| SIP AND TWIRL| ARIZONA WEDDING PLANNER: Dealing with These Wedding Crises? Handle it like a Boss!

If only wedding planning was a complete breeze from “yes” to “I do”, but the truth is, there are guaranteed to be a few bumps along the way.  But before you are faced with one, (or even a few), of these pesky little hiccups, we’ve assembled some common scenarios that you can learn how to handle, or how to avoid all together.  

Blowing your wedding budget

The bad news is that this happens all the time, but the great news is that it can be completely avoided by taking a few steps before committing to the specifics of your wedding.  This may sound biased, but it’s worth mentioning.  Setting up a consultation with a wedding planner before you send Save the Dates, commit to any vendors, or choose a venue can save you thousands in the long run.  A great wedding planner will help set expectations in terms of costs, and from there you can make informed decisions about all of the details of your big day.  If you’ve already signed contracts, and are looking to cut costs as you get closer to your wedding day, think about some of the details that, while may be nice touches, ultimately do not impact the outcome of your wedding.  These things may include wedding favors or welcome bags, ceremony programs or an elaborate desert bar, for example.  

Tension with your wedding party…

….or tension with anyone close to you for that matter!  It’s important to first honestly ask yourself, is it you?  Are you asking others to do things that you yourself wouldn’t be so keen to participate in if you were the bridesmaid or the family member of someone else getting married?  Are your bridesmaid dresses sensitive to various budgets and tastes?  Have you chosen a super pricey hotel as the only option for accommodation?  If any of these scenarios ring true for you, take a moment to trade in your expectation for appreciation of others, and you will see tension dissolve.  If, on the other hand, you feel that you have been very fair and accommodating, but are still getting a bad vibe from someone, make time to go out for a glass or wine or a tea, and have an open conversation without judgement.  Ask your friend what’s up, and they will probably be relived to have the space to open up to you.  After listening to your friend’s feedback, and finding a solution, share how excited you are to share your special day with your friend, so that you can reinforce the message that their friendship is far more important to you than say, a bridesmaid dress or other wedding detail.

Your guest list is suddenly enormous

It’s common to have guest list inflation as you approach your wedding day, even if you and your partner decided early on who would and wouldn’t be invited.  If your guest list is getting out of hand, set a few “rules” in place, and stick to them.  Some rules could include setting a cut-off date (no one new is invited within 8 weeks), or completely leaving co-workers off of your list, or similarly, children under a certain age.  If people approach you asking if they are invited, don’t feel pressured to give in, and say yes.  If they are not invited, simply explain that your venue can only accommodate X number of people, or that your budget could really only afford X number of guests. It might be uncomfortable in the moment, but you will be grateful in the long run that you stuck true to your plan.  

You have a last minute beauty disaster

With all of the pre-wedding stress and lack of sleep, it’s not surprising if you have a new zit suddenly appear, get a sunburn while trying to achieve optimal wedding glow, have slightly darker circles under your eyes, or even develop a dreaded cold sore.  While all of these beauty problems are inconvenient, they are still fixable.  Call on your glam squad and let the experts do what they do best.  While your zit might feel like a mountain to you, it’s more likely that it’s nothing your makeup artist hasn’t conquered in the past, or if you're dealing with a bad haircut, ask your do of hair stylist to slightly modify your look with a romantic updo that camouflages the cut.  Also, remember that between your stunning gown, your accessories, and most importantly, the enormous smile that you’ll be wearing all day, your guests won’t be focusing on tiny blemishes and imperfections.  Still freaking out?  Just take a deep breath and remember what is most important about your wedding day - starting a brand new life with the person you love and adore.  

All photos of Brandy and Kristie's beautiful wedding by Brittany Janelle.

Sip and Twirl is a boutique wedding and event planning company based in Scottsdale, AZ.  We take great pride and pleasure in bringing a client's dream wedding to life.  We specialize in weddings of all sizes, and have options available for couples who are looking for just a little guidance, or a lot of help.  Reach out to as at info@sipandtwirl.com, or by calling us at 480-648-0663.  

Photo by Brittany Janelle

| SIP AND TWIRL| ARIZONA WEDDING PLANNER: 7 Easy Ways to Ensure Your Wedding Will be a Blast!

