Nicole

Wedding Hair

All over the runways of fashion week, models had embellished up-do's - this look is going to be huge for spring and summer, so why not incorporate it into your wedding look? There were some pretty out there looks that maybe don't have a place in the real world (copper wired braids, anyone?), but as usual, Chanel hit the nail right on the head with a super elegant style that works for everyone.

It would be so easy to DIY these by wire wrapping faux-pearl beads to the end of a bobby pin and gluing into place. So many possibilities!

Tissue Paper Pom Poms

Not only is this one of the easiest DIY projects of all time, it's also one of the cheapest! Tissue paper pom poms are a great way to fill up a lot of space on a budget, or just add a few pops of color to a stark room. Martha Stewart of course (of course!) has a wonderfully easy to follow step-by-stap diagram here, check it out!

I love the look of a wall covered in all different colored poms, just a few hanging from a garland or even one or two hanging over each table. You can expect to spend about 25 cents per pom, so the more the merrier! Making this is also a super soothing project to take on when the wedding stress gets to you. You can just pouf the night away while watching a movie. Storing these couldn't be easier - just keep them in a large garbage bag until the big day, then hand them over to your planner to re-pouf and hang for your reception. Adorable!

Mossy Monograms

I love the trend toward earthy and green weddings. The one thing that I keep seeing more and more large mossy-looking monograms. These monograms are whimsically personal and can be used to decorate almost anything! Have them grace the ceremony entrance, the reception hall, or even the back of the bride's and groom's chairs at the reception.

Talk to your planner, purchase monograms online, or make your own by cutting out letters from styrofoam or purchasing pre-made paper mache letters from a craft store. Spray-paint your letter(s) green and use hot glue or spray mount to affix the moss.

Etsy Crush

After you have spent hours deliberating over your invitations, shouldn't you send them off in style? When your guests open their mailbox and see these beautiful envelopes, they'll know that something special is inside. Check out the amazing work done by Calligraphy by Hillary:

I love the look paired with the vintage stamps, so charming!

There are several styles of handwriting available and the turn-around time is fast. Impress your guests right from the get-go!

Now What? Choose a Maid of Honor!

Getting engaged so exciting! Everyone wants to share in that excitement with you, but only one person can be the Laverne to your Shirley. Some people have always known who would be standing by their side on the big day, others have to decide (kind of quickly!) from a pool of friends and family. Traditionally, if you have an older sister or particularly close cousin, she would get the honor. But what if you don't have a close female family member?

Being a Maid of Honor is like having a reverse part time job: she does a ton of work, deals with lots of stress and has to pay for the privilege. If there is any doubt that that who you have in mind won't be able to handle all of the tasks involved, have a chat and be honest. If your best friend just lost her job, she may not be up for the honor. The last thing you want is to lose a friend over this, so being frank is the best policy.

Here's a short list of the MOH duties:
Work with all of your other bridesmaids to decide on a dress, hair do, shoes, purses, and a bunch of other little things - no easy task!
Help you shop for a dress and veil.
Answer your 100 emails about favors, color scheme, shoes and your future-in-laws.
Lead the planning of your bridal shower.
Help you register.
Attend all of the parties.
Witness your marriage and sign the certificate.
Make a speech at the reception.

And that's not the half of it!

Once you have decided on your Maid (or Matron) of Honor, the fun really begins. Treat her to a nice dinner and outline everything that is expected, you'll be glad you did when the big day comes. Also, let her pick a dress that flatters her figure and coloring - looking great is all of your photos is the least you can do to say thank you!

Wedding Planner FAQ - Part 2

"Aren't professional planners super expensive?"

You might be surprised! A professional planner will typically bill you for a percentage of your total budget for A-Z planning, per hour for special projects or a one time all-inclusive fee for DOC services or running your rehearsal. But, while that may seem like you would be paying more than you originally set out to, 9 times out of 10, you won't. Here is an example of how a planner can save you money:

You and your fiancé still need a photographer and would like hire one asap since it's getting down to the wire. Since we have already discussed your budget and your preferred style, we can go through our list of contacts and set up a few meetings with vendors we think you will like working with. Once you have chosen your photographer, we can negotiate a better rate on your behalf.

I think that an article on Offbeat Bride said it best:  "This is a horrible fact of the wedding industry, but some nasty vendors out there give crappy service because they don't think they need to impress you. You're likely to only get married once, then they don't have to deal with you again. However, they DO want to impress me, because I can recommend them to hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of potential new clients. The alternative is badmouthing them with my planner friends and doing my best to make sure they never get another wedding. Unlike some rating sites, the planning community doesn't take bribes to remove bad reviews."

