And The Winner is... and History of the Garter

Miss Kriss!! 

Congrats! In March, we will be doing an even better give away to make up for our missed February! 

In the mean time, Here is a little History of the Garter.

"Tossing the wedding garter is an old  time held tradition.  It is said that in the days gone past, the bride and groom had to  show proof of their wedding consummation.  In order for it to be proven, it was common tradition to have people like family and friends come into the room with the couple.  The "witnesses" would obtain the garter as "proof" of the consummation.   Also having any article of the under garments was considered to be good luck so sometimes things would get out of hand in the newly wed's bedroom as crazed onlookers snatched at clothing to get for good luck.  This was not appreciated much by the bride nor many grooms, hence the groom started tossing the garter out so that no one would need to obtain it themselves. 
( How barbaric this sounds! glad things have changed since then)  

 

Source 

 

Because of modesty, this tradition has been modified and moved from the bedroom to the reception.   Now today we have the traditional garter toss, which is meant to bring good luck to the man who catches it.  He is said to be the next one to marry.  In some cultures the men stand and wait for the garter to be tossed.  Other cultures they actually compete for it.  The men may compete for the garter in a foot race or by horse (this is a medieval practice).  At least it is better than having the men chase the bride and put her upside down to get the garter off... This is what used to happen!  In yet other places, they even auction the garter off.  As strange as these twists on the wedding garter tradition may sound, it's all just a tradition.  Take it or leave it. 
or should I say "Take it or Toss it! "

Source

Are you participating in this tradition? Why or Why not? What was your deciding factor?

Give A Day- Get a Day: GREAT HONEYMOON MONEY SAVER

I'm sure you have all seen the Muppet commercials where they are building a house with Jamie Denton from Desperate Housewives. Well these commercials have ignited a spark so I went to the website to see what it was all about. When I got there, I quickly realized there were 200+ volunteer opportunities in the Middle Tennessee area. WOW! As I begin looking through them one particular stands out to me. Project Linus is a nationwide charity that provides blankets to children in times of dismay. Some of the most noteworthy that PLN provides to are:

Monroe Caroll Jr Children's Hospital
Vandy NICU
TN Dept. Of Children's Services
Ronald McDonald House
Wilson County Fire and Rescue
and many more.

Now you're probably thinking what does this have to do with wedding planning.. WELL IT DOES!

You see James has never been to Disney World nor Florida and that is where we are honeymooning. Being a Budget bride myself, this is a GREAT way to not only give back to your community, but also get a FREE TICKET TO DISNEY which saves $45 each! That is $100 we can put towards something else!

So, what do I want other blogger brides to do with this information? I want you to check out the website, and find a way that you can volunteer.

2010 is the year to pay it forward and do something for others!

Happy Planning!

Countdown to the Wedding Contest- 8 months to go

So it has been very busy the last 2 weeks here at Your Day of Fairy Tales and we completely forgot our Countdown to the wedding contest!

With 8 months to go til the wedding, I can guarantee that things are going to get even more hectic! So this month's contest is for ........

An ITunes Gift Card or app Store gift card worth $25. James and I both LOVEEEEEEEEeee our iPhone's and infact we both spent $10 this week on downloading the newest Lady Antebellum album (Which if you haven't done so yet, you need to because it is A-H-M-A-ZING!)

So.. How do you enter?

Comment on this blog and tell us what album or apps you would download with an iTunes or App Store gift card.

(** Entries MUST be posted by 11:59 cst Sunday January 30, 2010 to be eligible. Engaged couples only please. Previous Winners not eligible**)

Happy Planning!

Packages

Here are our 2012 wedding packages

Month of Planning

This is our alternative to day of coordination. Coming in just on the weekend of your wedding makes it difficult to know exactly what is going on and we don’t want to cause more stress. This package is for the bride who has planned everything herself and just wants someone to be there to make sure the photographer shows up when they are suppose to. Prices start at $500

Prior to Wedding:

- Unlimited phone and e-mail communication

- 3 consultations

- Review of contracts to ensure client’s best interest

- Wedding timeline down to the minute

- Ensure all necessary items are in place to be transported on wedding day to ceremony and reception location. (guestbook, favors, place cards, etc.)

- Confirm all vendors for the wedding weekend

Wedding Weekend

- Conduct wedding rehearsal in a professional manner

- Coordinate and direct the wedding day ceremony and reception

- Assist and oversee setup of ceremony and reception décor

- Ensure bridal party is in the correct place at the right time

- Distribute personal flowers to bridal party and family members

- Coordinate the setup/cleanup of decorations on guest tables, cake table, etc.

- Make sure that the rings get to the altar

- Assist disc jockey with toasts, cake cutting, first dance, bouquet and garter toss

- Pack any cake leftover for transport

- Assist with the loading of gifts

- Keep guests away from photography area

- Deliver and arrange favors on tables

- Fluff your train and be prepared with tissues and lip gloss so that you look your best on your wedding day!

Partial Wedding Planning

You’ve done most of the work yourself, but want a professional to help where it matters. Maybe you are about to go over budget and still have several vendors to hire. If this sounds like you, then this is the package for you! Prices start at $1750

- Attend up to 4 Vendor consultations

- Unlimited phone and e-mail communication

- 5 face to face consultations

- Recommend wedding vendors in client’s price point

- One final walk through of ceremony and reception location

- Review of contracts to ensure client’s best interest

- Wedding timeline down to the minute

- Ensure all necessary items are in place to be transported on wedding day to ceremony and reception location. (guestbook, favors, place cards, etc.)