While you’ve planned for the drinks to be flowing and the music to be bumping all night long, there are a few other key components to hosting a wedding that’s anything but boring.  Check out some of our favorite ways to deliver a great guest experience without breaking the bank. 

Make introductions before the wedding

A wedding brings two sets of families and two sets of friends, and the result can be lots of small talk and other awkward attempts at socializing during the reception.  Our advice is to be a great connector at events leading up to the wedding, such as the bridal shower, engagement party, family brunch, or at the rehearsal dinner. Your guests will feel immediately at ease if they recognize a large handful of people who they’d be otherwise meeting for the first time, making for a more relaxed and fun atmosphere at your wedding.

Stick to your wedding timeline

As some of our readers know, we help our clients create a timeline for their wedding day that will help set expectations for when certain events will happen.  Of course nobody expects things to run to the second, but adhering to your timeline will ensure guests aren’t idly waiting for things to start, checking their phones every two minutes.  Cocktail hour is a great opportunity to help guests entertain themselves while you are taking your formal wedding portraits.  Make sure there are lots of tasty treats, shade or if held indoors or at night, the right ambient lighting, and places to grab a quick seat to keep the atmosphere positively charged.  

Keep guests satiated

It can be tempting to skip serving hors d’oeuvres to save a few bucks if you plan on serving a full dinner at your reception, but in our experience, it’s a good idea to have a few yummy bites for your guests to nosh on while they await your grand entrance as newly weds.  Plus, giving them a few nibbles now will ensure that they patiently listen through some of the wedding toasts that may begin before food arrives at each seat.  

Have options available for transportation home

Communicate with your guest what the options are for getting home safely for those who opt to dance and drink the night away.  Not only will this give you peace of mind for everyone’s safe journey home, but it will give guests the freedom to linger a little longer on the dance floor and let their hair down without worrying about their exit strategy.  

Be strategic about your seating chart

We’ve all been there - the one person or couple at a table where you know no one.  This is a big bummer when the energy falls flat at your table, or worse, when you see all of your friends at a neighboring table.  Creating a well thought out seating chart will help naturally elevate the energy of the evening, and it’s free!  If you’re finding that you have one or two couples left out of a table of eight or ten, why not opt to mix up the sizes of the tables for your reception?  Farm tables or feasting style tables can seat significantly more than traditional round tables, and you can even mix and match these if your venue will allow for this.  This will give you the ability to size up or size down based off of that friends or family group.  

Limit the toasts

There is a fine line between a perfectly timed sentimental toast and one that seems to continue into the next week.  Our advice is to keep the toasts to parents, the maid of honor, and best man.  You can loosely suggest that they keep their speeches within a few minutes, (they will be relieved), and let everyone else get back to the party.  It’s also a good idea to time the toasts so that guests are already seated with their meals and aren’t fighting through grumbling tummies while the last person is wrapping up.  

Relax

The most important aspect of throwing a wedding is to truly enjoy the day yourselves!  Don't stress over little mishaps, (in our experience wedding planning, a perfect wedding day doesn’t exist).  Get out on the dance floor, and have fun!  When the guests see the bride(s) and groom(s) spectacularly enjoying themselves, it will elevate the evening’s energy.

All photos of Kathleen and Rick's Wedding by Trevor Dayley

Sip and Twirl is a passionate, (and might we add fun!), group of wedding planners.  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.  

| SIP AND TWIRL| ARIZONA WEDDING PLANNER: Here’s How to Say “No” with Grace While Wedding Planning

Let’s face it - others are going to have lots of opinions and suggestions about every detail regarding your wedding day.  Some you will love; most you will, ehem, not love. You’ll soon discover that learning how to say no… without actually saying “no”, is a skill that will come in handy during your engagement.  Here are some of our tips for politely acknowledging other’s suggestions and enthusiasm without both committing to something you don’t love, or negatively impacting your relationships.  