Professional planners aren't just for the rich and famous, they are for any couple who has things to do besides figure out which company to use for chair covers, hand assemble 15 floral centerpieces or any of the one million other little things that need to be done. Not having to worry about every little thing is such a good feeling - you can focus on getting married! You can't put a price on that.

Now What? Guest List!

One of the very first things you should discuss with your planner is the size of your guest list. Figuring out your wedding guest list size is crucial to planning - but it isn't always an easy number to come up with.

Etiquette dictates that if someone else (your parents, his aunt, etc) is contributing to the cost of the reception, then they have input on who is invited. For example, you may not know your grandmothers friends, but it would be in poor taste not to invite them to the giant party she is throwing for you! On the flip side, if you and your fiancé are footing the bill, you do not have to cave to pressure to have a larger event than you can afford by inviting all of your mothers co-workers.

Once you figure out your number, the fun can begin. We can start looking at venues that will suit your size and tastes. Have you always envisioned you, your family and closest friends sipping champagne on the roof of an exclusive hotel? Then we won't show you the biggest venue available. On the flip side, if you've always imagined your wedding to be a huge blow-out affair with loads of people dancing the night away, we'll take you to the biggest and best venues you can afford to accommodate all of those guests!

What about sticky situations? Everyone has to deal with them during the planning, here are a few things that commonly come up:

1. One of my guests has just started dating someone, and even though he did not RSVP +1, he would now like to bring her. What do I do? This one is super frustrating because if he didn't RSVP with her in mind 3 weeks ago, what are the chances they are a serious couple now? Do you really want this woman you barely know at your wedding just so he'll have someone to dance with? Doesn't he know that it costs $150 a head? Aaah! Our advice is to just let your (invited) guest know that you will give him an answer as you get closer to the wedding, like a few days away, after you have your final headcount in to the caterer and the venue. Explain that trimming the guest list is one of the most difficult parts of planning and that you are sorry and you'll see what you can do. You never know, maybe someone at his table will cancel at the last minute. Either way, don't sweat over it. A friend will understand if you aren't able to accommodate his new girlfriend and you can always make plans to get together after you return from your honeymoon.

2. My family and/or future-in-laws keep inviting people! This one is tricky, because you don't want to offend anyone, especially if they have a financial hand in the wedding and feel they are allowed to invite friends to "their" party. Traditionally, only the hosts may invite guests. If your parents are paying, then they are the hosts, it's that easy. You will just have a few strangers in your wedding pics, no big deal. If you are paying, then you are the hosts - it works both ways. If your future-in-laws can't stop inviting neighbors and friends that you've never met, put the brakes on that immediately with an honest conversation. "I'm sorry, but we have a very limited number of people we can invite. I'm afraid we can't accommodate her. Please be sure to let her know as soon as possible." If that doesn't work, then try the more direct version, "I'm sure they'll understand when you tell them it wasn't your place to invite them and they cannot be accommodated."

3. What about a B-List guest list? Using A/B guest lists is very tricky and must be handled with the utmost care. If you are inviting tons of out-of-town family and none of them can make it, it's totally reasonable to move on to B list guests once the A list has declined. Just don't send the B list invites too close or past the RSVP date - that is a dead giveaway to what you're up to. Be mindful of how you would feel if you knew you were only being invited because Aunt Edna has the flu.

There are tons of instances like this that come up, unfortunately there often isn't a clear answer. Your planner can always handle these issues with tact and class. No one wants their family mad at them before the big day, let us take the heat!

Etsy Crush

I love a maritime theme for a wedding and every item in the 2HandsStudios shop is perfect.

These flags are up cycled from sails and bulk pricing is available. You could get the 'hip, hip, hooray' ones for the head table!

And these are the cutest favors I have ever seen for a beach wedding!

Now What? Stress!

At some point during your wedding planning, you'll want to say, "Forget this! We're going to Vegas!" It's true, it happens to everyone. Whether it's your mothers constant questioning of your every decision (A red dress?! No cake?!) or strangers little advice nuggets (I would never let my husband wear tennis shoes!) or a vendor being unresponsive - something will put you over the edge. Here are some tips to help you deal with the stress:

1. Turn off the internet. Pinterest, Weddingbee, Offbeat Bride, Eat Drink Chic - I love them all. Spending hours looking at inspirational photos is so fun, right up until the point when it isn't. Seeing all these perfect images of someones Anthropology inspired wedding (all DIY!) is enough to make you crazy with jealousy and start to second guess your choices. "Should I have handcrafted flags on the straws at our open bar?" should not be keeping you up at night.

2. "What a great idea, thank you so much." This phrase. Learn it, love it, live it. Your neighbor has a great photographer recommendation. Your co-worker suggests that you have monogramed matchbook favors. Your future mother-in-law thinks you should wear her old veil. "What a great idea, thank you so much." Then do whatever you and your fiancé feel is best.

