wedding tips Archives - Meredith Rines

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5 Tips for Picking a Florist for Your Wedding

Posted on November 7, 2013November 7, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

During all the planning for your dream wedding, there will be meetings with vendors, walkthroughs of venues and cake tastings; and you will need to be ready for a meeting when your are picking a florist for your wedding.

It is important to keep your wedding priorities in the forefront. You will need to sit down with your fiance and list what is important to you. Check out How To Rank What Is Important At Your Wedding for an idea of how to list it all out.

Here are 5 tips to help you prepare for your meeting when you are picking a florist for your wedding:

1) Research which flowers are in season. There may be certain flowers that you love, but they could be out of season. You have to decide if it is worth paying a premium since they might have to be shipped in.

2) Say no. When you are picking a florist for your wedding it’s okay to tell them you do not care for certain flowers. For me, I don’t care for roses – it’s not that I hate them, I just don’t have an opinion on them. I know that roses can be costly so I told my florist not to use them.

3) Tone it down. Ask for smaller arrangements on the table. Smaller arrangements mean less flowers, which will save you money in the long run.

4) Rent, don’t buy. Let’s say you love the idea of a rustic look with using mason jars. Research buying mason jars compared to renting them. Imagine having 14 guest tables with 3 mason jars each that cost really adds up. Plus, then there the pesky leftover mason jars to deal with. Renting from the florist could be pennies on the dollar compared to buying all of those jars and then having them leftover.

5) Plan your ceremony just right. If you dream of getting married outside in a garden, by a lake, in a park, or pretty much anywhere outside then make sure to get a beautiful landscape. The less decorations you need to create your “vision” then the more savings you will have.

You know what you want your wedding day to look like, so don’t be afraid to voice it. You are paying for a service, so remember that when you go into that meeting. It’s okay to say no to an idea that they have if you’re not crazy about it. When you are picking a florist for your wedding you will need to be honest. If you have a limited budget say “I have a budget of XYZ for flowers.” They will respect that because then your florist will know what parameters to work in.

Cheers!

Our Wedding Invitations

Posted on October 15, 2013October 10, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

The moment I saw our invitations sitting outside our front door, I may have jumped a little. I was so pumped that they came, they made it to our new address!

First thing I did was bring them inside and grab the camera, because that is normal, right? The dogs were just as excited as I was or maybe just the box smelled… I am not sure.

We opted for the simple Seal ‘N Send invites for several reasons: 1) they fit in perfect with what I wanted. 2) seemed easier for my friends to have a pull-off postcard to send back. There was no envelope stuffing for our friends – so easy! 3) cost less to send and if you remember my save the dates I like saving money on postage.

Cheers!

How To Create a Chevron Pattern in Photoshop

Posted on August 22, 2013August 22, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

chair / nails / walls

Chevron is everywhere.

Walls, bulletin boards, wallets, watchers, shirts, and even nails… Since I do love a good trend, it should come as no surprise that I am using a hint of chevron in my wedding decorations.

We are having a few paper goods printed and I decided early on to design most of these myself (i.e. programs, thank you notes, menus, etc.). I am having several designs for our printed goods – Stripes, chevron, polka dots… oh my!

You know I had no problem making a strip design or polka dot design in Photoshop – go figure! I can draw a straight lines and circles on the computer! I was so proud and maybe a little too big headed because my chevron attempt was not successful. I actually had to think and work at this one! I didn’t want anything to be actual work, where’s the fun in that?!

I have since perfected it based on a few other tutorials online that I combined. I thought I
would share my revelation with you to save someone else frustrations.

Create a new file… I made mine the size of a notecard 4”x5.5” and put on the grid option.

Select your color and the rectangle tool. Using the grid measure out equal boxes (for me I needed 6).

Then rotate every other box either 45 degree or -45 degree, then line up the corners to be overlapping.

Once your first chevron print is done for the entire length then select the layers and link together.

Finally, duplicate the layers and space them out evenly.

There you have it, a nice chevron print that was easy to make and no hair pulling was necessary.

Since I wanted to add words to my design, I created a nice white box on top of the print.

Cheers!

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Why I let my Bridesmaids pick out their own dress

Posted on August 16, 2013August 22, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

If you have been living under a rock then you may not know that newest, hottest trend in weddings is having mismatched bridesmaid dresses. I love the trend because that’s what I decided for my bridesmaids. I mean, I am sure that my girls would have loved to wear some fluffy, pink tulle thing with a bow on the butt. Who wouldn’t want to wear something that’s uncomfortable and costs about half of your monthly living expenses?

I decided when J and I were first talking about getting married that I wanted nothing to do with searching and searching for a bridesmaid dress that fit all my girls, in my color scheme and didn’t cost a small fortune. They can figure that out!

It was important to me to have my girls feel beautiful. There is nothing worse than not feeling confident in a dress that you are having to wear all day, be photographed over hundreds of times, and be plastered all over facebook. I wanted to avoid that and I’m sure they are grateful … at least I hope.

