| SIP AND TWIRL| ARIZONA WEDDING PLANNER: Don't Overlook these Details for Your Big Day

Your wedding day is just around the corner, and you nearly have everything confirmed; however, there is a niggling feeling in the back of your mind that you may be overlooking something significant, or forgetting an important detail.  You can rest assured that with the major details booked, your venue, officiant, and caterer, to name a few, your wedding day will be a great success, but if you want to add those final touches to your big day, here are some commonly missed details to take your wedding to next level fab.  

Essentials for under your dress

Now that you’ve pick out your dress, it’s time to start thinking about what you’re going to wear under your gown.  Not only is there nothing worse that trying to find the exact right bra for a specific dress under a time crunch, but you’ll want to be wearing it during your alterations.  Take an afternoon before your final fitting to get your under garments sorted to avoid unnecessary errand-running within weeks of your wedding.

Photo by Bradford Jones

Personal touches that reflect you and your fiancé’s style

There’s nothing wrong with keeping it traditional at your wedding, but some of the small details are the perfect way to add your personal touch.  For example, your caterer will probably offer ivory or black linen napkins with your meal, but ordering custom ones with your initials intertwined is way more fun.  You can also create a signature cocktail, or you can really get creative like this groom did with his boutonniere by including a photo of his parents.

Photo by Bradford Jones

Bridal party getting ready outfits

You probably have your favorite oversized tee-shirt and get-ready sweats, but you’ll want to have something else on hand as your getting glam for your big day.  There are tons of options on Etsy for bridal party robes, (check out these adorable ones below), or you can even organize a shopping day with your crew for some cute comfies.  

Photo by Bradford Jones

Photo by Bradford Jones

Powder room products for your guests

These extra touches in the bathrooms will score you some serious hospitality points, and it will go a long way to help your guests feel welcome.  Some items that guests may not have thought about bringing include bug spray for outdoor weddings, spray deodorant for those extra enthusiastic dancers, bobby pins, and feminine products if Aunty Flow arrives earlier than expected.

Emergency kit

The emergency kit is a must!  Stuck zippers, a badly-timed headache, a stain on your dress (why!?!), or other mini-bummers can usually be resolved with a well-stocked kit.  Search Pinterest for some ideas on emergency kit essentials.

Gifts for your parents and your partner

With all of the wedding planning kicked into high gear as your wedding day approaches, it’s easy to overlook these important gifts, especially for parents.  It’s possible your parents are helping plan your wedding, (both showing financial and emotional support), and recognizing them with a thoughtful gift, or even a simple card on your wedding day will go miles.  If you’re stuck on either your parent or your partner’s gift, framing one of your favorite engagement or wedding day photos is always a great option.

Photo by Bradford Jones

Need more wedding advice?  We’d love to hear from you!  Sip and Twirl is a full-service wedding planning company based in Scottsdale Arizona.  Reach out to us at info@sipandtwirl.com or 480-648-0663 to see if your date is available. 

| SIP AND TWIRL| ARIZONA WEDDING PLANNER: 6 Signs That You Need a Wedding Planner…ASAP!

Planning your wedding should be an exciting and joy-filled time in your life, but let’s be honest, it can also come with a large dose of unnecessary family drama and stress. The good news is that there are pros out there that can not only help you plan your wedding, but will help you fall in love with every step along the way. Here are some serious signs wedding planning has taken over your life, and that it’s time to call for help!

Photo by Ben & Kelly Photography

You procrastinate on tasks that really need to get done

It’s common to completely ignore important tasks when you feel overwhelmed, and if you find yourself neglecting a few vital things you know are time sensitive, you's probably benefit from some professional guidance!  If your wedding date is more ‘looming’ and less ‘approaching’, then it’s time to take a breath, and find help.  A wedding planner will help prioritize the most important things to do, book and coordinate key vendors, and manage your guest list.  Some wedding planners will even be able to help you find vendors that you didn’t consider, and often cost less than an initial quote you received, saving you money in the end!  

