Here’s to 2012!
We can’t wait to see what the new year will bring. We are looking forward to posting new weddings, working with our 2012 brides and grooms, sharing future bridal adventures, and providing advice along the way. Have a safe and happy new year, and of course, be marry!
Christa and Christina
Love this picture. Thank you to BRIDES.com for the fabulous find.
Be Marry,
C&C
Postage increase beginning in January
If you haven’t heard, there will be a postage increase on January 22, 2012. If you plan to mail anything from save the dates, engagement party invites, or wedding invitations remember to consider the postage increase when mailing items out. If you are expecting response cards to be returned, don’t get caught with out enough postage or you can expect a giant stack of bright yellow ‘return to sender’ stickers stamped on your beautifully addressed invitations.
The increase will affect everything being placed in your mailbox with postcards having the biggest price jump with a three cent increase. If you plan on ordering custom stamps do consider the price increase when you place your order.
You can also check out our post about personalized postage if you plan to order custom stamps for your invitations.
https://ccwedblog.wordpress.com/2011/03/29/personalized-postage/
Here at ccwedblog we are not preparing to get married, but we are sending out a LOT of mail these days. We are planning our Annul Bridal Showcase here at Menifee Lakes Country Club and are sending out stacks of postcards. We thought we would be smart and save money by sending postcards this year to avoid the postage increase in January. Lucky for us we didn’t buy 2,000 postcard stamps because we plan on mailing 2,000 postcards before January 22, 2012 in order to receive that .28 cent postage.
Here are the facts straight from the United Postal Service regarding the postage increase:
Prices for most Postal Service mailing services will change on January 22, 2012.
FIRST-CLASS MAIL HIGHLIGHTS:
■ Letters (1 oz.) – 1-cent increase to 45 cents.
■ Single-piece letters additional ounce rate – unchanged at 20 cents.
■ Postcards – 3-cent increase to 32 cents
■ Letters to Canada or Mexico (1 oz.) – 5-cent increase to 85 cents
■ Letters to other international destinations – 7-cent increase to $1.05
It is always a good idea to take the item you are going to mail to the post office to have it weighed in order to determine the correct postage amount. If you are unsure of the weight of the item, or the postage amount, it is better to be safe than sorry. Do make a short trip down to your local post office and be sure to get those invites out.
Be Marry,
C&C
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Best Wishes,
Christa and Christina
” The C&C Team”
Musical Tables
No, this is not a game that you play during your wedding reception, but it is a way to improve upon plain, table numbers. We heard about this tip from one of our newly booked brides, Rose. She attended a large wedding and was impressed with how guests were released to the buffet line. Instead of having the DJ call individual table numbers, the bride and groom named each table after a favorite song that held meaning in their relationship. When it came time for tables to be dismissed the DJ would play each table’s designated song, dismissing the table for dinner. Not only did it alleviate the awkward pauses and loud announcements from the DJ, it made an impact on the guests. Thank you Rose for the inspiring Tip.
Be Marry,
C&C
Silhouettes
Not only is this photo fitting for the chilly December weather, it is also quickly becoming a trend at weddings . We have seen quite a few silhouettes being given to guests as wedding favors and as guest book signature accompaniments. They are a throwback to old-fashioned portraits and they are one of a kind. We hope to see more of them. Enjoy!
Be Marry,
C&C
How to prevent an unexpected plus one.
As you start receiving your RSVP’s you may notice you have quite a few plus ones you were not anticipating. It’s understandable why a guest may want to bring a date to a wedding, but if the plus ones are out numbering family attendance there is a polite way to narrow down the guest list. BRIDES magazine suggests sending a polite e-mail notifying guests that you would love to have them bring a date to celebrate with them, but due to space and budget limitations you cannot accommodate dates. Be sure to end the e-mail on a positive note and acknowledge how excited you are to have them attend.
Be Marry,
C&C
Martha Stewart Weddings had a post a little while back as part of
Darcy’s Wedding Tip of the Day and we still can’t get over it.
Wear-Again-Worthy Bridesmaid Dresses
We love, love, love this dress and it comes in a variety of colors.
Follow the link below to see the whole gallery of dresses and be warned its going to be hard to decide on just one color or style with all these great dresses
Be Marry,
C&C
We featured Leah and Jonathan’s wedding in one of our Real Wedding Decoration Posts < https://ccwedblog.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/real-wedding-decorations-smith-wedding/> and are excited to expand on their special day with their personal wedding story featured below.
