Finding a Wedding Officiant

If you belong and regularly attend services at a church, synagogue, or other religious house of worship, then your search for an officiant is complete. But if you don’t fall into that category finding the right officiant for your celebration of love takes some research.


All states have laws that govern who is authorized to officiate a wedding ceremony so be sure to check your state laws before proceeding. You want to work with an officiant that has experience officiate a variety of ceremonies, that makes you feel comfortable, and who is willing to work with you to create the ceremony that you desire. Each officiant has different services that they offer so you must be confident that the officiant that you choose has what you are looking for.

When looking for a wedding officiant, talk with your wedding planner. Wedding planners have relationships with officiants so discuss your need early on in your planning. Second, take to friends and family members. And last but not least check wedding blogs, websites, etc to find the names of officiants in your area. When interviewing officiants, ask whether pre-marital counseling is required, if so, find out how many sessions are necessary and find out of the officiant will attend the rehearsal, if so, inquire if there is an additional cost for this service.

One officiant that we work with is Wedding by Sandy. What sets Wedding by Sandy apart from other officiants is that she and her associates are officiants with a back-up plan. If one of them is not available, there are seven others ready to assist you. They can cover the needs of almost any couple no matter the size of the weddings. Sandy’s ideal client is someone who contacts her early and is not stuck on tradition. Weddings by Sandy prides themselves on being flexible and creative. It is so much fun to help the creative bride! A couple of tips that Weddings by Sandy offers are not to wait until the last minute to contact them and always have a wedding rehearsal.

You can reach Weddings by Sandy at info@weddingsbysandy.com or (410) 340-3224.

Happy Planning!

http://www.distinctivelyyoursevents.com/

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Signature Drinks for your wedding

Creation of signature drinks for wedding receptions continues to be popular. Many couples create a signature drink as an extension of their wedding celebration style. There are several things to consider prior to deciding on a signature drink:

• • The signature drink could be the couples favorite drink with a twist on the name
• • It is not uncommon for the drink to represent a color that is part of the
• • If the wedding is designed around a theme this can be used to decide on a drink

Having a few signature drinks served only during the cocktail hour and beer and wine during the actual reception can help save the cost associated with the wedding celebration. In addition, most signature drinks can be mixed prior to the cocktail hour or reception making them an easy solution for the bartenders.

Happy Planning!

http://www.distinctivelyyoursevents.com/

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Children at the wedding – yes or no?

Having children attend the reception is a very personal decision that must be agreed upon by the bride and groom. Some couples include children as they have a large number of friends or family members that have small children and think their friends may not attend if they cannot bring their children.

Some reasons not to include children are the time and length of the reception, how formal the wedding celebration will be, and cost. If the wedding reception starts later in the day or runs until after midnight, children may get restless and may not behave during the reception causing their parents and other guests to be uncomfortable. Not allowing children would allow parents to have “date night” thus allowing all guests to have a good time. If the celebration is formal, parents may have difficulty finding proper attire for their children to attend. Since most children do not have a defined palate or large appetites they need up not eating all of the food that they are served for dinner thus money for their meals is wasted.

Once a decision is made, stick to it. It becomes tricky when some children are allowed to attend and not others. If you decide that you want children to attend considering hiring a babysitting service. If the reception venue is large enough there may be a separate space that can be set up as location to entertain the children. Providing a sitter, crayons, toys, etc might be a win-win situation for everyone.

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



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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.