Feature Friday | BeeGee Bags

Our Feature Friday this week is all about handbags. And what girl doesn't like a good handbag? These clutches from BeeGee Bags would be perfect for bridesmaids gifts, a wedding day catch-all (think lipstick, powder, bobby pins, etc), and would be something that could still be used after the fact at other occasions.







They have so many prints, patterns, and styles available; there's something for everyone.

Happy Friday!

~Brandi

Inspiration Board Contest | Emersonmade Giveaway

Don't forget to enter your inspiration boards for our Emersonmade giveaway, ending at midnight on April 30th (that's in 2 days).




Entering is easy; all you need to do is dream up a table display or a dessert display theme (a la Amy Atlas style) via a collection of pictures, or an inspiration board. The winner gets to choose their prize, and the winning table theme idea will be brought to life complete with a photo shoot.

You can read our original post here, and full contest rules are below. Happy Wednesday!

- Must represent a Spring or Summer display
- With your submission include a short write-up (no more than 150 words) describing what you feel or envision the party or event to be like (this can also be the theme of the party). Please include your contact info for us as well.
- Include all credits of any pictures you use in your inspiration board.
- You may just send individual pictures over and we can put them into board form for you as well.
- Winner will be chosen by the Soiree ladies based on creativity, uniqueness, and enthusiasm ;)
- Send your entries to blog@weddingsbysoiree.com
- Contest is for brides and non-brides alike, and all US residents.

Contest ends midnight MST on April 30th. Winner will be announced on Monday May 3rd at 12:00p MST.

From The Experts: Tips For Wedding Day Photos

This week's expert tip is from our Feature Friday guest Tana Urizar of Tana Photography. She's back this week to share some of her favorite tips to making your wedding day photos run smoothly, stay classy, and most of all capture the best parts of the day:

Have wedding day portraits taken prior to the ceremony.

It’s not taboo anymore and the groom will still think the bride’s beautiful when he sees her walk down the aisle. Especially if the wedding and reception are going to be at the same location, having the portrait session scheduled prior to the ceremony is one way to ensure the best day. Having the couple’s portraits, along with bridal party and family members, taken earlier will keep the sessions more private and relaxed, allowing more time for creativity especially when guests aren’t on the sidelines watching. Photo sessions before the ceremony definitely go more smoothly too. There’s a scheduled time for everyone to be there (a bridal party member is less likely to go missing) and everyone’s prepared and looking their best. The photographer can always arrange for the wedding couple to initially meet each other privately, capturing the “first look” and the groom still keeps that moment when he sees his bride coming down the aisle.

Consider having your wedding makeup professionally done.

It’s pampering, relaxing, and can give a bride more confidence in front of the camera. Wedding makeup should definitely be different than an every-day look. (The dress isn’t ‘every-day”!) It’s important to emphasize the eyes and features to avoid looking washed-out in a portrait. Find an artist you trust and be sure to do a pre-wedding run through. To make sure the bridesmaids’ look is cohesive, and if the budget allows, schedule enough time to have their makeup done that day too.

Plan your wedding day schedule realistically.

For photography, the schedule is usually tight and everything’s planned to get the most accomplished without taking too long. When wedding portraits are planned for pre-ceremony, allow a little room for running late at the hairdressers’, makeup artists’ and getting into wedding garb. When brides arrive late for photos, they’re already nervous and now they’re rushed- and it doesn’t make for a relaxing day. (And the photo session is one of the best parts!) My tip: tell the parties involved to be at their location 15 to 30 minutes earlier than they’re supposed to.

“Celebrating” before the photo session

I’m totally “in” with alcohol being a festive part of any celebration. But a little too much celebration a little too early in the day isn’t a good idea. Especially on those hot summer wedding days when the bridal party is being photographed outdoors and everyone gets thirsty, lethargic and distracted. “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” doesn’t hold for 11 am photo shoots. Granted everyone’s extra happy, but…I’m just saying.

A few more ideas….be sure to bring your lipstick, powder, tissues and drinking water to your photo session. And bonus tip: make your wedding day full of personal touches and all about you and your loved ones. That makes amazing photos.

~Tana

Thanks Tana for sharing your tips with our brides! For more of Tana's work, visit her website and her blog. You can also see our Feature Friday post on Tana here.

~Happy Planning!

Feature Friday | Meet Tana

Welcome to our first kick off to our Feature Fridays series! I'm not sure who will love this series more- me or you- because I'm even learning things about our featured vendors I hadn't known about before.

