Author

SandandLeaves

How to Choose the Right Food Service for Your Wedding

by SandandLeaves
written by SandandLeaves

One of the most important things guests remember from a wedding is the food. As a result, it is also one of the most common things couples stress about before the big day. You’re probably here reading this article because you’re now facing the same dilemma as them: how do you know which food service to pick? Is there a way to figure out which one is perfect for your wedding? To answer your question, below are some food services and the corresponding reasons why a couple such as you and your partner would want to pick them for your wedding:

Buffet Style

One of the most common food services for weddings is actually a buffet. A buffet is basically this “eat all you can” where different dishes are lined up on long tables manned by servers. In a buffet, hiring servers ensures a faster line and a more proportionate distribution of the food among the guests. On some weddings, however, the guests are also left to serve themselves. Besides the variety of food, an advantage in choosing a buffet is then the less number of staff you need to hire because guests themselves go to the food instead of the other way around. On the other hand, a disadvantage is the larger quantities of food you may have to prepare because guests are free to avail of second helpings. Moreover, lines may become long and slow. This is also why some tend to view buffets as “tacky” or lacking elegance. Nevertheless, it’s a good option to consider if you want to save money on catering staff costs!

Plated Style

This is the classic sit-down dinner with the guests just waiting for the staff to serve their food. An example of the sequence of food served would be first, the salad course, followed by the entrée, then the dessert and lastly, the beverage. Without the variety offered by the buffet, a plated dinner may require you to present choices to your guests beforehand to ask them what they would like to be served on the wedding day. This is usually done by way of the invitations where the guests can send back their preferences and tell you any allergies they may have. This traditional wedding reception style offers the advantage of being simple and straightforward. It would also ensure that no food would be wasted because everyone is already accounted for and the portions of food are already estimated well by the caterer. Furthermore, everyone would be served food at the same time so the guests would be more comfortable. The disadvantage of the plated meal style, however, would be the higher bill for the wait staff and the turnaround time for each meal.

Family Style

In the family style, different dishes are already placed at the center of each table in the reception along with the utensils. This food service style serves to replicate the idea of “family” and friends coming together, hence the name. So in this scenario, guests pass the food around in the table and help themselves to whatever dish they want. A pro of this wedding reception style would be the more casual and relaxed atmosphere between the guests which would also encourage more conversation between them. Basically, it provides for a more intimate ambiance which may align with your wedding theme. A disadvantage is that there is no way to control how much each guest gets so some may end up getting too full and others left too hungry. Other cons include food that might be wasted and the mess from leaving the guests to tend to themselves.

Cocktail Style

Cocktail style is basically a ‘stand up’ reception where guests aren’t seated so food is either served to them or is available in stations (or food trucks for some adventurous couples). In this style, guests also have the freedom to choose from a selection of food and they wouldn’t have to wait for the next round of meals like in the plated style. Aside from this, other advantages include guests being able to choose when they’ll eat and can spread it out through the night. As for you and your partner, one pro is being able to personalize the stations/food trucks according to what you want. Hors d’oeuvres (or light snacks and appetizers) served by the wait staff is also a common option for couples who want to add a touch of elegance to the cocktail style. This can be expensive, however, because appetizers like salmon sliders or braised lamb meatballs are labor intensive and cost more. Another evident disadvantage is guests not getting fed well because there is no guarantee that food gets to them.

Food Cart

In recent years, one additional option for food service that has become more popular for weddings is the use of food carts. Aside from the catering, some couples choose to hire coffee or dessert carts which bring in a touch of creativity on the array of food options for the guests. Of course, a common example for these food carts would be ice cream. But, more creative food carts for weddings include those with cotton candy, takoyaki, sandwiches, churros, nachos, among many others which really send the message that you want your guests to enjoy on your wedding night. Definitely, this is something you can consider if you have an additional budget for food and if you and your partner are foodies who would like the guests to try something you love!

