Yesterdays Bridal Expo

If you didn't know Stylish Traditions was at Hilton in St. Pete on Sunday for a Bridal Expo. We had an amazing time meeting new and future clients. We also got to experience a great run way show of bridal attire!

The Huge Crowd: 

The runway show: 

Our team at our booth: 

Until next time dolls, 

Meghan

#meghanbenham

Guestbooks

Everyone wants their guests to sign a "guest book" to remember the guests that shared their special day with them. Why not spice it up a bit?

A quilt to sign.... 

personal pictures...

sign a painted picture.... 

Until next time dolls, 

Meghan 

#meghanbenham

Top Father Daughter Dance Songs

In essence of Father's day this Sunday, we dedicate this blog to all the dad's out there! Picking a song to dance with your favorite man in your life, your father, has tendencies to be very difficult! So here are some ideas to help your decision making process easier.

The top list for classics are :

• 1."My Girl" The Temptations
  
• 2. "Thank Heaven For Little Girls" Gigi
• 3. "Just The Way You Are" Bily Joel
• 4. "Unforgettable" Nat King Cole
• 5. "Wind Beneath My Wings" Bette Midler
• 6. "My Dad" Paul Petersen
• 7. "Because You Loved Me" Celine Dion
• 8. "Isn't She Lovely?" Stevie Wonder
• 9. "Have I Told You Lately" Van Morrison
• 10. "What A Wonderful World" Louis Armstrong

The top list for country are:

• 1. "Butterfly Kisses" Raybon Brothers
• 2. "And Then They Do" Trace Adkins
• 3. "There You'll Be" Faith Hill
• 4. "In My Daughter's Eyes" Martina McBride
• 5. "I Hope You Dance" Lee Ann Womack
• 6. "Back to Pooh Corner" Kenny Loggins
• 7. "You Look So Good in Love" George Strait
• 8. "Through The Years" Kenny Rogers
• 9. "Life's a Dance" John Michael Montgomery
• 10. "A Song For My Daughter" Ray Allaire

Until next time dolls, 

Meghan 

#meghanbenham

Friday Favorite

This week our FRIDAY FAVORITE is this single Simple, Sweet and STYLISH rose!

This bridal bouquet is traditional yet unexpected!  What's more? Is it is very versatile.  It could be placed with a short and sassy get up or a semi-formal gown.   

Check in next week to see our Friday Favorite!

For more information on planning s Stylish wedding or event, visit us at www.stylishtraditions.com. 

The aisle is your runway!

Flowers or None?

Center pieces at a wedding can be changed totally from having flowers or none, but that doesn't mean not having flowers is going to look terrible at your event. It is all about the way you present your center pieces. Some people don't have flowers due to cost or allergies. So make sure you still have glamorous center pieces no matter if there are flowers or not.

Example of using lights as your center piece: 

No flowers but leaves:

Vibrant flowers:

Until next time dolls, 

Meghan 

#meghanbenham

Dessert Ideas

Everyone is so big on having a thousand dollar wedding cake, but you know what? More than half that cake gets thrown out for multiple reasons. One the cake flavoring is not that good, two not everyone likes cake, and three there is only one option. So instead of having a wedding just like everyone else, switch it up.

Have a cupcake bar.... 

A little cake to cut, but multiple desserts around it... 

Or different desserts in shot glasses...

Whatever the decision, try to make your dessert table blow the mind of guests  by not just having a standard cake! 

Until next time dolls, 

Meghan 

#MeghanBenham

Meet Caitlin Reeder!

Join us in welcoming the newest member of our team!

Caitlin received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from the University of South Florida.  During her collegiate years she served as the Social Director and Vice President of Communications for Alpha Omicron Pi, where she planned both private and public events.  She also completed an internship with USF Health at the University of South Florida, where she aided in the preparation and execution for private and fundraising events.  Caitlin is currently Vice President of the Alpha Omicron Pi, Tampa Bay Alumnae Chapter, and is active in various community events. 

"I am very pleased to be joining the Stylish Traditions and EventOvative professionals. The opportunity to assist in the development of truly memorable occasions with an attention to detail is especially satisfying.  I hope that my level of enthusiasm and prior experience will make each and every event a reflection of the people for which it is designed.  I look forward to taking care of the details, so that you may focus on other things and enjoy your event.” 

