Wedding Guest Etiquette
By Tarisha Beniprashad
Everyone knows the unspoken wedding guest etiquette that should be followed, but do you actually know all of the rules? There are the old favorites, like not wearing white to upstage the bride, but there are definitely a few more that you should abide by as a wedding guest. If you’re unfamiliar with the proper wedding guest etiquette, don’t you worry- you’ve come to the right place. We’ve compiled a list of a 5 key rules that we feel are the most important. Follow these tips, and we guarantee you’ll be the best wedding guest ever!
WEDDING GUEST ETIQUETTE
Remember to RSVP… on time
Most couples pay their venues by the head, so the RSVP date isn’t just a suggestion. The bride and groom need an accurate headcount in advance, so that they can make arrangements with their venue, as well as other vendors accordingly. On this note, remember to RSVP for the right amount of people! If your invitation is addressed to three people and you RSVP for two, make sure no more than two people show up.
What happens if you have a last minute emergency and can’t make it? Sometimes these situations can’t be avoided, so let your soon-to-be newlyweds know ASAP, and apologize for the short notice.
Don’t bring uninvited guests
Unless your invitation specifically elicits that you’re invited to bring a plus one, don’t assume that it’s okay to bring a date. Since couples are typically charged on a per guest basis by their venue, they’ve budgeted and made arrangements for the exact amount of guests they’ve invited. Bringing an uninvited guest can cause tension and create an awkward situation, especially if there’s assigned seating.
Be punctual
Some individuals enjoy arriving fashionably late to events and making an entrance, but a wedding ceremony isn’t a situation where that’s appropriate. The couple invited you to share in the joining of their lives, and you should show your respect by arriving on time, and not making a disruptive entrance.
Choose a gift from their registry
Couples spend a ton of time carefully curating their registry, and they pick items that they actually want. It’s a good idea to stick to their registry or even a monetary gift, since you know it’ll be something they’ll actually use. This way, the couple isn’t left with 15 different photo albums, and won’t receive any duplicate presents.
Take your own pictures non-disruptively
The bride and groom pay a professional photographer to capture every important moment on their wedding day, and the last thing they need is for a guest to get in the way of them doing just that. We know it’s tempting for guests to want to get some shots for their Instagram collage, and maybe a snap here and there for their Snapchat story, but let the photographer get their shots first. Trust us, you’ll cause the photographer a lot less stress by waiting the few extra minutes, and the couple will be grateful for the beautiful shots they’ll receive.
These are just a few simple guidelines that you may not have thought about as a wedding attendee, but trust us; follow them and you’ll be everyone’s favorite wedding guest! Do you have any pet peeves, or things you think guests should take into consideration when attending a wedding? Leave us a comment below and let us know!
XOXO,
The Whimlets
Whim Event Planning and Design is a team of Toronto wedding planners and day of coordinators specializing in modern romantic weddings for fun, sweet couples. Get in touch with us today to start planning your dream day!
- Published in 2017, Wedding TIps
Cute Wedding Day Manicures
It’s all about the details for us here at Whim, which is why we felt the need dedicate an entire post to cute wedding day manicures. As we’ve mentioned before, it’s super important to pamper yourself in the days leading up to your wedding; you’ve spent a ton of time, money, and effort planning your big day, so we’re strong believers that you should look and feel your best! We are definitely fans of a little nail art, and have seen some super cute wedding day manicures that we’d thought we’d share with you guys. Keep on reading if you’d like to see some of our favorite wedding day manicures!
CUTE WEDDING DAY MANICURES
Have we left out any super cute wedding day manicures that you’ve seen recently? Leave us a comment and let us know!
XOXO,
The Whimlets
Whim Event Planning and Design is a team of Toronto wedding planners and day of coordinators specializing in modern romantic weddings for fun, sweet couples. Get in touch with us today to start planning your dream day!
Cute Wedding Signs you Need
By Tarisha Beniprashad
A ton of couples are opting to add cutesy personal touches to their wedding decor by adding handwritten (or not) signs around their ceremony and reception venues, and we are absolutely obsessed with this trend. Whether it’s a quote that near and dear to your heart, some fun dance floor rules for your guests, or a luxe welcome sign, you can’t go wrong with making the addition of a few signs to your decor. If you’d like to see some incredibly cute wedding signs that you never knew you needed, just keep on reading!
CUTE WEDDING SIGNS YOU NEED IN YOUR DECOR
These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cute signs that you can include in your wedding decor. We hope that our little selection gives you a little inspiration for your own signage! Have you seen any super cute wedding signs lately? Leave us a comment below and let us know, we’d love to hear from you!
xoxo,
The Whimlets
Whim Event Planning and Design is a team of Toronto wedding planners and day of coordinators specializing in modern romantic weddings for fun, sweet couples. Get in touch with us today to start planning your dream day!