To end this short list of food services you can choose from, one thing you can also consider in your decision is the overall look or feel of your wedding. Sometimes, thinking about the bigger picture helps you decide on the smaller things and keeps your vision for the wedding intact. If you still find yourself torn between options, try making a pros and cons list to see which really fits both your budget and wedding theme.

0 FacebookTwitterPinterest

Wedding Gift Ideas for Your Partner

by SandandLeaves
written by SandandLeaves

If you’ve watched a lot of wedding highlights videos, you’d notice that one thing videographers always include is the couple’s heartwarming exchange of gifts before the ceremony. It’s either the sister or the bridesmaid or the groomsman bringing the gift with a handwritten card that the groom and bride read aloud to their friends inside their separate rooms. Of course, there are a few tears, if not smiles, here and there from opening the most thoughtful gifts they chose for each other. Now, if you don’t have any clue what to get your partner yet, this article is for you! Below are some wedding gift ideas.

For the Missus:

1. Jewelry

A necklace or a ring is one of the simplest yet still most meaningful gifts you can get your partner. Others get necklaces with pendants that symbolize something important in their relationship. While some get necklaces they want their partners to wear on the wedding day itself. Some brides also immediately wear the rings they get—of course not on the ring finger! Other jewelry like earrings are also a common yet gorgeous choice (with the help of a few your bride’s friends).

2. Personalized Items

It would be cute to give your wife something that adorably screams taken! Some do this by ordering customized robes or mugs with the word “wifey.” While some choose the more traditional way of writing and making a handmade card with their most honest emotions of love. Other choices include embroidered night pajamas and even pillows.

For the Mister:

1. Watch

When giving a watch, most brides choose to engrave something at the back of it. This may be the initials of her and her partner’s names or the date of the wedding itself. Although others also choose to engrave a whole message, this comes at a higher cost. Definitely, a watch is one of the most “timeless” gifts you can give your man.

2. Cufflinks

Personalized cufflinks are also a popular choice for wedding gifts. This is because like the jewelry for the missus, the groom can wear the cufflinks on the day of the wedding to officially complete his outfit. He may also choose to use them again on special dates you will have in the future like your wedding anniversary or any other celebration! Moreover, just like the watch, cufflinks can be personalized to suit your idea for a wedding gift like a cufflink in the form of the first letter of your name or perhaps a plain silver cufflink with a few romantic words.

1. Camera

Unlike any other gadget, a camera like an Instax, a DSLR, or a film one (depending on what fits your budget and what you think your partner would appreciate more) is a really cool gift. You could even include a message with the camera saying that it’s for the thousands of memories you’ll share together, starting with the wedding day. (Awwwe!) It may be on the more expensive end of gifts but it’s something you’re sure you and your partner can use as you start your own family.

2. Scrapbook

This one is a bit more creative and personal because it’s so much more than just a card. It’s something you’ll work hard on – from collecting pictures when you were still dating and composing messages you want to go with those pictures. There are many styles you can go about making the scrapbook and one example is the cliché yet sweet “Ten Things I Love About You.” Certainly, this is a very heartwarming gift and years after your wedding, both of you can share a few laughs and tears browsing through it.

3. Suitcase

If you’re that adventurous couple and you’ve always talked about travelling after you got married, you could get your partner a suitcase. Of course, this means that you are officially taking him/her up on that dream and that you want to keep that spontaneous and fun spirit in your marriage. You could even add in a cool pair of sunglasses and a world map to make it the cutest package! But, even if you don’t have any plans of travelling yet, your partner might a new suitcase and, embarking on this new journey in your lives, this might just be one of the perfect moments to give him/her one!

4. Embroidered Apron

This is one of those “I got you one and I have one too!” gifts. Giving an apron to your significant other is somehow symbolic of how you picture your life together. It’s saying that you’ll have Sundays at the kitchen cooking for your kids or Saturdays at the grill with your neighbors over. It’s a gift that says no matter what you do, you will do it together and that you’re happy to finally be able to do that after you get married. What you get embroidered on those aprons is up to you but common choices include “Mr. and Mrs.” and “His and Hers.” You could be more creative and embroider your endearment to each other or even be more personal by embroidering your childhood nicknames.

