Welcome Gifts for Out of Town Guests

Little touches at a wedding go a long way in creating a wonderful experience with your guests. One idea that never gets old is to leave a welcome gift for your guests who have made the effort to travel to your wedding. It can come in the form of a box, a tote bag, or even a canvas buckets. We'd like to say there are no limitations to what you can do, but we do recommend that you be mindful about your guests' luggage space. If you gift them a gigantic basket full of goodies, it might be difficult for them to take some of the keepsake items home with them.

We've gathered some of our favorite welcome gift presentations online to share with you, and hope that it will inspire you to show some love to your guests inside their hotel rooms!

Left photo obtained from Martha Stewart Weddings | Right photo obtained from Pinterest

Photos obtained from Pinterest

Photos obtained from Martha Stewart Weddings

Photos obtained from Martha Stewart Weddings

What should you include in these welcome gift "bags"? Here are some of our suggestions, along with links to sites where you can purchase the items:

Basic Items:

-Personalized water bottles
-Mints
-Handwritten note card 
-Schedule of events for the weekend
-Map of the area (you can ask the hotel concierge for this, or hire a graphic artist to draw one up)
-Snacks that are packaged nicely (local treats like these for S.F. would be ideal to give guests a flavor of the city)
-Small first aid kit

Additional fun-to-have items:

-Bottle of your favorite wine
-Mini champagne bottle (with a note that reads Pop this open for an early celebration of an amazing weekend ahead! )
-Eye pillows
-Custom "hangover" kit (lots of mini items for the kit can be found here)
-Nice candle with personalized matches

We also love these pretty canvas buckets and totes from Maika (previously known as Chewing the Cud)!

Follow our Welcome Gifts Pinterest board for more updated inspirations!

Custom Bars and Lounge Furniture for Weddings and Events

The trend of creating cozy, intimate lounge areas at weddings and events will not be going away anytime soon. In fact, the choices for stylish, yet comfortable, furniture pieces have been expanding year after year. Blueprint Studios is one company that we absolutely love working with, as not only do they have an incredible inventory of furniture pieces, but they also have a fantastic carpentry department that can help us to create custom pieces. They've helped us to reupholster furniture, build props, and much more. We love that they're always up for a challenge, and hardly ever say no to our crazy cool ideas. :)

Bars, including dessert bars, sushi bars, etc., are fun to make as statement pieces at an event. We recommend doing a few statement pieces in key areas of your event to really make an impact. For example, in lieu of a traditional guest book, we've created wishing trees (see photos below) for guests to write their well wishes on, which became a lovely focal point at the wedding.

Here are some of our favorite custom pieces that Blueprint Studios have built for our past events:

Custom dessert bar built by Blueprint Studios | Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz

Custom sushi station built by Blueprint Studios | Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz

Custom bar built by Blueprint Studios | Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz

Custom banyan tree built by Blueprint Studios | Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz

Custom velvet tufted panels and lounge furniture by Blueprint Studios | Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz

Custom wall flat from Blueprint Studios | Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz

Custom wall flat and furniture items from Blueprint Studios | Photo by Gary Ashley

Custom wishing tree from Blueprint Studios | Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz

Lounge furniture makes for an inviting space for guests to congregate both before and after dinner. Guests tend to appreciate them especially during the dancing, as it gives them a comfortable option to rest their feet, eat their desserts, and mingle with other guests rather than to go back to their dinner tables. How you group your furniture pieces, and the style of furniture you should chose, would be dependent on your event space. Work with your planner and designer to lay everything out on a floor plan beforehand to be sure everything fits nicely. 

Check out our Lounge Furniture Pinterest Board and Unique Bars Pinterest Board for more ideas! 

Modern Wedding Registries

In the last few years, non-traditional registries have sprung up and gained popularity over what many couples consider as unnecessary goods such as bedsheets and pillow cases. Couples are opting for experiences rather than hard goods, and there are lots of ways for guests to contribute to such gifts. In some culture, monetary gift is still widely accepted and welcomed, but for those who are not comfortable asking (or receiving) money, Upon Our Star and Deposit A Gift are both registries that can  accept cash on your behalves.Couples are trending towards building their home before they tie the knot these days, so when it comes time to think about their wedding registry, the thought of registering for conventional items such as home goods no longer appeals to them. 

