Forever Bridal Issue 9

T h e

B r i d e ’ s

R e s o u r c e

06 WEDDING IN A BOX

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FLOWER GIRLS DRESSES

22 FLOWERS THE ART OF THE PARTY

r e h t O The s s e r D e t i h W 1

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contents 20 FLOWER GIRLS 22 F LOWERS ARE THE ART OF THE PARTY

The Other White Dress 06

WEDDING IN A BOX

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GLAMOROUS ENTERTAINING

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WEDDING JEWELRY NOT JUST THE RING

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DEADLINES & DETAILS

24 WEDDING INVITATIONS: BOTANICALS, MONOGRAMS AND SEEDED INVITES 26 WEDDING ARCHES 28 WEDDING INSURANCE 30 THE WEDDING BUDGET

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T h e

B r i d e ’ s

R e s o u r c e

Executive Publisher

Web/Digital

GREG AND SUZANNE FOX

CLAIRE THOMAS

Managing Editor

Writers

SUZANNE FOX

CLAUDIA HANLIN MARY SHARP MADELINE GARDNER LORIA CLARENDEN RILEY ANDERSON SUSAN MANNING

Copy Editor CHRISTIAN DISCHLER

Creative Director SUZANNE FOX

Design SUZANNE FOX CLAIRE THOMAS

©2021 Jumpstart Publishing, LLC. • PO Box 8, Mandeville, LA 70470 69185 Sky Brook Road, Mandeville, LA 70471 All rights reserved. • info@igofox.com

Local Credits

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This elegant small wedding designed by Claudia’s Wedding Library displays the perfect way to use Freshly Set’s designer tabletop products to add charm, elegance and detail that is fit to your personal style.

Claudia explains her inspiration and design thought process when she designed this beautiful reception dinner in Tuxedo Park, New York.

Wedding in a box

Top Tips for Designing a Small Wedding by Claudia Hanlin

Freshly Set is an e-commerce service offering brides the opportunity to rent designer tabletop pieces for their small wedding or party. “I created an opulent lakeside dinner, evoking a glamorous party that I imagined at a villa overlooking Lake Como. I love the combination of pinks and burgundy, and the Penny Morrison linen evoked the handmade, informal and cheeky look I was going for. An added bonus was the complex color combinations that challenged me and I think in the end worked really well! I wanted it to feel slightly homespun, complete with tarnished silver containers and (slightly) kitschy candle shades."

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UPGRADE. SERVE YOUR FAVORITE CHAMPAGNE. MAKE IT A PARTY TO REMEMBER!

CLAUDIA'S TIPS! • T hrow out your pre-conceived design ideas that you might have for a big party.

It’s the perfect opportunity to make it personal, not cookie cutter!

• Think home entertaining: time to break out the fine linens, antique silver and heirloom china. Don’t have enough? No problem. Mix and match to make it super personal.

• I ndividualize! Use place cards, hand write menu cards, leave a personal note at each place setting.

Toast every guest!

• Don’t skimp on flowers. This is not the time for a DIY project. Hire your dream designer and get a few lush centerpieces.

• Make it comfortable.

If it’s outside, make sure you have cozy blankets available or pashminas, pillows and a few fire pits.

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I WANTED IT TO FEEL COMPLETELY

HOMESPUN, WITH TARNISHED SILVER CONTAINERS AND KITSCHY CANDLE SHADES.

• Don’t forget pacing.

You might not have a planner, maitre d’ or band leader to keep the party going. Have someone watch the clock and keep the timing and pacing lively.

We like having a little surprise or “moment” every half hour or so.

(This could be a toast, cake cutting, tequila shots, first dance or sparklers).

Make it fun!

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Glamorous WeddingEntertaining

By Mary Sharp SIGNATURE COCKTAIL Make your day memorable and easy at the same time.

Create a signature cocktail that will satisfy the masses and serve it in pitchers on each table. This will keep the line shorter at the bar and save money on alcohol.

The same is true if you are having a non-alcoholic event.

Use antique and etched glass pitchers to serve mocktails that even your most critical aunt will love.

STRAWBERRY COCKTAIL Strawberry Lemonade Vodka Triple Sec Prosecco Sparkling Water Lime Juice (For mocktail, leave out the alcohol)

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FRESH OFF THE GRILL Grilled anything is the perfect wedding food for lunch or dinner. Shrimp with a side of cous cous is light and filling.

Be careful not to serve heavy foods at your wedding. Keep your guests and your fare light.

A SECOND OPTION Another light and tasty grilled favorite is blackened scallops on top a bed of spinach.

Always have two options for your guests. A carb-free option has become very popular in the days of keto, fasting and lean and green diets!