Needless to say, there really are a lot of gifts out there ranging from perfume to headphones to wine. It’s a matter of choosing what you think your partner will appreciate the most and what is most meaningful for you to give. It doesn’t have to be expensive, it just has to be genuine and, hopefully, something you’ve put a lot of thought into. If you’re still feeling a bit lost about what you get your partner, start thinking back to the times you had together or even to the conversations you’ve had about your partner wanting to get something. That might help! Best of luck gift hunting!

0 FacebookTwitterPinterest

What to do if you and your fiancé can’t agree on wedding decisions

by SandandLeaves
written by SandandLeaves

No doubt, planning a wedding is going to be stressful. What’s going to be more challenging is that, evidently, you’re not the only one involved in the planning process. You might find yourself in an argument with your partner about who gets included in the guest list, who sits next to whom, which color the napkin should be, where the reception should be, among many other things. Definitely, it’s all a big tangled ball of decisions which you have to begin slowly untangling one by one as a team.

Now, what’s important is that way ahead of those unpleasant disagreements you’ll be prepared on how to resolve conflicts you’ll encounter while planning. Here are then some tips you can follow to achieve that peaceful wedding planning you want:

Compromise

Of course, this is the first step on the list. Planning with another person means being open to the idea that it is not only your opinions that will be considered in the entirety of the wedding. Much like your marriage, the planning is a team effort. It’s a partnership, a joint effort, which entails that you’ll have to accept another person’s ideas and take those into consideration in order to meet them half way.

One instance you can apply this is actually setting the budget for your wedding and planning how to achieve that budget. Aside from allocating funds for the catering, the cake, the band, and etc., you’ll soon see that there are expenses which need not be made like additional funds for that Louboutin wedding shoes or that seemingly “million-dollar” wedding dress. If you really want to use an expensive wedding dress, it should only be fair to your partner if you pay for that additional amount on top of the budget you have set for the dress. Another example is if you both want to include a large number of people for the guest list. You both might have to cut down your list of guests to be fair to each other or to both decide to cross off something else on your expense list in exchange for inviting more people.

Communicate

It’s important to also let your partner know about the things that may be bothering you about the wedding. Assuming that they know everything without you having to tell them can be one of the most surefire ways you end up getting into an argument. So, despite the stress you may have been carrying for a number of days already, really try to talk to your partner calmly and explain what it is that you need to resolve as a couple. It may be the overbearing in-laws, the feeling of being alone and tired in the planning, or even just the sheer amount of tasks that are yet to be accomplished.

Learn to delegate and trust in your partner so that you are able to effectively divide the list of things to do before your wedding day. Communication to other people like your family can also help since you are able to let go of some of the tasks and assign them to your family members like the invitations. This will help you as a couple because you are able to focus more on the aspects of the wedding that are more important to you and ease out any tensions between the both of you. Lastly, in all of these dealings involving communication in the wedding process, learn to be assertive by being self-confident in your needs and wants but at the same time being considerate and not overly aggressive.

Chill

Always try to keep your cool. It is easy to lash out especially if you don’t get the response you desire from your partner. Always remember that it is not easy to take back what has already been spoken and that whenever someone talks, you don’t really have to immediately come up with an equally snarky reply. Carry each other along by being understanding of each other’s position and always process everything first without doing anything rash. This way it might be easier for apologies to come from both of you and for both of you to also come up with a solution to your issues. 

Celebrate

Never forget why you are doing all of these in the first place. No argument over the smallest of details is ever worth getting into a big fight with your fiancé. This is all for the celebration of your love for each other and so, ask yourself, what good would it do if you forget that love in the process? Your wedding is about you as a couple and during the planning process what often drives couples like you and your partner into the most massive of fights is listening to the demands of the guests who want to control how your wedding goes. It is then at those very moments that you exercise your rights as the to-be-wedded couple and actually pick what makes both of you happy, not the guests. Learn to put your foot down when needed and take little breaks just to feel happy about accomplishing tasks for the day. Always remind you and your partner who you are doing it for and that, no matter what, at the end of the day, it is still YOUR wedding day and that YOU get to decide.