We have compiled a list of these modern-day registries for your reference, and hope you will find them useful! 

Honeymoon Registries provide a way for your guests to treat you to an extraordinary meal, an exciting excursion, or a chunk of your travel expenses for your honeymoon:

Traveler's Joy

Honey Fund

Wanderable

If you're a foodie, the idea of gifts in the form of restaurant gift certificates and wine subscriptions may be extra appealing to you:

Foodie Registry

Bottlenotes

Couples' Cooking Classes

Other modern registries include Card Avenue where guests can gift you with all kinds of gift cards and I Do Foundation where guests can make donations to your choice of charities. 

Our favorite?

Simple Registry where you can consolidate all your gift desires in one place, including items from Etsy and Ebay! 

Expert Interviews: Mimi & Taylor

This week, we're thrilled to bring you the incredibly talented and pretty ladies from Mimi & Taylor as our beauty experts!

We've worked with Mimi & Taylor for over 8 years now, and they have performed their magic on so many of our bridal parties. Since a lot of our clients are from out of town, they often hire Mimi & Taylor without any makeup/hair trial, but that has never proved to be a problem because these amazing ladies are just so good at taking any face and enhancing it to its truest potential. 

Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz

Jubilee: How would you differentiate wedding day makeup vs. makeup for other special occasions, like a fancy dinner or party?

M&T: Wedding makeup needs to be more refined and defined so it looks extra stunning during the wedding celebration and for camera/video. Because there will be close-up pictures and videos, we spend extra time on perfecting every little detail down to the lashes, blemishes, etc. We are very meticulous about making sure the skin looks flawless and glowing without looking too heavy or caked on. It's a tricky balance. And the other difference is using specific products that will be long wearing and hold-up though out the day.

Jubilee: Every one of your bride always looks stunningly beautiful, even at the end of the night, after wind, sweat, and exhaustion. Any secrets you can share with our readers?

M&T: The trick is to use a good primer and the correct foundation base that is compatible with the bride's skin type. And using a fixer at the end of the makeup application sets everything; holds it in place (like hairspray, but for the face).

Jubilee: I have tried so many lashes before, but none comes close to your lush lashes. They feel so comfortable, even against my sensitive eyes! And they make everyone look like movie stars. What made you decide to make your own brand of lashes and what makes it so much better than other brands out there?

M&T: When first starting out in the business, there were no lashes on the market that we loved. They were very exaggerated, heavy, and just didn't look natural…especially on Asian eyes. So we would cut, trim, and make them work for us as needed. This sparked the idea of creating our own lashes that would be more natural, comfortable and customizable. We love our lashes because anyone can use them, you can go subtle for daytime or layer them on fuller for a more dramatic evening look. They give you an instant eye lift while still looking natural (vs. drag queen intensity).

Jubilee: What recommendations do you have for both men and women, in preparing their skin to be their very best, before their wedding day? 

M&T: Getting facials are great leading up to the wedding day. It helps correct certain skin issues and revive the skin. Just make sure to research and find good reputable facialists. Getting rest, drinking lots of water, and moisturizing the skin is also a very important regimen.

Photo by Augie Chang Photography

Jubilee: What tips do you have for brides in picking an appropriate hairstyle for their wedding?

M&T: There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a hairstyle for the wedding day. First, work with your artist/stylist to understand what type of hair texture, fullness, thickness, and length you have and to learn what styles would work well with your hair type. A lot of times, we recommend hair extensions for our brides who select styles that may require fuller, thicker or longer hair. Second, consider a hair style that will compliment your features and face shape. If you're self conscious about having a larger forehead, choosing a style that has side-swept bangs would not only make you feel more comfortable, but would probably look better in photos. Lastly, make sure the style you choose compliments the style of the dress. If the dress is very ornate and busy (especially around the neckline), it may be better to go with a clean up-do that's up and away from the neck so the two don't compete with each other. Careful styling is very important to creating a beautiful and cohesive look.

Jubilee: We've been asked more often than not now, whether or not the groom and groomsmen should have their makeup and hair done on the wedding day too. What are your thoughts about this, and should men have a different beauty regiment before the wedding?

M&T: Unless the groom has a scar or prominent acne/blemishes that needs coverage, we personally feel makeup is not necessary for men just because we think men look handsome and sexy when they go au natural vs. primped and prepped. As for hair styling, we don't specialize in styling men's hair so we recommend that they go to a professional who they trust and know can style their hair the way the want it. For men's skincare, we recommend the same regimen used for the brides.

