Tips on Tuesday: How to cut costs on your Wedding Day

Northern New Jersey is one of the top most expensive places to have a wedding. We understand how expensive weddings are and we love helping brides save as much as they can and still get the wedding they always dreamed of. Here are some tips we'd like to share.

1. Probably the most common way to cut cost on your wedding is to pick an off season month. And to cut cost even more, an off day. Maybe a Saturday afternoon wedding in November. Or a Sunday in February.
2. Let friends or family help. Chance are you have a friend or family member that has a business in the events field. Maybe you know someone crafty that can do your centerpieces, or someone that does invitations, hobby in photography. Let them help as their gift to you.
3. Buy your own flowers, use silk flowers or even grow them yourself!
4. Have your wedding ceremony and reception at the same location. This cuts cost for limousine services and you may be able to see if vendors will give you a small discount if they will be doing less traveling that day.
5. Stick to that budget!! Many weddings lose sight of how much things can add up. You may have an idea of how much your wedding will cost, or how much things have added up to but with out really tracking all the expenses and budgeting, you may find yourself purchasing items that were not necessary or getting a vendor at a higher price because you didn't realize what you should have budgeted for it.

OK, 6 ways to save! Consider hiring an event planner. It may seem like it is out of your budget but, we are here to make sure that you DO stick to your budget and offer discounts when using our preferred vendors, saving you money right from the start.

One thing you can be sure of for your wedding day is that it will be absolutely wonderful and one of the very best days of your lives, so enjoy every moment!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

Northern New Jersey Featured Business: MPW Media Group

Happy Friday!! Even though the day is almost over, we still wanted to let you all know who the featured business of the week is.....MPW Media Group that's who!

We had the pleasure of working with them in July and let me tell you, their pictures are AMAZING!! Not only do they take breathtaking pictures, they are great and easy to work with. We definitely recommend them to all of our clients and look forward to working with them again in the future. Here are some of their professional pictures from our couple's wedding that was held at the beautiful Northern New Jersey venue The Westmount Country Club that we are excited to share!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

A New Jersey Wedding, down by the shore in LBI!

Our wonderful couple Melissa and Kevin exchanged their vows Sunday September 18th, on the beach in Beach Haven, NJ with a reception to follow at The Boathouse. The weather held out, even though it was a bit windy. The ceremony was warm and touching and the reception was full of fun! Melissa put her creative hat on and that was seen in all of the details throughout the event. We were very happy to be apart of their beautiful day and wish Melissa and Kevin a lifetime of love and happiness. Here are a few pictures from the wedding.

Melissa and Kevin's ceremony took place on the beach. They exchanged their vows under this beautiful Chuppa.

With a reception at The Boathouse, Melissa and Kevin opted for teal linens and orange napkins to remind them of the colors of the sunset.

Fun fan programs and bubbles were placed in baskets and decorated with the couple's wedding colors of teal, fuschia and orange at the ceremony.

Melissa and Kevin are definitely a fun couple. They had a photo booth at the reception which of course was a big hit! And their love for the movie Grease was also seen with the tables named after characters in the movie as well as the fun treat they showed their guests, with the help of our amazing graphic artist!

My favorite part were the different centerpieces Melissa and Kevin had. They had 6 different centerpieces for their 12 tables and the room looked amazing with them. Even though we loved them all, here are our two favorites from that night.

And we couldn't have done this all without the help of all the wonderful vendors that night:

Ceremony: Pearl St Gazebo, Beach Haven, NJ

Venue: The Boathouse

Florist: Lily in the Valley

Photographer/Video/Photo Booth: Enchanted Celebrations

DJ: DC Entertainment

Chair Rentals: Brothers Shore Party Rentals

Officiant: Rabbi Claire Green

Cellist: Grace Note Music

Cupcakes: A Sweet Memory

Congratulations again to our happy couple! Thank you for letting us be apart of your day and here is to a lifetime of happiness!!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

Tips on Tuesday: Finding the perfect Wedding Dress

Sunday were the 2011 Emmy's and people are still talking about the amazing fashions that walked down the red carpet (the absolutely stunning Sofia Vergara, Amber Riley and Julia Stiles just to name a few). So we at AART Event Planning thought, today's blog would be about a dress.....the Wedding Dress!