 

All in all, because of the many things that are involved in planning a wedding, the smallest of things could also cause the biggest disagreements. Tensions and conflicts are really unavoidable especially that wedding planning is not an easy endeavor. However, by being aware that these can happen, you are already one step ahead of these conflicts and you can actually still do something to avoid them or to resolve them when they happen. So, for peaceful planning, always remember to: Compromise, Communicate, Chill, and Celebrate. 1,2,3 Inhale, 1,2,3 Exhale! You got this!

0 FacebookTwitterPinterest

4 Things You Need To Know To Start Your Wedding Plan

by SandandLeaves
written by SandandLeaves

So he’s popped the question, and you’ve said yes! You’re finally engaged and now you’re on the way to marriage, but what exactly comes next? Wedding planning can be one of the most difficult things to do, especially if you don’t have any idea on what you’re doing.

That’s why today I’ll tell you all about the steps needed towards having the perfect wedding.

1. Figure out a budget

Even though every step in wedding planning is important, this may be one of the most important ones. Weddings can be horribly expensive, and to ensure that you don’t overspend you have to set a budget. The best way to do this is think of everything you need to do and what you’d want at your wedding. Flowers, food, music, wedding invitations, the dress, and set a budget on each item. From there, you can find an overall budget to not go over. You can also download free budget planner to help you identify all the things that you would need to alot your budget to.

2. Plan the guest list

Next up is planning a guest list. Whether you’re having a small or big wedding, you want to write down exactly who you want to be there. This includes close family, friends, and anyone else you’d like at your wedding. This also applies to step one of  figuring out a budget because the amount of people at your wedding will determine venue size, how many invitations need to be sent, the amount of food needed, and quite a bit more when it comes to decor. While the guest list doesn’t need to be finalized at this time, it’s best to get a good idea of how many people you’ll want at your wedding.

3. Get some possible dates

You don’t need to decide the exact date you’ll want your wedding around at this time, but it’s best to get a good idea together. Keep in mind that weekend weddings can end up being way more expensive than weekday weddings too, so if you’re on a short budget then you might not want a Saturday wedding. Picking out possible dates leads in to the next important step in wedding planning.

4. Choose a venue

After all previous steps have been completed, you’re all set to book a wedding venue. This is usually the time to hire a wedding planner if you so desire one. If you don’t, then you’re good to go to check out venues keeping in mind the guest count and the possible days for your wedding.

From here on, it’s best to finalize everything once you’ve booked the venue. This includes the guest list and of course the date, so it’s a great time to send out save the dates to people as well too.

Once everything is all in place, it’s time to pick your wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses, and the rest of your attire for your wedding day. After attire is all set in place, you can send out wedding invitations to everyone and then begin with the decor on the venue. This is also when you’ll hire vendors for the wedding and plan what kind of cake you’ll want.

While wedding planning can be difficult for most because there’s so much to consider, it’s actually not too difficult if you know what you’re doing and have all of the right steps!

0 FacebookTwitterPinterest

8 Timeless Wedding Themes You Can Always Say Yes To

by SandandLeaves
written by SandandLeaves

Most of us girls plan our magical dream wedding as soon as we see the Disney princesses’ movies with fairy tale endings. However, when we grow up and finally meet our prince, we realize that planning a wedding is not just rainbows and butterflies. Planning a wedding means deciding what you want down to the last detail. But, of course, before you can decide what flowers or place mats you want, you have to start with the theme/motif. Here are some timeless wedding ideas you might want to look at for inspiration!

