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February 2014
BRIDAL GUIDE
www.havredailynews.com
John Paul Schmidt Havre Daily News
Cavaliers Men’s Wear has been providing the Hi-Line with tuxedos for decades, and the owners and staff pride themselves on being a quick and easy one-stop-shop for preparing wedding participants’ duds. Allen “Woody” Woodwick, an employee at Cavaliers, said the process for preparing men for weddings at his shop is fairly simple. Woodwick said that they first find out the basics: how many people are going to be partaking in the wedding ceremonies, the names of the party and what style the men, or their more fashion-savvy counterparts, are looking for. One of the most important things is to get the colors of the vests and ties to match those of the bridesmaid’s dresses. “It’s important to know the colors being used,” Woodwick said. “The men have to match or there will be trouble.” The tuxedos are pulled out or, if the store does not have enough in stock, are ordered from the store’s distributor. Orders generally come in a few days early at the latest and then Cavaliers employees will then get the men’s measurements in order to tailor-fit the tuxedos to make the wedding procession look sharp. The fittings
BRIDAL GUIDE
February 2014
www.havredailynews.com
Tying the knot requires flower power
Tuxedo RENTING pointers take as little as five minutes to complete. “We like to make it as easy as possible,” Woodwick said. “We want to make sure everything fits right.” Cavaliers’ location in Havre saves people organizing weddings from traveling greater distances to get ready, like making the fourhour round trip to Great Falls. Woodwick said they get a lot of business from the Hi-Line because of this, from people looking to dress up for weddings, proms and other occasions. Woodwick said the average tuxedo rental runs at $100, but can range anywhere from $85 to $250 depending on the style desired. “It all depends on what you want,” Woodwick said. The rental includes everything needed for a complete tuxedo, from the pants to the cufflinks. Advice Woodwick has for those preparing for a wedding is that it does not hurt to come into the store a few months early to make sure everything is prepared in time for the wedding. One of the biggest problems people face in the prep-work is rounding up everyone involved in the wedding for the fitting of the tuxedos. “One of the things we pride ourselves in is making it as easy as possible,” Woodwick said.
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Whether you have one week or one year before your big day, including the florist in your wedding planning can insure a unique touch of beauty to your wedding. Floral accents for a wedding ceremony can range from a simple bouquet for her and boutonnière for him to fully decorated venues for the wedding and reception with flowers for the entire wedding party, immediate family, aisles, pews and alter with centerpieces, garlands, bouquets and scattered petals. Like all decisions for the wedding, those concerning the flowers can be overwhelming, but a few things can make this portion of the planning go easier. Pam Burke
Havre Daily News
Shelbee & Brian Fritchman July 20, 2013
• Book the florist early The primary thing to remember, said Angela Pratt of Angie’s Wildflowers in Havre, is to book the florist in advance — she recommends six months to a year. That said, florists can generally do something for a wedding, if they’re not booked up for that weekend, said Pratt. “We can make anything happen. If a bride has to get it done in a week, we’ll get it done,” she said, adding that it limits options available to the bride, and it’s almost always more expensive.
Local florists have experience to offer the couple, Hanson said, with such things as how long it takes to order in specialty flowers, how different flowers will hold up to the area's heat or cold and which flowers are in season. • Come to the florist with a budget. This will affect everything from the type of flowers to buy to the number of bouquets, boutonnieres and other floral arrangements, said Hanson “We as a flower shop, we really try to honor that,” said Pratt about the wedding budget. “Every bride should be able to have the day she wants for what she can afford.” And even if your budget doesn’t allow for the flowers you had hoped for, all your dreams are not lost, she added. “We may not be able to do orchids, but we can steer you somewhere that would be more in your budget and help out,” she said, adding that in her experience the budget is important largely because it’s harder on the bride’s emotions to make a great plan for flowers with the florist then have to trim it back after finding that a budget, made later, doesn’t allow for the expense. It's also important to remember, Hanson said, that "you don't have to have a lot of money to have a pretty wedding.” • Know the number of people, plac-
es and things that will need flowers, as well as the size of your venues.
Pamela Andersen & Kurt Shulund September 28, 2013
Another reason to book the florist early is to insure that they are available on the big day. The size of the floral shop dictates the number of venues they can cover in a weekend. Pratt said that she is limited to two weddings in a weekend with her staff and storage capacity. Lisa Hanson, floral designer at Milam Floral in Havre, said that shop can handle one big wedding or two smaller ones each weekend, and added that the limitation is for the couple's benefit as much as anything. "We want to be sure to give our full attention to them," she said. • Start early gathering photo ideas
for bouquets and decorations, but keep an open mind for suggestions from the professionals.
Photos of flowers and floral arrangements you like, said Pratt, are a good place to start, and the florist can advise and personalize from there.
This goes back to the budget, said Hanson. Take into consideration such things as the number of people in the wedding party, immediate family members, the number of assistants, the number of tables and the size of the wedding and reception venues. • Know the colors planned for the
wedding and think about which flowers and other details you like.
It goes without saying that wedding colors will affect the flower choices made for the whole occasion, but remember that new flower varieties come out every year, and the florist will be able to tell you if something new is out there to fit your needs and preferences. It’s your wedding, so be sure to include things you like, things that are unique to you, Pratt said, adding that the personal touches can be photos, trinkets with personally symbolic meaning and mementos which can be incorporated into the bouquet and arrangements. • Know if you have any flower
restrictions.
Some venues don’t allow flower pedals, and some don’t allow certain scented flowers
because of allergies, said Pratt. And know if any family and friends have specific allergies that can affect flower choice as well. • Be aware of the time of year
you’re getting married.
Seasons can drastically affect the type of flowers available, and summer heat in an outdoor wedding can be hard on some types of flowers, said Hanson. However, she added, a florist can help steer you in the direction of flowers that will work. • Keep the florist updated. Both Hanson and Pratt pointed out that problems can occur if the florist is not kept in the loop about any changes, from wedding location to budget to the number of people in the wedding party to colors. And if an outdoor wedding has a secondary venue in case of rain, Pratt said with a laugh, tell the florist.
Trends
“One thing about being in Havre,” said Angela Pratt of Angie’s Wildflowers, “is we’re kind of behind the times, and there’s so much out there that people can do and they don’t even know about.” • Get on the Internet and do some searches, especially Pinterest, she said. The Internet can offer many new and fresh ideas. • Allow yourself to think outside the box when consulting with the florist. Pratt said that florists can offer a fresh angle to ideas while also adding personalized touches to bouquets and arrangements. • Bold colors are in this year, said Pratt, as are unusual plant accents like succulents — used in centerpieces and the bride’s bouquet as well. • A wide variety of specialty flowers are available, even in Havre, but some require at least three weeks to get shipped in. “The real popular thing is tie-died orchids this year,”Pratt said. “They’re blue and purple, and we have to order so far out for those because they are so in demand — we have to have three weeks lead time.”