3. Take a break. Go to the gym or run around the block (I am by no means suggesting you lose weight, believe me). Exercise is proven to make you feel better and the endorphin boost couldn't hurt in keeping your mood up. Better yet, take a week off from planning altogether. Talking about your wedding 24/7 sucks all of the fun out of it! With a little distance, you might realize that the great cocktail napkin debacle of 2012 wasn't really that big of a deal.

4. Know what you can do and what you can't. Trying to mesh your ideas of a perfect wedding, while also trying to "follow the rules" and keep up with family members' and friends' ideals is certainly a stressful task. The problem is more apparent when your ideal wedding doesn't follow the rules and doesn't fit in with the vision that friends or family have. Be true to yourself and your budget. Trying to have a big Hollywood wedding on a shoestring is a recipe for stress and disaster.

5. Stay focused. The whole point of your wedding is to get married, and that's it! As long you both show up, say your vows and leave together the rest is just icing on the cake! No wedding can satisfy every guest, no matter how hard you try. Just so long as you and your husband have had a good time, you're set.

Now What? Reception Timing!

One of the most difficult aspects of planning your wedding is the reception timing. You know that you'll want to have your first dance, cut the cake, maybe do a dollar dance, toss a garter belt, throw a bouquet, dance with your parents, eat dinner, visit guests and party...That's a lot of stuff to fit into a small window of time. No one wants their reception to feel like a never ending series of events MC'd by a drill sergeant, but how do you squeeze it all in?
Obviously, hiring a professional planner will take a lot of the mystery out of the logistics, we've been there and know how to time everything. Also, talking to your recently married fiends to see what they liked/disliked about the flow of their weddings if helpful, too. Here is an example of how a typical wedding would work:

4:00 Church
4:45 Service ends, receiving line, bridal party heads out for photos
5:00 Guests arrive at reception hall, cocktail hour
6:00 Dinner is announced, guests take their seats
6:15 Bridal party is announced, the couple dances their first dance
6:30 Dinner is served, toasts are made, the couple visits with the tables
7:30 Cake is cut, the couple thanks everyone for coming
7:45 Dessert is served
8:00 Dancing begins
8:30 Father/Daughter dance
9:00 Garter belt/boquet toss
9:30 Final dance
9:45 The couple makes their grand exit

That is a lot of action for just a few hours, and I left a bunch of stuff out! What if you want to add some cultural traditions? A special dance honoring your grandparents? Group photos? A food truck? There is an awful lot to consider and you only get one chance to do it right!

A day-of-coordinator can make all the difference in the world - a DOC will make sure that everything runs smoothly and on time, will give cues to your DJ to make announcements and can gently nudge groups of people in the right direction. How many times have you missed a cake cutting at a reception? Wouldn't it have been nice if there was someone in charge to let you know what was happening?

Etsy Crush

I am completely head over heels in love with these stamps from lilimandrill!

How adorable would this be as an embellishment on your thank-you notes? A stamper like this would also make a wonderful shower gift!

Now What? Budget!

One of the most important decisions you will make surrounding your wedding is your budget. Knowing early on how much you have to spend will make the entire process a breeze. Traditionally, you and your fiancé would sit down with both sets of parents to discuss how much each of them would be contributing and the brides parents would say "Oh, we have $100,000 put aside for your wedding! We've been saving for your whole life!" If that happens to you, congrats! But more realistically, you and your husband-to-be will be contributing something financially to the cause.

Make plans to sit down with your fiancé and talk openly and honestly about what you can afford. This should be a fun conversation free from guilt and pressure. As one of the very first things you two are doing together, as a team, you should be looking out for each other and supportive - but most of all honest. You are going to be together for a lifetime, don't start out in debt! Here is an example of smart financial wedding planning:

Michael and Michelle are newly engaged and have decided on a May 2013 wedding, that leaves 15 months until the big day! They have met with both sets of parents and know that each family will be contributing $2,500. Michelle is about to sock away $250 per month, while Michael is working on paying off his student loans and can put away $150 per month. He has $3,000 in savings that he is willing to spend on the honeymoon and she has $1,000 in savings that she will use to buy her wedding gown and shoes. This means that they will have $11,000 to spend on their wedding. Wasn't that easy?

One of the best things about wedding plannings is that you don't need all of that money up front. Most venues, photographers, planners, etc will only require a deposit and then full payment on your wedding day. That gives you lots of time to save.

