Monday, June 30, 2014

How Do I Manage The Bar Cost For My Wedding?

 HOW DO I MANAGE THE BAR COST FOR MY WEDDING?
Choosing a bar option can be confusing with all the options given to you. Here are a few ideas to help you make a decision to best choose a bar option to fit within your budget:

 2. Pay "on consumption" means, we count the drinks people order and charge you for what they consume at the end of the night. This is a good choice if your group does not drink a lot, as you will only be charged for drinks they consume. 
 3. You may set a monetary limit. For example, if your budget only allows you to pay $2000.00 usd for the night, we will total the drinks consumed through the night and then when we are within $100 of the limit you set for yourself, we will tell you "your group has consumed $1900.00 in beverages, would you like to increase your bar tonight, or shall we announce a "last call" advising guests the host bar will be closed within the next 15 minutes and after that, drinks will be available on a cash basis"? 
 At this time you can decide to cut the bar at your designated budget or increase it, perhaps another $500.00 as you wish through the night. 
 4. Instead of an open bar, you can also limit your offerings to your guests, maybe beer on tap and margaritas and then all other drinks can be purchased individually by the guests. 
5. For your toast, you can choose to purchase a set amount of bottles of champagne for your guests (we estimate 7 glasses per bottle), or perhaps purchase a special bottle for the bridal or family table and then purchase sparkling wine for other guests. Or you can decide not to offer champagne and then toast with the drink the guests have "in hand" during the event.

 Talk to your Wedding Planner to decide which is best for your wedding day. 

Traditions For Your Keystone Wedding


Traditions.......we have all heard of ‘Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue’ .....you can add "a Sliver Sixpence in her Shoe.’

 What does it mean? It is an old English rhyme from the Victorian era which is one of the most popular wedding traditions. 

 Something Old: Is a special item of connection that the bride has with her own family, her past, a family heirloom, piece of lace from a previous relations wedding gown of her mother or grandmother, etc. 
 Something New: Can be something new the bride chooses, shoes, jewelry, wedding dress, etc. 
 Something Borrowed: Is a reminder to the bride of her friendships and family love and support. Meaning, "borrowing" of an item will give her the belief she will have love and support whenever she may need it. 
 Something Blue: Blue shows the symbol of love, faithfulness, modesty, fidelity and loyalty. This can be a garter, a bow on the bouquet or a blue handkerchief. 

Tradition says the bride who carries these objects will ensure that she is "blessed with a happy, long and prosperous married life". Have fun choosing your items or start any new traditions you may like!RINGSx2000

Box Of Wedding Memories

BOX OF WEDDING MEMORIES 
The ‘Box of Memories’ is a great way for a new couple to capture their thoughts and feelings about marriage and their love for each other. Before the wedding, the couple chooses a sturdy box making sure it is large enough for a bottle of wine and 2 glasses. Then, before the "big day", they need to write a letter to their future spouse, expressing their feelings, what they are thinking, what they love about them, and their hopes and dreams for the future. Then, they put the letters in an envelope and seal them. This ritual can be combined with the wedding ceremony or sometimes during the reception. If during the ceremony, the officiant can explain to the guests what the couple did, as they witness the couple place the sealed letters into the box along with the wine, glasses and any other mementos they like. They then hammer the nails one by one and tell their friends and family of their plans to open the box on the day the 10th wedding anniversary, when they will share the wine and read the letters.

Who Gives The Bride Away?

WHO GIVES THE BRIDE AWAY?

Due to family dynamics, there are many variations of "giving the bride away". The ritual began in Roman times, when it was customary for the bride to be under the care of the head of household, usually her father or brother and then when she married, the responsibility would be passed on to her husband. Here are some examples of the ritual you may incorporate in your wedding:

1. The Celebrant asks the person who is giving the bride away:  "who brings this woman to be married to this man"...the person replies "I do", then they usually hug and kiss each other and the person gives the brides hand to the groom and then he takes his seat in the first row. 

2. If the Bride’s and Groom’s parents walked the Bride down the aisle, the parents can answer in unison, "we do"; and then after hugs and kisses can take their place in the first row. 

3. Due to family dynamics, Brides can also walk down the aisle to their new spouse by themselves and the ceremony will begin as she meets her Groom. 

 If you have any questions about these rituals, ask your wedding planner to make sure this transition is a smooth transition to begin your marriage together. 