Jubilee: What is your favorite, and most useful, beauty tip for brides?

M&T: Lashes, lashes, lashes! Lashes really enhances the face and takes it to another level. And face luminzer is also a great trick to achieve glowing skin!

Thanks so much for all the valuable tips, Mimi & Taylor! 

Photo by Augie Chang Photography

Wedding Advice: {Choosing Your Furniture and Tabletop Rentals}

Since every couple has very different styles, this post is going to be more about the anatomy of a tabletop setting rather than the style choices on tabletop rentals. However, we will provide some great resources for rentals in the San Francisco Bay Area throughout the post.

Because guests will likely spend the most time at your wedding seated at the dinner table (assuming you are opting for a formal seated dinner service), we feel it makes a great impact on the guest experience when the table is dressed up nicely.

First of all, you should decide the type of table you want. Rounds? Squares? Long Kings' tables? We often do a combination of these to spur things up a bit. If you're going for rounds, we would recommend a smaller round--48" or 60" because anything larger will make it very hard for guests at that table to hold decent conversations.

If you choose a table that doesn't require a linen over it, like this modern Bourgeois Table from Blueprint Studio, that's fantastic. However, if you do need a linen, there's certainly no shortage of amazing linens for rental, such as Wildflower Linens, La Tavola Linens, and Napa Valley Linens. Linens in every color, texture and fabric imaginable can be found at these places, and if not, they are happy to custom make one for you! Below are a few photos of our previous events where custom linens were made for our clients:

Wildflower Linens custom made this gorgeous lace cap for our clients' tables (Photo by Anna Kuperberg)

Wildflower Linens custom made this beautiful linen for our clients, with layers of grey tulle
(Photo by Augie Chang Photography) 

Because tables and linens take up so much real estate of a reception venue, they can really make an impact when guests enter the room, so we feel it's worth it to splurge on ones that look and feel special.

Next, you're going to need some chairs to fill those tables! Chairs make a great impact as well, because when you multiple that by the number of guests that you have, they are going to be a big part of the visual presentation of the reception room. Chiavari chairs are familiar to most people, but there are lots of other styles of chairs to choose from these days, from the ghost chairs that you see in the photo above, to the modern Louis chairs, and many more, as you can see below from more of our event photos:

Sleek Chameleon Chairs from Classic Party Rentals (Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz)

White Compass Chairs from Hartmann Studio (Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz)

Elegant gold versailles chairs from Classic Party Rentals (Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz)

Custom blue Louis chairs from Hartmann Studio (Photo by Angie Silvy)

Specialty chairs from Hartman Studio (Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz)

Once guests arrive to their assigned table, they will get to admire (and Instagram) the beautiful place setting you have designed for them. We recommend charger plates so that the table setting has some texture to it. We often layer on an additional show plate on top to create even more texture. Nix the bread and butter plate--it clutters up the table in a not-so-pretty way, and guests can use their chargers when being served the bread.

There really isn't a function to the charger as it is more for aesthetics, but it really enhances the overall table decor, as you can see from our event photos below:

Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz

Photo by Cliff Brunk

Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz

The "icing on the cake" will be to finish off your tabletop with napkins, menu cards, flatware, and stemware. If you don't have a Wedding Planner to help you with this, you should partner with your caterer in the rental selection process, so they can help you to identify the quantities types of flatware and stemware for the menu that you have chosen. 

Pick a simple napkin fold to go with your table settings (no swans in your glassware, please). We particularly love the flat fold so that it becomes an added color/texture to the menu laid on top. We also like rolling it up and adding a lovely napkin ring to it as an added decor element to the table:

Photo by Gary Ashley

Photo by Lisa Lefkowitz

Have fun selecting your rentals and dressing up your tables! Below are some great rental resources in the San Francisco Bay Area, with some that will ship/deliver beyond the Greater Bay Area.

Blueprint Studios

Hartmann Studios

Classic Party Rentals

One True Love Vintage Rentals

Especially Yours Chair Covers & Chiavari Chairs

Milk Glass Vintage Rentals

Latest Addiction: Pinterest

There are many words to describe Pinterest, but "addictive" is definitely on the top of my list. I use this adjective with a positive tone though, because it this very addiction that has brought a new form of organization and inspiration in my life.