We were delighted to have Leah and Jonathan’s ceremony and reception at Menifee Lakes Country Club on Saturday, September 24, 2011. Leah was a wonderful bride to work with and was over the moon to get married to Jonathan. We throughly enjoyed the wedding countdown she posted on her Facebook leading up to her wedding date. We were thrilled to have such an excited bride, a group of wonderful vendors to pull it together, and Imagery Concepts to capture it all. Leah submitted a wedding story detailing her wedding process and included a few behind the scenes tid bits. Enjoy!
Leah and Jonathan Smith’s Wedding Story
Once Upon a Time….
How did you meet?
Jonathan and I went to the same high school and had the same friends but never met until the day he found me on MySpace in 2007. We talked for about a month over the phone and through the internet. We then decided to go with some friends to the beach, unfortunately all of our friends bailed out, but that gave us even more time to hang out and get to know each other. Friendship to me was the key and after a month of talking and hanging out he asked me to be his girlfriend and the rest is history.
Describe the proposal…..
Jonathan and I went on vacation to Las Vegas, Nevada for our 2 year anniversary. On the day of our anniversary, we were walking the strip and came across the Bellagio fountains. As the music played in the background we sat and watched. Once the fountain show was over, I was ready to go across the street to the Eiffel Tower but Jon kept telling me to wait a second. All of the sudden he grabbed my hand looked at me went down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Being me, my first response was, ” Did you talk to my parents?” He of course said yes, and then I said, ” Of course I will marry you!”
Your Fairytale Come True….
What personal touches did you incorporate in you wedding?
My family played a huge part in making my special day come to life from the invitations, to the centerpieces at the reception, it was truly a dream come true. We were able to incorporate our favorite color, blue, throughout the whole entire wedding process. We were able to make one of a kind invitations, wedding favors, and centerpieces that incorporated our personalities and our favorite candy. On the day of the wedding my mother also made Jonathan’s favorite cookies, snicker doodles, to put beside the cake.
What was the most memorable moment of your wedding day?
That is easy, walking down the aisle with my dad, looking straight ahead, and seeing the man of my dreams standing and waiting for me. It was truly magical to know that as soon as I saw him nothing else mattered.
What menu did you choose?
We decided to go with the Italian menu because it fit our budget and you can never go wrong with Italian cuisine. Plus it was super yummy!!!
Describe your cake?
When I was finally in the midst of planning my wedding, I knew that I had to have Michelle’s bakery in Redlands. They make the most yummy and beautiful cakes. Since I was not able to decide on a flavor, my cake had 3 tiers with a different flavor at each tier. My bottom tier was a vanilla raspberry, middle tier was a chocolate toffee, and the top-tier was a triple chocolate, it was all topped with a rich and yummy butter cream frosting. The decoration on the cake was simple, elegant, and went perfect with the atmosphere and our personalities.
What flowers did you use?
Details and Bloom made the bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres. They were all made with white and yellow roses tied with blue and gold around the stems. My family and myself made the centerpieces and décor in the ceremony. Centerpieces were made with white Chinese mum’s, daisy’s, and yellow babies breaths followed by blue gems that filled the bottom. The ceremony flowers were made with Hydrangeas, daisy’s and tea leafs.
What was your something blue, borrowed, old, and new?
My something blue was my garter, borrowed was my bracelet and necklace, old was my earrings, and new was my veil and dress.
Describe your shoes?
My shoes were classic white satin that went absolutely perfect with my dress and were super comfortable and easy to walk in.
What accessories did you wear?
I wore earrings, a necklace, a bracelet, and of course my absolutely stunning veil.
Describe your dress?
My dress was simply elegant and was absolutely my dream wedding gown. The brooch in the center was just enough décor followed by the corset back and the crystals that flowed down.
What were the highlights of your ceremony?
Thank you Menifee Lakes for making a dream wedding come to life!!!!
Jonathan and Leah Smith
On your wedding day you want to look picture perfect, beautiful, and wear fabulous heels of course. What if a minor thing like, grass ruins this dream sequence and alters your outfit for the day? You could use those handy heel covers to avoid damaging your shoes and prevent you from sinking into the grass as you walk down the aisle. Or step it up a notch with good ol’ Martha Stewart’s solution, have cement pavers placed at the alter site where the bridesmaids will stand. During the ceremony you won’t have to worry about sinking and the pavers provide markers so each girl knows where to stand.
Be Marry,
C&C
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