Wedding Tip Tuesday: Invitation Etiquette - Plus Ones

The topic of plus ones comes up so often, I decided to explain the major rules when inviting guests to your wedding. When are you required to allow a guest to bring a plus one? How do you address the invitation for plus ones? Are you supposed to allow guests to bring a date? These are the questions that brides ask all the time, and I have the answers for you.

Who should I allow a plus one? Etiquette states that you must let your guest bring their significant other if they are married, engaged, or living together. Not only is it proper etiquette, but it is common courtesy to want your guest to feel comfortable on your special day, celebrating with you and the one they love.

What if a guest isn't married, engaged, or living with someone? As a couple, you and your groom can decide where you want to draw the line in the sand, when deciding who will be given a plus one.  Examples of some rules could be:

• Only allow guests to bring their significant other if you have met him or her
• Allow dates if they have been together for a set number of years (choose a number and stick to it)
• Allow anyone who has a significant other to bring him or her

Whatever rule you decide on, make sure you stick to it. Bending the rule for some guests can cause more problems than it's worth and hurt the feelings of others.

How should I address the invitation to whom I am inviting? If you intend to allow your guest to bring a date, make sure to have your guest's name first, and their date's name should go next. If you know their name, it is expected to write it on the invitation. It is always preferred to write the name of their plus one, rather than write "and guest".

The invitation dictates who is invited. The way the invitation is addressed tells the guest who is invited. For instance, if you address the invitation "Mr. and Mrs. Jackson" you intend on inviting two people, whereas if you address the invitation "The Jackson Family" you intend to invite  their entire immediate family. It is important to remember, however, that whoever is omitted from the invitation is assumed to be not invited. For example, "Ms. Sarah Jackson" would mean only Sarah is invited, whereas "Ms. Sarah Jackson and guest" would clearly let Sarah know she is welcome to invite a date.

When you and your groom are going through your guest list, remember these helpful etiquette tips to help keep the decision making easy and stress-free. You have to remember that this wedding is about the two of you. In the end, a plus one shouldn't be taking the place of a guest that does mean something to you, and wants to be there to celebrate your special day.

Also, I wanted to point out that if you are looking to get invitations or any stationery made, one of my favorite vendors is Jen Simpson of Jen Simpson Design. She is the designer of all gorgeous invitations you saw on this post! Be sure to check her out on Facebook and Etsy as well!

Vendor Spotlight: MissNowMrs.com

Once the beautiful planning of the wedding is over, it is now time for the bride to change her last name. However, my brides have found this long awaited step in their life, of changing their last name, less then a dream come true. It can be so difficult, and confusing to go through this process, and that is why I wanted to share with you this great company called MissNowMrs.com, making the process of changing your last name a breeze.

This great service has created a 3 step process for brides, making it easy to follow and submit all your documents.

STEP ONE: Once you sign up on their website you are prompted to answer a few basic questions. This will help them calculate the procedures needed to be done, based on your state regulations. It will also help determine the forms they will have you fill out. The best part is if you feel uncomfortable filling out any personal information online, then they allow you to print out the forms and you can simply write in any missing information.

STEP TWO: Next your answers, from step one, will be taken and inputed into the appropriate forms for your review. You can look over all the forms to confirm the information listed is accurate. If you don't have time to look over everything in one sitting, no problem! They give you 6 months to look over all the documents, so you can rest assured that everything is accurate and correct. If you ever have any questions or need help, a professional is available to talk to through email, phone, or live chat!!

STEP THREE: Filing! You will be asked to print out all of the forms you have filled out and will then be given specific, detailed instructions on how to go about filing your paperwork. And there you have it! All done! Once papers are filed it is estimated that you will receive your new documents with in 2-3 weeks, depending on the office.

I completely recommend this to anyone beginning the name changing process. You will thank me! They do charge a small fee for using their service, but MissNowMrs.com have given us 2 free gift cards to give out to our readers! To win, CLICK HERE, and share your proposal story, and my team and I will choose two winners! Winners will be announced next Tuesday, October 30th.

Can't wait to hear from you all! Have a simply sweet day :)

Vendor Spotlight: Flower Girl World

I just recently attended the Wedding MBA conference in Las Vegas, where I was introduced to this great company, Flower Girl World. After visiting their booth I checked out their website, and all I can say is......How Cute!! I remember when I was a little girl it was always one of my dreams to be a flower girl! It always sounded like so much fun! Although I never had the opportunity, I love how Flower Girl World has created a way to make the experience of being a flower girl extra special for the young girls in your wedding.

Flower Girl World has so many different things that I love about them. They sell children's books, telling stories about the fun of being a flower girl. They also teach young girls what to expect, and what her special job is as a flower girl. Their books are great for soon to be flower girls, or for  young girls who dream of being a flower girl.

Bridesmaid's gifts are a popular thought among bride's, but Flower Girl World has created a sweet flower girl kit that makes a great gift for your own flower girl.

The kit includes various things such as:

• Practice Petals
• Practice Basket
• Glitter Flower Stickers
• Official Flower Girl World Certificate
• Wedding Day Activity Book
• Memory Scrapbook
• Collectible Bookmarks
• Crayons
• Kit Folder

Not to mention, their website is such a great resource for parents and bride's including helpful tips on making the experience of the flower girl the most special! They also provide games to play before or during the wedding, or at any bridal events. The website is a great tool for bride's and parents to prepare their child for being a flower girl. It will teach girls wedding vocabulary, wedding etiquette, and give them an insight into how special their job is as a flower girl.

Check out the Flower Girl World website! I know your flower girl will love it, as much as I do!

Wedding Tip Tuesday: Spice Up the Morning of Your Wedding Day!

Every moment of your wedding day is special, including the getting ready process! So why not spice up the morning of your wedding and make it extra fun? I have compiled some great ideas to not only personalize your wedding morning, but that will make great pictures and memories for the future!

Get Ready In Style. Have all of your bridal party wear matching robes while they are getting ready in your changing room. This not only helps preserve your hair and makeup and hair when you change into your dresses, but it makes for adorable pictures while everyone is lounging around in the morning!

Write a Love Note. Send a letter or present to each other before the wedding. It can be a special card between the two of you that you can share before you walk down the aisle. It's easy to get caught up in the planning of the wedding, so this is a great way to make a moment of the day just about you two whether you are doing a first look or not, plus it makes a great keep sake for the future! Be sure to have your maid of honor, or planner deliver the letters/gift to each of you, and have your photographer snap a shot of you both as you open them!

Personalize It! A great trend right now, that I love, is a personalized hanger with the bride's name written in wire through the middle. A nice touch, is to also have a hanger made for each bridesmaid! This will make for great pictures, and also is a thoughtful idea for a bridesmaid gift. Etsy is a good place to find these types of personalized hangers.

Make Your Changing Suite Your Own. The smallest details can mean so much! Make your changing suite your own with a cute sign to hang on your door. This will help all the girls not only know where you are getting ready but adds such a sweet detail to your space.

Don't Forget the Champagne! While you and your girls are getting ready don't forget this is a celebration, so don't forget the champagne. A nice idea is instead of just doing mimosas, you can spice it up with a mimosa bar. Put out cranberry juice, orange juice, pomegranate juice, and any other blended juices you like. If you want more ideas on how to make a fabulous mimosa bar check out this great post on Kojo Designs. It lays out a shopping list of everything to buy, and everything you will need. So helpful!

So make sure not to forget the morning of your big day! You will be so happy you added these little details, and so will your bridesmaids!

Let me know what you think! Don't forget to leave me a comment below! Also, if you have any great ideas that you did at your wedding, or things you would add share them with me! I would love to hear from you.