It doesn’t matter if you are getting your invitations in the mail or compiling your guest list, it’s best to prepare for all your planning with as much lead time as possible.
 Photograph: Courtesy of See You There Invitations, Windsor, Ontario Proper planning and taking on tasks ahead of time or on time will allow you and your fiancé to truly enjoy the process and be worry-free. Don’t put off things that can be easily completed or those that will delay other areas of your planning. You won’t want to leave your reception early to pack nor lose sleep the night before your special day to finish up your reception table seating!
If you are thinking about a summer 2013 wedding, you must get busy now. August has surpassed June as the month most couples plan to say “I will.” Most brides biggest fear is forgetting something, overspending on their budget, or choosing the wrong DJ.
Get a start on your timetable by starting with our planning timetable online at http://www.theweddingguide.ca
This article is reprinted with permission by EWEDnewz.com with thanks to Paul Pannone! * After minor surgery in February, I am back to my regular routine with gusto as the 2012 wedding season officially begins!-sdavies
 EWedNewz.com After a brief hiatus, Sheryl Davies resumed her grueling schedule this week sharing her decades of wedding knowledge and expertise with her preferred, local vendors and the real boss of the wedding business; brides.
Davies’ extraordinary career continues to adapt and morph to the changes in the wedding business, shown by the success of her business; The Wedding Guide in Windsor, Ontario.
Sheryl Davies is no stranger to radio and local promotions, as she continues to guide the bride and her business away from a strictly print format. When asked about her secret to success, Sheryl always manages to get the point across; we all exist to guide the bride. “I’ve been around enough to know, you don’t tell people what to do; you make your point and then allow them to come up with the right decisions and what works for them. No one likes a dictator,” she told eWedNewz in a recent interview.
On Sunday I joined Davies live on CKLW where she talked weddings with featured advertiser/experts in the floral, invitation, photography and catering fields. Th common denominator between the vendors was the straight-forward way they delivered expert information; never showing anything but true professionalism, style and grace.
eWedNewz has watched Davies grow in her market by leveraging Social Media and move away from an exclusive print format. Davies cites the similarity between the Canadian and American market by saying; “A bride is a bride, no matter where she’s located. She looks for suggestions and guidance from people she trusts. But caution; that trust has to be earned and doesn’t come easily.”
Listeners from the wedding industry commented how much they enjoyed the clear, easy to understand information and wish Sheryl continued success.
eWedNewz All Rights Reserved 2012
If your parents are divorced, there are probably several different decisions you must make to accommodate, as smoothly as possible, several potentially explosive situations.
 Photo: Chalet Studio Photography, Windsor, Ontario, will travel Here are the following suggestions as alternatives to established tradition.
Your Invitations: It would be proper for the parent with whom you have been living the longest to issue the invitation, if applicable. The other parent is not mentioned. However, if both parents agree, the invitations may be issued in both names.
Introducing the Future In-laws to Each Other: Protocol would dictate the first introduction should be to the parent with whom you have been living, followed a week or so later by a visit with your other parent.
Giving the Bride Away: Unless you are personally estranged from your father, it is he who walks you down the aisle and gives your away.
Seating at The Ceremony: The bride’s mother and her immediate family (parents, husband and children) are seated in the front row. The second row is left empty. The bride’s father, after walking the bride down the aisle, sits with his present wife and parents in the third row.
The Reception Line: Traditionally, the bride’s mother stands in the receiving line and her father mingles with the guests. (no problem here) However, if the brides wants both her parents in the line, be sure to separate your divorced parents with the stepparents or grandparents to eliminate confusion among your guests. If you are serving a sit-down dinner, be sure to assign separate tables for your parents and their spouses.
One would hope that on this, your most memorable day, your divorced parents would set aside personal feelings and consciously avoid creating any tensions.
