bridal guide, 2012

Special Supplement of the

February 17, 2012

2 • Community Advocate • Brides & Bouquets • Friday, February 17, 2012

One-Stop Shopping for Brides at Wayside Inn Bridal and Fashion Show

By Doris ChristelisContributing Writer

Having hosted wed-dings for nearly three hundred years, the

landmark Wayside Inn in Sudbury is opening its doors to all prospective brides dur-ing the Wayside Inn Bridal and Fashion Show, Sunday, April 15. Th e Inn’s Sales Event Manag-er Melissa Striharsky is excited about this year’s show. “For those starting to plan their own wedding, the pro-cess can be exhausting,” Stri-harsky said. “The Wayside Inn Bridal and Fashion Show will off er ‘one-stop shopping’ on all the goods and services needed to create a perfect wedding.” From noon to 3 p.m., show vendors will provide informa-tion on a variety of wedding day “musts.” “From fl orists, a bridal bou-tique, rental companies and wedding planners, to men’s

formal wear, musicians, jew-elry vendors and makeup and hair specialists, the Wayside Inn Bridal and Fashion Show will make your wedding plan-ning easy and memorable,” she added. Frugal Flower’s Wedding and

Event Coordinator Allison Hassard is also involved with the program. “Th is is an exclusive oppor-tunity for prospective brides to picture the Inn with all the options available in place to help them envision their

special day before it happens,” Hassard explained. Visitors will be able to taste the culinary delights prepared by the Wayside Inn’s new exec-utive chef Michael Brentana. Brentana and his culinary team off er brides and grooms who hold their receptions at the Inn “dishes which feature unique flavor combinations coupled with artistic plate presentations.” Again this year, brides who attend the Bridal and Fash-ion Show will be entered in a drawing for a “Giveaway Wedding.” Th e Wayside Inn wedding package giveaway includes a Martha Mary Cha-pel ceremony, use of the Inn’s Main Dining Room, one night of deluxe accommodations, a three-tier wedding cake, and much more explained Kathy Quinton, Director of Sales at the Inn. The drawing will take place in the Inn’s Main Dining Room at 2:45 p.m. Th e winner must be in attendance to claim the prize. Last year’s lucky winners, “Kate and Nate,” will hold their wedding ceremony and reception at the Inn aft er this year’s show. Th e Bridal Fashion Show will begin at 3:15 p.m. in the charming Martha Mary Chapel. Shelby O’Connell of SKO Designs helped to organize the event along with Edna Dratch Parker of EFD Creative. “Th e fashion show allows brides to see a variety of gowns and men’s formal wear in a genuine wedding setting,” O’Connell said.

Frugal Flower and Invidia Salon & Spa of Sudbury, the Fashion Show Presenters, along with many award win-ning vendors will provide their services and products for this year’s ceremony and reception. Flowers are always a key component of any memorable wedding. “With over 20 years of experience, Frugal Flower has worked with brides on ev-ery budget and in every style – from traditional to more trendsetting displays and bou-quets,” noted Hassard. As any bride knows, a wed-ding day is the time to turn to the experts for hair and make-up styling believes Invidia’s Director Jasmin Patzleiner. “Invidia’s approach to wed-ding services is one that em-phasizes planning with strict attention to detail and el-egance irrespective of budget,” explained Patzleiner. During the Wayside Inn show, Invidia will off er brides-to-be special hair and makeup packages at Invidia’s Suite at the Wayside Carriage House Inn. “Th e Suite is an intimate setting for bridal parties to prepare for the wedding with the same state-of-the-art and professional skin and hair care that we offer customers in our full-service salon,” noted Patzleiner. Tickets to the Bridal Show are $10 and tickets to the Fash-ion Show (with seating limited to 130 people) are $15. Pre-registration and more infor-mation can be found at www.waysideinnbridalshow.com.

