Wedding Dress Bustles What are They and How Do We Bustle?

April 25, 2017April 25, 2017mhd1984 Leave a comment

The bustle is used to lift the trains of wedding gowns off the floor. Instead of a framework worn under the wedding gown, the long train is lifted with buttons or ties to create a lovely bouffant style that is also very practical. Does your wedding dress have a train? It doesn’t matter how long your train is, if you have one you will need a bustle to make dancing easier and so that the bottom of your dress doesn’t get dirty.

The Bustle is Added

Although almost all brides use a bustle for their wedding gowns, dresses do not come with bustles in place. They are added during alterations. This is because all brides are not the same height and your bustle should lift the back of your gown to your hem length. So your bustle must be custom made.

Different Bustle Styles

Pick a style that will flatter your dress best. Your seamstress will have a good idea so make sure you listen to their suggestions.

American Bustle (Over Bustle)- The American Bustle consists of hooks and eyes lifting your dress train off the floor. The “eyes” are placed along the waistline. The “hooks” are sewn in about 14″ to 20″ down the back skirt. Lace appliques, rosettes or bows may be needed to cover the hooks and eyes. Covered buttons also work well, and may look nicer, especially if you have buttons down the back of your gown. The longer your train is, the more hooks or buttons you will need.

French Bustle (Under Bustle)– This method works especially well for gowns without a waistline and gowns that are especially decorative in the back area, as it doesn’t cover up any lace or details in the gown right below the waist. The gown is lifted from the bottom area. The Under Bustle is also more secure than the Over Bustle.

bridal wedding gown bustle

For the Under Bustle, ribbons are sewn under the gown securing the outer fabric to the lining. Use different colors of ribbon to make the task of tying the wedding gown bustle easier. Another way to make a French Bustle is sew loops into the inside back side of the gown in a diamond shape. A ribbon is run through the loops, gathered and tied to give the gown a bouffant look. It’s a good idea to ask your seamstress to label your ribbons A to A or B to B so it’s easy to match the ribbons.

Printable Party Planning Checklist

April 2, 2017March 29, 2017mhd1984 Leave a comment

If you have a party coming up then please take a moment and download and print this awesome checklist!

DATE/TIME/PLACE

Date: ______________

Time: ______________

Place: _____________

THEME

______________________________________________

BUGET

$_____________________________________________

MENU

______________________________________________

SHOPPING LIST

______________________________________________

CHECKLIST

Determine Date/Time/Place
If needed ask for helpers
Create a Guest List
Pick a RSVP Date
Chose a theme
Determine your Budget
Send Invitations
determine decor
pick centerpieces
chose table settings
Plan your menu
plan activites/entertainment
Make a Shopping List
Confirm your guest list
Book Photographer (if needed)
Go Shopping
Determine your Schedule
Plan for Parking
Chose a Space for Coats/Bags
Pick a Gift Spot (if needed)
Plan your Food Display
Make Place Cards or Signage
Clean the Party Location
Make or Purchase food
Set out Decorations
Set Table
Prepare Drinks
Do any Last Minute Touches
Get Ready for the Party
Enjoy!

How to Block Book Hotel Rooms for your Next Event

March 20, 2017March 19, 2017mhd1984 Leave a comment

Reserving a room block for your next big event be it a wedding, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, anniversary, family reunion, or even a conference is the best way to ensure that your guests have a place to stay by your venue and at a discounted rate! Doing a block booking gives you all sorts of deals like free wifi, parking, discounted room rates for your guests or even a free room for the wedding/anniversary couple or conference chair person. Here is everything you need to know to complete a block booking.

How do you block hotel rooms for a wedding or special event?

When looking into hotels there a few key points to keep in mind:

Price Point
Amenities (do you need parking available, wifi, a gym or pool, bridal suite, etc)
Distance to your venue
Or if you are in need of a venue does the hotel have one available
Free bridal suite included in booking enough rooms
Extra discounts for people who book early

If you’re having a wedding with a lot of out-of-town guests try to block at two different hotels with two different price points. That way your guests can have a selection of prices to play around with for their travel budget. This is also helpful as hotels might not be able to offer you a big enough block to cover all of your guests.