STARTERS Equally pretty and delicious, a salad is probably the most cost effective starter to a premium meal. Make it colorful and tasty with different textures. Here, we have arugula, strawberries, feta cheese and pecans. Mix with strawberry vinaigrette dressing and it pairs lovely with your signature cocktail.

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BRACELETS, RINGS & EARRINGS,

Oh My!

By Mary Sharp

WEDDING JEWELRY NOT JUST THE RING! WEDDING JEWELRY DOESN'T HAVE TO BREAK THE BANK AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ROYAL CRYSTALS. ELEGANT, TIMELESS JEWELRY IS MEANT FOR ALL OF YOUR WEDDING EVENTS, FROM THE SHOWER TO THE HONEYMOON. Today's bride is elegant and practical. She understands the value of money and planning a wedding on a budget. This makes today's weddings some of the most memorable events to come. There will be special mementos and family heirlooms; the traditional more than the outrageous.

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Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. These words mean more to today's bride than they did five or even ten years ago. The value of every purchase for your wedding should be scrutinized. That's why your wedding jewelry should be versatile, timeless and

elegant. It doesn't have to be expensive, but it should follow your everyday style.

You may wear it to your wedding, your shower and your honeymoon, but you should be able to wear it for many years to come. Make it practical. Jewelry pictured is from Ring Concierge, a line of vintageinspired jewelry.

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orilee by Madeline Gardner proudly launches "The Other White Dress" Collection which is comprised of clean timeless looks fit for a casual or small intimate ceremony, chic wedding reception or other events. Weddings and their surrounding events are evolving past the wedding chapel, into intimate backyard gatherings, memorable vineyard and beach ceremonies & beyond.

By Madeline Gardner

The Other White Dress

FOR YOUR INTIMATE WEDDING OR EVENTS BEFORE AND AFTER YOUR CEREMONY, "THE OTHER WHITE DRESS" WILL COMPLETE YOUR WEDDING TROUSSEAU.

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STYLISTICALLY SPEAKING Brides can look forward to a flirty, Jackie O, tea-length style dress, a jaw dropping silky chiffon column dress with plunging low back, a wide leg jumpsuit which perfectly cinches the waist & romantic billowy sleeves that catch flight to have gorgeous movement to them. The iconic pieces all hold a timeless style infused with endless inspiration.

“I’ve designed The Other White Dress collection with personalization at the forefront of each style. A blank canvas for my brides to make their own, and bring their wedding day vision to life. From effortlessly chic to sophisticated and ultra-glamorous, this collection provides simple, sleek looks that can be versatility styled to beautifully complement any type of wedding setting.

The perfect modern-day dresses for today’s everevolving bride.”

–Madeline Gardner

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"jaw dropping silky chiffon column dress with plunging low back"

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THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN PLANNING A WEDDING. TO ENSURE SUCCESS – AND YOUR SANITY – THE KEY IS ORGANIZATION. WE’VE COMPILED A DETAILED CHECKLIST THAT PAYS SPECIAL ATTENTION TO TIME-SENSITIVE DEADLINES, SO YOU CAN CREATE A FOOLPROOF CALENDAR AND TO-DO LIST.

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Deadlines & Details

12 months +

 Select date, time and place.Then reserve venues!  Decide on wedding size and style.  Hire wedding consultant (if applicable) and create wedding website.  Shop for gown.  Begin guest list.

9-12 months

 Research honeymoon destinations.  Book musicians, DJ, florist, photographer, videographer and limousines.  Order invitations.  Purchase gown and begin alterations.  Ask friends to be in wedding party and order bridesmaid dresses.

6-9 months

 Finalize guest list and send save-the-date cards.  Book appointments for hair, nails and make-up.  Reserve attire for groom and groomsmen.  Order cake(s).  Purchase rings.

3-6 months

 Secure bridal accessories (such as shoes, jewelry, garter and mementos)  Give musicians a list of songs you want them to play (or to avoid).  Make food choices with venue.

2 months

 Mail invitations.

1 month

 Give photographer a list of pictures you want taken.

1 week

 Give final head count to reception venue.

The day before

 Hold rehearsal ceremony and dinner.  Deliver everything to site and work out any kinks.  Give marriage license to officiant.  Present gifts to wedding party, parents and any other honored guests.

The day of

 Give rings and officiant’s fee to best man.  Designate liaison for photographer to ensure all necessary pictures are taken.  EXHALE! NOTE: Larger cities have long waiting lists for wedding vendors so you may need to act sooner!

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FLOWER

Girls

FORMAL OR INTIMATE WEDDING, VINTAGE FLOWER GIRL DRESSES ARE CLEARLY THE MOST ELEGANT FOR YOUR SMALL ATTENDEES.

