Manners Monday

Today's question is:

There are some single friends/ family that we are inviting to our wedding. When do I have to allow them to invite a guest/ escort to our wedding? Can I just invite the person who I actually want to have at our wedding?

And the answer is there are a few times that it is etiquette to invite say "Jennifer & Guest". If Jennifer is married or engaged, then yes, you should invite both of them. If Jennifer and the significant other live together, they must be invited. Otherwise, it isn't necessary to invite an "and guest" unless you are able to in numbers and budget - as it is a nice gesture.

Favorite Things Friday

I was thinking of some of my favorite things that I use all the time and came up with two that I am going to share.

My favorite Starbucks drink - ummm, tall (or grande - depending on the day), 145 degree soy latte. Very tasty, but make sure you get it less hot than normal as soy has a lower rate of burning or something like that.

photo credit: flickr.com

As well, Starbucks has these great customized cards. Have you seen them? I got my husband one and didn't register it right away (the syrup that he has in his drink isn't on the options, and at first I was mad and wouldn't register it, now I am over it and will get it set up right now. What a fun, personalized gift as well - bridal party gifts, thinking-of-you gift for your future spouse, hostess gift - lots of options. I got it for my husband because he cannot ever remember his drink (tall two pump white mocha tazo chai latte) so I figured this would help him out so that I am not the only one that can order.

photo credit: www.okt.de

My other favorite thing is collapsible boxes. My sister got me hooked on mine I think - got them from Home Depot in the organizing section. We use them for groceries (along with our canvas bags) and at Costco - they always come in handy. Or for camping. Transporting things around to weddings, etc - lots of uses. Love them. Obviously (hence the name) they collapse and store away flat and we usually keep them in our car.

Whatever Wednesdays

So how can I note make an off-wedding-topic post about the Olympics. Wow! I love watching the Olympics and am such a sap. My favorite is probably seeing the footage of the athletes family in the crowds - cheering them on and showing the pride of their family members. Love it. My husband always glances over and says "are you crying again?!". I can't help it.

Can you believe Usain Bolt? Wow! And how exciting to break a world record on his birthday.

Go Canada Go!

photo credit: cbc.ca

Manners Monday

So this one goes out to all wedding GUESTS! Sometimes I think the guests need more etiquette advice than the couple!

My number one word of advice...RSVP on time and in the manner asked! I have seen many couples and my clients who has provided an RSVP card (including postage, self addressed, etc) and still have to follow up with replies. It doesn't take a guest long to check off yes or no, write their name and sometimes choose what they will eat and then pop it in the mail. Done. Took all of 5 minutes, but saved a ton of time and stress on the couple.

Arrive on time. That one should go without saying, but the couple (and coordinator) has done a fabulous job on getting the timeline right and trying to be on time for their ceremony. There are the times that the bride and maids are all ready to walk down the aisle, but alas, they are still waiting for the late guests who arrived to find a seat.

Read who is invited on the invite. If your invitation is addressed to the Jones Family, for example, then yes, kids are invited. If it is addressed to Mr. & Mrs. Jones - no, the kids are not invited. It is considered bad etiquette if you ask if you can bring your child/ children when it isn't clear on the invite.

This one is overlooked often, but etiquette suggests not bringing your gift to the reception. Ideally, you could have it sent prior to, or better yet, after the wedding. It relieves the stress of who is getting the gifts home. If you are unable to attend the wedding, it is still nice if you sent a gift.

Overall, enjoy the wedding and celebrating the new marriage of the couple! You have been invited to share a very special day with this couple and honor them in their new life together. What a great gift to be a part of!

Favorite Things Friday

So I was sitting thinking about what I wanted to share with you today for my first Favorite Things Friday - humming and hawing about what great idea should go first and what is one of my favorite things. Well it hit me - what do I spend a great deal of time doing during the day - blog surfing! Not so much anymore that I use google reader (you plug in the blogs you like then it will let you know when it has been updated - no time wasted checking one out only to be disappointed). So here are three of my favs (in no particular order):

Jessica Claire - an awesome wedding photographer based out of Orange County and she is awesome. I love her use of color in the photos - she finds amazing color for backdrops, etc.

The Martha Blog - I don't know what it is about this lady - her blogs make me laugh. She has some beautiful stuff and shares alot of her experiences. And yes, I am a Martha fan.

Oh Happy Day - this blog writer has different tastes then mine, but I love it. She finds beautiful and unique items and you can tell puts some thought into what she wants. I think she spends a lot of time online trying to find great products - she does the leg work for you and you can enjoy the beautiful eye candy. There are plenty more - my blog list is really long. Do you have a blog to share with me? Would love to check it out.

Blog Schedule

As per our post here, there are nothing in the works for Noteworthy Designs and I can't wait. One of the things I would like to implement is regular blogging. It is going to look something like this:

Manners Monday - send in your etiquette, manners, awkward situations questions. I will answer them on Mondays. If not questions are to be had, then look for a helpful tip here in that department.

Whatever Wednesdays - everything can't be structured and scheduled, can it? Here is a chance to just write whatever I want!

Favorite Things Friday - humm, could that be favorite things? Yes, I will share things that inspire me, things I love, great ideas for your wedding and anything that falls under my favorites somehow and someway.

Then of course, maybe a surprise post here and there just to keep you on your toes! So come back tomorrow and see some of my favorite things (don't get your hopes up - it isn't Oprah here - we aren't giving away great stuff, just some ideas!)

Why Do I Do What I Do?

How many "do's" can you put in a title? Anyways, onto the purpose of this post.

Yesterday was a great reminder for me and one of the many reasons I am a Wedding Coordinator. I was at a tasting with a client (and no, although that is definitely a perk of my job, not a main reason!). The venue manager asked my client if they were stressed and the bride answered "no, I've got Laura for that!". It's true! One of the benefits with having a coordinator is we worry about the details and getting things done (with the bride & groom, of course).

I was so elated to hear that they weren't stressed and that they were enjoying the wedding planning process - the way it is supposed to be! Plus I am super excited for their wedding - cannot wait!!

Twittering

I had to check out Twitter to see what it is all about. It is quite funny and I am still trying to figure it out, etc. Come find us on there - under laurahit and let me know if you use Twitter so I can add you. I haven't really figured out how to search for people yet, so let me know if I can find you! The fun and interesting things in technology!

You can sign up for free at twitter.com See you there!