I did not necessarily give my bridesmaids free reign to find a dress. I did establish a few guidelines for when they were out looking for a dress.

1) navy
2) knee length
3) eggplant, dark purple heels

That’s it. Only 3 parameters to follow.

I hinted at this part before, but it’s pretty big so I’m going to say it. I delegated the stress of finding a dress for everyone. I had a hard enough time finding a dress for me, a tux look for J and his guys, catering choices, song choices, and not gaining 100 lbs from other pressure points. My girls know what they like and don’t like, I do not.

If you decide to let your bridesmaids pick their own dress, please be prepared for your family’s reaction. I have family that keeps asking if I had my girls go to David’s of J. Crew with a certain color code to find a dress, if I selected a specific brand that they had to find a dress under, blah, blah, blah… and the answer is no. N-O. I think it keeps freaking out people that I really do not care.

The best part – All my girls have sent me pictures of their dresses or I’ve seen the one they have bought and can I tell you something? They are better than anything I could have picked out!

Perfection!

Cheers!

I selected this post to be featured on my blog’s page at Blog Nation.

Wedding Planning Tips: Save the Dates

Posted on August 14, 2013August 12, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Want some valuable wedding planning tips when sending out your Save The Dates?

Well, you have to come to the right blog. I recently sent out our save the dates – actually a few weeks ago, but waited to post my tips until everyone received their postcards so I wouldn’t spoil anything for anyone.

J and I decided to send postcards over an actual formal save the date card with the fancy tissue paper and embossed envelope. First, I am not that formal of a person and second, the postage is so much cheaper on postcards! Saving some of that cha-ching for more important parts of the wedding.

Here are some wedding planning tips when selecting your save the dates and things I would have liked to do differently:

1) postcards, postcards, postcard. I mean, postcards are simple and easy to send. No envelope licking (ew!) required. Gross! Just the thought of licking nearly 100 envelopes or having to use a wet towel – it’s just a mess. Not to mention if you wanted to go super-duper traditional and have the outer envelope and the inner envelope – that’s double the licking. And like I said above, the cost of sending a postcard is considerably less when sending a standard letter or worse an odd shaped envelope. I had that happen to a friend of mine, she budgeted the average amount of postage stamps for her save the dates then when she went to USPS to mail them. While waiting in line she got slammed when she learned that the envelope was a square and that would cost more… almost double. That adds up for 150 save the dates… let’s do the math. $0.46 per stamp * 150 save the dates = $69 bucks. Now double it – $138 bucks just went to USPS that you had not planned for.

2) ensure that you have the spelling correct for all your guests. I did not know everyone on my guest list. Some were family of J’s that I had not met and others were some of his family friends that I had not met. Names can be weird. Spellings are not always common. Double check that spelling before you waste a save the date or worse, send out a misspelled name!

3) one thing I would have done different is placed a return address on the postcards. Luckily, I had a stamp made a few months ago, but it would have been so much nicer to have them pre-printed on the cards. Also, I didn’t want to be blissfully unaware of any save the date not reaching their intended target. My OCD tendencies could not handle that.

4) another thing I wish I would have thought of was space. The space to address the save-the-dates was a little small. I do not normally require people to have a magnifying class to read my handwriting so I had to nix first names.

5) do not put off address your save the dates. I kind of did that. I thought it was going to take so long to sit down and actually address the cards so I put it off, like any normal person who was avoiding a task that didn’t seem fun, which it was not fun. It did not take as long as I thought – like an hour, maybe? If that.

There we go – simple, easy wedding planning tips that I like to pass on to others so that they could be wiser in their wedding planning than me. Go forth young ones and conquer.

Cheers!

My Day: wedding planning

Posted on July 16, 2013July 10, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Wedding Planning – less than 4 months away from the big day. EEK!

I love paid days off of work, they are my favorite. I get to sit in my PJ’s most of the day watching trashy reality TV while getting paid. What’s better than that? I woke up, made myself some cheesy pasta because that’s normal, right? Then I plopped down in the big comfy recliner with Tiny in my lap to watch my favorite TV show – Dog the Bounty Hunter. I will pause while you laugh…. done? okay.

As you may know, I have been working on my wedding planning for awhile now:
I said yes / wedding budget tips / Ranking What Is Important / A few Engagement photos /6 months to go

I have some wedding planning details to work on today, mostly dealing with money. Think it’s time, like every bride would do … re-evaluate the wedding budget. It’s important to take a look at the budget from time to time to know if you are still on target and don’t have any surprise expenses popping up.

For J and I we were originally under the impression that our friend’s Uncle would be our officiant and that would be our friend’s wedding gift to us; however, that was months ago and we have yet to hear anything about it. So, now enter my panic mode and have decided that we need a backup officiant. I talked to our wedding planner and that’s going to cost about $150.

That’s $150 that we were not planning on spending for that… we had other ideas for that money. You know, like favors or programs. Now, I have to re-evaluate so that we can afford it all.

