Five Wedding Faux Pas

As a first time bride there are many details that must be addressed but what no bride wants is to offend their guests. Below are five top wedding faux pas that all brides should avoid.

Inviting guests to the ceremony but not the reception

Determining the guest list for your wedding can be very difficult as the bride and groom want to invite their friends and family but must also consider the friends of their parents’. One of the major factors involving construction of the guest list is cost. Couples sometimes invite guests to only the wedding ceremony and not the reception in an attempt to save money on the cost of the reception. This is not a good practice. The people that are invited to your wedding should be people that have a vested interested in your doing well, know both of you, and are important in your life. There is no way to place a value on these important people so try to cut cost in other creative ways to achieve you dream wedding.

Including registry information with your invitation

Your wedding invitation is the formal notice of your wedding. Don’t ruin it by adding your registry information. If you decide to register for your wedding, please have your wedding party spread the word of where you guys are registered. Some couples include registry information on their wedding website. But remember, guests are not required to give a gift to a couple.

Having a Cash bar

It is in poor taste to invite guest to your wedding and have them pay for the bar. To cut cost, consider one of these options – (1) offer only beer, wine, and soda, and maybe a signature drink, (2) have an open bar only during the cocktail hour and beer, wine, and soda, and (3) have a dry wedding. There is nothing wrong with not having alcohol at your wedding.

Not greeting all of the guests

When there are several hundred people that want to congratulate on your nuptials it may seem like an overwhelming task to greet each ad over one, but DO IT. Whether it is a receiving line or visiting each table during dinner at the reception, make it a point to make each guest and thank them personally for attending and sharing in your celebration of love.

Not sending a thank you card for every wedding gift received

Not sending a thank you card for a wedding gift is the worst faux pas to commit. I am not talking about emails or other electronic means either. Write a note. When ordering your stationery it is easy to add on blank thank you cards. A handwritten note really shows that you appreciated the guest being a part of your special day and that you were grateful for the gift. The note should indentify the gift and if applicable indicate how the gift will be used.

Hope you find these tips helpful and I wish you happy planning!

Kennedy Krieger Festival of Trees

For the second year we have decorated a tree for the Festival of Trees held at the Maryland State Fair Grounds in Timonium, Maryland.


As indicated in the notice to all volunteers , “The Festival of Trees benefits Kennedy Krieger Institute, a comprehensive resource for children with disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and musculoskeletal system. The Festival is a holiday themed event with local music and entertainment, beautifully decorated trees, wreaths, gingerbread houses, shopping, a children’s sports, games and crafts area, and of course, Santa Claus. Held in the Cow Palace at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Festival of Trees 2010 will take place from Friday, November 26 through Sunday, November 28, 2010. Families throughout the region eagerly look forward to this event and consider it a holiday tradition. Last year’s event attracted nearly 40,000 visitors and raised close to $900,000 for the patient programs and research performed at Kennedy Krieger Institute.”

Those numbers are HUGE and helps to provide necessary care for children within our communities. After last year’s wonderful experience we decided to participate again and starting planning last December for this year’s tree. We had decided on black, pink, and silver and used the theme Some like it Haute. We used a lot of different shapes and sizes of ornaments but lots of lights. And we think our tree came out great. I am excited about meeting my family and friends to tour the festival on Sunday and seeing all the great ideas that various designers and families came up with to express the holiday season.

http://festivaloftrees.kennedykrieger.org/

When & Where: Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 26, 27, & 28, 2010. Friday & Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., & Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.

Cost: $10 Adults, $5 for Seniors and Kids ages 5-12. Children 4 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased at the door or receive $2 Off by purchasing online!

Purchase your raffle tickets today for a chance to go to Super Bowl XLV in Dallas! Prize package includes round-trip airfare and hotel.

Hire a wedding planner first

You have just gotten engaged and you, your family, and friends are excited about planning your wedding. Before you sign up for the next bridal show consider hiring a wedding planner. I know you are thinking about the cost but having a planner will in fact save you money and time. Professional wedding planners have training, experience, and relationships with many vendors saving you time in finding the right companies to assist you in having the best wedding day possible.


Wedding professionals have attended taken courses, attend conferences and workshops to strength their knowledge. The skills learned is invaluable in helping you plan the best wedding possible. In additional to education, experience also speaks volumes. Experience helps your wedding planner be prepared for any possible issues that may come up while planning your wedding.

