There is so much on the newlywed to-do list that adding to it can be daunting, especially around the holidays. I just want to make it very clear though… there is NO must-do etiquette rules anywhere that states newlyweds must send Christmas cards to everyone on their wedding guest list. Hallelujah!

That being said though, sending a card to your entire guest list is certainly a nice gesture… provided you have the extra dough available. Let’s face it stationery (personalized or not) adds up, not to mention the postage and the personal time to handle the task that has to be invested (time is money). Here are some considerations…

Most expensive option ~ send a card to everyone on your wedding list your first Christmas together. The next year cut your list back to those you hold special and can’t imagine not wishing them good cheer.

If you want to be on someone’s card list, be sure you send them a card. But and consider the flip side of the coin and know if they will be pleased to reciprocate… we all know the pull to return the favor when we are pressed.

Tip: check out this blog post from Something Detailed for some fun sayings to include on your cards!

Other options ~ go ahead and cut that guest list way back right away to those nearest and dearest, but make sure you consider the feelings of those you are willing to cut who may be in close contact with your must-send list. No need for any bad mojo during the holidays. That can be awkward at the next holiday party (cue Seinfeld Christmas card episode now).

Also something to keep in mind and some good advise from Manners Mentor…

“It’s appropriate to send a card to anyone; however they’re most appropriate for sending greetings and best wishes for those you won’t see in person this holiday season.”

Man, will this cut my list way back! I truly learn some tip or trick everyday.

Here’s some good additional etiquette advise for Christmas cards beyond your newlywed year. Love this whole post from Squirrels Hate Me. Some of the photos are hysterical!

And finally… I HIGHLY recommend you take a minute to read this post from Sheridan French. She provides the correct and only way you should sign your cards. It’s the 411… go on… read it!

“Rule: When using first names, the wife’s name is always first. Read it again… When using first names, THE WIFE’S NAME IS ALWAYS FIRST. NOT. THE. HUSBAND’S. EVER.”

Okay… I LOVE her!

Hope this helps to clear some things up… go forth and spread your good cheer!

The post Newlyweds and Christmas Cards appeared first on 2 Hearts Weddings.

Getting great gifts for your wedding party is not supposed to be stressful. Here’s a few things to keep in mind when trying to figure out what to gift these special people…

1) You don’t have to get every bridesmaid or every groomsman the same thing. Make sure they know you thought about them individually when you selected the perfect gift.

2) It’s not the cost that matters. Some of the best gifts can cost next to nothing. Car wash gift certificates… um, hello?

3) Try to find gifts that are outside the “traditional wedding party gift ideas”. I’m not saying that flip-top beer mugs, flasks, and money clips aren’t great, but come on… think how many of these your guys may already have. Are they a techie, a traveler, a foodie, or do they have an obsession with personal fitness. Get them something that you know they could really use but may not have taken the time to purchase for themselves. Do some recon work and figure out something cool!

Same for the ladies… don’t get me wrong, I love jewelry… but I’m kind of picky… so if it’s not something I’ve really been wanting, chances are it will just sit in my jewelry box with a lot of other unwanted pieces. Also, if you want my hair and makeup for your special day done a certain way, paying for this should not be considered my gift. I know this may come across as a little abrasive, but a gift is meant to be enjoyed for awhile, not just a few hours that was really just for your benefit. I would want something I can fondly remember each time I look at it from being a part of your special day. All this being said though, an awesome exception to this, would to be treated to a day at the spa. I would silently thank you every minute of that!

4) Lastly, no matter who you are buying for, ask yourself one question. Would I buy this for myself?… and don’t kid yourself or rationalize it when the pressure is on to finish your purchasing. If you can truly say “heck yea!” then it’s probably a great choice.

Of course these are just in my opinion, but here’s just a few of the latest cool choices I’ve run across…

Jewelry Portfolio ~ okay the word “portfolio” just makes this cool!

Passport case – what’s not to love about busting this out of your bag to produce your passport when needed? And for the guys…

Nail polish and/or makeup collections ~ OPI… Of Primary Importance… just kidding, but I would be grinning like the Chesire Cat if I opened a gift like this!

Earphone Case ~ for those of us who like to keep things nice and tidy!

Man Dopp Kit ~ well sort of… Sephora calls this a dopp kit, but I kind of think this is more of a super cool personal mini travel kit.

Leather Dopp Kit ~ now this is a dopp kit (much better than a ziploc bag)! Bags like this can be monogramed and can carry all of a guys essentials making travel more fun.

Other ideas…

iPad cases
Small portable sound systems for iPod
Perfume (only if you truly KNOW their flavor of choice and that it would be special)
Premium (and I mean premium) bottle of liquor or wine

Don’t forget about any party hosts. They deserve something nice for a lot of hard work putting together a nice parties for you and your betrothed.