- Confirm all vendors for the wedding weekend

Wedding Weekend

- Conduct wedding rehearsal in a professional manner

- Coordinate and direct the wedding day ceremony and reception

- Assist and oversee setup of ceremony and reception décor

- Ensure bridal party is in the correct place at the right time

- Distribute personal flowers to bridal party and family members

- Coordinate the setup/cleanup of decorations on guest tables, cake table, etc.

- Make sure that the rings get to the altar

- Assist disc jockey with toasts, cake cutting, first dance, bouquet and garter toss

- Pack any cake leftover for transport

- Assist with the loading of gifts

- Keep guests away from photography area

- Deliver and arrange favors on tables

- Fluff your train and be prepared with tissues and lip gloss so that you look your best on your wedding day!

Full Wedding Planning

This package is perfect for that busy bee of a bride who is too busy to do all the little things for the wedding. We take care of those so that you can enjoy being engaged and spending time with your fiancé. Prices start at $2250

Prior to Wedding:

-Comprehensive Wedding Consulting, Designing, and Planning

-Overall Design of wedding

- Assist in invitation and paper selection for wedding

- Help secure venue for ceremony and reception location

- Work with couple to establish food and beverage menu for reception

- Help establish a workable budget and checklist of items to be accomplished

- Help envision the décor, theme, and colors tailored to the couple

- Coordinate wedding day transportation for bride and groom and/or any out of town guests

- Go to onsite visits with couple to visit florist, cake, DJ, catering, etc.

- Give guidance on wedding etiquette and the latest trends

- Make hair and nail appointments for the bride and wedding party

- Help secure rental of tuxes for wedding party and groom

- Prior to wedding day, contact all vendors to ensure time of delivery and itinerary

- Finalize wedding day itinerary

- Follow up RSVP’s

- Review and negotiate all contracts

- Help with the selection of favors, gifts, and/or out of town baskets

- Make arrangements for wedding day hotel room block for bride and groom and/or any out of town guests

- Recommend vendors for florist, hair/nail salon, cake, DJ, catering, etc.

- Unlimited Contact via Email and Phone

- Unlimited Face to Face Consultations

- Assistant “Wedding Day Coordinator” included

- One final walk through of ceremony and reception location

Wedding Weekend

- Conduct wedding rehearsal in a professional manner

- Coordinate and direct the wedding day ceremony and reception

- Assist and oversee setup of ceremony and reception décor

- Ensure bridal party is in the correct place at the right time

- Distribute personal flowers to bridal party and family members

- Coordinate the setup/cleanup of decorations on guest tables, cake table, etc.

- Make sure that the rings get to the altar

- Assist disc jockey with toasts, cake cutting, first dance, bouquet and garter toss

- Pack any cake leftover for transport

- Assist with the loading of gifts

- Keep guests away from photography area

- Deliver and arrange favors on tables

- Fluff your train and be prepared with tissues and lip gloss so that you look your best on your wedding day!

Real Wedding Planning Tips: The Kids in Your Wedding

Now a day's brides and grooms are struggling with the concept of including (and even inviting) children to their wedding. When we were figuring out our wedding party we had no question whether or not we would include children in our wedding party. This is why:

Meet Kenny who is our ring bearer



and Jessie, our flower girl.

(How could you not want these cute kids in your wedding?)

Attire for the children is just as important as the groomsmen and bridesmaids. For Jessie, we are considering a very flowwy pretty party dress that she can have fun in. Kind of something like this:



I am going to DIY this flower girl basket that I found online. I don't like the birds though so those will definitely stay off! I think adorned with some beautiful blossoms it will make for a very rustic but elegant flower girl basket, which is definitely what we are going for.



Now for Kenny, I really do not want him to match the groomsmen, but want him to be his typical cute self.(This little boy yells Amen in church at the most appropriate times and the whole church dies laughing)


This Eton Suit is adorable and at a price of only $35.00 who can beat that. Kenny will not carry your traditional ring bearers pillow. I was looking for a way to incorporate more green into the wedding and found this beauty online. Another DIY project but unfortunately this can not be completed until the day before. Isn't it cute? I will adorn it with a pretty pink ribbon and voila!

Now, how are you outfitting the kids for your wedding? I would love to hear your ideas!

Keep on Planning,

Hillary

Wed Tip #1

(projectwedding.com)

Wed Tip #1: For dramatic effect in your wedding, use specialty lighting. Local companies charge between 300 and 600 for basic lighting!

Happy 2010

Well to quote a Celine Dion song "Another Year Has Gone By" and we made it through. 2010 holds so much for us here at Your Day of Fairy Tales. Here is a look at what to expect:

1. More Blog Posts featuring Vendors, fun filled wedding facts, more DIY projects!

2. The biggest wedding Your Day of Fairy Tales has ever planned

3. Working on our first ever Destination wedding with an amazing couple

4. This little thing I like to call our wedding!

2010 is going to be a great year. What are each of you looking forward to in 2010?

Happy Planning!

Hillary