You’re skipping lunch to run wedding errands at work

Skipping meals or eating unhealthy food to-go will not only put a major kink in your wedding fitness plan, it can also lead to exaggerated emotions and increased stress.  If you need to jam-pack your day so much that you’re sacrificing regular meal time, it’s probably time to call in for reinforcements!  

Each of your vendors appears multiple times in your recent calls

It can be overwhelming to narrow down the list of possible vendors and to visit them during business hours to understand if their product, service, or level of professionalism is the right fit for your big day.  Luckily, vendor selection and coordination is a speciality of most wedding planners.  Working with a planner on this aspect of your wedding can literally save you dozens and dozens of hours.  Wedding planners will usually have a short list of vendors who are dependable, who offer good value for the products or services delivered, and who are pros in their industry.  Plus, a huge bonus in involving a wedding planner on booking vendors is that they can help you understand each detail of vendor contracts, and will know what questions to ask during the booking process.  

You start questioning all of your decisions…

But then you don’t, or wait, maybe you do?!  If this has been your experience, it’s likely you’re overthinking things when you want to start scraping all of your original plans for something “better”.  Worrying you made the wrong call about your venue, your bridesmaid dress colors, or your photographer will only feed your stress level even more.  If some serious doubt starts creeping up, know that this can be normal in the planning process, but that it wouldn’t hurt to get a second opinion.  If you don’t already have a wedding planner, start by reaching out to book a consultation, and in the meantime, you can talk through your plans with your maid of honor or one of your bridesmaids to clear your mind.  

Your fiancé starts to joke about eloping

It’s likely your fiancé is less involved in the wedding planning process than you are, but it’s also likely they hear more about everything wedding-related than anyone else.  If you hear your fiancé say something to the tune of, “I will be so glad when all of this is over”, or jokingly, (except not), “maybe we should just go to city hall?”, you know it’s time to refocus your efforts and your energy.  

It stops being fun

Bottom line, the focus of planning your wedding should be positive —you have found your life person after all!  When there is a negative shift, such as focusing on overbooked vendors, people who RSVPed “no”, or not getting something from your registry, it’s time to take a step back and focus on what’s most important to you and your partner.  A wedding planner will help you by alleviating the most burdensome tasks so that you can truly enjoy your engagement.  

Photo by Ben & Kelly Photography

While wedding planning has its ups and downs, the process should be joy-filled and FUN.  We at Sip and Twirl get jazzed about helping couples' enjoy the planning process and ultimately create the day of their dreams.  Reach out to us at info@sipandtwirl.com or 480-648-0663 to see if your date is available. 

| SIP AND TWIRL| ARIZONA WEDDING PLANNER: The Ultimate Guide to Creating Your Guest List

Adding and subtracting from your guest list can be a pain and stress point in the wedding planning process, especially if you and your fiancé are sticking to a strict budget!  You may be a very social couple, but of course realize that bottom line, the more guests you invite, the more you will ultimately spend.  Additionally, the size of your guest list will dictate other details, such as the size of venue, and the approximate size of your bridal party, to name a couple.  However, if you follow some of these tried and true guidelines for creating, (and trimming!) your list, you'll be breezing through this part of the planning process.

Photo by Andrew Jade Photography

Make an A-List and a B-List

Start with writing your A-list, and focus on including people who you absolutely cannot imagine not by your side come your big day, like your family members and close friends.  Next, create your B-list, which is perfect for your cousin’s new boyfriend, or even colleagues you may not see yourself keeping in close touch with five years down the road.  Leave yourself enough time to send invitations in two rounds—first your A-list and then your B-list.  Once you start to receive “regrets”, you can then start sending out invitations from your B-list, in order of priority. You can always send an invitation to someone that you are on the fence about at a later date, but it does make for an extremely awkward conversation to have to rescind a previously sent invitation. 