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Community Advocate • Brides & Bouquets • Friday, February 17, 2012 • 3

Th e Dress Test8 ‘movement tests’ for your wedding gown

Your dream wedding dress will surely be beautiful, but will you

be able to move in it? Can you sit in it? Dance in it? Lift your arms to throw your bouquet? Can you bend over without giving the room too much of a view? As important as it is to choose a dress that looks beautiful on you while you’re standing in front of a full-length mirror in a bridal salon, it’s even more important to test your dream dress to be sure it allows you full comfort and full coverage in any situation. As you try on dresses, move in them. Don’t stand still. You’ll get a feel for the tug of off-the-shoulder sleeves and decide whether the romantic look is worth the restriction on your movement. A tightly fitting mermaid-style dress also should be moved in to be sure you can walk in it. Don’t forget that a profes-sional seamstress will provide several rounds of alterations to your chosen dress, so most sections of your gown can be adjusted to give you more com-fort. Everything from sleeves and seams to lace sections can be moved and/or removed, to make that dress perfect for your shape and make you feel more confi dent wearing it. Th e best way to ensure com-fort in your gown is to subject it to the following eight move-ment tests as your seamstress looks on, with pins ready to adjust whatever you might need. 1) Lift your arms. As you’re dancing with your groom, you’ll have your arms lift ed to his shoulder height. It would be a disaster if your off-the

shoulder or full sleeves didn’t al-low you to lift your arms that high. If your raised arms stretch the dress as you’re dancing, it also ruins the lines of the dress and can create an unattract-ive bumpy look all down your back. Not only is it un-comfortable, your dress’ strain will show in your wed-ding photos and video. So lift your arms and allow your seamstress to tailor where the dress needs to be let out slightly or taken in slightly. 2) Swing your arms. If your dress has sleeveless straps, it’s impor-tant to be sure the armholes al-low you plenty of room. A bad fi t will cause the thicker fabric of the dress to rub against your inner arms, causing chafi ng. 3) Walk forward. Does the skirt of the dress allow you to take comfortable steps? A sleek-fitting mermaid dress could cause you to shuffle like Morticia Addams in your dress, which isn’t the effect you’re likely aft er. 4) Walk up and down stairs. At your wedding sites, you might need to walk down a fl ight of stairs, perhaps as part of your ceremony. It’s very important that you can do so gracefully. 5) Sit down. You will be sit-ting, albeit briefl y, during your reception, so be sure that the dress’ shape and fi t will allow

you to sit without the risk of tearing your seams or making it hard for you to breathe. 6) Bend over. Too much

cleavage showing is the danger here, so bend over as if to pick something up from a chair or talk to a flower girl, and assess how much skin you’re showing. Bridal-gown expert Nancy Aucone says that having the right fi t and style of bodice is key. For this portion of the movement tests, your corset or bra will play a part in your dress’s appearance on top. “Ideally, you should not even try on a bridal gown without the proper undergarment,” Au-cone says. “And you certainly should not have your fi nal fi t-ting without one.” With your wedding-day undergarments on, test your neckline to be sure that the undergarment doesn’t show and that the dress alteration covers you well. 7) Dance. Yes, dance in the bridal boutique, to see whether you’ll be able to enjoy each and every song, fast or slow. “I didn’t test this, and when my new husband went to dip

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me during our fi rst dance, I al-most fell to the fl oor,” says new bride Stacie Aarons. “If I could go back and do it again, I’d twirl around and bend backwards a little just to be sure the dress cooperated.” If you’re wearing a short dress, as is a popular casual style now, twirl in the dress to be sure it doesn’t fl y up too high. Your seamstress can make adjustments to limit your skirt’s twirling height. 8) Stand up from a sitting position and walk. A too-long crinoline or slip might prove dangerous if you take your fi rst step into it. Brides have torn the fronts of their dresses and also taken a tumble because they didn’t test this particular movement in their dresses, es-pecially when they hear a song they love and rush to get to the dance fl oor. When you test your dream dress, any solution can be cre-ated to help you look beautiful and move beautifully.


Destination WeddingsExotic nuptials a dream or a reality?

