7 Ways to Protect Your Wedding Guests from Mosquitoes


Protecting your guests from mosquitoes is one of several challenges of having an outdoor wedding. Please consider the 7 tips below to help in keeping your guests comfortable.


1.     Pre-treat your ceremony and reception space with an outdoor fogger and possibly mosquito traps if budget allows.

2.     Light tiki torches filled with citronella oil and place around perimeter of your reception and/or ceremony space.  *Purchase these items at the end of the summer season for huge savings!

3.     Provide guests with a selection of mosquito repellents.

4.     Keep outdoor space well groomed and dry. Mosquitoes are attracted to high grass and standing water.

5.     Consider an early afternoon celebration. Mosquitoes mostly appear at night when the air is moist and cool.

6.     Stage one or two electric fans.  Mosquitoes are not great flyers and will have a difficult time navigating through a gently breeze.

7.     Inform your guests that you are hosting an outdoor celebration. Hopefully this will encourage them to wear light colored protective clothing.

Protecting your guests from mosquitoes should be a top priory if having an outdoor wedding. If you know a couple planning an outdoor celebrating, please share these important tips on how to help keep those nasty little buggers away!!!


Hope this helps!
~Kim

This blog is for all of my fabulous bridesmaids out there who are trying their absolute best to give their brides the shower of their dreams. 
You asked her what she would like, you have talked about it a few times and now it is time to get planning the shower. You are planning an event just like a wedding. You need to answer the first 3 questions just like the happy couple did: What is your budget? Guest List? And when? Well we know the couple gives you the guest list- so check. That is done. The when is easy. Any time before the wedding. Ok that can not be that hard to figure out, you gave yourself plenty of time to plan and let people know. Ok so that too is done. Now the budget. Oh the budget. Your bride wants a "simple" wine tasting for a shower. At a local vineyard, It goes along with her wine themed wedding! It will be amazing :-) But how are you and the 4 other bridesmaids going to pay for it!?! The bride gives you a 100 person guest list. Her wedding is 200 people…

       OK first get up off the floor. I am going to help. It seems like this is too much. You have your own bills. Maybe you just got married or you are planning your own wedding. You just started going back to school or changed professions. So unless you win the lottery you need to get creative and FAST! 

Think about your options. 

1. Time of year: Where do you live? Are you in one of the area which has an "off season"? Venues are much more likely to discount their booking fees if you book offseason. 

2. Time of day or day of week: is your bride hell-bent on the oh-so-common Sunday brunch or can you get creative? Could you do an afternoon soiree and save yourself some money? What about a Thursday night cocktail party? 2pm on a Saturday? Not really lunch time, not really dinner time so just serve some appetizers and you're done! All great options and you will have a blast!

3. Menu items: Most reputable venues will work with you based on the "Per Person" cost you can afford. If you find a venue you like try to work with them before you book to see if they can work the menu to fit your budget and the $$ you are looking to spend. 

4. Skip the invites and send an email instead! Today everyone is connected to some sort of electronic device and will probably lose the invite anyways. Keep everything online and save yourself some $$ and time! This will make it easier for the guests to find the information when they need it too! If you have a few people who will need the actual printed invite (think Grammie) then send out a couple of hand written cards. This will make them feel nice by getting something in the mail and still save you $$!

5. SKIP the favors!! Who really uses the mini-frames anyways? I can not say it enough and I will not even waste time explaining this one- skip the favors and save some money! NO ONE will be offended. If you do not have a lot of money to work with this is a no-brainer. 

6. Throw the shower at your home! Or the private residence of someone you know! Save money on site-fees and there will not be any limits on how long you can be there. You will be able to make all the food for the shower and save some serious $$!

There are so many ways to get creative with a  shower and save you money but my biggest piece of advice I can give you is - JUST ASK! Just like anything else the wedding/event industry is sales too! See something you would like but just seems a little out of your budget- just ask for a discount! Haggle if need be. People will work with you and it never hurts to ask for a "better" price. You might not get it but the answer is always no unless you ask!


Hope all of this helps!
Good luck  and happy planning!
Talk soon, 
~Tiffany  
 

It happens. The inevitable. Someone at some time during the planning process will be in tears. I can not say it enough- I have NO idea why but weddings bring out the WORST in people just as much as they bring out the BEST in people. 
So I have found myself saying "Cheers to no Tears!!" more than I thought I ever would have. ( you can use it but it is my tagline and  I am trademarking it so give me a little credit or something please! haha)
So how can you as the bride, you as a bridal party member or you as the mother of the groom keep the tears from flowing and keep me saying Cheers to No Tears? It is simple. Think kindergarten. Think simpler times. Think about what your mom always told you:


Share. 
Care.
and simply…
Say "I am sorry"

This is so overly simple that right now you are laughing but think about it. What is the last argument or topic about the wedding that got you mad or made you cry?? Now what could you have done differently to change that? Could you have shared something? Cared a little more about the other person's side of things? Or could you have just said "I am sorry"?
99.9% of the time this will stop, mend and move along in a merry way most of the troubles. Most fights I see in wedding planning are simply put based on selfish can't-see-past-their-own-nose ways of looking at things. I have been there. Been on both sides. And I am willing to bet that as you are reading this you have been too. We all have been on both sides. It is just about being conscious of it and doing better next time. 
This goes for brides, grooms, parents, siblings, wedding party members and even guests. Take a breath. Step back. Can you share? Care? or simply say I am sorry? To make this all better? I bet most heated topics that come your way will be very easily solved by doing one, two or all three of these things!!

I wish I only had to write about all the happy, amazing times that wedding planning can be but I am a realist and that just isn't always the case. So instead I wanted to share how I am trying to keep the peace with my clients, any weddings I am in and my own wedding. Hope this helps!!

So let's all say it together--- CHEERS TO NO TEARS!!!
Happy planning!
Talk soon, 
~Tiffany