Invite Adults Only

Kids can certainly add to your total count quickly, and your wedding atmosphere will change with and without them.  Talk with your partner about whether or not it makes sense to have an adults-only wedding based off of your personal preferences and your family relationships.  By the way, it’s perfectly appropriate to have children in your wedding party, and still have an adults only wedding.  It is, however, best to avoid inviting certain children and not others, otherwise some guests may be offended about why their kids weren’t invited.  If you know some family members or other friends might assume that their kids are welcome, make sure that you are specific to whom your address your invitation.

Photo by Andrew Jade Photography

Exclude Your Coworkers

Of course there are some exceptions to excluding your coworkers—those who you socialize with regularly outside of work, or people you text frequently, but don’t feel pressured to invite the person who you eat lunch with a couple times a week.  If you are a part of a small team, and want the large majority there, consider inviting everyone at that point or you may have to skip them altogether.  If you are a part of a large company and want a few of your closest colleagues there, best to keep wedding talk to a minimum.  On the point of your boss, invite him or her if you have a friendly relationship, and make sure to give them a plus-one.  If you aren’t close, it’s certainly ok to leave them off of your guest list.   

Now, About Plus-Ones…

When it comes to plus-ones, couples can feel a little lost about who exactly gets a plus-one and who doesn’t.  Our rules of thumb are, those who are married, engaged, common-law (living together), or in a long-term relationship should be offered a plus-one.  It’s also courteous to offer your bridal party a plus-one, (they may decline anyway), since they have been by your side from the start.  If you need to trim your list down, guests who are single, casually dating, or are coworkers can be invited solo.  

Photo by Andrew Jade Photography

If you're looking for a little, (or a lot!), of help during your engagement, we'd love to hear from you!  We are a passionate group of wedding planning professionals, based out of Scottsdale, Arizona.  We can be reached at (480) 648-0663, or you can drop us a line at info@sipandtwirl.com.  

| SIP AND TWIRL| ARIZONA WEDDING PLANNER: Wedding Spotlight: Allison & Adam Tie the Knot at the Saguaro Hotel!

We were so honored to be a part of Allison and Adam’s big day this past spring, held at The Saguaro Hotel in Old Town Scottsdale.  Having just received their wedding photos back, we couldn’t help but share our favorite wedding-day memories!  Take a look at these colorful photos that not only show how unique a venue The Saguaro is, but how attention to small details can really make your day stand out as one-of-a-kind.  Props to Ben & Kelly Photography for capturing all of these perfectly special moments!

The Venue: The Saguaro Hotel Scottsdale

The Saguaro Hotel, located right in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale, is probably best known for it’s bright pops of color and cheery, retro atheistic, was the perfect location for Allison and Adam’s big day.  The venue itself can accommodate up to 500 guests with flexible indoor/outdoor event spaces.  It also has two expansive bar spaces, three fireplaces as well as a fire pit, and a number of pools that really make the guest’s experience unforgettable.  The Saguaro has just completed renovations on The Agave Complex, Scottsdale’s largest and newest hotel venue, and, the hotel is located within walking distance of dozens of bars and restaurants that make Old Town special.  Check out these gorgeous photos from in and around The Saguaro.

Photos of Allison and Adam's Wedding by Ben & Kelly Photography

Modern wedding party

Allison and Adam decided to take a modern twist on their wedding party in that Allison elected to have only bridesmaids, (naming neither a maid or matron of honor), and Adam opted to have a groomsgal on his side of the wedding party.  We love that the couple chose to do something unconventional, giving their wedding a uniqueness that reflected their personal love and life stories.   

Photos of Allison and Adam's Wedding by Ben & Kelly Photography

It’s all in the details! 

Talk about personalizing your day—this couple nailed it! Check out these beautiful shots that gave a peek into the couple’s bright and fun personalities.  