To begin our lineup, we start with the lovely Tana Urizar, the creative mind and eye behind the camera of Tana Photography. Tana and I first met in 2007, while working together on Maggie and Rex's Manhattan Chic wedding. The first impression I remember (very well) was how calm she was and what a great demeanor Tana had while working. Since then, we've worked with her several times, and each wedding just gets better and better. And finally, some tidbits about Tana:

- How long have you been photographing weddings?

My first wedding was ten years ago. The bride was a good friend of mine- she already trusted me which allowed me to just run free. I showed her some of the portrait images later that same day and she was so happy she cried. I’d found the type of photography that was my niche- it was a great day!

- What's your favorite thing about weddings?

I have three fav’s! I love the creative pressure that’s all wrapped into one day. There are no re-do’s and somehow that works for me. I love being around relationships and all the different people that make up a wedding day. And I love that each wedding is a whole new ball game. New people, beautiful things, different styles.

- Tell us one thing about yourself we'd be surprised to learn about you?

I’ve collected button pins since I was a young grade-schooler (political, kid’s clubs, pop culture). I’m an official member of the Archie Fan Club and the Sugar Bear Ecology Club.

- Favorite color?

Salmon pink- the color of my grandmother’s Dior nail polish.

- Tully's, Moxie, or Starbucks?

I have a Starbucks card I picked up in Hawaii that I just keep reloading. It’s like a souvenir I see every day.

- Recommend a book we should read?

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook. Everyone should know how to stop a runaway horse.

- What (or who) can't you live without? (product, article of clothing, personal item, person in your life, etc)

I can’t live without my nieces: the aspiring photographer, pastry chef and veterinarians

- Tell us about a time you either made a mistake & learned from it, or felt fear or doubt (either in your personal life or business) and overcame it?

I’ve tackled some big steps in my work like submitting to a large magazine, or contacting someone important in the big city, with the attitude that I have nothing to lose. If I didn’t attempt it…I would miss the opportunity and if I attempt it and fail, I wouldn’t have had it in the first place. Sometimes I wait for that wild burst of bravery and just go for it. Somebody’s going to do it- why not me?

Thanks for sharing some tidbits about yourself Tana! By the way- Tana's work is also featured on the Elizabeth Anne Designs blog. See some of her featured weddings here, here, and here. Tana will be back on Tuesday for some expert tips on your wedding day photography- be sure to check back!

Tana Photography

Website: www.tanaphotography.com

Visit Tana's Blog

Wedding Wednesday | Succulents

I've decided succulents are dreamy. Their colors are soft yet they make such a presence. Adding succulent plants to your centerpieces, bouquets, or using mini succulent heads as decor or even as a way to escort your guests to their tables (bonus: you can double these as their favors too) is a chic, eco-friendly idea that lends a slightly vintage look to things too.

If you're having a summer wedding, these little lovelies are perfect because they need lots of sun and even a person like me can't kill a succulent. They actually tell you to NOT water your plant too much. So after perusing all of these pictures the last couple of weeks, I'm also set to get my own plant or two for around the house.



Credits: #1- Martha Stewart, #2- The Knot.com, #3- 100 Layer Cake (Via Yes, Please), #4- Chere Amie Blog

Having succulents at your event also means they're super easy to do yourself (DIY). Even if you're not getting married, you can make simple, sweet centerpieces for your own home decor too. Check out this tutorial from the fabulous Ruffled Blog:



To Buy: You can get your own succulents or mini heads at various online shops (just google "buy bulk succulents) and even stores like Lowes that can order quantities in for you.

What other ideas have you seen with succulents? Do share!

~Happy Planning!

PS: Don't forget to enter in our Emersonmade Contest Giveaway. Show us your creative skills and imagination for a fabulous table display and we'll bring it to life!

Feature Fridays + A Contest

We have a lot of new and great things to come for the Soiree Blog, and lately we've been subtly moving towards those changes. You may have noticed for the past few weeks Fridays have been dedicated to one spotlight product, style, or vendor. Well we can't give away all the surprises just yet, but we can say that Fridays are about to get even better (it is the start of the weekend, so Fridays are already pretty good). Let's just say we're already lining up our round of vendors to interview; you'll get to know them better, and know more about their product or style. If you're a Boise or Idaho bride, you'll love this series because we have quite the line up of stellar professionals in the area for you to candidly check out. If you're not getting married or in the Boise area, you're in luck too because we'll be mixing it up with vendors across the country that we regularly connect with via Facebook, Twitter, past events and more. Our Feature Friday series will kick off next week with a bang, so be sure to stop by!

Now for the second part of our post today. We want to interact with our readers, and what better way than to call all our creative brides together on a project...and the ending has a surprise in store.