By Mary Sharp

VINTAGE LEADS THE WAY There is actually a significance behind the flower girl. Her purpose is to lead the bride forward and symbolize the innocence fading away, and her role as a mother and wife coming forward. The tradition began in Ancient Rome, where the flower girl serviced the bride and groom by carrying wheat and herbs.

This is the perfect flower girl dress for your intimate wedding, large or small. Now you can dress your little princess in a vintage style dress everyone will love. The dress is beautifully crafted in Feltman Brother’s classic styling featuring exquisite hand embroidered detailing.

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CREATE A BUCKET LIST. Ask your guests to flip through the pages of an atlas (bonus points for vintage) and leave their names and messages on one destination they’ve visited and wish to recommend (or on a destination they hope to visit and why).

Selecting your vacation spot using this unique keepsake each year will be a lovely reminder of your wedding day.

Flowers

ARE THE ART OF THE PARTY

By Deanne Marks

GREEN HYDRANGEAS & WHITE RANUNCULUS One of the most cherished flowers, hydrangeas blossom in well-tended gardens and grace floral arrangements around the world. They symbolize sincere emotions, gratitude, and deep understanding. In particular, Green Hydrangea flowers symbolize renewal and rebirth. The white ranunculus are a staple in high-end flower shops and wedding bouquets. The tissue-thin petals of the ranunuculus create a delicate addition to the bolder green hydrangea. Together, the two are a stark statement to your bouquet.

PEONIES A peony represents wealth and honor. It also embodies romance and love, and is regarded as the omen of good fortune and happy marriage. Peony plants can live to be 100 years and still produce flowers. They are an excellent addition to a bi-color ensemble of green and white.

WHAT IS INSPIRING YOU? Find inspiration in layering patterns. From bold geometrics to feminine florals, have fun piecing together unexpected patterns from the linens and flowers, to place settings. Let your floral linens steal the show.

SILVER PITCHERS Gold, sliver or even patina vases and pitchers filled with pink peonies, green hydrangeas and accented with shades of bold pink filler flowers create the ultimate vintage look. Save money on vases and ask relatives to let you "borrow" a family heirloom. Place a card on the table with credit to the contributor.

VINTAGE The vintage bouquet of variegated dark and light pink garden roses and draped with wisteria in a tarnished antique urn. The wisp of green ruscus gives this bouquet balance. This bouquet can accent an intimate candle light ceremony or a formal dinner with ease.

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WEDDING INVITATIONS botanical styles

By Riley Anderson MONOGRAM Monograms are a wonderful way of adding a personal touch while keeping your botanical invites simplistic and classy.

Match your wedding flowers to your botanical invites.

The wife's initial is first in the monogram, followed by the initial of the couple's last name and completed with the groom's first initial. While marriage monograms are not as common as personal monograms, they are the perfect detail to add to any wedding or celebration of newly-weds!

SUSTAINABILITY Sustainability is a major trend throughout wedding planning and it's coming into wedding stationery, too. Use recycled and plantable seed paper for your invitations. It's great way to share the growth of your union with your friends and family. Be sure to print on the card, "This paper is embedded with plantable seeds. Plant with care and sow the love and joy we have for each other."

Plant this invitation and wildflowers will grow

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g n i d d e W s e h c Ar

By Loria Clarenden

WISTERIA AND GARDEN ROSES Start with a grapevine arch and decorate with garden roses draped with hanging wisteria vines. This arch will make a statement with your romantic, elegant wedding.

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GETTING MARRIED ON A BUDGET? The rest of your wedding decorations can be plain Jane if your wedding arch is out of this world, Stage all of your pictures with the arch in the background and you will have fond memories of your beautiful day for year to come.

ROSE PETALS AND GRAPE VINE ARCHES Are you wondering where brides get all of the rose petals? There are companies that sell them by the thousands!

Try FiftyFlowers.com

GARDEN ROSES You can never go wrong with garden roses with a back ground of ruscus.

OVER THE TOP If your wedding is over the top, so should your arch. A simple frame draped with chiffon curtains and topped with garden roses in shades of pink, white rununculus and peonies, then draped with wisteria and crystals. An over the top statement for your wedding.

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Wedding INSURANCE

How To Protect Your Special Day YOUR WEDDING DAY IS ONE LIKE NO OTHER -- IT'S YOUR TURN FOR A FAIRYTALE-COME-TRUE AND YOU WANT IT TO BE PERFECT. WEDDING INSURANCE IS A WAY TO GET PROTECTION FOR YOUR SPECIAL DAY.

