You’ve probably heard about “crowd funding,” the practice of raising money for a
project or venture via the Internet. Websites such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo,
Crowdrise, and Gofundme allow people to fundraise for worthy causes, charities,
start-up business ventures, the arts, medical treatment, and other enterprises by
tapping into networks of friends, associates, and total strangers who participate
in what is now a $5 billion global industry.
But did you know that some of these sites will let you raise money for any
purpose at all, including funding your wedding?
Do a little online research, pick a crowdfunding site, and formulate a strategy to
invite your Facebook, LinkedIn, and email friends (contacts) to help you celebrate
your big day by sponsoring the event. It usually begins with a video invitation by
the intended bride and groom, announcing their plan, with a request that invitees
help foot the bill. Think of it as a clever twist on the traditional gift registry but
instead of receiving gifts sliver and crystal from your selected pattern, your
friends and family are coaxed into contributing money to pay for the big shebang.
You don’t even have to pick a date or a venue– just an approximate point in the
future and a rough idea of a concept for the nuptials and reception, and the event
can then be planned according to the amount of cash you can generate. Asking
your guests for suggestions can also be a good motivator for them to pitch in with
a donation.
Be creative, think outlandish, and have fun with a wedding project that will attract
participation by the very people you plan to party with.
Author: wedding_steps_admin
There is so much to love about the 4th of July. If you aren’t ready to wait another year for the fun, why not include one of the best parts of the holiday in your wedding? Wedding fireworks are a great addition to any couple’s big day and can certainly make a big impression on guests.
A full fireworks display can be arranged for the end of your reception. Once it’s dark enough, your guests can be treated to a fantastic light show. You and your guests will love seeing the fireworks, knowing that they are being set off just for you.
You could also include fireworks in other ways. Instead of having guests shower you with confetti, rice, or bubbles, have them create a pathway of sparklers. These can be a great addition to an evening departure, and will create less mess to clean up.
Another place to include fireworks is indoors. There are a variety of indoor-safe pyrotechnics that can be added to special moments in your reception. This can be around the dance floor for your first dance, alongside the cake as you cut it, or even as part of your ceremony!
To find out more about adding fireworks to your wedding, get in touch with Connecticut’s best wedding vendors through our directory today!
Photo: Flickr/Creap
Rehearsal dinners have become a standard part of Connecticut weddings. It is as expected as a funny story in the best man’s toast. So how do you make your rehearsal dinner a truly amazing event?
Choose the right venue
The right venue can make a big difference in the rehearsal dinner. It can be in any restaurant, but for an outstanding rehearsal dinner, look at what your wedding venue offers. If there’s a smaller venue that couldn’t accommodate your full guest list, why not have your rehearsal dinner there?
Add some entertainment
The best rehearsal dinners aren’t silent affairs. They have music, they have dancing, and they have a few toasts. This is a chance for you to celebrate with the members of your immediate family and wedding party, so enjoy it with great entertainment.
Have an end time
While it might seem like a great party should never end, this really isn’t the case on the night before your wedding. Remember that you and everyone at your rehearsal dinner will have to be up early to get ready for your wedding. A great rehearsal dinner won’t be remembered that way if everyone is exhausted and hungover on your wedding day.
What do you have planned for your rehearsal dinner? The Connecticut wedding vendors at our upcoming shows can help you plan something truly fantastic!
Photo: Flickr/Sean O’Shaughnessy
Connecticut summers can be hot and humid, so if you’re planning a summer wedding, you are probably concerned with how you and your guests will be able to handle the heat. While it can take some extra planning, it’s not difficult to keep everyone cool and comfortable at your summer wedding.
- Start with the venue. When you choose a venue for your summer wedding, think about the temperature. If you are having an outdoor event, make sure there’s a suitable indoor area for people to get out of the sun, or a tent they can relax under. For indoor events, ask about air conditioning.
- Think about attire. While you might love the idea of a full ballgown and a tux with tails, and all of your guests in black tie, it might not be suitable for your summer wedding. When you think about your attire and your guests’ attire, keep the weather in mind and adjust it, if needed.
- Offer refreshments. The best way to beat the heat at a summer wedding is to stay hydrated. Don’t wait until after the ceremony to offer guests something to drink. Whether it’s bottled water or large drinks dispensers filled with water, lemonade, and iced tea, make sure your guests and bridal party have access to drinks throughout the ceremony and reception.
Whatever you do, though, don’t dismiss the idea of a summer wedding just because of the heat. Connecticut’s best wedding vendors can help you create the perfect wedding any time of the year. To find out more about them and to start planning your big day, come to one of our upcoming Connecticut bridal shows!
Photo: Flickr/Ryan Polei
Whatever season you choose for your wedding, you want a venue that will look gorgeous. Whatever style of wedding you are planning, you want a venue that will meet and exceed your expectations. Whatever the wedding, Danbury’s Tarrywile Mansion is an excellent choice for the venue.
Tarrywile offers exclusive use for your wedding day, meaning yours is the only event they have going on that day. This gives you the chance to make it your own, and really experience all it has to offer. From the beautiful surrounding park to the stunning architecture of the mansion, a wedding at Tarrywile lets you take a step away from the ordinary and into something truly special.
Offering a beautiful location for outdoor weddings, and a gorgeous indoor space, Tarrywile offers everything you could want in a wedding venue. They are experienced and can help you create the wedding of your dreams, whether it’s a formal event or a casual event. The beauty of Tarrywile is its flexibility to suit any wedding with total perfection.
