{Foodie + Cakes + Classes}

Hi Everyone!

I had a great segment today at Fox 13’s The Place, they asked me to talk about common planning mistakes Brides can make, so even though there is a lot we could talk about, I narrowed it down to 5, but even on air, we talked so much about each one, we got through only 3! here is are my top 5! I am also doing a giveaway for a few magazines and totebags from The Knot, email me at muylymillerco@gmail.com with the subject ‘giveaway’ for your chance to win!

Not planning your guest list in the beginning: before anything gets started, it would be great if you sat down with your groom and your families to really figure out who will be invited, but most people don’t do that in the beginning. So i recommend having a very narrow range in mind, at least. Something like 110-125 guests, or 350-375. A couple of reasons you need to know this is for the venue- can they accommodate all your guests? Also it helps with budgeting on all aspects down the line- food, invitations, decorations, rentals, the cake etc. I’ve had brides who gave me numbers like 100-200 and that won’t work.

Not Having a checklist for to-do’s, booked vendors and your budget: planning on the fly is such a big mistake. You can get free wedding checklists online from a number of resources- and though it’s overwhelming to look at in the beginning, they really do cover a lot of those things people will forget- such as getting the marriage license before your wedding day, or accounting for the cost of stamps for all your invitations, rsvps and thank you cards. The Knot is one of my amazing sponsors for my business and their site has an awesome checklist!

Trying to do it all: I’ve seen this too many times, the Bride’s or the Bride’s mother doing it all! It’s so hard to plan a wedding as it is, but when you are trying to make everything yourself, set up all your tables and linens, ushering guests and so forth, it takes so much away from the big day and adds so much stress. It is so worth it to pay some of the delivery fee’s to help with those items, and if it get very overwhelming, then consider getting a wedding coordinator a few weeks before your wedding to polish up the timeline of the day, help with the rehearsal and make sure things are set up with vendors the day of the wedding.

Not asking enough questions to vendors: When I do consultations, I advise brides and grooms to ask lots of questions. I mentioned delivery fee’s above, ask about the area of delivery, does it cost more to deliver outside that area. Ask about services such as cake cutting fee- who will be doing that? What extra rentals are associated with that. If you have your heart set on a certain photographer or DJ, but have a budget that isn’t quite listed on their package prices, it never hurts to ask what they can do to accommodate that. I’m not saying email them and say “I see you charge 1400 for your package, can you do it for 500” cause then you’ll just offend them and you may not even get a reply.  Word it more like ‘ i see you have this package option available, I’m on a limited budget but love your work and would love to include you in my wedding, what other package or a la cart options do you have?”, other questions to ask are service fee’s for caterers, when they will set up, do they need extra electrical outlets, what plan b options do they have in case of weather issues.

Staying flexible with your wedding day: At this time, you just need to breathe and let things be. All your work and planning has come to this day and you’ve done all you can. Things always happen and you’re going to start driving yourself crazy if you take your focus away from your celebration and putting them on linens, or flowers or someone’s shoes, if the linens arrive later than the florals, just try to go with the flow and let those vendors work it out, if the wind is starting to knock down some of your displays or place cards, assign someone to figure it out be flexible so that you aren’t tense about the details. Meditate, say a prayer, put on some music that morning of and just get relaxed and be beautiful and enjoy your day. Of course, hiring day of coordination services from a wedding planner helps a lot!

I got a lot of compliments on the vest I am wearing. So in case you were wondering here is the breakdown of the outfit-

Vest: Target

T-shirt Dress: Amazon

Shoes- last year Target

Necklace: clearance at Smiths Marketplace

http://kutv.com/features/fresh-living/setting-your-thanksgiving-dinner-table

I partnered up with Overstock.com to come up with a fun Thanksgiving table setting idea and also my own tips on keeping the buffet line moving.

I started with this festive table runner and then used it as my base for keeping the elements earthy and tonal with modern twists.

The dinnerware set is modern but goes beautifully with the traditional charger, I chose a grounding copper color and it made these plates pop!

Nob glasses are my favorite go to glass now, and Overstock has them in several colors. My recommendation is to buy neutral glasses and flatware with your dinnerware sets so that you can use them all year long. Dress up your tables with pops of color from linens, chargers and as you can see, flowers!

I love the napkins with the personal touches of the guests names. These tags do double duty ,  they can easily be tied onto a straw so that you always know where your drink is!

Native Flower Company has these wonderful pots and vases, and she encourages the use of different textures such as berries and even feathers! This gathered look can be easily moved around to fit in platters, and is low enough to be able to see your guests and they obviously add a natural look to this table! I love this idea so much, thank you Native Flower Company!

The Buffet Table

I took this same table runner and set up a quick buffet line to give you some tips on how to help it flow

The copper platters from Overstock came in a pack of 3. So I used some here and I like having dishes served on different heights, it helps with flow and looks appealing. Before you cook anything, lay out your serving utensils, serving dishes and trays, so you know where they are and won’t dirty them in the process of trying to cook and find them. placing the platters on different things to give height helps with space issues as well. I just used an upside down pedestal bowl and an 8×8 baking dish.

I start my buffet line with a stack of plates then end with glasses and flatware. It is easier on guests if you have all your flatware rolled into napkins. that way they don’t have to fuss with pulling each utensil from a tray, then try to get a napkin and then their drinking glass.

If you are using plastic utensils, I implored the same thought and stuck everything in a tidy bag. I had done this for a past Friendsgiving event I hosted, but instead of having them at the buffet line, I actually placed them on the the dinner tables.

Finally, display those mugs and saucers from your dinnerware set. It informs your guest that coffee or tea will be served, and that always goes well with pumpkin pie, duh! For my table setting, I put them out with the rest of my table settings, for the buffet line, I neatly arranged them on this copper tray

All of these item will be aired on KUTV 2 Fresh Living, please visit Overstock.com and Native Flower Company as well.

http://kutv.com/features/fresh-living/setting-your-thanksgiving-dinner-table