Below, we have included a traditional Christian processional order, used commonly at LeSoiree, for you to use as a guide.  But, again, remember to be creative and think outside the box.

LeSoiree’s Ceremony Processional Order

1. The mothers of the bride and groom are generally escorted in by ushers before the processional begins
2. *Groomsman walks to the alter
3. *Bestman walks to the alter
4. Groom walks to the alter
5. Officiant walks to the alter
6. Junior Bridesmaids
7. Bridesmaids (alone or escorted by groomsmen)
8. *Maid of Honor
9. Flower girl & ring bearer
10. Bride (escorted or alone)

*The alternative is to have groomsmen, bridesmaids, bestman and Maid/ Matron of Honor walk in pairs with the Maid/ Matron and Bestman walking in last in the pairs.

References: Martha Stewart, Bridal Guide

Depending on what day your wedding is scheduled and taking into consideration when most of your guests will be arriving, you may want to have just a day before wedding activity or a week long.

Some ideas on fun things to do with your guest: (i.e. the wedding is on Sunday @ 4pm) so our plans will begin on Friday morning because most guest will be here on Thursday night.

Friday: Mid Morning Brunch (which includes all of the bride and grooms favorites)- french toast, scrambled eggs with cheese, bell peppers, onions and tomatoes, sauteed shrimp with butter sauce, a variety of fruit, pancakes, croissants, and much more. Enough to satisfy every ones taste buds. After brunch, gather everyone for a game of baseball (or some other form of semi physical sport)- ladies against gents. Who doesn’t love to play baseball? And if your guest have children, they can play as well. Then you may want to top off the night with a cozy (bride and groom selection of all time favorites) movie & pizza back at the house.

Saturday: Today, a picnic in the park. Be sure and choose a large park to guarantee space as well as research that location to make sure there are no major functions going on that day. You can do this as a potluck, all the local guest bring 1 dish, blankets and drinks. Again, guests with children wont have a problem with trying to figure out, where will my kids go. You can play different games specifically for the kids and for the adults, such as a wedding themed scavenger hunt with a drawn map for hints. After a long day at the park, decide who will watch the children for just a few hours, provide them with snacks and activities. Then the woman can go off and enjoy relaxation at the spa (mani’s and pedi’s and maybe a quick massage)- be sure and work with a local spa or salon for a special group rate. Then the men can go to a sports bar to have some drinks and watch a little sports, possibly have a impromptu bachelor party.

The activities do not have to be single-handedly coordinated by the bride and groom, encourage the wedding party to help out with as much as possible. Delegate small jobs to different people that want to help.

For more ideas on what to do for pre-wedding activities or if you need help planning and coordinating activities for your wedding, contact LeSoiree.

Wedding motifs may be based on the couples’ favorite colors. However, some couples’ favorite colors do not look very flattering when combined that is why some modern affianced couples would look to current color trends for inspirations.

Here, we have compiled 5 of LeSoiree’s the most sought after wedding colors for 2012.

Tangerine Tango

According to Pantone, Tangerine Tango is 2012’s color of the year. So it comes as no surprise that this bright invigorating color tops our list of top wedding colors for 2012.

Pastel Shades of Pink

Watermelon pink                Blush Pink                          Coral

Pink has always been a favorite among brides. This year’s shades are soft and sophisticated.

Floral Shades of Violet

Lavender                     Purple                            Lilac

These shades will always be among the top wedding colors in just about any year. This year, these royal shades have again made its way into the top 5.

Shades of Blue

Classic Blue             Royal Blue             Navy Blue    

The classic saying “Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue” combined with this year’s take on bold colors and the color blocking trend have made bold shades of blue top wedding color choices for this year.

Ocean tones and Shades of Green

Kelly Green        Aquamarine               Teal             Margarita

Everything and everyone seems to be getting more eco-friendly this year, even wedding colors!

No matter what your preferred wedding colors are or what combinations you prefer, may it be teal and coral, the most important thing to remember is making your wedding color or colors of choice work for you.

Sources:

http://diyweddingplanner.hubpages.com/hub/Top-Ten-Wedding-Color-Combinations-for-2012-2013

http://weddingcolourschemes.blogspot.com/2011/07/wedding-colours-2012.html

http://www.bellethemagazine.com/2011/12/wedding-trends-color-of-2012.html

http://blog.123print.com/10-wedding-color-trends-to-watch-in-2012/

http://blog.koyalwholesale.com/tag/2012-wedding-colors/

First you wanna think about how many expected guest you have? And remember, only about 3/4 of the people invited will show up. Decide if you want two separate venues, one for the ceremony and another for the reception. If separate, make sure to choose venues relatively close so that you don’t confuse your out- of- towers. And always make sure you have a few extra accommodations for those reception only guests. You will want to do a walk through of all the possible considered venues and maybe take pictures of each venue so that you don’t have to go off memory when it comes to the final pick. Also, be sure to compare prices for each venue and keep a list of yes & nos per venue to help make your decision a little easier.

For those who want a combined venue for your wedding and reception, which is usually a better way to go if most of your guest list include people from out of town. You want your guest to come and enjoy your big day and not have to worry about getting caught in traffic or lost in an unfamiliar city.

Choosing a venue is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make for your wedding and you want to make sure you do it right. So, make sure to remember when deciding on a venue, to keep in mind the size (for comfort & accommodations), budget (how much your willing to spend for a venue & does this one fit your budget range) and lastly personal meaning (does this particular location have a special meaning to you and your husband). Many times selecting a place that you both have a connection to will make the wedding even more special and memorable for you, your soon- to- be spouse and your guests.

