Sweat The Small Stuff

Throwing a successful event, big or small, will depend greatly on your organizational skills and your ability to envision the entire picture. You want to be sure that you are considering all aspects of your event- not only the big details such as the venue, but the small details such as favors as well. The last thing you want is to panic on the day of your wedding because you forgot to put out cocktail napkins!  Here are a just a few of those details to help you get started. 

Create a survival kit:  Mama's motto:  Always hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.  Although we are postive (especially if you are following Mama's tips) that your day will run smoothly, we still urge you to have a few essentials (such as band-aids, clear nail polish,  a needle and thread, advil and tylenol) on hand- you know, just incase.  You can create the kit yourself, or you can find some already prepared kits, like this Bridessentials Survival Kit on Amazon.  

Little Lavoratory Luxuries:  Better known as bathroom baskets filled with goodies for your guests to use as they need throughout the night.  Sometimes your florist can arrange one for you, or perhaps the venue offers them, so be sure to find out.  If not, that's ok, putting the baskets together can be a very fun activity, or one that can be delegated to a bridesmaid or two.  Fill the basket with items you think some of your guests might need throughout the evening, for example aspirin, hair spray, fingernail glue, feminine products, tooth picks, band-aids, and even a few combs. 

Functional Favors:  Not everyone chooses to give out favors at their wedding, and that is fine.  However, for those that do want to give out favors please consider your guests when choosing the favors.  It is easy to get caught up in the "oh this is so cute", or "well, this one is only $3".  Cute and affordable are great qualities, but if your guests will never use it- you've wasted your money and any space they have in their cabinets!

Direction Cards:  Ok, sure, we are always looking to maximize the budget and cut costs wherever possible- but eliminating the direction cards in the invitations is not the place to do it.  Yes, many people have a GPS or know how to punch an address into Map Quest, but sending those direction cards is a convenience to your guests.  This is a little something that will make their preparations easier- and they will appreciate you for it.  People may not tell you how grateful they are for those cards, but you better bet they'll let you know if they got lost on their way if you didn't include them!