BRIDE WITH GROOM IN BACKGROUNDx2000

Monday, June 16, 2014

Planning The Music For Your Wedding

It is never too late to start planning your music for your special day. Musicians have a variety of music so, here are some ideas to get you started!Colorado Action Sports Photographer-113
Bridal Party and Grand Entrance
After guests are seated at the reception, the bridal party and newly married couple are introduced. Variations include just the couple being introduced (without the bridal party) and parents, the bridal party, etc.
Ceremony Songs
These would be suggestions to pay as your guests are being seated, bridal party entrance, bride entrance, song after the couple have been announced as husband and wife, as they walk back down the aisle
First Dance
After the grand entrance, the newly married couple may have a first dance to a pre-selected song. The song may have a special meaning to the couple, or the lyrics of the song may resonate with them.

Father-Daughter Dance
After the newly married couple's first dance, brides often choose to dance with their fathers. Depending on a family situation, brides have opted to dance with another significant male in the family i.e. a brother, new FIL or her step dad.

Mother-Son Dance After the father-daughter dance, a groom might have a dance with his mother during the reception.
Some couples choose to combine the Father-Daughter Dance with the Mother-Son Dance, and have a Parents' Dance. To keep it more traditional, father and bride might dance alone for the first half of the song, and mother and groom join in after a minute or two. In this case, the song selection should be general enough to cover both.
Dance Music: Dance music is music played during and after the reception dinner, in an attempt to get guests to dance.

Do not play list: do not play list is a list of dance songs specifically banned from being played. Many couples provide their bands or dj's with a do not play list. "Do not play" lists may also include songs that carry particular significance from past dating relationships.

Bouquet Toss Song A bride may choose to toss her bridal bouquet, traditionally to the single female guests, during the reception. Sometimes a florist provides a toss bouquet so the bride does not have to toss her bridal bouquet. Some brides have used break-away bouquets that break into many mini bouquets and contain wishes or fortunes on each mini bouquet. Other brides completely nix the bouquet toss.

Garter Toss Song After the bride tosses the bouquet, her spouse may remove the garter from her leg and toss it to single male guests at the wedding. These days some brides and grooms are opting out of the bouquet toss and garter toss.

Cake Cutting Song
A Cake cutting song is a song played during the cutting of the wedding cake.

Last Dance Song
The last dance song is the final dance song of the evening.

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Wedding Planning Timeline

Keystone Brides | Key to the Rockies
WEDDING PLANNING TIMELINE
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR DESTINATION WEDDING!
Our mission is for you to have fun planning your wedding within your budget and furthermore, enjoy your friends and family during your destination wedding. Below is a timeline to help you choose and confirm your wedding vendors. Once you have chosen a vendor it is important to make a deposit to confirm the vendor of your choice. Keep in mind, the Colorado mountains are a popular wedding destination and a vendor can only service so many events in one day. A reception site, church,  vendor, etc  is not confirmed until they have received a deposit and prices are subject to change until deposited.

When to Book a Ceremony & Reception Site:  9 – 18 months in advance
This is the most important item to book to begin your planning as well as create a vision for your wedding night. When choosing your site, consider space, number of guests, view, logistics for guests, budget, back-up in case of incremental weather, food reviews, staffing, service, etc.
 open seating2
Exclusive Mountain Homes & Condominiums:  Right after your ceremony and reception site!
This is as important as the reception site in order to get the best discounted rates. It is best to post your rates with ourkeytotherockies.com wedding website and promo codes that are especially made for your wedding. Remember  there are only “so many rooms with a view”  or premier penthouses for entertaining,  so, when booking your rooms please have your family and bridal party contact us first to book, before sending the information to the rest of the guests. Room deposits are required with a credit card, expiration date and security code. Also, once your room is booked, please tell guests to read the confirmation to assure the information is correct.
Ruby Ranch Ext

Send the “Save the Date E-mail or Letter”:
Send this as soon as you have confirmed your ceremony and reception site and have the lodging information for your guests. The best rooms and views will go first, so the earlier you make your reservation the better chances you will get the room and property you like!
 anne milmoe and fj avellana
Photographer & Videographer:  9 – 12 months prior
This should be done as soon as you have confirmed a date, as the best photographers get booked first.  Photographers can be booked by the hour or as a package, however most require a 2 or 4 hour minimum. You will need to pay for their meals as part of the service during their event, and ask your caterer for special staff meal prices, perhaps a hamburger, pasta or salad plus unlimited non-alcoholic beverages thru the night.
Colorado Action Sports Photographer-104 cropped
Wedding Agenda:  9-12 months
An agenda itemizing choices you have made for vendors will be created and edited thru the planning process with prices for budgeting. Deposits for vendors will be made when vendors request them with all final payments due not later than 45 days prior to the wedding date.  Once the final deposits are made, these items are non-refundable.