One of the biggest, and many, decisions that you will make is choosing the perfect wedding dress. All eyes will be on you all night so of course you want to look your best. Shopping for it will be a memorable experience, but can be just as stressful and scary! A-line, Ball Gown, Mermaid, Fit and Flare. So many styles to chose from, where do you begin! Here are some things to think about when shopping for that perfect dress.

1) Give yourself enough time to shop for the dress. Many bridal shops/boutiques will tell you that it can take at least six months for your dress to come in. And let's not forget about the few fittings that will need to be figured in that timeline. We suggest shopping at least a year before your wedding day. Planning your wedding in a short amount of time? Do not fear, you can still get that dress of your dreams. Just remember to add in the rush cost when shopping.

2) Budget, budget, budget! Purchasing a wedding dress can get to be pretty expensive. You might fall in love with a dress that is 2 or 3 times over your budget! Decide on a budget that you are comfortable with spending and let your sales representative know. This way they can show you only dresses that are within that budget. This way it'll save you heartache for falling in love with something you cannot afford.

3) Think before you go. You have been dreaming of this day forever right? And I'm sure you have envisioned the dress of your dreams. Look through wedding magazines and pull out pictures of the dresses that speak to you the most. Do you want a long train or full skirt? Bring the pictures with you when you start shopping and give them to your sales rep. They can take this information and show you all the dresses that you have been thinking about, that are within your budget. Also keep an open mind. Your rep might show you something that isn't quite on your list of must haves but you just may fall in love with it anyway. We've definitely seen many brides walk out with a dress that was completely opposite of what they originally envisioned....including me!

4) Think of your body type. You know what fits you best. What style dresses have you worn that made you feel absolutely beautiful in? Think of that and look for a wedding dress that has those similarities.

5) Be comfortable, but most importantly, be you! Yes you want to look amazing. I mean it is your wedding day. But don't forget to be comfortable. You will be wearing this dress all day long - taking pictures, dancing and let's not forget eating! If you love to dance, then you don't want to have a heavily beaded dress that's so heavy to move around in. The last thing we want to hear is our bride say they are so uncomfortable and cannot wait to take their dress off. Remember, be you. You will probably have many people with you when you shopping for your wedding dress. And with that comes many opinions. Yes you want to make everyone happy with your dress decision but the most important person that needs to be happy is you. Remember, it is your wedding day and this is a dress you will be wearing. Let it be comfortable and reflect the person you are.

We hope this helps you ease your wedding dress shopping experience. This is supposed to be the fun part and one that you will never forget. So now we know you are ready to go shopping for those wedding dresses! We'd love to hear all about your dress shopping experience and if you have pictures, we'd love to see those too! Who knows, it just may be featured here!! : )

*dress pictures from Vera Wang

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

Friday's Featured Business: Northern New Jersey's Newest Reception Venue, The Elan!

Hello! Wow it's Friday already! And that means it is time to feature another wonderful vendor in our industry. Today's feature is the newest reception venue to hit the Northern New Jersey area, The Elan!

The Elan is a newly renovated banquet hall located in Lodi, New Jersey. Each room has been tastefully renovated to have this modern flare. What we love is how each of their rooms can work well with any color palette you choose for your event. Proud owner Ari Starkman put his heart and soul into the renovation and it looks amazing! He also provides that same commitment when working with his clients. You can rest assure that you are in great hands when working with Ari and his high quality staff.

You do not have to worry about the size of your event either. The Elan has rooms that can accommodate as little as 40 guests to 400. We are highlighting our two favorite: The Grand Ballroom and The Skylight room.

The Grand Ballroom

The Grand Ballroom is exactly that, GRAND! It's newly renovations were designed to suit any style for any event. This room boosts exquisite crystal chandeliers, 2 bars, a state of the art sound system and marble dance floor. By accommodating 400 guests for a sit down dinner or 500 for cocktails and dancing, this room will definitely impress your guests!

The Skylight Room

The Skylight Room is considered to be The Elan's hidden gem, and one of our favorite rooms! It is a perfect setting for an indoor ceremony, it can seat 90 guests comfortably. With it's glass dome shaped ceiling, you get a great natural light during the day and a beautiful moonlight glow at night. Here you can have a small intimate affair, that seats 50 guests for a sit down dinner, such as showers or birthday parties. Want to have a private cocktail hour? Or maybe a beautiful setting for some Bride and Groom shots? "Sky's the limit" with The Skylight Room!!