Getting married on lo-cation can be a dream, but can a destination

wedding be a reality? Wedding experts say des-tination “I do’s” happen a lot and emphasize they’re not that tough to organize. “This year, I’ve had 21 d e s t i n at i on we d d i ng s ,” says Mindy Weiss of Min-dy Weiss Party Consultants and author of “The Wed-ding Planner & Organizer.” “I’ve never done so many in one year. Th is was the year they all wanted to go away.” According to Th e Wedding Report, a group that tracks wedding statistics and does market research for the wed-ding industry, its most recent figures on the trend show there were 259,000 destina-tion weddings in 2008 with a value of $2.49 billion.

Why, Where and When Most brides and grooms who want a destination wed- Continued on following page

A couple ties the knot on a gondola at The Venetian in Las Vegas.

ding know their choice from the start. “It’s like the gown,” explains Tiff any Cook of Dream De-sign Weddings & Events. “When they fi nd ‘that’ prop-erty, they know it.” Th e appeal of a destination wedding can range from the need for privacy to an urge for a romantic getaway. Weiss says couples are always passionate about the destination. Th e Wedding Report says top destination wedding lo-cations include the Bahamas and places in the Caribbean, especially Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. “Th e Caribbean is still hot and hip,” says Cook, whose clients oft en choose destina-tion locales such as St. Croix, St. John, St. Barts, the Antilles and St. Maarten. Many West Coast couples choose to marry on location in Mexico or Hawaii. New

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Destination WeddingsYork, Atlanta and Los Angeles are popular destination wed-ding cities in the continental U.S. Typically, destination wed-dings happen on weekends from Th ursday to Sunday or Monday. Some destinations, including Hawaii, are year-round choices, but others can be too hot, such as Mexico in July, or prone to stormy weather, like the Bahamas during hurricane season.

Guest List Guests oft en love a getaway wedding because it’s a built-in vacation. One of Weiss’ recent wed-dings had a large guest list -- 175 New Yorkers who trav-eled to Lanai, Hawaii, for the wedding. While most destination weddings are smaller, with a range from 40 to 60 guests, taking care of these guests is a major priority. “You’re not only plan-ning a wedding, but you’re planning a trip and plan-

Continued from previous page ning for all your guests,” says Weiss. “Everyone be-comes an out-of-town guest.”

Entertaining Keep those guests happy with lots of activities. “It’s a lot of entertaining,” says Weiss, noting how many destination weddings include a Th ursday welcome party, a Friday rehearsal dinner, the wedding on Saturday and a brunch on Sunday. Give guests welcome bags, as well as a very detailed itinerary that explains what’s happening and when and whom to contact if a guest has questions. And remember that just because the wedding is a getaway doesn’t mean it’s a casual aff air. Most destination weddings have a dress code of at least cocktail attire, while some destination nuptials are formal black-tie events. Th e cost of a destination wedding can vary, depending on whether or not you cover some or all of your guests’ expenses. For example, some

brides pay for their brides-maids’ rooms, and others cover the bill for all of their guests’ accommodations. Still, brides and grooms are not required to pay their guests’ tabs.

Destination Details Planning a destination wed-ding generally doesn’t take much more time than plan-ning a local wedding. “It’s nice to have a year out,” says Weiss. “Do a save-the-date, and be kind to guests.” Be kind to yourself, too, by taking Cook’s advice and hir-ing a planner. “Planning can be nerve-racking,” she says. “A sea-soned wedding planner can make your life so much easier and better if you’re having a destination wedding.” Cook says she typical-ly scouts a property online and fi gures out whether the venue’s style and price points are a match for the couple. Before a hiring decision is made, she and the couple travel to the destination to

do a walk-through and fi rm up the plans. Another important con-sideration is handling the legal details of a marriage ceremony and the license. “I work with the property and work with local offi cials,” says Cook. “Th ere has to be an officiant from the local area who presides over the ceremony, and the license is

handled at that location.” When it comes to hir-ing wedding vendors, some couples choose vendors near the destination spot, whereas others hire vendors from home and fly them to the wedding site. Get started planning your destination wedding, and then pack your bags for a getaway to remember.

