If you got engaged over the holiday weekend, congrats! You’ll probably want to spend the next few weeks celebrating and staring adoringly at your ring finger (and, we hope, reading your free copy of Washingtonian Bride & Groom and getting your tickets for Unveiled). But we know soon enough you’re going to start getting that age-old question from everyone from your coworkers to Great-Aunt Ida to that girl you’re friends with on Facebook but haven’t spoken to since third grade:
“So when’s the big day?”
And yes, we understand it’s tough to figure out where to start, whether you’re the first in your group of friends to get engaged or you’ve been to dozens of weddings. We’ve been there, and we know it can be overwhelming.
Don’t worry—we’ve got your back. We asked event planner Jeannette Tavares of Evoke to share her wedding planning timeline to help you get going on this adventure (be sure to take a peek at our vendor guide to select your pros). And we promise we’ll be with you every step of the way. Feel free to e-mail kforrest@washingtonian.com with any questions, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!
Our resident wedding etiquette expert, Leslie Milk—“Washingtonian” lifestyle editor and author of “It’s Her Wedding, But I’ll Cry If I Want To: A Survival Guide for the Mother of the Bride”—answers your questions
There's really no tactful way to ask for cash—so just be gracious about whatever gifts you receive.
My daughter wants to ask for cash instead of wedding presents. Is there a tactful way of doing this?
There are online registries where guests can contribute to a honeymoon fund, a mortgage fund, or a larger gift. You daughter can certainly register with one of these and inform guests who ask about where she is registered. There are also stores that will give cash for returned wedding gifts. But there is no tactful way to tell guests it’s the money, not the thought, that counts. She needs to remember that wedding guests are being invited to share her joy, not underwrite her future.
Do I have to invite my mother-in-law wedding dress shopping? I know she’d love to come, but I feel uncomfortable having her there.
Shopping for a wedding dress is an intimate experience, and your discomfort is understandable. Would you be okay with having her join you for your first fitting, once your dress is selected? That way she can still be part of things.
Do you have an etiquette question for Leslie? E-mail kforrest@washingtonian.com and we’ll get you the answer.
One mother-of-the-groom used group coupon sites to help pay for her son’s rehearsal dinner—and saved nearly $3,500.
Diane Paul used group coupon sites to save money on her dress, headband, and many other wedding-related products and services. Photograph courtesy of Diane Paul
Before her son Evan got engaged, Diane Paul of Rockville used group coupon sites like Groupon and Living Social once in a while. But when she was tasked with planning the rehearsal dinner for Evan and her future daughter-in-law, Dani, she decided to take it to the next level.
For the year leading up to Evan and Dani’s Middleburg, Virginia, wedding, Paul used a variety of sites to purchase more than two dozen coupons for all sorts of items and services, from a hair appointment, spray tans, and purses to cake pops, cupcake toppers, and wine. When all was said and done, Paul had spent a total of $1,761 on products and services that would have cost $5,195—saving her $3,434.
“At the rehearsal dinner, I greeted everybody and said, ‘And now, a word from our sponsors,’” says Paul. “I then listed all of the sites I used to help pay for the wedding and expressed my appreciation for Groupon.”
And while Paul still checks those sites once in a while, “much to my husband’s delight, I’m purchasing far fewer coupons,” she says.
After the jump, we’ve got a list of what Paul purchased using group coupon sites.
Can’t wait to wed? The Hotel Monaco is offering a special package for a couple who wants to get married in, oh, three weeks (hey, Khloe Kardashian did it in two)!
Ready to wed, like, now? The Hotel Monaco is looking for a couple to wed on 11/11/11. Photograph courtesy of the Hotel Monaco.
A few weeks ago, we told you the story of a couple who planned their wedding in just 24 hours. If you want a little more time than that—and aren’t doing anything on 11/11/11 (a lucky day!)—the Hotel Monaco in Alexandria has the package for you.
The hotel had a last-minute opening on Friday, November 11, and is looking for a couple who wants to get married that evening. For $111 per person (plus tax and gratuities), you’ll get a half-hour ceremony with an officiant, a cocktail hour with hors d’oeuvres and drinks, a signature cocktail at the bar, a plated dinner, a four-hour open bar, a dance floor, a bridal suite for the wedding night, and a special room rate for guests of $111 on Friday night—not a bad deal in this town. There’s a maximum of 150 guests.
Some brides-to-be waited for as long as 26 hours in the rain to score deep discounts on designer dresses
By 7 AM Friday morning, the line of brides-to-be was hundreds deep at Mazza Gallerie in Friendship Heights. Dressed in bright team T-shirts, running shoes, and colorful wigs—anything to help them stand out in the crowd—brides, moms, dads, and bridesmaids were on a mission to find the perfect dress at Filene’s Basement.
We’re profiling our favorite local crafters who are selling wedding-related wares on Etsy. This week’s pick: a DC jewelry designer whose dainty creations are both timeless and affordable
Finding the perfect bridesmaid gift can be a lofty undertaking, but Jen Badger Stojanovich’s line of customizable necklaces will leave even the pickiest of women craving more.
“Initial and monogram necklaces are so popular to give as bridesmaids gifts because they suit such a wide variety of tastes,” says Stojanovich. “I recently created a set of gold-filled necklaces for a bride to give her bridesmaids, mother, and future mother-in-law.”
Styling night at Hitched, engagement and wedding-ring trunk show, and save up to 75 percent on designer gowns at a one-day sample sale
Gowns by Judd Waddell (left) and Oscar de la Renta (right), available at Hitched
Thursday, June 23 Tonight is your last chance to attend a styling night at Hitched. The bridal salon has a variety of accessories from Enchanted Atelier, including belts, headpieces, and more—and all items are discounted by 10 percent. Call 202-333-6162 to RSVP. 5 to 8 PM.
Saturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26 Maggie Sottero’s 2011 bridal line is in a trunk show at A Formal Affair (251 W. Lee Hwy., Warrenton). As a bonus, you can also meet with a number of wedding professionals who will be in attendance. Call 540-347-5126 to make an appointment.
Still looking for the rock? You might find it at Mervis Diamond Importers (1900 Mervis Way, Vienna) this weekend, where there’s an engagement- and wedding-ring trunk show. Rings are 20 percent off, and a few of the designers will be on hand to answer questions. Engagement and wedding ring trunk show at Mervis Diamond Importers (1900 Mervis Way, Vienna) Twenty percent off. Designers Martin Flyer and Sasha Primak will be there. RSVP through Mervis’s Web site.