Oh wedding planning! It’s fun, but also stressful. Don’t get too overwhelmed with it, that’s what I have to keep telling myself or that’s what J keeps telling me.

Wedding planning helps you get an idea of the big picture. Know what parts will cost the most, for us it was the venue, photography and alcohol – you know, the important parts – the booze and the part that will capture those moments!

I will be sitting in this big, comfy chair for most of today working on some wedding planning – crunching numbers, stressing out, and thinking that I’m wanting to do too much; however, in the end it will all work out and I will get to marry my best friend.

Cheers!

DIY Repellent Spray for Flies

Posted on July 2, 2013July 13, 2016 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

How would you like a DIY repellent spray for your outdoor space?

J and I are determined to use our backyard to the fullest this summer. We love that it is fenced in, the patio is covered, and we especially love our new patio set. That’s the icing on the cake!

Last week I talked about repelling flies in our backyard here. J and I have worked on another home DIY treatment to rid our backyard of flies. A repellent spray for our patio furniture was what we were looking for.

Ingredients:

1) Pine-sol
2) Water
3) White Vinegar

In a spray bottle you want to mix 1 part Vinegar with 2 parts Pine-sol and 2 parts Water. Spray this mixture onto the patio furniture. I could instantly see how this spray was working. And I liked it!

Then I got a little carried away … I started spraying the siding of our house. It worked! One downfall of using this spray is the smell. It can be a bit overwhelming. Mainly smells like pine-sol, but that’s not a smell that I want lingering around for a long time.

But overall I love, love, love this repellent spray! I’m thinking that I will keep a bottle mixed and ready to go.

What products do you use around your home to repel flies?

Cheers!

[hupso]

Will you be my bridesmaid?

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

I saw a pin on Pinterest awhile back and it linked to lauren.david.style’s blog here. I fell in love with the idea of packaging all the details and knick-knacks about the wedding into a nice box to give to my bridesmaids.

I had already asked the fabulous ladies to be my bridesmaids and now it was time to get them some info about J and I’s big day.

I decided early on that it was not worth the stress to find a dress that fit in with the style of the wedding that made each girl feel beautiful. Each of my bridesmaids are their own woman and knows what fits them the best. I have given them some guidelines and details of what our style is so that they can find a dress that fits them and their budget.

I included information about:

the big day – when, where, what time, and paint chips to see the colors.

my bridesmaids – a little introduction about each of my girls and how they came to be such a large, important part of my life.

their dress and accessories – navy blue, knee-length dress with eggplant (plum) heels or wedges.

their role – to feel beautiful, to have fun, and know that I am truly grateful for them standing with me on my day.

Cheers!

An exciting time

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

It’s a pretty exciting time for me right now. I’m ready for what the future has to offer, my eyes are open and I will not ignore any more opportunities.

The most exciting part of 2013 is J and I’s wedding in November. We’ve been planning, organizing, and buying items for it. The closer we get the more ready I am for it to get here. I haven’t been too overwhelmed yet, but I’m sure it’ll hit. We are almost 5 months away from the big day!

These two pups mean the world to me. The love I get from them and give to them is priceless.

And finally, my new Etsy venture is thrilling. I will be adding more items to the shop this coming week. I’ve spent time creating new designs, working on my policies, and even my business plan. I may have a degree in Marketing, but actually attempting to use what I’ve learned is a whole new ball game. I’ve been reading up on SEO, advertising, sponsorships, etc.

Cheers to exciting times!

6 months to go

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Here we are: six months to go till J & I say “I Do.” Whew! TIme flies when you are having fun.

I found my dress – that was a huge weight off my shoulders! My dress is absolutely perfect, in every way.

Here are a few tips that I’ve discovered along this wedding planning process:

– check your budget. It’s very, very important to stay on top of your budget. Buying wedding gifts, favors, and little things here & there can really do a number on your budget. You think you are a-okay and in the green, but then as you get closer to the big day and final payments are due then you might shock yourself.

– prepare your rehearsal dinner. I have the venue booked for our rehearsal dinner and a menu in mind, but it’s time to start narrowing down your guest list. If you’re wedding plans are similar to ours then a small, imitate dinner is all you’re looking for. Our venue is a room at an event center where we can come and go easily. It’s small enough that we are envisioning a room full of family and future family sharing stories, laughing, and eating some good food.

– block hotel rooms. J had one task that he made his own. I had no input in which hotel he blocked, I just wanted to make sure that we had a room. I have to admit – he did good! We have one of the nicest hotels in Springfield reserved with a shuttle for our guests so no one will have too much to drink and no way to get back to their room.

We are still working on finding an officiant. It’s next on our list and will be done ASAP! It’s making me a little nervous that we don’t have someone booked yet, but can have everything fall into place perfectly. So far, I will not complain about how smooth the wedding plans are going.

Cheers!

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Chevron is everywhere.

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Want some valuable wedding planning tips when sending out your Save The Dates?

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Wedding Planning – less than 4 months away from the big day. EEK!

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How would you like a DIY repellent spray for your outdoor space?

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