Wedding Musicians or DJ: 6-12 months prior:  It is best to start thinking of what type of music you would like during your ceremony and reception. Most musicians book 45 minute sets, so if you would like a guitarist, violinist, singer, duo, trio, etc, they will charge one price per 45 minutes. Some musicians offer better rates if you book them longer. Options are to choose one of the aforementioned for the ceremony and/or cocktail party and then have a live band and/or DJ for the dinner and reception. Or some choose to have a DJ play your music for the entire event (ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and reception). Song lists or suggestion are provided upon request.

Colorado Action Sports Photographer-113
Ceremony Officiant: 6-12 months in advance
Book your pastor, rabbi, priest, Shaman or any officiator you may need for your ceremony.
Florist: 6-8 months in advance
Look at floral vendors brochures, on-line photos and pinterest to start thinking about your colors for your bride bouquet, maid of honor bouquet, bridesmaids bouquet, corsages for mothers, grandmothers or aunts, (pin or wrist), boutonnieres for groom, groomsmen, fathers, grandfathers, ushers or ring bearer. This will help you get an idea for your color scheme. Prices may be subject to taxes and delivery fees.
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Décor & Linens: 6 months prior
After you have chosen your color scheme and floral, please let me know of your linen choices, color of napkins, table runners, napkin rings, etc, as well as any other décor to include Chinese lanterns, candles, additional lounge seating, etc.

Official Wedding Invitations:  5-8 months

Wedding Cake: 3-6 months prior
Check-out photos on line and don't forget to choose your flavors. If you cannot decide on a flavor, keep in mind you can always have two flavors when you have a two tier cake. Cakes are usually priced per piece plus delivery fees.WEDDING CAKEx1500

Rehearsal of Ceremony, Dinner or Welcome Party Venues: 3-6 months prior
A fun afternoon of sailing on Lake Dillon, or taking a group gondola ride to the top of the mountain is a great way to kick off your rehearsal event. Or book  private caterer to your mountain home.

Final Payments for Vendors: 2 months prior
Bridal Party List-  2 months prior:  Send your wedding planner a list of the bridal party and the order of the bridal precession.wedding x2000

Toasts and Song List : 1-2 months prior
List the names of the people who will be making toasts, conducting a prayer as well as your song list for the following:
BRIDE AND GROOM CHEERS x2500
Processional
Bride walking down aisle
Any music during the ceremony (not necessary)
Recessional
Bridal Party introduction (not necessary)
First dance as “Husband & Wife”
Father & Bride dance
Mother & Groom dance

Menu & Bar Selection: 1-2 months prior
Many people like to choose a menu for budgeting purposes when they contract their venue, however the final menu selection is usually required 30 days prior.
  



Spa services or private “Yoga on the Mountain" :  1-2 months prior
Time to book spa service or yoga for your special day! Some brides like to have pedicures and manicures the day of the rehearsal dinner in order for them to save more time for their hair and make-up on the wedding date.
yoga in keystone colorado
Party Favors & Welcome Gift Bags: 45 days prior
If you would like me to make welcome gift bags for your guests, we will deliver to your guests at no charge!

Assign Guests at Table: 30 - 45 days prior
This is the area that can be tedious, with every little change of people cancelling or adding. So, this is best to do when you have a final count and the just do not fret when people make change, you can make the final list on the plane, but will need an approximate list for linen and floral centerpieces based on numbers.
Table settings

When to Book Wedding Transportation from Airport to hotel  - 1 month in advance

Rest up: 7 days prior - Pamper yourself with plenty of sleep before your wedding and start packing!

Full Payment for Reception: 3-7 days prior

Walk thru of the Venue: 2-5 days prior to wedding date

Rehearsal dinner:  Night before your wedding date

Spa services, pedicures and manicures: Day before your event or day of your event

Wedding Day is here!
YOUNG COUPLE HUGGING OUTSIDE
Arrive to the venue at 30 minutes prior to the ceremony time and enjoy your new life with your spouse, family and friends.