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BloomsNew wedding fl ower trends

We d d i n g f l o w e r trends evolve sea-son after season.

Th is upcoming year, there are several leading trends coloring brides’ choices of fl oral motifs, bouquets and blooming decor: - Romance. Inspired by the Duchess of Cambridge (aka Kate Middleton), wedding fl owers paired with romantic, lace-enhanced wedding dresses carry a soft look of Victorian femininity. In whites, ivories and soft pinks, flower trends follow the Duchess’s lead with delicate lily of the valley, or they may increasingly be seen as soft , muted bouquets or centerpieces made of big-bloomed, ruffl ed peonies. Th e lace of the gown is now brought onto the handle of the bouquet as an alternative to the satin-wrapped, hand-tied bouquet. And one of the big-gest new trends for romantic fl orals, according to fl oral de-signer Georgianne Vinicombe, is feather accenting, such as having large, dreamy feathers

inserted into a round bouquet. - Vintage. Last season’s vintage theme carries into the new year with romantic fl owers in muted yellows making up bouquets and fl oral pieces. Tiny touches of red in fl orals and berries act as accents. - Rustic. With more weddings taking place in unique, natural spaces such as farms and vine-yards, the overall rustic wedding trend extends into wildfl owers in hand-tied bouquets and in loosely arranged centerpieces. Brenda Bennett Maille, who writes “Brenda’s Wedding Blog,” says that elevated centerpieces provide architecture in natural accents, such as tall branches. - Nautical. Th is trend is on the rise, bringing more navy blues into fl oral designs. Picture bouquets accented with shells and starfi sh.

Types of Flowers While roses and peonies lead the way in romantic, vintage

Continued on following pageSoft, romantic fl owers are the leading bouquet choice

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BloomsNew wedding fl ower trends

and rustic weddings, additional top-trending fl owers according to the Association of Bridal Consultants include daisies, lilies, tulips and hydrangeas. These particular flower types spread across the seasons, as do similarly romantic fl owers such as ranunculus, gardenias and orchids. For tiny dots of white or color, kalanchoe is a leading bloom, and succulents are tak-ing their place at green-friendly weddings.

Types of Bouquets Romantic bouquets are most oft en hand-tied, meaning they are gathered together by hand, wrapped at the stem with a satin ribbon, and are more loosely constructed and relaxed this year than the more tightly bound designs of seasons past. Also more relaxed in con-struction are the more playful bouquets made up of brighter, more vivid shades of hot pink, magenta, fall’s deep reds and

purples. One overriding trend, according to Th eWeddingRe-port.com, is pairing a bright color such as yellow or per-simmon with accents of silver and accessorizing the bouquet with sparkle in the form of crystals, rhinestones and jew-eled brooches. This gives the bouquet a more dramatic look, perfect for nighttime. In the day, clear crystals capture the light for sparkle. For a less dramatic look, the “green bouquet” is a rising trend with a larger use of foliage and branches in a soft-green and ivory color scheme. Pops of yel-

low, light coral or pink act as the choice accessory hues. “My garden-inspired bouquet in light green colors coordinated with our garden wedding scene for less contrast in-person and in pictures,” said Lisa Gavejian, a recent bride. “And I wore light green jewelry that also coordi-nated with my fl owers.” Lisa Anderson of Sweet Pea Flowers says that bouquets in 2012 will feature layering of tex-tures. Th is is oft en accomplished by mixing smooth-petaled fl ow-ers such as roses with ridged or ruffl ed-edged fl owers like the new, eye-catching varieties of

carnations, which now come in stripes and darker-tipped petals. Anderson says that carnations, mums and baby’s breath are on the rise. Floral experts say this is partially because of their low market price and partially because of the duchess’s “crown-ing” of the simple garden fl ower as a top trend in bridal blooms.