As you plan the many details of your wedding day, be sure to have a written contract and/or a letter of commitment from each of your services. This is the only way to assure that you and the service provider agree on all details. Include a departure, goods that will be delivered and time of delivery, contracted costs, overtime costs, deposits required, balance due and due date.
If you have a list of details (such as types of flowers in each bouquet or arrangements or items to be included (like your total number of tuxedos and their sizes, that you are renting) amend the contract to include that information. Both you and the service provider should sign, and you should both have copies. The contract should clarify any price increases and clearly state that you will pay the original quoted price.
Since your reception will likely be the most costly item in your wedding budget, the contract should contain the most details. If you are purchasing a wedding “package”, make sure that all those items are specifically listed in the contract, from the exact food items and courses that will be served to the brands of liquor poured at the bar to the style of the service (white glove, full tuxedo) that will be attending to your guests during the reception.
Alisha Toole Photography, Windsor, ON.
If your reception facility is undergoing a renovation, that should be noted in your contract, along with the completion date, as well as any provisions they will make should the renovation not be completed for your day. Any special considerations for your event that are being made by the facility should be noted in your contract. For example, if they are providing table arrangements for you or they are providing extra bar during the cocktail hours, make sure the contract states that clearly.
Other services such as D.J. or limousine, invitations, catering, etc., services should provide times when events are happening and when and where they will be to service you.
Have someone bring your contracts to the wedding to answer any last minute questions or concerns. Purchasing wedding services is the same as purchasing any other item during your daily life. Any time money is exchanged and particularly when it deposits are given months before the service is delivered, it is important for both yourself and the service provider to know the terms of the sale and how it is going to be handled.
” There is only one kind of love, but there are a thousand different versions.” La Rocefoucauld
Your wedding invitation is the first impression that your guests will have of the uniqueness, that is your wedding style. That style, whether traditional or contemporary sets the stage for what’s to come. Your guests get excited for your upcoming nuptials when they receive your invitation in the mail.
 Invitation & Photo by See You There, Windsor, Ontario New style trends are being incorporated with unique creative elements like ribbon embellishments, different die cuts and 3D designs. Brides can choose from handmade papers that offer romantic touches with messages outfitted with bows, ribbons or good luck charms. There are many beautiful options to choose from, including linen papers, corrugated card stocks and embossed that create a sensational and trendy look.
Combinations of bright, bold colours, and recycled paper always carry the beginning of a theme wedding. It’s helpful to have an idea of how formal or informal you want your invitation to be, before you make an appointment with a specialist. Today, your specialist can custom-make invitations and help you with the proper wording for any of hundreds of circumstances and will have examples to show you.
In a time of long distance weddings, a wedding invitation four to six weeks before the chosen date isn’t enough advance notice. The popular “Save the Date” card is a simple postcard, printed notice or magnet that often gives notice of the wedding day months in advance, and require no commitment for a guests presence- that’s why response cards that accompany the invitation are for. They are a friendly FYI of your plans and their interest in having guests participate.
In this day and age, it is still not acceptable to send e-invitations except for engagement parties, brunches, showers or after parties. Remember that some of your guests may not be socially linked so be sure to print additional occasion-related invitations. Nothing takes the place of a proper wedding invitation sent the old fashioned way with a stamp. Your bridal website can be printed on a separate card and enclosed with the invitation and response card. A formal invitation requires a formal response.
Always double check your invitation proofs before sending them back to your stationer. Have someone other than yourself have another look-see also, checking the day and date, the time of the ceremony and the location of the venue.
The language of your invitation is predicated by the place you are holding your ceremony If you are marrying in a religious place of worship, the invitation language should read, ” request the honour of your presence. If the ceremony is being held elsewhere, the wording will read “request the pleasure of your company.”
Whatever style of invitation you are looking for, it’s important to find a stationer that has lots of experience in both traditional and custom wedding invitations, and can handle the creative process from your engagement to your wedding day and beyond with thank you cards.
For invitation information and where to find a Wedding Guide Preferred Vendor in Windsor|Essex County, refer to:
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