Salt & Pepper Shakers ~ lots of choices in this arena and always appreciated.

Glow Candles ~ mmm… yummy!

What are some of your ideas?

The post Wedding Party Gift Ideas appeared first on 2 Hearts Weddings.

A couple of weekends back, I didn’t have a wedding to handle and found myself enjoying a free day tailgating with my hubby and many of our close friends at the Alabama vs. Tennessee football game. A young couple (recently engaged) was hanging out with us.  After a while, the groom-to-be (knowing I was a wedding planner and how long we’d been married) asked for some advice. He wanted to know what had made our marriage last and could I give him any advice.

First of all, I was very impressed that he wanted to know and told him that right there was a very good indication that they were headed down the right path. My main response was that marriage is a constant work in progress and that anything worth having takes work. Once you realize this and know that the work never ends then you have the right way of thinking in place. I shared with him several other small but very significant tips and here’s what I said…

Keep dating each other – make the time and invest the effort to remind each other frequently how important the other is. Set aside certain days/nights each week dedicated to just the two of you no matter what is going on in life. Of course this becomes difficult when children enter or are in the picture, but with a little creativity, you can maintain the courtship you had previously. As for mine and hubby’s… as long as I don’t have a wedding… we have a standing Saturday night appointment that has been in place since before we were married. All of our friends know not to ask us out on that night. It’s simple, but very special to us both!

Never belittle your spouse in front of others – I don’t think this really needs explaining but it does warrant being included here.

Do your best to never come between your spouse and their family – when (not if) family members disappoint or upset your spouse, do not cross of over the line of family berating. As long as you remain just a sounding board, providing understanding and support, all will be well. But as soon as you jump in the deep end of the family crazy pool you’ll most likely find yourself looking for a buoy to cling to. How do you generally feel when your family members are questioned or attacked?… Protective, right?

Pre-marital classes – attending these with the pastor marrying you or a counselor of your choice is beneficial on so many points. Putting you through the thought process and problem solving questions that will certainly come up during marriage is a big help in teaching you to communicate with one another and consider the other’s point of view on matters. In the end, the work you do here, only makes you stronger.

Now for the fun stuff…

Little surprises make big impacts – who doesn’t like to be on the receiving end of gifts and small surprises? We ALL do… duh! It doesn’t have to be much of anything just put a little thought into it. Here’s some examples to get you started…

• Fresh Flower Fridays – credit for this idea is given to my super fun brother in-law, Greg Brady (no I didn’t make his name up). Greg loves my baby sister and is constantly coming up with ways to show her. Most Fridays he stops by the store on his way home from work and brings her a small bouquet. She loves flowers, so the gesture is huge for her!
• Love Notes – the possibilities here are endless here. You can leave shower messages, send coded text messages (think Fifty Shades of Grey… oh please, we both know you’ve read it) or send each other love letters using snail mail. What ever floats your boat and gets your creative juices flowing is the ticket. Below is a message I left hubby one day using a bar of soap. Needless to say, he LOVED it!… It stayed on the mirror a couple weeks.
• Small gifts – my favorite are the non-purchased kind. At the top of my list… foot and hand massages! But doing laundry, cooking a meal and making the grocery run for me are all close seconds.

What do you think makes a marriage last?

The post Marriage – Making it Last appeared first on 2 Hearts Weddings.

These days everyone knows about Pinterest. It is a great tool to help you plan various life events such as weddings and baby showers, but then also everyday fun tasks like trying out awesome new recipes. Because everyone knows this, I’m going to give you a few pointers or tips, if you will, that you should keep in mind if you plan to employ the power of Pinterest while planning your big day.

Tip #1: Create a couple of secret boards for your wedding inspiration. Remember all those followers you have now?… I’m willing to bet that some or several of them happen to be on your guest list, right? So hold your ideas close to your vest so that your guests will not know exactly what to expect to see at your wedding. And for those ideas, know what it is about those inspirations that attract you to them. Being able to articulate this, will help during planning meetings with your various designers to hone in on your style.

Tip #2: A wedding day photography inspiration board is a great way to share with your photographer photo ideas you love. You need to keep in mind though that many or most of the photos you see on Pinterest are from photo shoots or personal “in the moment” snapshots captured from that couple’s wedding day. It’s very hard to recreate emotions. All this being said, when you show your photographer your inspirations, be ready to explain what you love about an image and reassure them that you are not expecting a replica. This gives them artistic leeway to capture your emotions the correct way and not be worried about working on a unrealistic photo list.

Tip #3: Less is more… try to pick just one or two Pinterest inspirations to replicate for details at your wedding. You want your event to be a reflection of you and your groom not a duplicate of someone else’s special day. Recreating every chalkboard sign you see, centerpiece setup or favor display is not exactly making the event yours. Besides you don’t want to hear guests remarking… “wow, this is definitely a Pinterest wedding!”