Here's the scoop:

Put together an inspiration board representing a tablescape or dessert display you'd love to see come together in real life. The rules of the submission are as follows:

- Must represent a Spring or Summer display
- With your submission include a short write-up (no more than 150 words) describing what you feel or envision the party or event to be like (this can also be the theme of the party). Please include your contact info for us as well.
- Include all credits of any pictures you use in your inspiration board.
- You may just send individual pictures over and we can put them into board form for you as well.
- Winner will be chosen by the Soiree ladies based on creativity, uniqueness, and enthusiasm ;)
- Send your entries to blog@weddingsbysoiree.com
- Contest is for brides and non-brides alike, and all US residents.

Contest ends midnight MST on April 30th. Winner will be announced on Monday May 3rd at 12:00p MST.

Winner will receive your choice of one of these beauties from Emersonmade:



1. Dahlia Trotting Blooms for your shoes- you get to pick the color.
2. The BigDandy Clutch.
3. The Wildrose hair clip.

Not too bad, huh? So get your creative juices flowing- you just may see your future table or dessert display come together in real life....

~Happy Planning!

DIY Coasters

Loving these DIY coasters over at Design Sponge. Would be lovely with colorful stamps, too. I think it's a great idea to whip up for a dinner party, favors for a wedding, or just to make and add to your own collection to have around the house.



See the easy-squeezy directions for the coasters here.

~Happy Planning!

Celebrating Rainy Day Weddings

With Spring always comes the chance of rain, even on your wedding day. We thought it would be fitting to showcase how lovely rainy day photos can be...since we know that if you're planning a Spring wedding you're vigorously putting your Plan B together. Well as you map out Plan B, don't forget to add a kitschy umbrella as a prop for your photos. Lucky to have no rain? We like the umbrellas anyways, so go ahead and get one.

To add a special 'sprinkling' to this post, we wanted to give our Boise Brides a sneak peek into the work of some of our fantastic local photographers. Enjoy!





We love how rain can be couture as well. Photos by the lovely ladies at Ampersand Studios.



We loved how the cloudy skies really made an impact on this wedding. Photos by our friend Cyndee at Ashki Photography.



See how happy this bride is? That's the spirit. Photos by Yellowline Photography.



Loving how this couple got their entire bridal party involved. And doesn't she look amazing in her dress? Photos by Lucid Design & Photography.



Finally we couldn't forget our own Soiree bride Cissy...she had planned for these vintage umbrellas regardless of rain (even though it did end up raining a bit). Photos by
Cristi Dame Photography.

~Happy Planning!

Avoiding The Top Guest Complaints

It's so common for brides to come to me with ideas of how they want things to be- whether it be the seating of the guests, when the pictures happen, and more. Sometimes the ideas are great and fine, and other times...well.

Don't get me wrong- I want your wedding to be all about you, I truly do, but the reality of it all is that the wedding is about you and your fiance, and...your guests too. After all, they are the ones that dropped everything, took time off work, pulled the kids out of school, and traveled (cross country, cross state, or cross town- it's all the same in their eyes) to see you two shine on this one big day. So do be prepared to make some compromises...you'll much rather receive the compliments rather than hear about the complaints. Without further adieu, the top complaints from the mouths of your guests (and some to-the-rescue tips to avoid mishaps):

1) Seating the wrong guest in the wrong area.

When you figure the amount of decibels your DJ or Band has to put out to make sure the sound carries through your 200 guests and still make it to the back of the room, it's no wonder grandmas and grandpas salute the idea of moving them as far away from the speakers as possible.

Rule of thumb: always put the younger folk nearest the speakers. Still need a spot for grandma? Try putting her near a bathroom or somewhere with a clear path to and from the refreshments. You don't want to see grandma hurdling a sea of furniture.

While we're still on #1, I'd also like to mention larger guests. Though it's not always completely possible to fulfill everyone's wishes, it is always a nice gesture to try to put your larger guests in an area that he or she won't have to continually move in their chair or stand up each time someone walks by.

2) The toasting keeps going..and going...

It may be hilarious to listen to your best man ramble about each year in elementary school, but we guarantee you your guests will begin to get antsy after about 20 minutes max. And the "inside jokes" only you and your maid of honor know about? Not cool, and actually kind of awkward for your guests, especially when you blush.

Rule of thumb: Avoid "passing the mic"...instead appoint the exact guests that will be presenting a toast (I recommend no more than three if you can) and stick to the schedule. Let your toasters know in advance that you'd like the messages to be short, sweet, and G- Rated.

