Hot, hot, HOT!!

To honor today, the first day of summer, Mother Nature has brought a heat wave to New Jersey! Today topped out at 100 degrees and unless you were in a pool, being outside was not easy!

It made me think about all of those summer weddings I've planned and been to. I'm sure you know the ones I'm talking about: hot, humid and outdoors! Even if it's just the ceremony, sometimes those 20 minutes can be unbearable unless you find a way to keep your guests cool!

First things first, make sure guests are aware of what they're going to. If it's a black tie affair but no one knows the ceremony is outdoors, people might dress very differently. Give guests a head's up in the invitations that part of your big day will be outside. The more they can prepare, the happier they'll be.

Find interesting ways to keep them cool. Whether that means tenting areas and bringing in air conditioning units, providing fans or have cool drinks offered, it's all about keeping your guests happy. You don't want to hear people complaining about how hot it is when you're up there saying your vows. Talk about getting burned!

Think about ordering some fans with your names on them so guests can keep themselves cool while watching the ceremony. Play up your colors and have them alternate! Consider having a small cocktail offering before your ceremony complete with icy appetizers. From shrimp cocktail to shots of gazpacho, this is a great opportunity to show your creative side. I would also recommend offering drinks, but non-alcoholic. Drinking before a ceremony can be a recipe for disaster. Consider fun twists on drinks like blueberry lemonade, or a fruit punch complete with fresh fruit. 

If it's more then just your ceremony that's outside in the heat, analyze your day carefully. This goes for what you're wearing as well. No puffy wedding gown is going to be comfortable in the heat, and your bridesmaids would probably appreciate a short flirty dress instead of a gown. If it's a casual wedding you're planning, consider BBQ food and food trucks coming in for some added fun. End your evening with some super cold desserts, including ice cream. Pick some fun flavors but don't let people make their own sundaes because too often, they'll end up wearing them. Flavors like mint and mango are cool in the mouth and will be pleasing to your guests. 

Make sure there is plenty of shade offered, and consider adding fun touches like hats, sunblock and flip flops for your guests to use. Have an usher pass out ice cold hand towels throughout the time outside to help keep everyone chill. You want your guests to remember how beautiful your wedding was, not how much they were sweating through it.

So how would you keep your guests cool? Do you like our ideas? Please share with us some of yours! 

Happy Summer!

Cha-CHING!

You hear the stories: $250 centerpieces, $175 a head, $350 bridesmaid dresses.....and all you hear is cha-ching over and over in your head. Isn't a wedding about two people who love each other plus flowers, unicorns and rainbows?

Well, yes...but unicorns are expensive.

So how do you cut down on your budget? Well, a good planner is the first step to figuring our that mess of numbers. We also suggest that couples reach out to planners the day they want to start planning. Planners know the best venues and the best vendors and can help you figure out your favorites that can work with your budget!  The first step we take at Golden Wedding Planners is to figure out what you want to spend in each category and then we bring to you the vendors that can bring that to life.

So if you want big tall centerpieces with poofy, dreamy flowers..and you have a general romantic feel throughout the wedding...well, we'll contact our florists with your theme and budget and work from there. No need for you to do the research and hit up google just to be disappointed!

The most expensive wedding ever was Sheik Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum's son to Princess Salama in Dubai. It was $44 Million.

There are ways to give yourself the dream wedding at the dream pricetag. But the first step is to hire a professional who does it everyday. Call us at Golden Wedding Planners and tell us everything about what you want and what you want to pay. We'll make it happen and show you how affordable unicorns really are.

Very Superstitious....

"...writing's on the wall...
When you believe the things that you don't understand then you suffer,
Superstition ain't the way"
-Stevie Wonder-

Well, it might not be the way, but I have yet to cross a bride that doesn't have some sort of superstitious bone in her body, at least for her wedding that is. Find me a bride that will walk under a ladder or will shrug her shoulders at a mirror she just broke. It won't happen, I'll just tell you this right now.

But where does all of this come from? Rain on your wedding day is a good omen! Many brides think this is just a saying that developed because what else could you say to a bride about her outdoor ceremony that is now flooded? Well actually, it's Hindu tradition that dictates that rain on your wedding day indicates good fortune.