Star Wars inspired boutonnieres

Special dates recognized by the couple

Decor and treats to match the bride and groom's bright, fun and colorful personalities

If you're looking to make your dream day come to life in technicolor, we'd love to be your A-team!  If you're interested in considering The Saguaro's event space for your wedding, we recommend booking a tour.  You can visit this page on The Saguaro Hotel's website for general contact details, and of course can reach out to the wedding planning team at Sip and Twirl.  We are located in Scottsdale, Arizona and can be reached at (480) 648-0663, or at info@sipandtwirl.com. 

| SIP AND TWIRL| ARIZONA WEDDING PLANNER: Wedding Guest Myths Debunked!

If you’ve attended a couple or even dozens of weddings in your time, you may think you’re an etiquette pro, but in our experience, even the most informed guests still need a little bit of guidance.  Read on to learn how you can nail wedding guest etiquette this year.

Myth 1: An invitation means you can bring a date

Unless your wedding invitation says, “plus one” or “and guest”, don’t assume that it’s ok to bring a date.  Most couples have some restrictions on how many guests they are able to accommodate within their available resources and budget, not to mention the physical amount of people a venue may comfortably hold.  Expanding the guest list might not be an option.  Instead, reach out to some of the other guests that you may know are attending solo, and consider getting ready together, carpooling, or going out for an after-party drink.

Photo by Trevor Dayley

Myth 2: Registry shopping or a cash gift is impersonal

If you are tight with the bride(s) and groom(s), it can be very tempting to purchase something that you believe they’d love off of their registry, especially for those generous and creative gift givers out there.  While you may be able to choose something appropriate and unique, most couples prefer gifts from their registry, (that’s why they registered in the first place!).  Plus, registries are become more and more modern, where couples are able to choose literally anything they like, (verses more traditional registries from times past, comprised of flatware, china, and stemware).  If a couple is asking for cash, it might feel impersonal to you, but it can seriously help them post wedding with their expenses.  Consider adding some photos of you and the couple and a thoughtful note in your card that will help you feel more connected to gift giving.  

Myth 3: The couple is responsible for your accommodations

While most couples will offer recommendations, and may even reserve a block of rooms at a preferred resort, they are not required to pay for your hotel —even if you’ve traveled across oceans!  If you are on a budget or are not sure where to stay, head to Airbnb to do some research, or reach out to a member of the bridal party for guidance.  You can also ask around with other guests to see if someone is open to sharing a room.  

Photo by Trevor Dayley

Myth 4: The couple is your go-to resource for wedding-related questions

Instead of reaching out to the soon to be newlyweds first for any questions you might have, use some other resources available.  Most couples have plenty on their plates leading up to the wedding, and will appreciate guests self-educating.  It’s very common for couples have a wedding website, which will be included on your invitation, and usually full wedding details can be found there.  Additionally, on their website, you may find a place to post public questions or comments, and others may have already asked the couple something similar. If the couple doesn’t have a wedding website, it’s always a good start to go back to all of the communication you have received from the couple, as it’s easy to miss or forget something over the several months you may have been in touch.  If you still have questions, of course you can still reach out to the happy couple for help.  

Myth 5: You can’t wear black to a wedding

Some guests fear that wearing black will denote a gloom or somber tone, or remind others of a funeral service.  While we don’t love black for a mid-day spring or summer weddings, we are in favor of your favorite little black dress for evening weddings, and certainly those held in cooler months.  You can always add a pop of color with your accessories or your shoes.  Plus, if you’re buying a dress for a specific wedding, you’ll likely get more future milage out of something black.  

Photo by Daniel Kim

Recently engaged?  Sip and Twirl is a passionate group of wedding planners, and we are located in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Whether you have just started envisioning your dream wedding day, or are in the thick of planning, we'd love to hear from you!  We plan for both small and large scale weddings, and genuinely love what we do.  Reach out to us at (480) 648-0663 or email us at info@sipandtwirl.com.