Bridal Party Gift Ideas
By Tarisha Beniprashad
Your bridal party has (hopefully) been at your beck and call throughout the planning of your wedding, and it’s customary to reward their efforts with a token of your appreciation upon the arrival of your big day. We know that it can be pretty tough to choose one item that you think all of your bridesmaids or groomsmen would appreciate, so we’ve come up with a list of a couple different options for bridal party gifts that we think anyone would be happy to receive!. Keep on reading if you’d like to find out about some awesome bridal party favors.
BRIDAL PARTY GIFT IDEAS
Here are some gifts we think your bridesmaids would swoon over:
Foldable Flats
These babies will be the superheroes of the day for your bridesmaids, and probably for you, too. Easy to fold up and stuff into your clutch, your bridesmaids will be forever thankful when they realize can pull these comfy flats out and finally take off the heels that they’ve been teetering in all day. This is a great option, especially if you’re on budget; we’ve found these Sidekicks Foldable Ballet Flats on Amazon for less than $20!
Compact
If your bridesmaids are into makeup, and even if they’re not, there’s no doubt they could use a cute little compact to throw in their purse. Useful when touching up your lipstick on the way to work or taming those frizzies once you get to the office, we’re positive your bridesmaids would appreciate this present. You can find reasonably priced engraveable compacts at Things Remembered.
Best Friend Bangle
Jewelry can be a risky choice, since not everyone has the same taste. However, if you choose something that’s simple and very basic, all of your maids will be able to work it into their everyday accessories. That’s why we love the idea of matching bangles- simple, and easy to wear! Kate Spade has some gorgeous Bridesmaid Idiom Bracelets that come in both gold and silver.
Keepsake/ Jewelry Box
You can’ go wrong with a jewelry box. We’re sure most of your bridesmaids could probably use a place to keep their more precious jewelry. You can’t go wrong with this adorable little box from Things Engraved.
PRO TIP: IF YOU CAN GET IT ENGRAVED OR MONOGRAMMED, DO IT. PERSONALIZING YOUR BRIDAL PARTY GIFTS IS A LITTLE STEP THAT’LL SHOW THEM HOW MUCH YOU APPRECIATE THEM.
We’re sure the men in your party would appreciate these ideas:
Cufflinks\
This is one of the most universal presents you can choose for your groomsmen; at some point or another, we’re sure they’ll need a nice pair of cufflinks. Easy to choose, easy to please. Find different styles of cufflinks to suit your men at Brookstone.
Pocket Watch
Every groomsmen should have a classic timepiece in their collection. Not to mention, this would be a very dapper accessory for them on your big day! Spruce up the accessory wardrobe of your groomsmen with a classy pocket watch from Things Engraved.
Money Clip or Card Case
Save your groomsmen from those dreaded bulky wallet bulges by gifting them a trendy money clip or card case. Easy to keep cash or cards handy without having to carry around a full-sized wallet, this would be a phenomenal present that would come in handy during those special occasions. You can find sleek, engravable money clips and card cases at stores like Things Remembered.
Valet Box
Pretty much a jewelry box for boys, we’re positive your groomsmen would find themselves storing their most valuable items in a spiffy valet box from The Wedding Shoppe.
Here are a few more things we think everyone would love:
Passport Cover
This option (and the next) are fantastic ideas, especially if you’re having a destination wedding. Passport covers are a small way to make your travels feel a little more luxe. We’ve seen some adorable covers on Etsy!
Luggage Tag
A personalized leather luggage tag would be the perfect way for your bridal party to easily identify their bags. Getting tags monogrammed with each person’s initials in gold or silver is a cute way to spruce this option up! Check out the options on Shutterfly; you could even add photos to the tags that they offer!
Robe
Your hardworking bridal party will definitely deserve a little R&R after your big day, and a fluffy robe would be the perfect relaxation accessory. The Bay has some luxurious robes that you could also get monogrammed.
Flask
A classy little flask would be a great gift for your entire bridal party- who doesn’t like to keep a good swig of vodka handy? Things Remembered has some classy designs to choose from.
This list definitely isn’t exhaustive, but we’ve outlined some pretty cute options that we hope will help you on the quest of searching for your perfect bridal party presents. Have you been a part of a bridal party and received an awesome token of appreciation? Think we left out any cool options? Leave us a comment below and let us know!
XOXO,
The Whimlets
Events by Whim is a team of Toronto’s best wedding planners and day of coordinators specializing in modern romantic weddings for fun, sweet couples. Get in touch with us today to start planning your dream day!