Top Colors for Flowers At October’s Bridal Fashion Week in New York, top wed-ding bloggers delivered the fl oral color trends right from the runways. They showed fl orals in bright, bold, saturated tones such as hot pink, bright orange and Kelly green. The visual impact balanced by deep jewel tones such as purple, navy and the still-popular shade of chocolate brown. Brides are also mixing unexpected brights such as turquoise and purple, says the wedding blog NoteableExpres-sions.net. Brides who desire a soft er, ro-mantic palette will choose light

tangerine, light aqua and gold, paired with interesting neutrals such as chestnut, beige and grey, which provide a deeper alterna-tive to the barely there shades of ivory. For both bold and romantic, fl oral experts say they’re increas-ingly blending dark and light tones in bouquets and center-pieces, as brides venture away from the all-one-color floral designs of yesteryear.

Going Flowerless? Brenda Bennett Maille says that a top trend seen at upscale wedding show The Wedding Salon was the fl owerless canopy that stood out simply and el-egantly with pristine fabrics and velvet aisle runners. Th e trend in subtle flowers, including ceremony decor of greenery-decorated arches with very few blooms, shows that brides are making a less-is-more state-ment with decor and saving their fl oral wow factor for their bouquets.

Continued from previous page

My garden-inspired bouquet in light green colors coordinated with our garden wedding scene for less contrast in-person and in pictures Lisa Gavejian

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Th e Picture-Perfect WeddingHow best to display your digitally captured memories

At many weddings over the years, brides and grooms have displayed

elegantly framed family photos at their receptions. Now the trend has gone high-tech, with those priceless family photos kept safely at home and a slide-show of those same gorgeous photos displayed on a digital photo frame. Wedding guests delight in seeing generations-old photos, many of which have been digitally retouched or enhanced by a photo edi-tor to correct coloring and fi x fading. Th e digital photo frame has become a top decor choice for the reception, as well as for ad-ditional pre- and post-wedding parties, and it’s used to display a variety of photos -- not just ancestral wedding portraits. Here are some fun ways to use your high-definition digital photo frame to show images at your wedding celebrations.

*At the Engagement Party - Display photos of the bride

and groom from their dating days. Gather everything from their prom photos to shots of them at college football games to pictures of vacations and their engagement. - Display childhood photos of the bride and groom in a slideshow that can then be inserted into the wedding video.

At the Bridal Shower - Display childhood photos of the bride, showing her as a baby, in dancing school costumes, in Halloween cos-tumes, in sporting uniforms and at milestone moments, such as her graduation. - Display photos of the couple, especially if this is a coed shower.

At the Reception - Display courtship pho-tos. - Display the couple’s offi cial engagement portraits. - Display not only family wedding photos but also fabu-

lous casual family snapshots. - Place a digital photo frame by the fl owers set out in honor of departed loved ones, and display photos of those loved ones with family members. When you show happy fam-ily memories, it makes the remembrance display a more uplift ing one, as opposed to a photos-of-the-departed-only slideshow that’s seen more oft en at funerals.

At the After Party - Insert a flash drive or camera card into your digi-tal photo frame and play a slideshow of photos from the wedding day that just hap-pened. Th ese will be candid shots from friends’ cameras, so expect a few out-of-focus pics among the gems. - If you’re hosting a celebra-tion after your destination wedding, share your gorgeous wedding images on a digital photo frame slideshow so that guests who missed the wed-ding can see them.

Styling Your Photo Slideshow

Just as professional photog-raphers do, you can create a highly stylized photo slideshow with artistic elements. For in-stance, your digital photo frame might have a fade-in/fade-out function that lets each image emerge from a white screen and then dissipate. You might take all of your digital images and show them in black and white, which lends a classy style to the photos. According to Th e Wedding Report, 66 percent of wedding photos are chosen in black-and-white format. Th is elegant style could inspire you to create an all-black-and-white photo slideshow, which you can eas-ily create using your photo soft ware’s editing functionality as you compile the images for your slideshow. Another similar option is clicking on the “sepia” photo format button to show each image in vintage-inspired coloring. A great photo slideshow con-

sists of more than 20 photos, yet not so many that guests crowd around the digital photo frame to watch the show for an extended period of time. If you do wish to display an extended collection of photos to a larger crowd, connect your image card or camera to a big-screen TV and just let the images play as a more dramatic background at the party.

