5 Secrets for Choosing a Great Wedding Reception Venue

Choosing a reception venue can be an exciting but overwhelming process. Do you want a ballroom or restaurant, a garden or a museum? Follow these easy steps to make choosing the perfect reception site a breeze.

Determine the number of guests you will be hosting
This will help narrow some locations down by size. You don’t want to squeeze too many people in a tight space, nor would you want too few people in a large space.

Determine how much you can spend on your reception site
Some sites will have rental fees; others will not charge a fee but will charge for your food and beverage. You need to research whether or not the locations you like will fit into your reception budget.

Decide what type of look and feel you want for your wedding
Do you want a formal ballroom or a garden party? If you aren’t sure, don’t be afraid to tour many types of locations.

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Mother of the Bride Dress: How to Shop for Your Wedding Attire

T. Carolyn (Houston)

Finding the perfect mother of the bride dress to wear to your child’s wedding can be one of your most stressful shopping experiences. Often our figures aren’t as trim as they were when we were brides. This added to many other factors contribute to our elevated stress factor! Here, a few frequently asked questions and answers on how mother’s of the bride can shop for wedding attire.

Don’t I have to blend with the bridesmaids?

If it is a Christian ceremony, no, you do not have to blend. You just don’t clash. In a Christian ceremony, as opposed to a Jewish ceremony, you are never standing near a bridesmaid. You are seated in the first or second row. Ina Jewish ceremony, however, the parents of the bride and groom are standing near the rabbi during the entire ceremony thereby being seen in close proximity to the bridesmaids. In a Jewish ceremony, therefore it is important that your dress compliment the color of the bridesmaids’ dresses. Most brides and mothers don’t realize that parents are generally not photographed with the wedding party, they are photographed with the bride and the groom and in their own family picture. The family picture should not the deciding factor on the color mother of the bride dress you choose—looking your best is the deciding factor.

How soon do I have to begin to shop for my mother of the bride dress?

To have the best selection, it is wise to begin shopping for your mother of the bride dress four to six months prior to the wedding. Because many of the dresses and gowns are made overseas, this will allow time to make a selection, order the garment, and time for any needed alterations. Many of the dresses for MOBs and MOGs are cut in a very limited cutting and may not be available to order. If you begin looking six months before the wedding, it will give you time to see what your options are. If you wait until a month to six weeks before the wedding your options are greatly reduced.

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Printable Coupons for Your Wedding

Perfect Wedding Guide makes it easy for you to save money on your wedding with some of Albuquerque’s most trusted wedding professionals. At PerfectWeddingGuide.com you can click, view and print money-saving coupons on everything you need for your big day. You’ll find great deals on wedding gowns, florists, photographers and more! Check out the below November Specials from local Albuquerque and Santa Fe Wedding Professionals:

Wedding Receptions: 10 Ideas to Impress Your Guests

Wedding receptions are becoming more elaborate events with lots of unexpected surprises. If you want to host a wedding reception they won’t soon forget, consider these 10 ideas to impress your guests.

1. Taking Care of Transportation:

Photo by Studio Four

If your wedding ceremony and reception take place at different venues, providing guests with transportation to and from the reception site is a thoughtful gesture. Stretch SUVs, trolleys and party buses are just some of the ways couples are transporting their guests in style. Find transportation services in your area.

2. Fun Photos:

Wedding photo booths have become a staple at modern wedding receptions. Guests will love to jump in and snap silly photos, which can also serve as great additions to the wedding photo album. From a logistical standpoint, having a photo booth on hand can help to pass time before the wedding party makes their entrance.

3. Fantastic First Dance:

Foxtrot not your style? Consider a lively choreographed piece to one of your favorite up tempo dance songs as an option for the first dance. Another way couples are keeping it interesting is by adding members of wedding party to the big performance. This fun and interactive dance segment will sure to get guests ready to party the rest of the night away.

4. Special Dedications:

Many couples use the wedding reception to toast to friends and loved ones. This is a heartfelt way of thanking them in person for their love and support.

5. Luxe Lounges:

For a smaller wedding reception, take a cue from your favorite lounge. Plush couches, oversize pillows, candlelight and cocktails will give off a cool, laid-back vibe at your intimate affair.

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New Perfect Wedding Guide Photographers

We would like to welcome the following photographers to the Perfect Wedding Guide.  You can find the below photographers in our upcoming Winter 2010 Issue, which will be out later this month. Click here to get your free copy mailed to you.

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COMPLETE WEDDING BOOK

The Perfect Marriage of Words & Images. Our complete wedding books are setting the standard for journalistic-style wedding coverage. Coupled with award-winning photography, our elegant, yet cutting-edge storytelling is as unique as each bride and groom. Our custom designed, custom bound books provide extraordinary reportage of your love story and wedding week.

