CUBICLE CHAT: We’re on Twitter

 

BRIDES is now on Twitter!

BRIDES has officially joined the Twitter community. Just search for BridesMagUS to find us. Why follow our tweets?  Not only do we have links to all of our contests and sweeps, but we’ll keep you informed with the latest hair/makeup products, report on the newest reception locations, link up to great wedding resource websites, and provide you with etiquette tips.  What more do you need?  The best part is you’ll be getting this in 140 characters or fewer so you can stop feeling overwhelmed and start planning your wedding!  -Jackie, Cubicle Chat

A BRIDE AT BRIDES: Tired of Planning

I’ve hit a wall with my wedding planning.  I feel like I need a vacation from thinking I’ve hit a wall with my wedding planning.  I feel like I need a vacation from thinking about it.  Everything I do is somehow linked.  I’ll listen to a song and wonder if it would work at the cocktail hour.  I’ll see a nice shirt and start imagining that color combination as a table setting.  Even going on Facebook will get me thinking about the guest list!  I need to switch it off, or at least find a balance between doing the logistical grunt work and the fun stuff. Maybe I should just set aside one day out of each week to work on it. (Kind of hard, since I work at BRIDES!) How is everyone else handling this?   —Kristen, A Bride at BRIDES

A BRIDE AT BRIDES: Move Over Paris Hilton

Being a bride-to-be is fantastic!  I feel like Paris Hilton!  I went to a tasting event last night hosted by my caterer, Naturally Delicious.  I walked in with my entourage (a.k.a fiancée, friends and bridal party) and was immediately surrounded by vendors who wanted to help me pick out everything from the crudité dip to the tablecloths. I bet if I decided to walk down the aisle with a tiny dog in a designer bag, people would be lining up to help me pick out the perfect pooch at the shelter.  I should extend my engagement so I can enjoy this!  —Kristen, A Bride at BRIDES

A BRIDE AT BRIDES: A New Look

I’m so excited about our location!  We booked Smack Mellon (a gallery in DUMBO, Brooklyn) a few months ago but I went back this weekend to show my mom for the first time.  There are some logistical issues…the fact that we have to bring everything in because it is a gallery and has huge columns that interrupt the flow of the tables.  These are the things you’re focused on when you are in full-blown planning mode.  It is so great to step back and see the space again through fresh eyes…the way your guests are going to see it on your wedding day.  I walked in and was instantly reminded that we made the right decision.  The view is stunning and the columns give it that raw space/urban feel that we wanted.  I can’t wait!  —Kristen, A Bride at BRIDES

PARTY GIRL: Photo Resolution

Are you stressing out about picking a photographer?  My fiancé and I did—in fact, we ended up going so over budget on the pictures that we were forced to cut out all church flowers.  Finally, this week (two years after the wedding—we got a little behind!) we got our wedding album.  To steal a line from “Gossip Girl”, OMG!  (Should I still be watching GG…I’m 30 and married!?)  Getting back to my point, I felt transported back to our wedding day when I was going through our album.  These photos are our only tangible memories; they are also windows to all the parts of the wedding that we didn’t get to see.  So don’t beat yourself up about rolling out the dough for your photographer.  For us, it was so worth it.   —Christina, Party Girl

WEDDING STYLISTAS: Stationery Station

Each drawer is packed with stationery submissions from vendors.

The Wedding Style Department stores over 2,000 invitations in Ziploc bags.

Stationery. We make a big deal of it at BRIDES, but when you think about it, it’s just glorified paper.  Maybe it’s adorned with crystals, ribbons, fabric.  Maybe it’s even on specialty card stock.  Or maybe it’s not on paper at all.  Acrylic menus?  Laser engraved wood?  Calligraphied seashells?  Who am I kidding?!  The stationery of today is anything but simple.   

In our office we have over 2,000 invites on file and receive over a dozen new packages weekly.  Sometimes each invitation set comes with 7 pieces, including the invite itself, the envelopes, maps/directions, itineraries, and RSVPs.  How do we keep track of it all…paper elves?  Nope, even simpler than that.  Ziploc bags.  These everyday household baggies have become our most useful tool when it comes to keeping all this paper together.  We write the name of the company and the date on the back of every piece of stationery that comes our way and log it into an Excel document.  We keep them all separate in gallon Ziploc bags with names and dates of arrival.  These go in big plastic bins, on shelves, and in empty filing cabinets.  In an effort to be eco-conscious, we go through the old samples quarterly and send them back to the vendor.  A lot of companies will recycle and reuse them to create new designs, so at least we’re saving a tree or two!  —Machell, Wedding Sylistas

A BRIDE AT BRIDES: Confirming Caterer

I am six months from the big day and finally confirmed a caterer.  There will be food for everyone to eat…what a relief.  We wanted a vegetarian buffet so it was a bit of a struggle to find the perfect caterer.  Some caterers were too small, some were too carnivorous, and some were just too expensive.  You normally do not think in terms of thousands of dollars.  Then you start planning your wedding and all of a sudden you are discussing five thousand dollars over your budget as if it is no big deal.  The next day you wake up with anxiety because you think about how many months salary that is.  It’s times when you find the perfect caterer, your first dance song, or the dress you dreamed of that the money seems worthwhile.  You just know that your friends and family are going to love the food and have fun.  You are going to be able to relax because everything will be taken care of.  You will literally eat, drink, and be merry.  —Kristen, A Bride At BRIDES