- Published in 2016, Uncategorized, Wedding, Wedding TIps
Wedding Invitations: Why so Pricey!?
By Tarisha Beniprashad
Your wedding invitations are the first glance that your guests have of your wedding, and you obviously want to set a tone that screams nothing but fab for your big day. Leaving a good first impression is important, but at what cost?
We’ve given you the inside scoop on why wedding photography and bridal hair and makeup seems so costly, and guess what! We’re keeping up the momentum, and now we’re to tell you a little bit about why wedding stationery can seem so costly. I spoke to our very own wedding stationery genius Michelle, and she’s told me all about why wedding invitations can seem so costly.
Here are some of the stunning stationery suites Michelle has created for previous clients!
Why are wedding invitations so expensive!?
Truth is, there are a bunch of factors that come into play when considering the price of your invites. These factors can include whether or not you opt for a custom design, different print processes, and the quality of the papered goods that you choose.
Design
If you choose to opt for a custom design as many couples do, there’s a design fee charged to cover the amount of time and love that your designer has to put in, in order to create your dream invitation. This process generally takes anywhere from three days to two weeks, depending on the number of revisions requested by the couple. Michelle takes great care with all of her designs, and makes a conscious effort to get to know each client so that she can create something that’s “unique to their own style and love story.”
Quality & Print Processes
Our simple, single sided invitations and plain white envelopes here at Whim start at $3 an invite, with a minimum quantity of 50. If you’re someone who wants a thicker and heavier cardstock, or even a shimmer cardstock, that would be an additional charge added onto the cost per invite. Color upgrades to your envelopes can also add on to these costs. Upgraded print processes like foil, thermography, and letterpress can also get pretty pricey. If you have no idea what those words even mean, here’s a quick breakdown:
Assembly
Adding little embellishments to each of your invitations are another additional charge that you need to consider when thinking about your design and cost of your invitations. Add-ons like ribbons, belly bands, jewels, rhinestones, and buckles can give your invite that extra oomph, but come at a cost. Purchasing these embellishments is only a part of the extra cost- those ribbons don’t tie themselves! Each of our custom invitations here at Whim are handmade; even though this process can be time consuming, it helps us make sure that our couples are receiving the highest quality possible.
Just to give you an approximate estimate of the total amount of time that it takes to design, print, and assemble your invitations, here are some general timeframes: A more simple invitation design takes about 1 month, and more complex designs take around 1.5 months.
We hope that we’ve helped to highlight some reasons surrounding the cost of wedding invitations- like most other things in the event planning industry, there are valid reasons as to why invitations can seem so costly, but actually aren’t. When you consider the time and effort it takes to design, print, and assemble each invitation, the cost of wedding invites seem less and less outrageous.
Huge thank you to Michelle for taking the time out to educate me on cost of wedding invitations! Check out more of her fabulous designs on the official Whim Instagram and Facebook pages.
What’s your take on the cost of wedding invitations? Drop us a line, we want to hear what you think!
Whim Event Planning and Design is a team of Toronto wedding planners and day of coordinators specializing in modern romantic weddings for fun, sweet couples. Get in touch with us today to start planning your dream day!
- Published in 2016, Budget, GTA, Wedding, Wedding Planning
Live Music Options for your Wedding Ceremony
By Tarisha Beniprashad
For some, the wedding reception is the main event of all their wedding festivities, but we’re strong believers that your ceremony should be the highlight. Vowing your love and life to your SO in front of your friends and family is a significant and beautiful affair, and should be decorated as such! Hiring a live musician or vocalist is a fantastic way to accentuate the elegance of your ceremony. We’ve compiled a list (you know us Whimlets love lists) of some live music options that we think would give your ceremony an extra flair! Keep on reading if you’d like some…
Live music options for your wedding ceremony!
Pianist
As long as there’s a piano at your venue, it’s tough to compete with this classic sound. There are
some incredible pianists in the GTA like Liz Craig who can play practically anything, making this a versatile option for any ceremony.
Harpist
If your venue’s got the space to accommodate the instrument and you really want to up the elegance factor, a harpist is the way to go. Whether your harpist is an angel or not, we guarantee a harp will sound angelic at your ceremony! Joanna Jordan is a fantastic harpist based in Toronto, and would definitely emphasize the grandeur of your vows.
Violinist
A violinist is an ideal option for almost any wedding. Your violinist can play songs and adjust their sound to suit the tone of your ceremony, whether its a backyard affair, or a black tie event. We’re big fans of Jill Daley’s versatile sound.