Be Sure It Fits Your Event’s Style

Wedding coordinator Jenny Orsini of Pampered Bride Wed-dings says a digital photo frame should work with the event’s overall design and theme. “For example,” she says, “if you’re hosting a vintage-in-spired bridal shower, showcas-ing a big digital frame smack in the middle of a lace-adorned table could look a bit off .” Orsini prefers actual frames at wed-dings but does think digital frames are appropriate for en-gagement parties, showers or aft er-parties.

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Endless PartyManaging post-reception plans with your VIP guests

Everyone’s having too much fun to call it a day aft er the reception

ends, which is why more wedding couples are plan-ning after-parties to keep the celebration going. Smart wedding couples wait several hours aft er their receptions end and then embark upon their aft er-party plans. Th e delay is smart because the vast majority of wedding guests have left, and that helps to thin the herd. “We made sure to tell our friends to meet in the hotel lobby three hours aft er the reception ended,” says recent bride Megan Stinson. “Th at not only prevented other guests from joining us, but it gave us time to go to our hotel room, change into more com-fortable outfi ts, eat something -- since we didn’t get to eat much at the wedding -- have some time alone and then head out for the night.” Brides and grooms who plan this delayed aft er-par-ty are then joined by only their closest friends, which keeps expenses down, and they have something in their stomachs to help keep them from getting too tipsy as the celebration continues.

Types of After Parties - Out on the town. Th e bride and groom pre-scout a fabulous bar or club to which they’ll lead their VIP guests. Often, the hotel will allow use of the free shuttle bus to bring the group to the club and back at an appointed hour, which provides a safe ride for all. - In a separate party space.

The hotel might also have a small party room that the bride and groom can decorate with table linens, candles and dimmed lighting. Th is style of party is popular with bigger-budget brides and grooms, who arrange for late-night cocktail-party fare; food sta-tions, for instance, could off er sliders, waffl e fries and other bar-type food. It’s an open bar, of course, and some aft er-parties even have a DJ playing music from the couple’s pre-selected play-list. When you book a hotel’s party room, they do require you to order food and drinks, but the entertainment is up to you. Many couples simply hook up their iPods for their aft er-party music. - In a hotel suite. Not the bride and groom’s suite, mind you, which they’ll want to keep private. Rather, consider a tidy friend’s suite. Party guests need to keep it down to prevent bothering other hotel guests, but it’s a comfy locale for a small aft er-party group to unwind, propose a toast and snack on room ser-vice foods or a few delivered pizzas. - At home. An at-home party allows everyone plenty of space to relax, kick off their shoes and maybe even go for a swim or a hot-tub dip. Self-catered menus oft en include easy-serve fi nger sandwiches and dips. It might be the bride and groom’s house, the parents’ house or a friend’s house that plays host to this gathering; in fact, friends may host the get-together as their present to the bride and groom. Or,

if the bride and groom have taken their friends out on the town, it’s often the parents who host their friends and close family in their home for a relaxed aft er party. - Cocktail cruise. Again, on a bigger budget, the bride and groom might take their VIP guests on a midnight cruise around a harbor. Th ese party cruises off er packages that include an open bar for two hours, an hors d’oeuvres buff et and a dessert, and on-board entertainment.

After-Party Planning Tips Some aft er parties form spontaneously, with guests winding up in the hotel lounge or getting invited during the reception. Th at can be a smart strategy for limiting tagalongs as well. If a couple were to send out invitations to the aft er party, others who didn’t make their VIP guest list might hear about the event and ask to join in. Th at sets up a diffi cult situation wherein the couple must diplomatically say, “No, it’s a private party” and either hurt feelings or agree to extra guests -- and pay for them. As mentioned, be sure that any catering plans are easy to manage. You don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen while everyone else is relaxing and mingling. Easy-serve trays are the ideal option. Have some cut-up fruits in storage bags that can be quickly emp-tied into serving bowls, as well as quick-serve hummus that can be opened and set on the table with some crackers or veggies.