By Susan Manning Most people who we recently surveyed didn’t realize wedding insurance existed. We asked 500 people about their weddings and wedding insurance, and found that 52% said they didn’t know wedding insurance is an option.

“These days, many venues actually require wedding insurance when couples book the place. Nevertheless, because weddings are a costly investment, it’s always a good idea to make sure that no matter what happens, you’re covered for any eventuality,” said David Berke, founder and CEO at eWed Insurance.

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Weddings can be a major investment, which is why you may want wedding insurance. More than one-third said they paid at least $10,000 for their weddings.

HOW DOES WEDDING INSURANCE WORK? Wedding insurance falls under special event coverage and usually comes in one-day, two-day and weekend length policies. There are two general types of policies: • Liability • Cancellation

Todd Shasha, managing director of personal insurance product management at Travelers, said wedding insurance is the perfect way to protect a significant investment.

"No matter the size, location and scale of your nuptials, a wedding is a significant investment as couples and their families plan full weekends complete with a rehearsal dinner, the wedding event itself and perhaps a celebratory send-off brunch. A wedding insurance policy helps to protect that investment from common and costly mishaps that can occur before, during and after the celebration," he said.

WHAT IS WEDDING CANCELLATION INSURANCE? Cancellation covers a canceled event due to illness of family, extreme weather situations or other unforeseen incidents.

According to Shasha, as long as your reason is covered, wedding insurance can be a real benefit. He added that Travelers claim data show that vendor/ venue issues and severe weather are the most common and expensive causes for wedding insurance claims.

It doesn’t cover cold feet, though.

A change of heart isn’t protected and neither is a simple rainstorm.The weather would need to be extreme

enough to prevent a safe ceremony or safe travels to and from the ceremony. Cancellation policies also don’t cover a vendor change once you make the deposit.

"Wedding insurance policies will help protect you in the event you have to postpone your event or cancel it entirely for those reasons and can also protect from other exposures, such as lost deposits, unplanned venue closings, military deployments or medical emergencies," Shasha said.

Ivy Summer, certified wedding planner at Voulez Events, said it’s vital for couples to review the contract’s language and ask if the coverage protects against acts of God. “We call this the Force Majeure clause. It refers to anything that significantly impedes on vendors' ability to fulfill on their contracts. It's important to make sure the language insures you against anything that's outside of anyone's control,” Summer said.

WHAT IS WEDDING LIABILITY INSURANCE? Liability coverage handles venue damages or injuries and illnesses to people at the wedding site. Some companies also offer liquor liability coverage, which covers you if a drunk guest gets into an accident after the wedding.

Shasha said there are many options under the liability policies.

"Optional liability and liquor liability coverage can be added to a wedding insurance policy to protect your contractually assumed exposures, such as bodily injury, property damage and personal injuries to third parties at the venues where your wedding ceremony, reception and rehearsal dinner will be held. Some venues require proof of liability insurance before the event takes place, so it's a good idea to get in touch with your venue ahead of time to make sure you have the right coverage," said Shasha.

Kerri McDonald from WedSure has seen many claims over the years, including hurricanes, fires, deaths in the family and closed venues.

“All sorts of things happen. A lot of people get injured at weddings as well and sue the venue and the bride and groom.Those are very large claims that can go into hundreds of thousands of dollars," she said.

Remember, while everyone hopes for the perfect, problem-free wedding day, that's not always the case.

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The g n i d d e W t e g d u B

Invitations & Stationery Save the Date cards Invitations, Reply Cards Postage Programs Menu Cards Place Cards Thank You Cards Calligraphy Miscellaneous TOTAL Bridal Attire & Beauty Gown Veil / Headpiece Alterations Shoes Lingerie Accessories Jewelry Makeup Hair Nails Miscellaneous TOTAL Groom’s Attire Tuxedo / Suit Shoes Cuff Links Grooming Accessories Miscellaneous TOTAL

Ceremony Location fee Officiant fee Marriage License Rings Music Miscellaneous TOTAL

Reception Location fee Food Drink Rentals Wedding Cake Groom’s Cake Favors Music Security Gratuities Miscellaneous

TOTAL Flowers Ceremony Reception Decorations Bridal Bouquet Attendant Bouquets Boutonnieres Flower Girl Parents Grandparents Miscellaneous

TOTAL

Photography Photography Videography Albums Miscellaneous

TOTAL Transportation Limousine(s) Miscellaneous

TOTAL Gifts Wedding Party Parents Bride & Groom Miscellaneous

TOTAL Honeymoon Airline tickets Accommodations Car Rentals Food Entertainment Excursions Souvenirs Passports Clothing Miscellaneous TOTAL Miscellaneous Wedding Consultant Gown Preservation TOTAL

TOTAL BUDGET:

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