Ideas to Consider When Planning a Wedding

Summer is in full swing and when it comes to weddings, there are new and old traditions about who will pay for specific costs.  

Back in the day, the bride's family paid for the wedding and the groom's family paid for the rehearsal dinner and the honeymoon.  

Today, it is reasonable to see both families and/or the bride and groom share in the costs.

The last thing anyone wants to see is someone spending their savings or going into debt. 

Two things I always ask clients when they call our office, what is your guest count and have you established a budget?  

Happy planning and please don't hesitate to call our office if you would like to explore ideas.  xo

Gianna's Picks of the Week -

Sophisticated.

Simple and elegant.

Low heel for dancing.

Romantic lighting.

Bridesmaid dresses - dramatic or soft.

We love the pale pink bow tie.  

Tips of the Week

Your table setting might look like the diagram below.  If you are planning on having party favors or place cards, think about your place setting before you create your designs.

Brunch the Day After the Big Party

Buffets are great for a going away brunch. You and your guests can arrive within a specific block of time which is great for catching flights and late check outs.

Whether you are having your going away brunch at a private residence or hotel, consider the following - 

Coffee, tea, OJ and your favorite juices plus ice water. Great for those who drank a little too much the night before. xo

A delicious burrito bar with all of your favorite items such as scrambled eggs, black beans, shredded cheese, sour cream, diced tomatoes, onions and guacamole, so everyone can build their own burrito.

For those seeking carbohydrates, bagels are great with cream cheese and lox or bagels with an assortment of cream cheeses.

If you want something sweet, add pastries.  

Selecting Your Bridal Party? 

Consider friends who know you the best and will understand a crazy bridezilla moment.

Friends that will help you when things go wrong and/or when you have a lot of plates spinning at the same time.

My number one tip - never allow someone in the wedding party, who is intoxicated to give a toast.  I have seen a few horror stories play out in front of me - it is painful to watch and it ruins friendships.

Your Bridesmaids -


When you select the bridesmaid dresses, please consider their body shapes. Some of your bridesmaids may not fit into a style made for a size 2. I recommend selecting dresses (can be the same dress, but a few different styles - strapless, halter, etc.) that your bridesmaids can try on to see which one fits her body the best. 







Dresses start at $200 and go up, plus there is the cost of alterations, shoes, clutch, bridal shower and wedding gift.  If any of your bridesmaids are on a strict budget, this might cause your friend some financial uneasiness. 


Some of our clients have it in their budget to pay for all the dresses and those who don't might choose to pay for their friend's dress or contribute towards the cost. 


See what works best for you and enjoy the process. 

Have a great week! XO

Roof Top Wedding at the London in West Hollywood

In April, we produced a wedding for Lilia and Nick.

Our company was recommended by one of the groom's best friend's, whose wedding we did a few years ago.


Lilia is a talented and sweet bride and Nick is a very cool pilot.  I really appreciate the opportunity to have worked with this darling couple. 

When I first met with Lilia, she showed me a lovely photo of parasols and asked that they be suspended overhead while her guests dined.

Mission accomplished - thank you Sara Beveridge.

Hope you enjoy the photos.  

Staff finalizing table settings while the guests enjoy cocktails by the pool. 

The final touches on a beautiful bride.

The photo says it all...love and happiness. 

White chocolate fountain....love at first sight:)

Friends of the bride.  

                                                 Tip of the Week

Seating Your Guests at Your Next Dinner Party or Reception:

If you are having an intimate dinner party with close friends or family, it is fine to have them sit where they choose.   Everyone will know each other and your dinner will be fun and relaxed.

However, for gatherings of more than 10 persons, I recommend assigned seating with escort cards only or both escort cards and place cards.

If you go this route, there will be more costs due to time, materials and printing costs, but in the end, I think it makes for a better party.  


Doing it this way, relieves your guests of the challenge of trying to find somewhere they want to sit...which kind of reminds me of my school days in the cafeteria.  

Once you receive your replies from your guests, then you can start thinking about which guests would be a good fit and which table they should be placed.

There is always going to be a few guests that are not happy with their seat or table position, but if he or she is wise, they will never let you know how they feel.