Like many others, I spend hours cruising the internet on any given day, mesmerized by all the eye candy, new (amazing) products, and creative ideas out there. Now, instead of trying to bookmark every interesting page that I come across, I can conveniently "pin" it onto my Pinterest boards, allowing me to organize every image and link that I want to preserve.

This is a very user-friendly site that makes it almost intuitive to use, and to share, and it would be a great way for couples planning their wedding to keep their ideas and images contained in one place.

Our Recent Faves!

It seems that a lot of very talented and creative folks out there are hard at work inventing the 'next best thing' for engaged couples. Here are some of our favorite new things in the gorgeous world of weddings...

{ Weddington Way }

If you've ever shopped with a group of girls and tried to reach some kind of consensus on a dress, you'll likely agree that it can be a daunting process. Brides can surely commiserate on the stressful task of finding the right bridesmaid dress that all of their bridesmaids would love, then coordinating to make sure everyone understands the ordering and fitting process, while trusting their best girlfriends who are scattered in different parts of the world to actually remember to do everything in a timely manner. Weddington Way is a brilliant solution to help brides master this ever-intimidating task by providing an easy to use platform for the girls to shop, share, and bond over the experience. Heavenly, right? We think so.

{ Loverly }

Exactly how are you suppose to keep track of all those eye candy that sweeps you off your feet in the blogosphere? Loverly wants to be your solution. A "visual search engine and cloud scrapbook, they help brides and their friends search, save, and share wedding inspiration from the best sites online." We think they're going to rock the wedding world!

{ Kate Spade Wedding Belles }

With newcomers to the bridal market such as J Crew and Anthropology, it leaves us anticipating which of the next big brands will announce a new bridal line. Kate Spade, however, chose to focus instead on the occasions surrounding the wedding day. Their stylish line of little white dresses are remarkable choices for the rehearsal dinner, welcome cocktail party, or other pre and post wedding events.

{ Foodie Registry }

If you're looking to have an unconventional registry for your wedding, the Foodie Registry may just suit your palette. Started by several Chicago foodies, this registry will allow guests to gift you dining experiences at your favorite restaurants. If you are big foodies, or if you simply love dining out, you'll find this registry so much more practical than an extra pot or pan around the house!

Men: Be Well-Groomed

In order to stay "in the know" for my clients, I spend quite a bit of time each week perusing through the wedding blogosphere. I would hardly call that "work" though. Once I start on my blog roll, I am happily sucked into the beautiful world of weddings for hours! There is so much eye candy out there to keep us inspired, from ombre dresses to castle cakes and everything in between. I am still discovering new blogs everyday to add to my blog roll, and one of my recent favorite is the Well-Groomed blog by Darren, targeted specifically to men to help them be stylish gentlemen on the wedding day.

I love the Q & A sessions that Darren conducts on his blog, providing really valuable and practical tips for grooms. Not sure what color loafers to match a navy suit? What about finding that perfect tie to go with your vest-less tux? Keep up with Darren's stylish tips to help you become a well-groomed man on the most important day of your life.

Images above obtained from the Well-Groomed Blog.

Lover.ly Coming Soon!

Through Wedding 360 last year, I had the good fortune of meeting lots of new industry friends from across the country. One of them was Leila Khalil, an extremely smart and talented publicist for the wedding industry. Her blog Inspired By This is, true to its name, incredibly inspiring. Recently, I received an email from her introducing a new venture that her sister is embarking upon. It is called Lover.ly, and is "a visual search engine and digital dropbox". Basically, it will make the search process more defined and efficient for brides, and allow brides to store all of their wedding inspirations and ideas in one place. With the vast amount of wedding blogs and informational sites out there these days, I think this will quickly become a valued tool for couples planning their wedding. Their site will be launching soon, so be sure to enter your email address on their site now to be notified!

Anthropology's BHLDN Wedding Collection

While in London for the last two weeks, I've encountered first hand the popularity of fascinators and hair accessories, thanks to the Royal Wedding. There is a certain femininity to wearing such accessories, and below are some of my recent favorites from Anthropology's new wedding collection, BHLDN. Enjoy! Be Inspired!

Shoe clips can transform your basic flats and heels for glamorous occasions!