Last but not least – it is all in who you know. Wedding planners belong to many organizations that allows them to develop relationships and partnerships with other wedding professionals. These relationships can lead to discounts to you, the bride, that more than justifies the cost of hiring your wedding planner. These relationships also help the wedding planner find the right vendor to assist you in every aspect of your wedding. This helps save you time. And we all know that time is money.

Hiring a professional wedding planner will save you money and time and connect you with awesome wedding vendors.

Baltimore NACE UNCORKED - March 15, 2010

This Distinctively Yours Event Management teamed up with Nik’s Nak Events & Stationery to design two tables for Baltimore NACE UNCORKED fundraising event. The theme for the 2010 Baltimore NACE UNCORKED was “UNCORKED!...Unplugged, Music is the Food of Love.” Approximately 25 designers created tablescapes that represented a variety of genres of music.

Held on March 15, 2010 at the American Visionary Art Museum, we designed tables representing Prince’s Purple Rain and Diamond and Pearls. We had a great time creating the designs and an even greater time at the event itself. Lots of great food, dancing, and networking.

Interested in attending the next Baltimore NACE UNCORKED, please check out http://baltimoreuncorked.com/about.php  to see the date for the next event.

Bride's Choice Award Winner 2010 - Wedding Wire

Baltimore, MD – January 21, 2010 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Distinctively Yours Event Management, LLC has been selected to receive the WeddingWire 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Wedding Planning and Coordination!

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

Distinctively Yours Event Management, LLC is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that Distinctively Yours Event Management, LLC is among the very best Wedding Planning and Coordination within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at WeddingWire.com

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding vendors. WeddingWire enables engaged couples to search, compare and book over 100,000 reviewed wedding vendors nationwide, from wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding vendors, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. In addition, WeddingWire has partnered with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) to provide its network of local vendors and online wedding-planning tools in the Weddings section of www.MarthaStewartWeddings.com. For additional information, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

Dessert Mixer...for Business Professionals and Entrepreneurs

PEARL OF WISDOM, LLC EVENTS and DISTINCTIVELY YOURS EVENT MANAGEMENT, have dished up a sugar-spun dessert -themed 'Mix 'N Mingle' just for you at a new and innovative venue - The Wedding Library and Cafe !

On this day, normally reserved for kids and dedicated to sweets, this Dessert Mixer is the perfect fix for your sweet tooth. You've worked hard all week, come...

Mix, mingle, nibble & network with other business professionals from this area.

In celebration of National Breast Cancer Month, we've made 'PINK' our sugary colour du jour.

Your palette deserves to experience the sweet concoctions of sprinkled candies that we have in store for you.

And to wash it all down, imbibe in an assortment of 'pink' thirst quinchers - including our super sexy signature pink drink.

Don't miss out on the DOOR PRIZE - valued at one hundred and thirty dollars!!

THE DOOR PRIZE WINNER will be given 90 seconds to pitch their business to a captive audience of business professionals !!! That's three time longer than the average time...How cool is that?!

So that all of this sweetness is not in vain, throughout the event, we will be accepting monetary donations to THE PINK ENVELOPE PROJECT, that will benefit our charity of choice - NATIONAL BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION. We will provide the envelopes, you decide on how charitable you are going to be. What a way to top off an afternoon to remember.

Bring your appetite for a delectably, sugary experience.... business cards are optional!

http://dessertmixerforbusinessprofessionals.eventbrite.com

You must RSVP!!

All of us have at some point been invited to an event and were asked to RSVP. For some of us this is a no-brainer for others the RSVP is largely ignored. RSVP stands for "Répondez s'il vous plaît", a French phrase that translates to "please respond" or "respond if you'd please".

You must RSVP whether or not you are planning to attend the event. This helps the host ensure that there is enough food, drinks, seating, favors, etc. It is also to reassure the host that you actually received the invitation.

There is etiquette involved in responding to an invitation. First RSVP by the requested date. It is just common courtesy. Second, follow the RSVP instructions. If the invitation is emailed or sent via Evite.com respond through this particular channel. If the invitation includes a response card with a self addressed envelope – mail the RSVP. Do not call to RSVP unless it is requested by the host. Third, please only RSVP for the number of guests indicated on the invitation. That means do not write the names of additional people on the RSVP or don’t bring your best friend if your spouse or partner are invited but can’t attend. Last but not not least, don’t bring children if children are not mentioned on the invitation.

Keep these tips in mind the next time you are invited to an event. Your host will thank you for it!

Happy Planning!!