Got any Pinterest planning tips you want to share? We’d love to hear them!

The post Tips for Pinterest and Wedding Planning appeared first on 2 Hearts Weddings.

Bea and Victor LOVE to travel and one of her inspirations for the wedding came from the colorful glass flower ceiling in the lobby of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. If you have haven’t ever seen this piece, one word… WOW! I began thinking of ways to come up with something as beautiful on the ceiling and suggested to Bea that we work with Design Productions LLC to create a ceiling abstract that mimicked the glass art in Vegas.

By the time their wedding day arrived on November 12th, Bea and Victor were the proud new parents of the cutest little French Bulldog named Wall-E. They just had to include him in some way, so he joined the wedding party for a lot of the pre-ceremony photos.

There were so many wonderful details to this wedding that it is hard to list them all. Just a few of my favorites… the bridesmaids’ dresses and their pomander flowers, all the little bird details used throughout, including the cute little favor boxes used to send home leftover wedding cake, and the Pittsburgh Steelers ball caps worn by the wait staff that Bea purchased to surprise Victor with… his favorite team!

Hope you enjoy the loveliness from Jessica Wright Photography. Special thanks to…
Ceremony: St. Marks the Evangelist Catholic Church
Reception: Inverness Country Club
Florals: Ricky Whitley Bridal Events Florist
Music: Feel The Beat Entertainment
Cakes: Olexa’s Cafe, Catering & Cakes
Ice Sculpture: Chef David Bromley
Bridal Gown: Ivory & White (Vera Wang)
Formal Wear: Mr. Burch Formal Wear
Hair & Makeup: Joyce’s Formals (Brittney Shelton)

The post Bea + Victor | Birmingham Alabama Wedding appeared first on 2 Hearts Weddings.

Wedding day could not have been more beautiful. Shortly before photos started, a passerby in the cutest white convertible VW bug drove by. They stopped and asked if we were getting ready for a wedding. When we told them yes, they asked if we’d like to have the bug for any photos. I’m mean, who just offers up their adorable car to strangers? Not only did we accept that offer, we jumped all over their next offer to have the couple leave the church in it too. Some people just ooze generosity!

After the ceremony, we headed on over to The Gaslight House where their friends and family partied the night away. Amanda and Derek are HUGE Auburn fans, in case you can’t tell from the photos below. A couple of my favorite things from this wedding… Amanda changed into a different “party” dress for the reception (it was actually the same dress the bridesmaids wore, but it was white) and the last dance of the evening where everyone was asked to clear the area behind the house and head out to the front to get ready for their departure so that Amanda and Derek could enjoy one final private dance together. I’d say Derek really enjoyed this one. Many thanks to Heather Mishea Photography for these outstanding images!

Special thanks to:
Ceremony: First Baptist Church of Alabaster
Reception: The Gaslight House
Florals: Ricky Whitley Bridal Events Florist
Catering: ChefBob.com
Music: Amerson Events
Cakes: Teresa’s Catering
Bridal Wear: The White Room
Formal Wear: Bella’s

The post Amanda + Derek | Birmingham, Alabama Wedding appeared first on 2 Hearts Weddings.

Special thanks to…
Venue: American Village
Florals: Norton’s Flowers
Musicians: Shades Creek Quartet (205) 956-3602
Minister: Dr. Kelsey Graham
Catering: Iz Catering
Cakes: Magnificent Cakes
Music: Total Entertainment
Formal Wear: Mr. Burch Formal Wear

The post Christine + Will | American Village Wedding Alabama appeared first on 2 Hearts Weddings.

Thank you Jenn and Jared for this extremely kind testimonial about the wedding planning services we here at Two Hearts Weddings and Events provide to our clients! And special thanks to Holloway Productions for capturing it all on video!

The post Client Testimonial – Jenn + Jared appeared first on 2 Hearts Weddings.

Honestly, I do not know why it has taken me so long to do this post about them and their wonderful wedding day. I hope you enjoy the beautiful imagery from Frank Carnaggio Photography and the awesome music video from Holloway Productions!

Special thanks to:
Ceremony: First Baptist Church of Birmingham
Reception: LincPoint (Go Pro Events)
Catering: ChefBob.com
Florals: Ricky Whitley Bridal Events Florist
Music: JAMM Entertainment
Lighting: Design Productions LLC
Cakes: Jan O’Donnell
Formal Wear: Mr. Burch Formal Wear
Joyce’s Formals (Brittney Shelton) – Hair & Makeup

The post Jenn + Jared | Birmingham, Alabama Wedding appeared first on 2 Hearts Weddings.

I also enjoyed reading this post on Tips for Keeping Your Marriage Fresh. Lots of great ideas on this one!

The post Marriage – Keeping it Fresh! appeared first on 2 Hearts Weddings.