5 Tips for a Seamless Wedding

We all want to have a stress-free and seamless wedding day, right? RIGHT! No one wants to be running around, forgetting timelines, losing focus, and most importantly not enjoying the big day. So below I am sharing my 5 tips for helping you to stay in control and stress-free in order to treasure this special memory.

  1. Celebrate: After you first get engaged, your brain is running wild with the endless possibilities for your big day! Cherish that. Don't rush in to planning the day after you're engaged. You need to be able to celebrate and share this special news without worrying about diving too fast in to the crazy that is called wedding planning. Your engagement is a special time and you will only have it for a short while!
  2. List Out Your Vendors: Start by listing any and all vendors that you or your partner have been interested in, and start contacting them! Going down the list of vendors and checking each off the list is the best first step of the process. If you're not sure about who you think would fit your style, budget, and needs, contact your coordinator FIRST! We are here to help you with the process from the very beginning! Once your "team" is created it is so much simpler to begin the aesthetic process and nitty-gritty details that come along.
  3. Set Aside Allotted "Wedding Planning Time": Since wedding planning can sometimes be a very time consuming process, it's so important to remember to set aside certain times in the week to work on everything. For example, "Monday, Wednesday and Friday will be my days allotted to emails, appointments, cake tastings, etc.!" This will help you stay focused when you need to, and relax and decompress for the rest ;-)
  4. Make Time for Yourself: For the months leading up to your moment, it is so crucial to make sure you give yourself some alone time. Whether this means taking a small relaxing trip, catching up on old or current hobbies, enjoying some quiet time, etc.! You're about to spend your life with the person you love, so take moments to reflect on that, who you are and how this person, yourself and others have shaped you to be the individual you are today.
  5. Trust Your Coordinator(s): Sometimes it's hard to sit back and let go of the reigns... we get that! But we are trained and ready to handle anything that flies our way to ensure that your day runs as seamlessly as possible. We've seen all kinds of craziness that happens at weddings through the years, but that doesn't mean you have to too. Trust that we got it under control and have you and your partners best interest in mind!

Unplug Your Ceremony

Have you ever attended a wedding where everyone seems to be snapping cellphone photos during the wedding? I know I have!  I can tell you that it is one of the most frustrating and heart breaking moments of any ceremony. So many times I have seen photographers miss the first kiss because someone is standing in the aisle, or lose memories of those special dances because guests will walk in front of the camera or miss other precious moments due to guest interference.

As best I can I try to remind guests to refrain from using their cellphone during the ceremony, but there's always at least one person who slips through the cracks! Wedding couples can spend thousands of dollars on photographers to capture those memories, so photographers want to follow through on their promise to deliver their best quality work. It's disrespectful not only to the couple, but to the professional photographers as well.

Thomas of Thomas Stewart Photography took the words right out of my mouth with his recent Facebook post. You may view his post below, and I encourage you to browse through his stunning photos!

Right, I've had enough. I want to talk to you all about guests using mobile phones / cameras at weddings. I want to...

Posted by Thomas Stewart Photography on Thursday, November 5, 2015

Cheers!

Best Man Duties

You’ve just been chosen as Best Man for your buddy’s wedding.  Congrats!  Being the Best Man is an exciting time, and comes with its own set of responsibilities.  There's probably a reason you were chose as the front man, whether that means you've been best friends for 20 years, he's your brother, or you are someone he truly respects and appreciates!  If you're unsure of what is expected of you for the wedding, here’s a quick checklist to help you out: 

  1. Help the Groom With the Tuxes: If the groom has decided on going the tux-route for his wedding, help him pick out and decide on the color, fit, and details of his and each groomsman’s tux. Once this has been decided, help him with organizing the fittings for all of the other groomsmen, and make sure everything is on schedule (fittings, pick up time, drop off time, etc.).
  2. Bachelor Party: Here it is, probably what you're looking forward to most! You’ll want to plan a bachelor party for the groom and his groomsmen that allows all to feel included and welcome, especially if there are out-of-town groomsmen, or some of the guys haven't met each other.  Coordinate with the other men to see what would interest everyone the most that would ensure a great time for all.  I recommend starting a closed Facebook Group or email thread is ensure everyone is in the loop.
  3. Groomsmen Gifts: Traditionally, the groom will give gifts to all of his groomsmen at the rehearsal dinner before the wedding. In the case that he is blanking on ideas, help him out! It's always helpful to bounce ideas off of another person.
  4. Scheduling: Try to stay ahead of the game and keep in close contact with the wedding coordinator about any scheduling or timeline changes. Help coordinate the couple’s wedding night departure, and confirm all hotel reservations for that night.
  5. Toasts: Be sure to prepare a toast for the rehearsal dinner and the reception itself. For the rehearsal dinner, be sure to wait until after the mother or father of the groom gives a toast if they chose to do so.
  6. Day of Payments: Collect any outstanding payments or tips for the vendors the day of the wedding and disperse to the appropriate vendors after the ceremony.
  7. Rings and License: One of the most important jobs for the wedding day is to make sure you have the rings held and safe for the ceremony, and remind the groom to have his wedding license on him. We don't want to lose these things!
  8. Sign the marriage license as an official witness

Photo by: Jeffrey Ocampo Photography 

Cheers!
The Jack Rabbit

The Chill Garden

One of my favorite parts about this summer was starting my first vegetable garden! I've wanted to do this for so long, and so excited that I was finally able to have the space and time to do it this year. My grandfather is a farmer and I remember as a little kid going through his garden with him and him teaching me the basics of vegetable care! Honestly, I was just going off of faith, general research and knowledge, and his wisdom when I started this garden. It was totally a "trial and error" kind of deal, but I am so happy with the results.