3) Where are the bride and groom?

Traditions will be traditions, so if you really don't want to see each other before the ceremony, that's definitely your decision to make. Scheduling does get a little tight in this scenario, and your guests will not appreciate waiting 2 hours for you and your new hubby to make an appearance at the reception.

Rule of thumb: If you're not seeing each other, make sure you take as many pictures as possible before the ceremony (i.e.: bride with bridesmaids, groom with groomsmen, bride's side of the family, etc), and keep the photos after the ceremony to no more than 45 minutes. Regardless of whether or not you provide food and beverages to your guests while you're gone, they will still feel very uncomfortable with the guests of honor missing in action.

4) The gap between the ceremony and reception

We've posted on this conundrum before, and though you can try lessening the discomfort, your guests are still going to find it different. Fact of the matter is, they automatically expect one thing to follow another.

Rule of thumb: If you do have to have a gap, make sure there are organized activities for your guests (did you see the emphasis on organized?). We're talking pre-arranged transportation (such as a trolley tour here in Boise) to take them to and fro. Make it a neat experience, especially if your guests are from out of town- show them around! Have it printed in your informational enclosures with your invite or on your wedding website so they know what to expect in advance. Your guests will thank you for it.

5) Where do we go?.... And who is that?

We've posted about this issue before too...it's what we at Soiree call the Deer In Headlight syndrome. Here's how it goes: you have your ceremony, well wishes, and then you expect 200 people to find their seats. Magically, it does not go well. Pretty soon there's a bottleneck at the door, seats are propped up against the tables in an effort to "save a seat" or to be able to sit next to someone they know. Sound like a vision?

Rule of thumb: At the very least, please assign your tables. Even a BBQ-style, casual dinner needs some structure- especially if you've got, oh say, over 10 guests attending.

If you will have assigned seating (applauding), be very in tune to who you place next to whom. You can't win all the battles, but if you know someone is going to be at a table with no one they know, be a good hostess and move them next to a friend.
*****************************************************************************************

And that wraps us up on 5 of the most common complaints we wedding professionals hear much too often. And how about you- have you been a guest at a wedding and in a situation you did not appreciate? Do tell.

~Happy Planning!

Inspired By...Orange

With Pantone's signature color being turquoise this year, I couldn't be happier with all the coordinating palette options there are. Turquoise and brown, turquoise and green, turquoise and pink...possibilities are endless. But my favorite right now? Orange...especially paired with this fantastic blue hue.

>

Inspiration board from Keen To Be Seen.

Any shade of orange, from peach to vibrant orange would be a breath of fresh air for spring parties and weddings...



Orange inspiration from Snippet And Ink.

~Happy Planning!

Fabric Flowers for Weddings, Parties, And Life

I have a thing for flowers. I especially love how charming a flower can be when it's made out of fabric. That's why I've decided these flowers are pretty much the most perfect accessory, and to be honest, I want one. Pretty badly.



Even your groom can appreciate a little art!



You can even add your "Something Blue".



And your bridesmaids can be festive too.



Emersonmade also offers different styles and sizes of flowers for other occasions- parties and gifts with cute little tags.

Visit their website to see more- add the flowers to your shoes, jacket, hair or belts. Or carry a floral clutch on your wedding day. And don't forget to check out their decor line for parties and home as well- they feature fabric flags, flower garlands and more.

Finally, if any one would like to gift me with one of these, I'll take this one:



~Happy Planning!

Modern Office Accessories | Girl Of All Work

I like pretty things, don't you? It's especially nice when you can look at pretty things while working. Girl of All Work has so many cute products for work, home, and gifts.




~Happy working!

Wedding Wednesday | Vintage Glam

Having a vintage themed wedding can translate to many things: it can be quirky, whimsical, glamorous, or even have a modern twist. I loved how all of these retro parties had their own spin and personality....their own individual take on what vintage means to them:




This lovely red wedding was featured on the Ruffled Blog. It was actually an elopement- they got married and then had some beautiful photos taken by this classic red truck.



Nothing says timeless grace and elegance like Jackie O, and I loved these inspired details too. Both photos are featured on the Ritzy Bee Blog- visit all of her Vintage Wednesdays posts too- great inspiration if you're looking for ideas and real wedding photos.






Loved the glamor, bling, and modern style of these two weddings featured on Style Me Pretty.



Finally, I was so interested in the color palette and the overall loveliness of this wedding. It's actually a style shoot designed by the Lolli Ladies at Lollipop Events. Isn't the dress gorgeous?



~Happy Wednesday, and Happy Planning!