Click here to learn more about Complete Wedding Book

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D. LYNCH PHOTOGRAPHY

“I am passionate about capturing the emotion of the people I photograph. Photographing someone’s wedding is a privilege. As a photographer, I am there to capture the most precious moments of a family’s life; I am able to document that day as it unfolds before my eyes. I am permitted in places where few are allowed….in the room where a mother first sees her daughter dressed as the bride she always pictured, where the last spoken words between a father and daughter take place just before he walks her down the aisle, where a mom gives her son that last look before he takes his brides hand.”

Click here to learn more about D.Lynch Photography

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PHOTOMASTERS

We at Photomasters can provide you with a wedding photographer that is affordable and award winning. We have several wedding packages that will best meet your needs. We would love to tell your wedding story as it will be a long lasting memory. We also do Engagement Sessions and Bridal Sessions.

Click here to learn more about Photomasters

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SONYA COGAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Contemporary, Timeless, Extraordinary, and Affordable Wedding Photography. When you hire us know that you will be treated kindly and your wedding will be photographed right, and we promise to make you look amazing! We aim to achieve perfection in wedding photography and 100 percent customer satisfaction with the highest integrity. With a no obligation or cost consultation we get to know you and exactly what you are looking for in wedding photography. So through our camera we create and express your vision, your personality, your photographs, your memories for life.

Click here to learn more about Sonya Cogan Photography

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SWEET WILLIAM PHOTOGRAPHY

Sweet William Photography was founded with one goal in mind: to consistently produce gorgeous photographs for our clients. When you book your wedding with Sweet William Photography you get a two-person team that is dedicated to your wedding day. Owner and head photographer Will Bledsoe will capture the majority of your images while a second photographer focuses on candid moments and helps with logistics, ensuring that the shoot goes smoothly. The end result is a complete, beautiful representation of your wedding memories.

Click here to learn more about Sweet William Photography.

***The above photographers are paid advertisers of the Perfect Wedding Guide.

Wedding Cakes: Additional Options for Your Reception

If the wedding cake takes center stage, then consider these confections as stage hands for the main event. Here, a list of additional cake options to showcase at your wedding reception.

• The groom’s cake: While most groom’s cakes are chocolate, there are hundreds of options in filling and flavor for the grooms cake. It should reflect your guys’ taste and personality.
• Mini wedding cakes: Individual cakes placed at each guests’ table. If you’re on a budget, consider replacing the main wedding cake with these options which can also double as wedding favors.
• Croquembouche: An elaborately decorated French pastry made of piles of sweet cream puffs. It’s a symbol of good luck, granting the couple a happy and prosperous life together.
• Stand-in cake: This is a smaller, less expensive versions of the wedding sheet cake which is pre-cut and served to guests.
• Petit fours: Mini pastries served in addition to the wedding cake.
• Top tier (anniversary cake): Traditionally, the top tier is saved for the bride and grooms to enjoy on their first year wedding anniversary.

For more wedding cake tips and ideas, visit Perfect Wedding Guide.com
Check out our links to the left to find additional wedding services in your area.

The Art of Living with Marilu Henner Will Be Featuring Perfect Wedding Guide!

The Art of Living with Marilu Henner, an educational and lifestyle cable program that produces 5 minute segments for various cable channels, will be featuring Perfect Wedding Guide in an upcoming segment. The Art of Living will produce a segment on Perfect Wedding Guide’s franchising business model, to educate their viewers on franchise opportunities. We are scheduled to shoot the segment in early 2010!

Best known as a Broadway, TV and film actress, Marilu Henner is also a full-time mom and author of seven best-selling books, including Marilu Henner’s Total Health Fitness Makeover, and Marilu Henner’s 30-Day Total Health Makeover. Henner began her professional acting career starring in the first national touring company of Grease, later appearing with the Broadway Company. This was followed by several more Broadway plays. Henner went on to star in numerous television shows including Taxi, Evening Shade and eventually became executive producer and host of The Marilu Show.

Veteran’s Day Designer Gown Sale

Bridal Elegance by Darlene is having a Veteran’s Day Sale on November 11, 2009. They are having a designer sample sale on recently discontinued gowns. This one day only sale features discounted gowns by some of the nation’s most prestigious gown designers. Designer gowns by Sottero and Midgley, Anjolique, Moonlight & Jasmine are 30% – 50% off. Don’t miss the opportunity to to pick up designer gowns at a discounted price! Click here to register for this free event.

Gown by Maggie Sottero

Sale details:

Veteran’s Day Sale
November 11, 2009 -One Day Only
10:00am – 8:00pm

Bridal Elegance by Darlene
4100 Menual Blvd NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110

For more info call 505-830-2110 or click here.

Winter 2010 Issue of Perfect Wedding Guide

Our Winter 2010 issue will be available at over 170 distribution locations throughout the Albuquerque and Santa Fe areas this month. As a bride, you can register on our Perfect Wedding Guide website to receive a FREE copy in the mail.

Albuquerque & Santa Fe Wedding Coupons

At PerfectWeddingGuide.com you can click, view and print money-saving coupons on everything you need for your big day. You’ll find great deals on wedding cakes, florists and more!

Check out exclusive November deals for your wedding below.