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Guest List SmartsBuilding a wedding guest list for any budget

One of the first tasks to tackle when plan-ning your wedding is

creating your guest list. Not only is it exciting to think about those with whom you wish to share your big day, but your guest count also will determine where your wed-

ding will take place -- because a large headcount requires a larger ceremony and reception space -- and what your budget will be. According to Th e Wedding Report, the average number of guests in 2012 will range from 140 to 150, with an average

expense per guest of $150 to $160. So if you’re on a tight budget, you might opt to plan a wedding that’s smaller in size. Th is will require you to be very careful when creating your guest list. Th e Emily Post Institute ad-vises against using a standby

guest list. “When possible, invite your entire guest list at the same time rather than wait-ing to see how many people accept before sending out a second round of invitations. When the guest list is care-fully planned, and when you consider the likelihood that 10 percent to 20 percent of invited guests typically send regrets, this approach is much more straightforward than us-ing a standby list.”

Whom To Include Countless etiquette and family diplomacy issues arise when it’s time to create a wedding guest list. Parents oft en apply pressure to invite extended family members who expect an invitation, and some guests apply pressure to have their children invited. Aft er all, the family doesn’t get together very oft en with everyone living in different states and on diff erent conti-nents, perhaps. Your wedding is a rare time for all to gather. Use these tips to help you decide on a guest list that works for you: - Begin your list with your closest must-have guests such as parents, siblings and their

spouses, nieces and nephews, grandparents, the bridal party and their dates, and your ab-solute best friends and their spouses or dates. - Your next class of guests likely will be your aunts and uncles and fi rst cousins with their partners, and perhaps their children. - Next is your circle of close friends. Whether to give them a plus-one -- which is wedding-talk for “a date” -- is up to you. Th e Emily Post Institute off ers the following guidance on this tricky topic: “Partners of invited guests must be included in a wedding invita-tion (when they are) couples who are married, engaged or living together. It is impolite of a guest to ask if he or she can bring a date -- but it is not impolite of you to refuse. Say, ‘I’m sorry, but we have very limited seating at the reception and we just can’t accommodate any additional guests.’ Allowing single guests who aren’t attached to a sig-nifi cant other to bring a date is a thoughtful gesture, but one that is not required.” Couples facing a budget crunch avoid the 40 to 50 extra

Continued on following page

When possible, invite your entire guest list at the same time rather than waiting to see how many people accept before sending out a second round of invitations.

Th e Emily Post Institute

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Guest List Smarts

guests by making this rule: “We’ll only give a plus-one to friends whose signifi cant others we know and have so-cialized with.” Yes, that can ruffle the feathers of singles who wish to bring a date, but it’s your rule to make. Remind single friends that weddings are great places to meet other singles. - Next is your circle of work friends and their dates, as well as bosses and their partners. It’s become a strong trend to include your “work family” in your wedding, since you spend so much time with them and may have discussed your wedding plans while at work. - Create a rule about kids. Th e Emily Post Institute pro-vides the offi cial code of con-duct: “If you are not inviting unlimited children, you may decide to include family mem-bers only, children of a certain age, or no children at all. It is inappropriate to write ‘No Children’ on the invitations. Instead, communicate your wishes by writing only the parents’ names on the inner and outer envelopes -- and through word of mouth.”

Organizing Your Guest List Use a free guest list online tool, such as those found through your bridal registry or as part of an all-encompassing wedding organizer, to create your list and manage RSVPs in one place, with many tem-plates adding up “accepts” and

Continued from previous page

Make and organize your perfect wedding guest list.

“regrets” totals automatically. No more miscounts. Guard against any computer disasters, such as a crash that makes your all-important guest list disappear, by back-

ing up your wedding planning files onto a flash drive and printing out your list after each update. Aft er the wed-ding, that printout becomes a great keepsake, as well.

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bridal guide, 2012

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