1. Rustic

A rustic wedding easily takes a spot in the list of wedding themes that can never go wrong. In fact, it has become one of the most popular choices for modern day wedding themes. Couples go as far as renting out old farms or barns just to achieve that cozy yet stunning ambience on their special day. Mason jars, elevated lanterns, string lights, delicate greenery, and the wood, all create this homey feel that may be perfect for you if you’re into that DIY, Pinterest-board-inspired wedding.

2. Romantic

A romantic wedding is often one that displays plenty of flowers and, as some say, basks in some kind of ‘natural golden lighting.’ So to speak, this is the magical wedding with the delicate and ethereal fairy tale feel. Its soft hues and pastels will give you and your attendees that kind of calm that can only come from the celebration of true and beautiful love. If you imagine your wedding with elegant details like the flowing fabrics of your bridesmaids’ dresses, the heartwarming song of your first dance, and the perfect slice from your perfect cake, this wedding might be for you!

3. Vintage

Vintage weddings, as the name suggests, center on antiques with the idea of drawing inspiration from past eras. So, vintage furniture and the use of lace undeniably become the defining features of this wedding theme. Your dress can then be inspired from old trends like the bolero yet still look fresh with a modern twist. The chairs can also look “worn in” and can be covered with floral fabric to recreate setups in the past. Most importantly, the classic getaway car in this theme makes your “something old” something cool. So if you and your partner don’t want to drive away in anything else but a Porsche or a Volkswagen, you should definitely consider vintage weddings!

4. Garden

A wedding in the garden is naturally beautiful. It is a more intimate celebration which allows for a more casual or laid-back ambiance in the wedding. Invitations for this theme are mostly designed with floral motifs and soft pastel colors. For the decors, of course, a garden wedding wouldn’t be a garden wedding without the gorgeous flowers which look like they’ve only just been picked. So if you’re planning on a spring or summer date for your special day, you might start thinking about planning a wedding with floor-length bridesmaid dresses and botanical inspired details.

5. Glamorous

Glamorous weddings are those that go all out to add that unforgettable wow factor to guests. Venues usually include ballrooms, art museums, mansions, and even the dining room of a grand estate. With the high ceilings and the chandeliers, high-quality linens, crystal stemware, and elegant centerpieces with candles also add to the luxurious aesthetic that this kind of wedding theme is going for. Those who go for outdoor glamorous set-ups usually use ceiling drapes and a range of chandeliers, lanterns, and colorful lighting to make sure that the venue is well-lit. Common motifs for this wedding theme include white and gold.  So, if you want to go for a wedding that leaves everyone awestruck even you, this is for you!

6. Beach

Undeniably, beach weddings are stunning. With the light of the sun, the sound of the waves, and the sand in your toes, this could easily be the perfect wedding theme for you. Of course you might have to let go of the big princess dress but you’ll get as much fun with the endless possibilities of a beach wedding like a seashell bouquet for your entourage or starfish décor for your reception. You can also play around with your invitations and place them in shells! Most importantly, one of the selling points of this wedding theme is the set of gorgeous pictures you’ll have especially at sunset with you walking down the beach with the love of your life.

7. Modern

Modern weddings are more minimalist. Often, these weddings go for cool colors like blue and green and pair them up with white. Although simplicity is key in designing a wedding like this, you can still put a spin on your hexagon-shaped cake or your geometric centerpiece or your structural backdrop. Recent designs of this wedding theme also include making use of vines of crawling greenery and cream balloons. So, if you want to pull off a wedding that looks so simple yet still manages to pull off a romantic and charming setting, you can go for this wedding theme.

8. Traditional/Classic

Last but definitely not the least, you also can’t go wrong with opting for a traditional white wedding. This classic theme is usually paired with venues like a chapel or a church but outdoor ceremonies are also a top choice with this theme. Traditional weddings focus more on a soft color scheme, a simple but elegant invitation, and yet again, a timeless dress. The set-up is clean and streamlined and there are no distracting decors. Even so, this wedding theme is not dull. It’s just a wedding with tried and tested details that will never go out of style!

0 FacebookTwitterPinterest
Close