Photo by Trevor Dayley

Expect all kinds of requests

There’s something about a wedding announcement that can make even the most laid back family members go bananas.  People tend to voice their wants and expectations for your big day at some point, and you’ll have the daunting task of filtering the good ideas from the lousy ones.  Start by acknowledging that most brides endure this part of the planning process.  Your mom may want you to wear an heirloom piece of jewelry that just doesn’t match your dress; your aunt wants to bake your wedding cake, or your good friend has recently adopted a photography hobby and is sharing her enthusiasm with you to shoot your wedding as a gift.  At this point you have a few options.

Photo by Bradford Jones

Tweak the request.  If your mom is rather sentimental about a particular piece of jewelry, for example, you may be able to find another way to wear it that still honors her wishes, and your desires as well.  Possibly it is something you can wear to your rehearsal dinner or in your engagement photos.  Another option is reworking the piece with a jeweler and creating a hair pin, or other accessory, like this boutonniere in the photo above.  

Repurpose the request.  If you auntie is known for her pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving but hasn’t baked a wedding cake once in her life, it’s totally normal to be hesitant about her abilities.  Instead of taking her up on making your wedding cake, ask her to put her baking skills to work for the dessert served at your rehearsal dinner.  She will still feel honored that her talents are being used to make your wedding week special, and will likely understand that you’d prefer to hire someone who is a cake baking expert.

Photo by Bradford Jones

Swap for a less important day. Your friend may have a pretty impressive Instagram profile, but wedding photography requires much more knowledge about the pace of the day, the lighting, equipment, and all of the other details for capturing that once in a lifetime moment.  If you think your friend does have a fair bit of talent, and you’d like to find a way to take him or her up on their kind offer, consider asking them to shoot your engagement photos, or your rehearsal dinner.  This way you can still gracefully accept your friend’s gift, but will not risk losing cherished memories from your wedding day.  

Photo by Jane in the Woods

Compromise.  Compromising doesn’t mean that you become a doormat and let others walk over your desires for your own wedding day.  Rather, compromising is a great opportunity to step back and evaluate what is important to you for your big day.  We like self-reflecting by asking, “Will this be important to me in a week or a year after my wedding?” …if your answer is no, it’s a chance to honor a friend or a relative’s wishes without it impacting what’s most important to you.

Just say no.  While compromising may be appropriate for some suggestions, there will undoubtedly be other requests that you feel do not align with your values.  Let’s say for example your fiancé’s parents have a strong wish for you to be married in a church, but neither you or your fiancé ascribe to or follow that particular faith.  Or let’s say that one of your values is to keep your wedding within a strict budget, but that you parents have an extensive guest list.  This is where you will need to stand your ground and let these other people know how you and your partner feel, and why it impacts your wedding.  Others may not like your response, but if it’s a decision that you feel is best, then it’s the right course of action.

Delegate your “nos”.  The great news is that not all nos need to come from you!  This is where a wedding planner can step in and add tremendous value to the planning process.  Some relationships, such as your future mother-in-law, or possibly a parent who is footing the entire bill, may be more sensitive to hearing a no from you.  A wedding planner is a more objective third party and can explain some of the reasoning behind the decisions without it feeling critical of other people’s ideas.  A great planner will not only handle these situations with poise, but will be able to anticipate conversations arising in advance, and will help a couple diffuse something that may have otherwise boiled over.  

If you're looking for a little, (or a lot!), of help with all types of decisions 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: Healthy Habits to Adopt During your Engagement

If you’re in the process of planning your wedding already, you’ve probably encountered at least a few moments where you felt overwhelmed, misunderstood, or may have even faced some self-pressure.  By adopting a few healthy habits now during your engagement, you will not only rock your planning, but you will also feel amazing pre and post wedding.  Read on for our top healthy habit tips!

Photo by Saje Photography

Practice positive communication

Planning a wedding is the time where you and your partner need to bring your A-game when it comes to communicating with each other.  This will include everything from talking through wedding finances, to your guest list, to difficult family members as openly, and as non-judgmental as possible.  If certain aspects of your wedding planning are left unresolved, this can create resentment and anger that can put a huge downer on your relationship or your upcoming celebration.

Love yourself

A positive body image far outweighs any crash wedding diet that could be harmful to your physical or mental health in the long run.  With this being said, of course it’s always great to get in better shape or to clean up your diet.  Create a healthy fitness plan with a trainer at your gym, or with a certified nutritionist or dietician.  You shouldn’t look back on your wedding day photos and think about to what extreme you went to drop some extra pounds.  Instead, take the approach of making your health and self-love a priority. 