As soon as you have that number set, you should do two things:
1. Open a separate bank account for wedding savings and spending. Keeping everything separate from your everyday money will go a long ways in keeping you both on track. Plus, it's fun to watch your money grow and work towards a goal together. Stay in one Friday night instead of going out to a fancy dinner? Put that extra $50 into the wedding fund!
2. Meet with your planner to decide how to best allocate those funds. Love flowers? Make sure a big chunk of your budget goes towards the florist. Not into the blooms? Move that money over to the food category and really wow your guests with a gourmet selection. A professional planner can make your dollars stretch farther than you ever thought possible.

Besides your first home purchase, this is probably the biggest chunk of money you will spend at one time. Let a professional planner tell your money where to go so you don't wonder where it all went!

Etsy Crush

Check out these simple and elegant invitations from Young Wanderlust Designs:

I am in love with the minimalist design and the price! These printable invites are easy on the budget and are sure to wow your guests.

Wedding Planner FAQ - Part 1

"So what do you do, exactly?"

As wedding planners, we can do a few things for you: Take care of all of your planning from A to Z, just assist a little here and there, or work as your DOC (day of coordinator) making sure that everything runs smoothly on your big day.

Full service planning can be helpful if you are already receiving so much "help" that you don't know where to look. Your mom knows a great caterer! Your cousin insists you use her florist! Your future MIL has already scheduled a few cake tastings for you! Your dad went to college with a guy who DJs for fun on the side! Your best friend is emailing your dozens of pictures a day of everything she would like for her dream wedding! The options are endless and everyone likes to have a say. We understand that you don't want to hurt anyones feelings, but that you also don't want to eat your moms favorite dinner while you dance to your dads favorite song. Someone working for you and your fiancé who will make your visions a reality can be a very reassuring thing.

Full service planning can also be helpful if you are planning an out-of-state, last minute or unusual wedding (we love those!). It's also great for busy ladies who just don't have the time for the legwork. Picture this: You email us a pic of a centerpiece you saw in a magazine at the grocery store. We find a florist in your price range who can recreate the look for you. We schedule the meeting. We review the contracts. You get what you want and don't pay an arm and a leg. Ta-Da! Wasn't that easy?

Maybe you already have your venue booked, the caterer is set, the centerpieces are chosen, etc. If there are a few things left on your list and you are just at the end of your rope (or budget), we can assist there, too! We know all the best DJs in town and how much they cost. We know the best photographers who specialize in the style you like. We are more than happy to help you figure out the finishing touches to make your Roaring 20's reception memorable.

If you have everything set in stone and you and totally finished planning, congrats! You deserve a break. After a year (or more!) of planning and DIY, wouldn't it be nice to just relax and enjoy your hard work? No bride should have to hustle in her bustle on her wedding day. Leave the details to us. We'll show up early and stay late making sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. If there is a problem, you won't even know about it. We've got it taken care of! Doesn't that sound nice?

Now What? Email!

If you just got engaged or are in the process of planning your wedding, here is a quick and simple tip to help you relieve some of the clutter in your life. Establish a new email address just for wedding planning purposes. While it may seem like just one more thing to do, creating a dedicated email address will allow you to have a single point of contact for all of your wedding vendors. I would suggest using Gmail, and creating separate tags or folders for each vendor, so that when you need to verify something, you can turn to that one spot for all of the correspondences. And one of the biggest sanity-savers is using this email address when you attend bridal shows. Every booth will want your contact info for giveaways and specials, and while that is great, you do not want to continue receiving those for the rest of your life—and believe us—you will!

So hop over to Gmail, Yahoo! or Hotmail and get started!

Chic Non-Floral Bouquets

Getting married at the beach? How about a seashell bouquet?

These feathers would be great for a Gatsby-style late night wedding.

This would be so beautiful for an autumn wedding. The bridesmaids could carry smaller versions, then they could be used for decor at the head table!

So perfect for a bookwork bride and groom. Maybe the rings could be brought to the altar in a hollowed out book?

There are so many amazing options available for the bride who chooses to forgo traditional floral bouquets. The benefits are obvious:
Price. Why spend a bundle on flowers you are going to use for exactly one hour? Spend those bucks somewhere else, like on a zip line ride on your honeymoon!
Longevity. You get to keep your beautiful bouquet forever!
Green. No flowers were cut, less pesticides were sprayed, and all that jazz.
Style. You know for sure that no one else will rock your exact bouquet.
Fun! Think of all the amazing spring Saturdays you'll spend scouring flea markets for the perfect brooches.

Inspired yet?

Etsy Crush

I get lost on Etsy, who doesn't? Everything is so beautiful! I saw this recently and I am in love:

The most perfect 'something blue' ever?

Everything in her shop is so pretty and well made, check it out!

etsy.com/shop/FallenSparrow

There are subtler blue options, but if you're going to do it, do it big and bold.