How do you Begin your Hotel Block Booking Process?

Start by searching online. Look up hotels that are close to your venue and check out what a normal price is there around the time of your event. Narrow down your search to two or three hotels that meet your criteria. You can then contact their booking managers to coordinate the block.

When you call remember to give them the dates you want to reserve. You may want to reserve blocks for a day before and a day after your event if you have out of town guests looking to make a weekend trip out of their travel. You should also give them any special requests like dropping off welcome bags in guests rooms or having them at the desk when they check in. Start by blocking a smaller number of rooms, you can add more later but discuss this with the booking manager they might also allow you to block a larger number and release them as time goes on. Especially if you are booking during a busy season for the hotel, you don’t want to lose spots to other guests.

You can also use free hotel room block series like Skipper or Group Travel to do the work for you. They let you search all the major hotels near your venue, helps you negotiate the price, and you can even reserve your block right through them.

How do you Negotiate your Hotel Block?

Now that you’ve found a room block that works for your event it’s time to negotiate the contract with the hotel. There are certain key words to know when review the contract terms. Here they are:

Allowable Shrinkage Clause: The percentage of rooms that are allowed to go unbooked.
Your target percentage is between 10–20 percent. Which means, if you’ve blocked 20 rooms but 2–4 go unbooked, you will not be penalized with a fee.
Attrition Rate or Minimum Commitment: The percentage of rooms that must be filled in order to avoid paying a penalty fee which should be between 80–90 percent. Example: If the entire room block is not used, you’ll owe the hotel damages for all unused rooms based on a minimum commitment of 80 percent. This means that if you do not book the minimum amount of rooms agreed to, you will owe for up to 80 percent of the room block.
Mitigation Clause or Resell Clause: The hotel will try to book unused rooms in your block so that you are no longer responsible for them you in essence release them, and they are sold to other customers and there for you aren’t paying for rooms that other guests are renting.

How Should you Communicate your Block Information to Guests?

The best way to let them know about the block booking options is to include it all in your wedding website. That way they can know all of the information and options available. You can point your guests to your website in your invitation. You can include information such as: please visit our website at http://www.wedding.com to see more information about our wedding and accommodations. It’s also nice to include directions to and from the venue to the hotel or transportation information on the website.

5 Winter Tablescape Ideas

January 23, 2017January 22, 2017mhd1984 1 Comment

It is still winter for a little while longer even thought it’s been in the 50’s and 60’s here in Virginia! So I thought that this week I would show some of my favorite winter tablesapes! Let me know which one is your favorite in the comments or if you have one to share make sure you put yours there as well!

Rustic Organic Table Setting From A HGTV Fan

I love a natural place-card holder! This pinecone place-card holder and a bare branch, painted white, as a sculptural centerpiece are a perfect addition to the brown and green tones uses in this tablescape to represent a winter feast!

Rustic Chic from Style Me Pretty

The cranberries, crystal, and gold accents are all beautiful accents to the rustic wood table they are on. I love the use of fruit and vegetables as accents in decorating. Natural accents always a great touch!

Naked Table Adorned with White and Gold from Style Me Pretty

If you have a gorgeous wooden table why would you hide it beneath a tablecloth? This beautiful table is accented with gold touches and white flowers to bring out some lovely winter hues.

Linens and Nature from Kara Rosenlund

Using dried greens, walnuts, olive branches and linens to create this comforting winter tablescape really bring out the winter hues. And the hanging vintage wine bucket add something special to the design.

Lanterns and Greenery from Liz Marie Blog

Again showing off a gorgeous wooden table is the way to go. Accented by a linen runner, natural greenery and these beautiful lanterns is a beautiful way to bring the feeling of winter warmth to your table.

Falls Church Fall Wedding

October 18, 2016mhd1984 Leave a comment

It was so amazing to take part in Lizzy and Josh’s big day. Though it rained for days on end and right up to the ceremony beginning, the sky parted just in time for our photo’s and ceremony to begin. We didn’t let the rain stop our outdoor wedding plans we moved from the garden to a beautiful picnic shelter complete with working fireplace and brought the space to life!

It was an amazing affair with beautiful decorations, setting, and of course bridal party! I couldn’t have been a more perfect day!