Photo by Saje Photography

Plan your wedding hair six or more months in advance

If you envision having long, luscious locks on your wedding day, it’s time to cut back now on heat treatment, and keep consistent at deep conditioning your hair.  You'll also want to book in regular trims to keep the ends healthy.  Want to try a new style?  Go for it, but give yourself enough time to let it grow a little if it didn’t turn out exactly as you envisioned.  

Get that glow

Like your hair, you’ll want to start nurturing your skin at least six months from your wedding date.  Book an appointment with either a dermatologist, medical aesthetician, or someone who will be able to choose some quality products for your skin type.  It will take your skin time to adjust to a new regime, and if you decide to undergo some skin therapies or treatments, like a chemical peel or laser resurfacing, your skin will need the time to fully heal.

Keep balanced with meditation

Staying present in the moment will help ease stress and anxiety, and will create a deeper sense of inner peace.  By simply taking 3-10 minutes per day, (use your phone timer!) you can create a positive shift in the inner chatter that bounces around in your brain 24/7.  Start by focusing on your breathing, and be patient with quieting your mind.  There are lots of apps and books on this topic that will guide you if you are a novice.

Photo by Saje Photography

Get comfy asking others for help

Whether you are working with a wedding planner or not, it’s important to realize that you will need help at some point leading up to your wedding day.  Plus, not only this, but your loved ones will likely be thrilled you asked for their opinions and helping hands.  

Photo by Saje Photography

Need a little engagement help?  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: Stay Organized on Your Wedding Day!

Even if you’ve rocked wedding planning thus far, you will have plenty of other things to do when your big day arrives aside from tending to the large event details.  This is where your planner will add tremendous value. Take a look at these planning tips below that you can use alongside of your planner to help your wedding run smoothly all day long!  

Photo by Bradford Jones

Have a wedding day timeline

If there is one thing we love to use on wedding day to help us conduct a successful event, it’s a trusty wedding day timeline.  A timeline will help you coordinate vendors, keep time for some of the major moments of the day like first look, and it will help with the over all rhythm and pace of the day.  If you are working with a planner, they will help you with this, and if you’re not, it’s a great idea to create one with a designated point person (more below!), who will check-up on all details throughout the day to make sure everything is going smoothly.

Designate point people

Of course if you have hired a planning team, these experts will act as your designated point person/team.  If you don’t have a planner that you’re working with, it’s a great idea to assign specific people to specific responsibilities for the major pieces of the day.  For example, connect your maid of honor with your photographer so that she can text where something spontaneous might be happening that you’d love captured.  Make sure you brief your friends or family in advance of wedding day so that they thoroughly understand where they are needed and by what time, (point to your already created wedding day timeline!).  

Photos of the Sip and Twirl team by Bradford Jones

Create a wedding week and wedding day checklist

You’ve got a ton of things swirling around in your head.  Even if you don’t check anything off of your list immediately, you will feel empowered after writing a master and a day-of checklist.  This exercise will help free your mental energy so that you can work through the tasks on hand with your team of helpers and planners.  Your planner will be a pro at this one.  Ask you planner if they have a basic checklist you can start with, and then you can add on any unique items for your special day.  

Label your decor

Label your decor well in advance, and you’ll be able to breathe a sigh of relief the couple of days before your wedding as guests begin arriving and things get next level busy.  If each box is labeled before your decor items arrive at your venue, it will save you having to answer questions about the placement of each individual centerpiece, your photos, signs, or other location specific pieces.  

Photo of the Four Seasons Resort by Bradford Jones

Make packing lists

Ok, enough with the lists, right?!  Actually, a packing list will really come in handy not only for wedding items, but for things you will need at your venue you might not think about in the rush of your big day.  Some of these items could be the items in your wedding day emergency kit, an extra pair of shoes if your feet feel like they are going to fall off, your written vows, the rings, etc….  Do this well in advance to achieve peace of mind the days leading up to your wedding. 

We'd love to hear from you!

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.