So I started my garden 18 weeks ago, and all of my produce were little seedlings. I planted basil, cilantro, parsley, chives, strawberries, cantaloupes, silver queen corn, green peppers, yellow peppers, red peppers, sante fe peppers, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, white eggplant and tomatoes… seesh! So many things :) Everything produced SO well (except for the peppers…. I got one green pepper out of the whole pepper family)! I was able to eat to my hearts content and share my produce with so many of my friends. I picked about 12 cantaloupes, 20 cucumbers, 10 squash, 3 zucchini, 10 eggplants, 15 ears of corn, 6 tomatoes (about 25 more are growing now!), SO many herbs, AND fed all the wildlife in my yard whatever amount of strawberries they stole (I got to have 3 -___-)!

My secret? I put bunny poop in the soil (hehe)! I have 3 bunnies, and for the past 3.5 years, I have deposited their "soil" in one area of the yard. That particular area happened to be where I wanted to start the garden, so I dug up the ground, toiled everything, added additional soil, and went at it! A natural fertilizer is where it's at apparently! All of my veggies and fruit were so sweet, rich, and the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. I remember after tasting my first tomato, I could have just eaten it like a peach.

If you haven't tried your own mini garden, then I would suggest you try! It's so rewarding and so delicious! My philosophy is that if it doesn't work, it doesn't work, and at least you tried! It is so gratifying being able to not only eat locally (I try to purchase my groceries local), but to literally eat from your backyard! So please enjoy a few snaps of my garden progress this summer :-) I'll keep you all in sync with what's to come for the Fall garden!

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things

"Raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens! Bright copper kettles, and warm woollen mittens!" OK, so those aren't some of my favorite things (except for copper cookware!), but today I will be sharing with you a little about myself and what I love!

  1. Otters: Despite my name being The Wedding Rabbit, my favorite animal is actually an otter! I love their care-free, spunky nature, and how much they love the water! I had the opportunity to hold a baby otter when I was a kid, and to this day probably one of the best days of my life.
  2. White Cheddar Popcorn: Not only is this the best snack in the world, it is a must-have for me on days that I'm coordinating! It's pretty much all I ever want when I'm on the run!
  3. Pen and Paper: I love good old fashioned pen and paper! It allows me the creative freedom to write where I please, draw doodles in the margins, and sketch up a quick draft of a table-scape idea for a bride! You just can't do this with a computer!
  4. Jelly Belly Jelly Beans: You can call me "Kelly Belly Jelly" if you want.
  5. Nature: I love all things green and growing! Being outside is my happy place! If I had the choice, I would just be outside all day long! This year I started my first vegetable garden (I've been wanting to do this for years), and I couldn't have been happier with the outcome. It was so much fun going to the garden everyday and literally picking my food for the day!
  6. Richmond: I was born and raised in Richmond, and I just love it! Richmond is so full of art, history, community, wonderful restaurants, and it's so diverse! I love that at any given time there is at least one festival to attend! Whether it be the Greek Festival, the Beer and Barley Fest, the State Fair, or (my favorite) the Celtic Festival! If you haven't had a chance to visit, please do!
  7. Flowers: There's just something sweet of having fresh arrangements around the house :)
  8. My Clip Board: My clip board is nothing special, but special to me! The one I use is just from Target, and I bought it 8 years ago when I first started doing events. I love that it's been loved and used and has been so reliable (the clip still works too)! ;-)
  9. Printed Photos: We live in a day and age where most everything is online or on our computers. But I still love to have photo prints! Being able to flip through photos whether in a book or in hand, is so wonderful and timeless!
  10. Making your day special!: I came in to this industry with the dream and desire to create events that are completely personal or unique to it's host! Growing up with my mother who is the master of tradition and attention to detail, I quickly became enthralled with the idea that I could help everyone to have a one-of-a-kind experience and event of their own! It makes me so happy to see that joyful faces of my wedding couples and their guests!

What are some of your favorite things?:)

​

Styled Wedding Shoot | Midsummer Night's Dream

Considering it is now midsummer, it is time to share some beauties taken by Kait Winston Photography! Kait, Shana (of Sassy Snap Dragon Florals) and I created this shoot to embody the whimsical and dream-like summer romance of William Shakespeare's phenomenal play. Shana created enchanting floral details that popped beautifully with the romantic, earthy river-scape. Pearl's Cupcakes designed and provided the sweetest cupcakes that were not only pleasing to the eye, but absolutely delicious! The model of the shoot was yours truly! It was so fun to design, style and model for this shoot:) So without further a-do, please enjoy the photos below!

 

“I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.” 
-William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Nights Dream

Photographer: Kait Winston Photography / Event Coordination + Design: The Wedding Rabbit / Cake Designer: Pearl’s Bake Shoppe / Floral Design: Sassy Snapdragon Floral / Model: Kelly Harrison of The Wedding Rabbit / Model: Todd Baker / Published: Sweet Violet Bride