There are many things you can do yourself or with a little help from family and friends. For
example: creating favors, centerpieces/ show pieces, decorations and place cards. A favor is a small gift to say thank you for attending and remember our event. You can get a 9 pack of mini candy jars from Joann Fabric and Craft for only $9.99, fill them with mini candies like MM’s or Jelly Beans (theme colors) which are about $3- $5 per bag at Walmart, wrap a single satin ribbon around the neck of the jar 3/8″ W- 18ft (any color) for $1.49 also at Joann’s and just to add a little more personality, place a label with your event info on the jar top. Labels are available online for large quantities or at a office store for a smaller guest list and you can design them online for free and print them in your own home.

So, no matter what your budget, it is important to make a list of
priorities. By knowing there are many inexpensive avenues you can take for your
wedding, you can still have the wedding of your dreams without
breaking the bank.

For more on DIY ideas and tips subscribe to our LeSoiree Youtube videos, COMING SOON!!!

Communicate with your fiance & come up with a reasonable budget. Don’t forget, if you have family who wants to help, get specifics on how they can help & factor that into your total budget. And don’t over do it, no one wants to go into debt just to get wedding. Be wise! After the budget is decided, create a priority list. 1. being must have and 10. being something you want but not necessarily needed (or something you have chosen to have but wont spend much on). This way, you know where the majority or your budget is going and why? For example: 1. Venue, 2. Food & beverage, 3. flowers.. etc.

Now, together, make your guest list; because you are working with a minimal budget you might want to include an RSVP. This is so you know your exact head count.

Next, Decided if you want an indoor/ outdoor wedding. Wedding venues vary in price, depending on size and accommodations. The least expensive way to go is definitely indoors. Think about choosing a venue that provides food, beverage, table/ chairs and linens. Then, you only have to worry about decor. One other thing you can do, when choosing the venue, is to pick one with a great scenery or somewhat pre-decorated to cut back on flowers and decor. If you are artistic, maybe you and a group of friends can make your own centerpieces, favors and bouquets to save money.

Hiring someone for each process can become expensive, but if you have friends and family willing to donate time and energy, take advantage of it. Also, look into your contacts, friends, acquaintances, find out who you know, maybe a someone who cooks for large events or someone who bakes cakes because you never know what you already have access to within your own network.

Lastly, if you decide to do all of this yourself to cut back on expenses, you may also want to think about hiring an event/ wedding planner just for the day of know as, a “Day of Coordinator”. Like LeSoiree, many planners include a ‘day of coordinator”, which is basically what it sounds like. A coordinator who comes in the day of to take charge and facilitate the ceremony and some of the reception. This is a great idea for someone who wants to enjoy “their big day”, instead of working to make sure everything goes as planned.

I hope you enjoyed our ideas and whether you are that type of person who wants someone to just do it all for you, or only needs help on the big day, keep us in mind. We will make all your dreams come true and have all your guests leaving in awe.

LeSoiree planned an Engagement party this month and favors were not required, per the budget. However, “WE” believe in some form of “thank you’s”, so we decided to incorporate some favors into the budget.

There are stores such as; The Dollar Tree, Walmart, Hobby Lobby, and many other online sources that provide adequate products for little to nothing. For this particular favor we decided to give out candy. At The Dollar Tree, we purchased little white boxes with handles. They come in a 12 pack for only $1, 2oz pack of Natural Shreds for $1, bags of candy (chocolates from Walmart for $1.99/bag) and Monograms for initials, 1 sheet for $.50. Now some ideas of how to put this together. If it’s in your budget, you can spray paint the boxes, if desired for added attraction. Next fill the boxes more than half way with the paper shreds, add a few pieces of candy to the top and place the monograms on the front of the box. Also, as a added decoration to the box, you can tie a bow or ribbon, keeping the handles closed. Ribbon is always a cute idea because you can use their favorite colors as well as have them personalized with the party information.

With favors, you can’t really go wrong. just make sure to choose something people will actually use or keep to remember this special day. You don’t want your money to just go to waist because you selected a poor favor idea. And no matter what the occasion, most favors can be designed to fit any event type.

To save money, pick a large room in your home, like the basement, something with doors or areas that can be blocked off.  If a venue is in the budget, choose an all inclusive banquet hall, nothing too big.Now for the decor, basically you want all white linens for the tables and white drapery (if desired) or if drapery is a little too much, use white streamers instead to drape from the ceiling.  You don’t need too many table and chairs, most of the teenagers will be dancing. Switch all the lights to black light bulbs, this helps the glow affect.  You may want to do this at night and remember to cover all the doorways and windows so that no light comes thru. Neon or glow in the dark balloons all around, a strobe light also brings out the glow affect. Something fun to do ahead of time is a white backdrop (use an old white sheet) with neon/ glow paint for pictures, whether you have a photographer or not, this is still a cute idea.  You can have mini stations for the teenagers to stop at, one that passes out different types of glow items; (i.e. Glow lights, glow necklaces, glow rings, glow bracelets, etc), one that does glow tattoos and make up and then one tab with glow paints that the kids can paint each other with.  You want to be sure to send out your invitations early and one funky idea is to create the invitations from black cardstock, in the dark.  With this, you would paint the cardstock with a neon/ glow paint, let it dry a bit, then in a dark room, use a safety pin, to scratch in the wording for your invites.  And don’t forget to note, on the front of the envelope, in regular pen, “Invite to be read in the dark”.  Let all your guests know to wear white and anything that glows.

There is so much more you can do with a ‘Glow” theme like this; it’s not only fun for teenagers, but it’s a great idea for an adult party.  For more tips and ideas, or to schedule a FREE consultation for your next event contact LeSoiree.