Table settings

When planning a wedding many forget the main focus of the wedding besides the bride;the decor of the wedding. Your guests will walk into the venue and view this amazing wedding you planned. The area they are at for hours is their table. The table settings should always be a top priority at a wedding. The table setting is where you incorporate your theme and brighten up the venue space. Now your decor does not have to be over the top, it could be simple and elegant. This shows guests that you put time into planning your wedding and want them to enjoy the beautiful wedding you planned. 

Heres an idea of simple, but elegant: 

Examples of incorporating a theme: 

Until next time dolls, 

Meghan 

#MeghanBenham

#Hashtag your wedding day

Social media is currently what everyone is using as forms of communication. You keep posted through your twitter and instagram to see what your friends are doing on a constant basis. Why not use your social media skills for your wedding? When people attend your wedding, you want to see how much they enjoyed your special day. It is a great way to keep memories and view ones that you missed. #hashtag is a way that you can search on twitter and instagram for a topic. By telling guests to #hashtag your wedding, you can view all the photos and posts that guests have wrote about. For instance...

  You can also create creative ways to explain to guests that you want them to #hashtag your wedding. 

Until next time dolls,
Meghan 
 #MeghanBenham

3 Stylish Ways to Save

One Stop Shopping is Key  

Think…. Ceremony, Reception, Equipment.  We all have the picture perfect day laid out in our heads, but with a little flexibility we can land the perfect day with decreasing about a third of the cost per guest.  Selecting a venue that can accommodate your guests for the ceremony and that can easily be transformed in to the after party is certainly ideal on a limited budget.  If you select a venue that can provide the majority of the equipment needed for the reception that is another significant decrease in expense. Event expert, Bernadette Coveney Smith, and owner of 14 Stories, an event company in New York City offers phenomenal advice. 

"Look for a spot that can accommodate both your ceremony and reception.  By doing so, you'll save on decorations and guest transportation costs, not to mention a second venue-rental fee."  

Terri Says:  “The biggest benefit…meeting the minimum on food and drink guarantees a delectable menu and eliminates the expense of a room rental. “

"Not only does it completely eliminate the need for rentals, but once you meet the food and beverage minimum, there typically isn't a room fee," says Coveney Smith.

Cake by:  Penny Stankiewicz of Sugar Couture

½ Faux, ½ Fabulous

I said it.  Fake the cake; it’s one of the best tips I have ever retained. (Thanks, Martha!)  Everybody knows a memorable tiered piece of perfection is a must have on the big day, but what happens to all of the grand tastiness when the big day comes to a close?  Make it easy, have your confectionary artist create a memorable masterpiece that is half foam and half cake.  No one will eat the entire cake anyways.   Wendy Kromer, owner of Wendy Kromer Confections in Sandusky, Ohio, and a Martha Stewart Weddings contributing editor even suggests only having one real tier and a sheet cake for guests.  She says they will never know the difference. 

Terri Says: “ The biggest benefit…your cake will still look fabulous after the cake cutting ends and the dance party begins and it costs less!”

A Signature Drink + Savvy Sipping = A Fabulous Party

Signature Drink By:  The La "T" Da by:  Richard Hirtreiter

I know….I know, we all think the number one way to save is “Out with the open bar and serve up the beer and wine”  I can tell you after planning events for enormous amounts of guests, there is more than one way to save on sipping.  supplying mass amounts of beer & wine is not always the less expensive route.  Consider sitting with your planner or Maid of Honor and evaluate your audience, season trends and remember to remain flexible.

Why not have a Brew Garden with the grooms top10 beers to taste, after all… Microbrews are the new wine! You can pair that up with a signature drink designed by you and the groom and give each guest a cocktail recipe card as sassy wedding swag.  

Just think, 750 ml is equal to around 17 shots.  If each drink has one shot in it,  you can almost serve 17 drinks from one bottle of choice liquor.  In comparison, a 750mL bottle of wine yields roughly 5.625 drinks. That comes out to about serving 4 people from 1 bottle of wine. 

Lets Do The Math

While you can see there is a significant savings in selecting a signature drink, don’t completely do away with variety.  Purchase a few cases of about three different wines, serve a glass of champagne (brut is okay on a budget) to each guest, have a versatile beer tasting and perhaps budget for a limited bar menu that closes an hour prior to the reception ending.    

Terri Says:  “The biggest benefit…your signature drink will always be remembered, you’ll kill two birds with one stone (swag and a savvy memorable wedding element) and most importantly, you won’t break the bank.”