Having the food and table counts will help your wait staff serve dinner quicker (since they know how many salmon steaks are at table 10).

One final thought, please don't use your party to place people together who have an ongoing feud.  


In fact, it is best to keep feuding friends as far apart as possible and this advice also goes for divorced parents, who are not on good terms either.

Gianna's Picks of the Week

This photo has nothing to do with anything event related, except it involves dachshunds. xo 

Maybe for a bachelorette party!  

 Love this dress!

Sexy. 

Whoever thought of this is genius - great for a spa party. 

 Treats for Adults.

Finding the right bridesmaid dress is challenging.  This dress is pretty and so are the accessories and the dress costs under $200.00.

Alexander McQueen...obsessed.

Bridal Couture with R-Mine Bridal

Recently, I had lunch with Arminé to talk about her collection, along shopping tips for finding the ideal dress.

Los Angeles based fashion designer, Arminé, has a very impressive background that begins with a Fine Arts degree from Armenia.  As an artist she loves painting, creating, and exploring different pieces of artwork.  Her love of fashion started when she was young, growing up, Arminé would design and make dresses for her dolls and then eventually for herself.  After moving to America, she decided to attend FIDM and pursue a degree in Fashion Design. Upon graduation she spent over eight years working with various designers– cultivating a deep love for high fashion! Arminé put a brief hold on her career to raise her two children, but returned to the business after a few years with an idea and a plan.  For over fifteen years now, she has been creating couture wedding and evening gowns, establishing one of the most unique boutiques in Los Angeles, R-Mine bespoke.  She designs bespoke gowns for weddings, celebrities, red carpet events and editorials.

GP - How long does it take to create a dress?

Arminé - Ideally eight months to a year.  Some of our fabrics take up to six months to make and ship.  But if the material is on hand, we can do a dress in as little as two weeks.  

GP - Two weeks? How can you create a couture dress in such a short time?

Arminé - We create and make everything in-house. All of our team are very skilled.  However, rush orders will increase the cost considerably.  We have to halt productions on all other gowns and solely focus on that one gown.  We then have to rush order any supplies if they are not in store, such as beading and crystals, which can be very costly.   

GP - Is everything done by hand?

Arminé- Yes, we do everything by hand.  We sew each individual crystal to the gown, all the rouching and even the pleating is done by hand, in-house.  It’s a really fun and interesting process to watch.  The only time a dress leaves the store is when the client comes to pick it up.  We have such an amazing and talented staff of seamstresses who take so much pride in their work!  

GP - What is one of the biggest mistakes that brides make when shopping for a dress?

Arminé- When a bride brings a group of her friends to pick out a dress.  This can be very stressful for the bride.  We recommend that the bride bring only one or two people (this could be her mother, sister or a really good friend) whose opinion they trust.  When a bride brings a lot of people with her to try on dresses, her opinion gets lost so quickly over the voices of the other women.

GP - What is the second mistake a client can make?

Arminé - It is best for the bride to be honest about her budget at the very beginning, so a sales consultant can pull the right dresses for them. Some brides think that their wedding dress isn’t that important because they are only in the dress for a day.  In actuality, it’s one of the most essential aspects of the wedding day, when the bride’s children and grandchildren look through photo albums, the main pictures that will survive time will be the brides on their wedding day smiling in her beautiful wedding dress.

GP - What if the bride loves a specific designer?

Arminé- If she loves a certain designer, then I recommend that she goes to that designer and choose a dress from that designer’s collection.  This is a once in a life time experience, so they should be wearing the dress they always dreamed about.  

GP - Where is your shop located?  

Arminé – R-Mine bespoke is located in the heart of Studio City on Ventura Blvd., in the Ventura Corridor.  Our address is 12242 Ventura Blvd. Studio City, CA 91604. Our contact information is 818.505.9064 or info@rminebridal.com.

www.rminebridal.com

Gianna's Picks of the Week

Romantic.

Just love this cake.

Mercury glass.

Sweet.

Sophisticated.

 Rehearsal Dinner.

Alexander McQueen

Fun.

Off White Peonies.

Pale Pink Peonies. 

Luminaries.

If you are planning a special event or wedding and want a stress-free experience, please call our office because we can make it happen!

Have a great week. Gianna