We look forward to working with Ari and his team, especially with our 2012 New Year's Eve bride, along with some special events happening sooner....but you'll have to stay tuned for those details! ; )

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

*Photo's courtesy of Lauren Elle Photography

Northern New Jersey Bridal Shower: Pretty in Pink!

We had the pleasure of helping out with a beautiful bridal shower for a very beautiful bride to be. It was held at the Northern New Jersey restaurant Bacari Grill, yumm!! This bride definitely had flare and it was shown through the pink and damask decorations. Her sister, who is her Maid of Honor, did a fabulous job with all the details to help make this a shower her sister would never forget. We know we won't!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

Northern New Jersey Featured Business: Floral Expressions

Where do we start with these amazing ladies! Stephanie and Kathy from Floral Expressions can design amazing weddings on any budget. When I first met Stephanie I was so impressed with her knowledge and ability to think outside of the box for our clients who are looking for something different. Love a particular flower but know you can't afford it? Stephanie comes up with amazing alternatives that makes you forget what you were originally looking at. On a tight budget? You can rest assure that the wonderful ladies at Floral Expressions can give you stunning arrangements your guests will be talking about.

With over 35 years of experience, you can understand why we love these ladies so much. Below are some samples of their work. They are our number one go to florist and will continue to use them for many events to come!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

Credits

Florals: Floral Expressions

Photos: Studio Uno

Planning: AART Event Planning

Tips on what to do with Bridesmaid Dresses

If you are like me, you have been in a handful of weddings. If you are like my sister Aelicia, you are Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses. You buy the dress, have a fantastic time at the wedding and then take the dress that most brides say 'can totally be worn again' and put it in the back of your closet. So, now what?? Well, here are a few ideas on what to do with those beautiful, and maybe not so beautiful, dresses!

Save them

If you only have a few dresses, or if you are the sentimental type, keep the dresses. It will remind you of friendships, family, love and the fun you had that special day

Alter them

We have heard it...maybe once or twice, so do it! If the dress can be worn again, prove it. Make it shorter, change the color. It is your dress, you paid for it so make it into a dress you are happy to wear to less formal occasions or a cocktail dress to wear at other weddings.

Donate it

If you think you are just going to put the dress away and have it sit in your closet for years, why not give it to someone that deserves to have a beautiful gown but unfortunately cant afford it.

There are many different organizations that take bridesmaid dresses for weddings and proms.

http://www.donatemydress.org/

http://princessproject.org/

or to a Fairy Godmother Project in your area

Make something

My favorite would be to make something out of it. How about making a quilt? You can make it for yourself, for the couple to have as an anniversary present with their name engraved on it or even a baby quilt to give to the bride (when the time comes). You can even make it into a prom dress for your daughter. What wonderful bonding time to spend with her while you help her create and sketch her very own custom dress!

So take a look in your closet. Chances are you are holding on to something that could be used in so many different ways, making you and others feel good, instead of just taking up space.

xo,

Rachael and Aelicia

Tips on Tuesday: Meal Time

So I know lately our tips have been all about helping you when you are planning an event but let's not forget that many of us are parents....working parents. And after this nice long weekend with our own families, we figured today's blog should cater to them.

Meal time is very important family bonding time. So how do you squeeze that all in when you work full time? Plan out your month! Make a monthly calendar that has meals planned out each day for the entire month (add in some left over days in there to give you some relaxing time). Use this list to go food shopping so that you have all the ingredients. Place this calendar on your refrigerator. Now you will know exactly what to take out for dinner before you leave for work and will not have to waste time staring in the refrigerator trying to figure out what to make! Does a month seem a little overwhelming? Try a week at a time.

Now go and make your list and enjoy all that quality family meal time!!

XOXO,
Aelicia & Rachael

Northern New Jersey Featured Business: Soundbar Entertainment

It's Friday and in our industry that means show the love! So AART Event Planning is proud to introduce our new weekly blog on where we will be featuring an incredible vendor, colleague or friend that we love working with and give us inspiration! Today's featured business is Soundbar Entertainment!

David and JT are a husband and wife team that are just amazing!! They really understand what the clients wants and needs are and will keep your guests on the dance floor all night long. They bring a unique experience to your event that your guests will talk about for years to come!

Soundbar also has so many other things to offer their clients such as lighting, plasma video screens, photo booths and more! Hiring them as your entertainment will be a great investment and trust me, they will not disappoint! We are so excited to work with them again and look forward to the many ventures that we will have together in the future! Take a look at some pictures below to get a taste of what your event can be like!