Organist
Organs are usually hidden out of sight and most commonly found in churches, so you’ll probably have a more formal ceremony if you’re opting to have the sounds of the organ grace the ears of your guests before your ceremony. You can’t go wrong with this traditional sound!
Vocalist
What’s more romantic than walking towards your groom to the sweet lyrics of your special song? Nothing, that’s what. Susan Dunstan is an amazing singer, and we’re sure she’d moisten some eyes before you even walk down the aisle!
Ensemble
You probably won’t opt for a full out wedding band for your ceremony, but a small ensemble or even a quartet would be a lovely option to orchestrate your processional. We’re big fans of violin and cello duets; check out Walla Music for some heavenly ensembles, and samples of their work!
Band
Hiring a versatile band is another great option if you’d like to incorporate live music into your ceremony. From a graceful ceremony duo to a full dance band at your reception, groups like Brent Miller Live can entertain your guests throughout the days events! We had the privilege of hearing this band live at the 2016 WPIC kick off at The Forth, and we can personally assure you they’ve got an amazing sound!
This list ins’t exhaustive, but we hope that we’ve helped you out a little when contemplating your options when it come to live music at your wedding ceremony. You can’t go wrong with any of these sounds- any of them would be the perfect way to begin your happily ever after!
Leave us a comment and let us know what you think about live music at wedding ceremonies, and if you think we missed any interesting options!
xoxo,
The Whimlets
Whim Event Planning and Design is a team of Toronto wedding planners and day of coordinators specializing in modern romantic weddings for fun, sweet couples. Get in touch with us today to start planning your dream day!
- Published in 2015, GTA, Trends, Uncategorized, Vendors, Wedding, Wedding Planning, Wedding TIps
Review of 2015 & Our Goals for 2016
We had an amazing 2015. We have stated numerous times that we are so grateful to our family, friends and clients for simply being the best! We managed to get off to a running start and learned a ton along the way! We love sharing our successes and teachable moments with you. In that spirit, we wanted to share our 2015 social media statistics and our goals for 2016!
2015 Social Media Statistics
Michelle created this beautiful graphic that outlines our areas of achievement. For example we had over 13K views on our website – which is awesome! We recently relaunched the site, so we’re very excited to see what these numbers look like next year! We also saw a huge increase in our Pinterest following and activity levels. Are you seeing this?? Almost 250,000 views on our pins! Love!
The coolest item? One of our Instagram posts went viral when the official Christian Louboutin Instagram page liked and commented on it!
We also saw areas where we could improve. For example, we only posted 43 blog posts for 2015. We also want to see more returning visitors to our website. We did a fab coaching session with Krista of KJ&Co and learned a whole lot that helped us improve our website a lot!
Now that we are well into 2016, the Whimlets have brainstormed and come up with goals for 2016. We each considered what we would like to accomplish for the year, and to stay accountable, we wanted to share these goals with you. Without further ado, I present to you our…
Goals for 2016! *Cue the Fanfare!*
Alisha
As a team, we accomplished a lot in 2015. Sometimes I forget that our journey began only a few short years ago. We looked at 2015 as the year that we made a name for ourselves in the Toronto events industry. I think we hit the mark and forged a ton of great new relationships. I’d like to see more of that in 2016!
One of my personal goals for 2016 is to create a stronger awareness for our company with venues that align with our brand. I will accomplish this in 2016 by conducting 1 (one) site visit at a new venue per month and writing a blog post on the experience.
Michelle
My personal goal for this year is to create a bigger presence for our Wedding Stationery sub-brand – RSVP by Whim. In order to accomplish this, I will create its own entity within our Whim website as well as build the brand using social media. Across all social media platforms, RSVP by Whim will always link back to the main website.
Lastly.. We have an office!
Yessss we do! This past week we moved into our first ever office! We achieved one of our goals for 2016 really early and we are so excited to invite you all to come visit us! While we aren’t totally finished decorating, we are already meeting new (and existing) clients at our office. We’re located at 8611 Weston Road, unit 28, Vaughan Ontario – the major intersection is Weston and Langstaff. Here’s a sneak peek of part of the space. Want to see more? Come visit :).
We are so thrilled to be able to serve you better, and to have a space that allows us to be productive and creative!
If you made it through this list… thank you!
Whew, it feels good to get that out in the open. We plan to be as open and honest about this journey as we can possibly be. In fact, we’d love it if you called us out on not meeting our goals! We want to be the best version of ourselves so that we can serve our clients better! Here’s to a productive and fulfilling 2016!
Events by Whim is a team of the best wedding planners in Toronto, and we’re ready to help you plan your dream day! Get in touch with us today!
- Published in 2016, Wedding Planning, Wedding TIps