To find out more about Tarrywile and other great Connecticut wedding vendors, check out our directory or come to one of our upcoming shows!
When you plan your wedding, it’s sometimes difficult to step back and think of things from your guests’ point of view. However, there are a few things that your guests can reasonably expect, and that you should do for them.
Send the invitation in a timely manner. You’ve had the date of your wedding marked on your calendar for ages, but your guests might still need to get time off from work, arrange for child care, and plan travel. Make sure they have enough time to do this and get good prices on everything. If you’ve sent a save the date card, make sure that everyone who received one is getting a formal invitation when they are ready to send, too!
Be clear about who is invited (and be ready to explain why). Are you inviting their kids? Are you allowing them to bring a guest? Make sure this is clear on the invitation so your guests don’t make plans based on an incorrect assumption. If they are confused, be prepared to explain why you have or haven’t extended the invitation to their children or date.
Don’t expect a gift. Yes, you’ve registered for gifts at a variety of prices to ensure that everyone can find something they can afford. But no, this doesn’t mean your guests are bound to buy you something. Whether they give you a gift or not, they should still get a thank you card after the wedding, though. After all, you are thanking them for being part of your big day, not for the new kitchen equipment!
To find out more about making sure your guests have a great time at your wedding, come speak to some of our area’s best wedding vendors. You can find them at any of our upcoming Connecticut bridal shows!
Photo: Flickr/Jason Meredith
So much of wedding planning is focused on the bride. From choosing the perfect wedding dress to knowing what you want for the finer details of the decor, much of the work ends up with the bride. However, you shouldn’t rule your fiance out of wedding planning altogether.
While there are some parts that are obvious choices for him — the tuxedo he’ll wear, for instance — there are plenty of other aspects of the wedding that he may want input on. If your fiance wants to be involved in all parts of planning, you should let him. Working together on your wedding can be a good way to practice working together on other difficult things throughout the rest of your marriage!
However, if he really doesn’t want to get involved in the wedding planning, you shouldn’t force him. Whether this is because he doesn’t feel he has time for the work involved or just doesn’t find choosing flowers interesting, you shouldn’t take this as a bad sign. He wants to be married to you and have a great wedding, but he just doesn’t have the interest in event planning.
If you’re looking for ways to involve him, you can give him a task that he does like. This could be finding the entertainment or tasting menu options. You can also bring him to a wedding expo, where he might find that wedding planning is much more fun than he thought!
To find out more about our upcoming Connecticut wedding shows, click here.
Photo: Flickr/MsSaraKelly
Get Inspired by Kimye
The big wedding news this week is the nuptials of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. The couple finally tied the knot at a lavish ceremony in Italy. It followed an equally luxurious rehearsal dinner at Versaille.
While the over-the-top wedding might not be within your budget, there is plenty you can use for your Connecticut wedding. Here are a few things that can be used to inspire you:
Flowers: One of the stand-out elements of the ceremony was the 20-foot wall of flowers they had constructed as a backdrop. The combination of white roses and peonies is a classic wedding choice and perfect for your big day, too.
Dresses: Kim had a wardrobe change during the reception, offering her the chance to show off another designer dress. For your wedding, having a reception gown can allow you to change into something that is better for dancing the night away.
Maids: Kim’s bridesmaids, her sisters, were all dressed in white. This is a huge trend and one that gives a clean, elegant style to the wedding party. Look for a plain white dress style for your maids that offsets the glamor of your wedding gown.
To find out more about planning your perfect wedding, and to meet our area’s best vendors, come to one of our upcoming bridal shows.
Photo: Flickr/St.John’sFlowerGuild
It’s shaping up to be another huge summer for celebrity weddings, with some of Hollywood’s biggest names likely to walk down the aisle. However, don’t expect to see huge, over the top productions as in previous years. The big celebrity wedding trend is to go low-key. This doesn’t mean they’re scrapping the luxury, though. Low-key luxury is a great theme for any couple, celebrity or not.
The basic idea is to keep the wedding small and intimate. By inviting a smaller guest list, you are able to spend more per guest. This means you can splurge on things like the meal, cake, and favors. You’re sharing the best of everything with the people you love the most.
For celebrities, it also means keeping photos out of the media. For your low-key wedding, you can follow the same concept by keeping things off social media. Instead of publishing your whole wedding album, choose one photo for a profile photo and leave it at that.
Low-key luxury weddings are all about having it all without making a lot of noise about it. The first step is finding the right vendors. The easiest way to meet and book all the great Connecticut wedding vendors you need is to attend one of our upcoming shows!
Photo: Flickr/kris krüg
Are you looking for something that brings a bit of childhood fun and whimsy to your wedding? A candy buffet might be the right choice for you.
Candy buffets are a great way to give your guests a treat at your reception and they look beautiful. The Candy Bin in Danbury will work with you and your fiance to stock your buffet full of your favorite treats. These can be color-coded to suit your wedding palette or tied into your wedding theme.
The candy is displayed in various sizes of apothecary jars and vases for a fantastic retro style. Guests can even use the candy bags provided to create their take-home mix of candy. This is the perfect wedding favor that your guests will have fun putting together.
The Candy Bin offers a variety of candy buffet packages. You can have them set up and take down the buffet or do it yourself with supplies rented from them. Either way, you’ll be adding a fantastic and fun element to your wedding reception.
Whether you’re a chocoholic or gummi crazy, you and your guests will love a candy buffet from The Candy Bin. To find out more about them and to meet many other great Connecticut wedding vendors, come to one of our upcoming shows.
Photo: Flickr/Corey Balazowich