As a vendor at many Bridal Shows, Sizemore Selectives (invitations, save the dates, and seating charts) we wanted to share a tip for Brides and Grooms that attend Bridal Shows.  Many vendors have special prize drawings in their booth and to enter you have to fill out a drawing slip.  Normally, the drawing slip asks you for your name, address, phone number and email address, plus your wedding date.  

Our tip:  Bring pre-printed labels with all your information on them.  Then all you have to do is stick your label on the drawing slip.   This way you are not spending alot of your time entering the drawing(s), which would then allow you to spend more time obtaining information about the product(s) the vendors have to offer.

It can be very confusing when trying to decide where everyone should sit at your wedding.  Traditionally, the Groom sits to the right of the Bride, the Bestman sits to the left of the Bride, and the Maid of Honor sits to the right of the Groom  Breaking from traditional, you could seat women on the bride’s side and men on the groom’s.   If you are having a ring bearer and a flower girl, you could have them sit at the head table, or if their parents or grandparents are not in the wedding party, the ring bearer and flower girl may feel more comfortable sitting with them. 

Spouses of the bridal party, traditionally they do not sit at the head table, but there are times when a ‘spouse’ may not know anyone else at the wedding, so it is okay to sit them at the head table.

Parents of the Bride and Groom are assigned their own tables.  There may be times when divorced parents are involved, so you may need to have more than 2 tables.  Each set of parents can decide who they want to sit at their tables, such as Grandparents of the Bride or Groom, Aunts and Uncles, Godparents, or close friends.

Deciding on the guest sitting can be very stressful due to you wanting to make everyone happy.  There will be situations where some guests may not know other guests, or maybe they do not get along with some guests.  Do the best you can to sit your guests with other that they know and get along with, but that may not always be possible.  In the long run, the normal outcome, is that everyone will have a great time at your wedding no matter where they sit.

Thought I would write today about the pros of having a Seating Chart at your wedding versus having the traditional place cards. 

Seating Charts can be customized designed with whatever look you are trying to accomplish for your wedding, from engagement pictures in the background, a monogram, a theme (Holiday, Sports, Profession, and much more).  The chart lists your guest names and the table numbers that they are assigned to.  Chart size is 24 x 36, normally put in a frame for viewing and sits on a floor standing decorative easel. 

For the bride and groom (or even their parents or bridal party members), you no longer have to hand write the guest names and table numbers on the tiny traditional place cards, and then make sure that they are put in alphabetical order for the display table at the reception venue.

For the guests, they are able to walk up to the chart, find their name (which is in alphabetical order), and their table number.  No longer having to find their tiny place card (which is hard to read) among many and then taking that place card with them to their table, which then gets lost on the table or falls on the floor.

To get an idea of a custom designed seating chart, I am attaching one of the many charts that Sizemore Selectives have created for our clients.  This chart was created with a monogram of the couples last initial, along with their bridal party names being listed at the top.

Seating Charts versus Place Cards.  What is the best choice for your event?  When weighing your options, there are many reasons to choose a Seating Chart over Place Cards.  Place cards can be tedious to fill out, guests have difficulty finding their card, they take up room on the guest tables, and they ultimately wind up on the floor.

With a Seating Chart by Sizemore Selectives, the chart (size: 24 x 36), is displayed in a decorative frame and sits on a decorate floor easel.  Guests names are listed in alphabetical order, along with the table number they are assigned to.   Seating Charts can be designed to coordinate with the theme for your event, such as an engagement picture, a theme (sports, season, castles, etc.), or they can be very simple.  The ideas are endless.  After the wedding, the chart makes a great keepsake for the Bride and Groom.

For those Brides and Grooms who are looking to stay within a Budget, my manufacturer, Carlson Craft has introduced a new concept for Invitations and Announcements, they are called Value With Style.  To help save money on invitations and/or announcements, Carlson is now able to print the ceremony information on one side of the invitation and the reception/direction information on the other side of the invitation.  Along with saving money on not having to order a separate reception and direction card, your respond card/envelope are ‘free’.  For additional information, give Sizemore Selectives a call at 586-739-2553 or visit our website at www.sizemoreselectives.com

Budget Invitations/Announcements

Are you a Bride and Groom who would like to win a $15,000.00 Wedding?  If so, make sure to attend the Bridal Show at the Palazzo Grande Banquet Center on Van Dyke in Shelby Township this coming Sunday, February 21, 2010 from Noon to 4:00 p.m.  To be eligible to win, you must register at the door and you must be present when they hold the drawing.  This Bridal Show is being hosted by Brides To Be (visit their website for additional information).  Listed below are the vendors who will be contributing to the $15,000.00 Wedding:

