Weblog of Bridesclub.com

Portland/Vancouver Wedding Expo

Plan to attend our first Wedding Expo of the season at the Clark County Event Center this weekend...January 3-4th.

All Tickets are Free to this Event and

the hours are Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 11-4.

Some IN trends for Tabletop decorations...2009

  Linens: Bold colors, beading and embroidery, multiple-color linens and sheer overlays...see party rental locations

  Tableware: Colored glass plates and glasses, curvaceous, wavy plates

  Individual three-compartment holders for hummus, olives, and olive oil at each place setting...see pampered chef, department stores

  Non-traditional plate shapes - triangles, squares, rectangles are all popular

  The charger remains popular, but leave it throughout the entire service, and remove only when the entree plate has been removed

 48" or 54" squares are in, all 60" rounds are out....but,

  Combine squares and rounds.. for a new and different look.

  Using glass, metal, ceramic or stone table tops instead of linens...way cool.

Maid of Honor Duties

Host or Co-host a bridal shower with the help of the other bridesmaids and/or the bride's mother, sisters, etc.

Help the bride choose her dress and shop for bridesmaid dresses. (The Wedding Expos is the perfect place for this one!)

Make sure the bridesmaids all go for their dress fittings and get everything they need for the big day. ie jewelry, flowers, shoes, etc

Lend an ear when the bride wants to/needs to vent, no matter what the topic!

Generally keep the bride sane during wedding planning. Can help with addressing Invitations, choosing colors, cake, decor, attend the Expo...

Make sure the bridesmaids know where they need to be and at what time on the big day. Also, inform the bridesmaids about all prewedding events and parties.

Plan the bachelorette party with the other bridesmaids.

Keep a record of all gifts and give the list to the bride for Thank You cards.

At the ceremony, stand next to the bride while she exchanges vows and hold her bouquet during the ring part of things.

Stand in the receiving line. May be announced with the Best Man.

Bustle the bride's train for the party. Also, help the bride change clothes for the honeymoon and take charge of the dress until the bride returns.

She may dance with the best man during or after the couple's first dance. Also, can give a toast after the best mans'.

Generally keep the bride sane during the wedding itself and help her truly ENJOY the most wonderful and anticipated day of her life...so far.

A traditional Floral tip:

Make sure your florist includes at least a little bit of ivy in your bouquet. This lush green climbing vine symbolizes fidelity and is traditionally used in bridal bouquets for that special symbolism.

Fun Idea for your Reception

 Assign someone to snap pictures of guests as they arrive at the reception using an instant camera. After the wedding, sign each photo, add your wedding date, and include a short word of thanks to each guest for having attended. Mail the photos to the guests along with your thank-you cards as an extra special memento.

Happy Holiday Season

Hi Brides and Grooms to Be!

Enjoy this Holiday Season together. You are engaged, planning your wedding, looking forward to attending fun and exciting Wedding Expos every weekend in January! This is the time to sit back and Enjoy!

Snuggle together in front of the fire, sit in front of the tree, or whatever symbols you use to celebrate your beliefs this time of year, enjoy the cookies, treats, seasonal foods and drinks, and be thankful for the wonderful things that surround us. Especially each other.

This is the time of your life. I look back at my first Christmas with my wife of 18 years and it was magical, wonderful.

See you in January!

Bridesclub.com

January Wedding Expo Line-up

Here is a list of All the Wedding Expos produced by Bridesclub,Inc in January 2009. Make plans to join us!

January 3-4: Portland/Vancouver Wedding Expo

Janaury 10-11: Bellevue Wedding Expo

January 16-18:  Hawaii Bridal Expo

January17-18: Tacoma Wedding Expo

January 24-25 Lynnwood/Everett Wedding Expo

Pre-buy tickets online at www.bridesclub.com for a discounted rate!

Quick Time Saving Tips

Here is a tip that might save you some time or headache...

Number those reply cards! Many a bride has a huge headache on her hands when, as sometimes happens, the occasional reply card is sent back with no names filled in. Clearly an oversight on the part of the guest who sent it, but how do you figure out who on earth it came from? Here's a little trick which will ensure that you avoid this problem all together - place a small, inconspicuous number on the back of each reply card before enclosing it with the invitation. Use a list to record each guest's name along with the number on the reply card you are enclosing for them. That way, if someone should forget to fill in their name, a quick glance at your list will tell you precisely who the reply belongs to.

Portland / Vancouver Wedding Expo - We had a BLAST!!

We just finished our fall round of the Wedding Expos!  A great time was had by all....... smiling brides, happy vendors, beautiful displays, yummy food samples and of course fashion shows with all the latest fashions!  What more would you ask for?

We ended our show season with the  Portland / Vancouver Wedding Expo held twice annually the first weekend of October and January at the Clark County Event Center in Ridgefield, WA.  We had two fashion shows per day featuring all the latest Bridal fashions from David's Bridal and MW Tux.  You can see Brad Buckles, producer of the expos, was having a great time just before the fashion show.

Walking through the aisles, you were sure to find what you were looking for in the perfect wedding.  There were a wide variety of vendors available.  There were outstanding photographers such as William James Photography, who won the booth award for the best booth.  You could find unique services like He Brews Espresso, who is a coffee catering company and won best new product.  You could even get your hair done at The Wedding Stylist's booth, who took home the award for best new vendor!  The pound cake samples were to die for at the Blackstone Grill booth who proved to be a favorite with the vendors.... they won the Merchant's Choice award!

No matter where you were in the show, you were surrounded with all the help you need to plan your wedding and your honeymoon!  You could even play dress up with a Tiara as Kathy did at The Unique, who had a wide variety of headpieces and other accessories available!

Whatever type of wedding you choose to plan, be sure to stop by a Wedding Expo in your area!  You'll find everything you need all in one place and have a great time doing it!

10 tips for Handling Stress during Wedding Planning

10 tips for managing Wedding Stress

1.     Expect Stress: Try to plan and then respond to issues as they come up. If you have planned, you will be less likely to react instead of respond.

2.     Set realistic expectations: You cannot please everyone!

3.     Don’t expect perfection! Expect a “terrific” day…

4.     Try meditation or visualization if you are feeling particular pressure or stress about an event or element of your wedding

5.     Take a walk! Exercise is the best way to combat stress.

6.     You know those people who are really good at pushing your buttons? Limit your time with them, or stay away from them during extremely stressful times.

7.     Take a break and do something fun together if you and your fiancé reach your stress threshold.

8.     Be aware that if your parents are acting a little strange it could be “separation anxiety”. It can be hard to let go.

9.     Do not try to do everything yourself. Delegate to people you can trust.

    10. Don’t forget to spend extra time on your relationship during  

the planning process. Planning the wedding is important, of course, but it is a minute compared to the lifetime you will be together