But how superstitious are you? We polled our brides. and surprisingly many of them thought they didn't care about superstition. However, we asked them about some more common things that might happen on their wedding day and they had much to talk about....for instance:

According to English Fokelore, Saturday is the unluckiest day to wed. Yet, for us (and I'm sure many wedding planners) it's the most popular day to wed.

Is your groom carrying your across the threshold? Of course he is, don't lie! Well, that's a superstition that means that your new husband is protecting you from the evil and bad luck below. For all of my Greek brides, I make sure they have a sugar cube tucked into their glove to ensure a "sweet" union. Of course, none of my Italian brides (nor I, being half-Italian on my mother's side) would dare to wear pearls because that just promises a marriage full of tears. Looking for something to throw? Break of the peas if you're Czech, because instead of rice, that's what they throw and it promises good luck for the newleywed couple!

So many superstitions, so little time. For every couple there is something different. Depending on your background, you may have a list a mile long of things to do and to NOT do surrounding your wedding day. But the bottom line is, if you're prepared with all of your ducks in a row, and just can't wait to see your soulmate that day, then luck has nothing to do with it.

Well...maybe a little...Because you must believe that luck, if not fate, brought you together in the first place.

Happily ever after. Glass half full. Rabbit foot around your garter.

How do you ensure good luck on your wedding day? Share with us at danielle@goldenweddingplanners.com or post in the comments below!

You Might be Glowing on your Wedding Day but...

...these can compete with you.

Welcome to the wonderful world of glowstones. These amazing tiny stones need only 10 minutes of exposure to light and will illuminate any walkway for up to 12 hours!

Now, we firmly believe that an invitation sets the tone and is one of the most important items to choose for an event. An invitation gives guests a free preview of amazing things to come. Why not heighten their anticipation with a lit-up entrance void of candles and Christmas lights? Guests will wonder how you made this entrance so beautiful and will absolutely be asking you how they can duplicate it. It's your choice if you want to keep it a secret!

These stones are non-toxic and the possibilities are endless. Whether it's a wedding or any other party, you can use these in various ways. Outside by water? Why not line the water, a pool, lake or anything with these stones? Instead of a candlelite walk-way, use these to line the outside of the aisles. Of course, you can simply sprinkle them all down the walkway as shown in the picture above. They are available in a variety of colors, but to keep the cheese factor down, just use one.

Find a way to incorporate these into your favors, or perhaps have a signature drink that lights up. If you're stuck on a theme, these rocks hand you the "starry night" or "bright lights" theme. Who needs flames when you have rocks?

Have you seen these at a wedding you've been to? Perhaps you discovered them already and have pictures to share! Make sure to send them to us at danielle@goldenweddingplanners.com so we can feature you in a future blog and send you a gift!

Glow in the dark...not just for kids anymore!

Danielle's Pick of the Week: Essence Wedding Gowns

Here at Golden Wedding Planners, we believe that your dress and your venue should be the first two things you select for your wedding day. Everything else will simply fall into place. But committing to a wedding gown, a dress that will be in 90% of the pictures, seen all day and worn only once, can be a little scary. When you're buying the gown you probably won't be walking down the aisle for another year afterwards...so how do you pick something that you know you'll love later? Pick something amazing. Simple right?

Introducing Essence of Australia. One of our favorite dress shops in New Jersey, I Do! I Do! in Morristown, will be bringing this amazing line to their stores this June. Incidentally, they are our "vendor of the month" so make sure to check that out at www.goldenweddingplanners.com and tell them we sent you!

Essence offers a wide variety of gowns, one more different than the next. In fact, the gown pictured above comes with a detachable lace overlay, which transforms this dress into something completely different. This is perfect for the bride who wants to walk down the aisle in one gown, and into the reception in something different. 

Their website is located here: http://www.essensedesigns.com/index.html and when you visit you'll be able to find a store near you that carries their dresses, as well as a list of trunk shows. While Essence isn't new, having been around for the past 14 years, we want to make sure that as many brides know about this line as possible. Consider it a little industry hint to you from us! 

Right now there are 7 stores in New Jersey that carry this line, but no matter what state you're in, there's a store locator on their website: http://www.essensedesigns.com/storelocator.php

Buying an Essence gown? Already wear one down the aisle? Let us know and send pictures to danielle@goldenweddingplanners.com for a chance to win a prize and be featured in an upcoming blog!