Wedding Invitations by Sizemore Selectives

$300.00 in free jewelry by Premier Designs Jewelry

Spa Day for the Bride by Andrew Marke Salon

3 hr. wedding consultation by LSG Dream Productions

$300.00 Bleach at home kit by Universal Dental Center

4 hr. DJ Package by Music Box Productions

3 hr. Limousine Package by Lavdas Limousine

Silver Package by White House Wedding Chapel by Lavdas

$500.00 towards Photography Package by Am & Fm Photography

$500.00 toward Wedding Flowers by Andrew Atelier

$1500.00 in Laser Treatments by Derma Skin Spa

Tungsten Men’s Wedding Band by Birmingham Jewelers

Romantic Dinner for 2 by Da Francesco’s Italian Cuisine & Taverna

$500 in Tuxedos by President Tuxedo

Wedding Officiating by Minister at Large

Head table, Cake table & Conversation Table Décor by Unique Weddings

$1000 Video Package-Love Story Video & DVD slide show by Images Captured

JB & B Weddings Grande Prize Value of $800.00

Shower Cake for 50 by Cakes by Laura Amodeo Award Winning Sugar Artist

Custom Veil by Jules Joyner

3 hr. Bachelorette Party Limousine by Entertainment Express

$500.00 Premarital Counseling Package by Dr. Jen Hutchings,

Licensed Marriage Therapist

20% off your Rehearsal Dinner by  Da Francesco’s Italian Cuisine & Taverna

Make sure to stop by the Sizemore Selectives booth at the show to view the wide selection of Invitations, Announcements (including Save The Dates), Seating Charts and Accessories.  Sizemore Selectives offers a discount of 30% off the retail prices of whatever you order, but on the day of the show, we will be offering a Show Special Discount, which consists of receiving an additional discount of 5%, making your total discount 35%.   To be eligible to receive the 35% discount, you must schedule an appointment on the day of the show.  Even if your wedding is not until 2011, as long as you schedule an appointment on the day of the show, you will receive the Show Special Discount.

I wanted to let everyone know that Carlson Craft will be launching a new line of Asian style invitations within the next 2 months.  Keep checking our website to view these new designs.

For those of you who have a limited budget for your wedding, Carlson Craft has a new line of Budget Invitations.  Quality has not been compromised.

Example pricing is as follows:

100 Invitations and 100 Respond Card with envelopes totals $85.80

They are also offering Wedding Packages at a great price:  Example as follows:

Package includes:  100 Invitations, 100 Respond Cards with Envelopes, 100 Thank You Cards with Envelopes, 200 White Luncheon Napkins and a Cake Server/Knive Set.  Your cost:  $149.90.  Suggested Retail Price is:  $241.60.  Your savings:  $91.70

To view Budget Invitations from Carlson Craft, log into:  sizemoreselectives.com – click on Shop Now, then click on:  Budget – Simply Sensible (Huge Savings)

Happy New Year for all.  Hope everyone had a great holiday.  The bridal show season is upon us once again and I wanted to let everyone know what shows Sizemore Selectives will be at this month.

The first one is at the Fernhill Golf Club in Clinton Township, Michigan this Sunday, January 10th from noon to 4:00 p.m. 

The second show is at the Barrister Gardens in St. Clair Shores, Michigan on Sunday, January 31, 2010 from noon to 4:00 p.m.

Hope you can visit our booth to view the many new and exciting invitations available. 

If you are in need of invitations or announcements for your wedding or bridal shower and you stop by our booth and make an appointment that day for sometime in the future, you will receive an extra 5% discount off your total order.  Normally our discount is 30%, but with the extra 5%, you will receive 35% off your total.  But remember, you must book an appointment with us at the show to receive the extra 5% discount.

Are you wondering if you should send out Save-The-Date Announcements?  It’s totally up to you, but if your wedding is scheduled for a year or so out, for example, after June 2010, and you want to make sure that your out-of-town guests are notified well in advance, you might want to consider sending them out.

It allows the out-of-town guests to arrange time off from their jobs, and also gives them enough notice to receive lower airfares (if traveling by plane), and better hotel rates (if you are having a lot of out-of-town guests, you might want to consider booking a block of rooms at a specific hotel to get better rates).

It also allows your in-town guests to calender your date so they don’t schedule anything else on your special day.

There are many types of Save-The-Date Announcements, such as magnets, photo cards, scratch off cards and traditional type announcements.  Sizemore Selectives carries a wide variety of Save-The-Dates, so check them out at sizemoreselectives.com