Engagement Party!

Yay! You’re engaged! After you call/text/facebook and tell everyone who’s important to you and your fiancé, nothing keeps your wedding excitement momentum going like a fiesta to celebrate your recent commitment. 

It has traditionally been the bride's parents role to host their daughter's engagement party, but there aren't set rules for today's couples. Involve whomever would like to be involved, or it is completely acceptable to host your own party at either your shared home or at one of your seperate places.

Engagement parties often take place too soon after the adornment of your new ring to consider paper invitations. If you are a graphic designer or can order paper invites within enough time, Bridalize has some great design options! If you're anything like me however, and decide to throw a party two weeks after your “I Do” moment, try pingg.com for elegant electronic invites. Keep in mind you have to save a wedding invitation for everyone you've invited to your engagement party!

If you’re having a party at home, simple but thoughtful decorations can help set the mood. Use this as an opportunity to tryout a possible wedding palette. I made a DIY sign with ribbon, and used those colors throughout other decorations in the house. Have your local florist make you a special arrangement(s) for your home. Nothing says love like the scent of fresh flowers! I went to Delilah’s of Denver to create a personalized and modern arrangement.

Don’t forget the hors d’oeuvres and beverages! If you're running short on time, bite-sized frozen appetizers from a natural grocer are a great option. Put the appetizers on nice platters and no one will know they are from the frozen food aisle;) We supplied ten different bottles of wine and asked our guests to bring their own bottles. Make sure you have enough wine glasses for everyone! It's nice to carry out your decor and theme with individual wine glass markers. We ended up having a tasting party to gauge the types of varietals and brands our guests would most enjoy at the wedding. It was an absolute blast!

Cheers and happy engagement! 

Happy Engagement Season!

Hi Bridalize Friends and Followers!

We apologize for our lengthy hiatus! It has been an extremely busy month for Bridalize and we can’t wait to receive and share the pictures from the talented photographers who have helped us on all of our beautiful weddings!

In addition to the gorgeous weddings and friendships that have come out of this wedding season, we have more great news! Andra, our associate event planner got engaged just last month! As a nod to the beginning of engagement season, Andra is going to blog about her experiences as a newly engaged Bridalize bride to share the tips, tricks and processes that go into planning a wedding from recently engaged to stylishly married!

Just after he asked her in Tahiti!
 The left/heartside flower signifies a "taken" relationship status;)

Sticking To Your Wedding Budget

While going through the wedding planning process, every bride’s biggest challenge is sticking to her wedding budget while staying true to her tastes and aesthetic desires. Below are some tips from Bridalize to help you stick to your initial figure.

1. Come up with a realistic number before you get started. Sit down with your hubby-to-be and decide on a figure you are both comfortable with. If you do this before you start looking at venues, dresses and photographers, you have a better chance of coming up with a number that better matches your bank allowance rather than a magazine spread. If you don’t know where to start, Bridalize would love to help you nail down a figure!

 2. List your wedding priorities. No matter where your wedding budget ends up being, it’s best to decide which wedding elements mean the most to you. Be it food, ambiance, or photography, it’s easier to decide where to splurge and where to cut back when your priorities are listed out beforehand.

 3. Chart your vendor percentages. Consider how big of a piece each vendor is allowed within your “wedding budget pie.” When buying a dress or selecting flowers, it's easier to stay on track when you know you have $3,000 to spend on that purchase rather than subract the amount you're confronted with from your entire sum.

Bridalize specializes in keeping each section of your budget in check so you don’t go over your initial figure! We’d love to schedule a consultation session with you! Call us anytime, 303.221.3049.

Selecting Your Wedding Colors

Today’s newly-engaged lady isn’t restricted to any color scheme rules when it comes to her wedding attire, flower arrangements, stationary, cake or décor. For some brides a lack of restriction is a blessing; but for others, limitless, bold color options makes for a palette-decision standstill.

If you don’t have a go-to color scheme, take these steps to get on your dream wedding path. 

1. Consider your venue

Once you reserve your venue and date, your color selection becomes a lot easier. Don’t pick a fushia and lime combo to go with a red and navy carpet.

2. Try a hardware store

Pairing paint swatches is a free and helpful method to match up your perfect color combination! As an added bonus, hardware stores are fiancé friendly ;)

3. Pick a piece that inspires you

If a flower girl dress, piece of furniture, blouse, etc. strikes your fancy… run with it! You can build an entire look from any look of loveliness.

Happy planning from Bridalize!

Zorn Photography Has Done it Again!

Melissa and Jeff's engagement photo slideshow couldn't have turned out better. Thank you Jody and Zach of Zorn Photography for sharing these special images, we cannot wait until August to work with you at the wedding!

Congrats Jeff and Melissa! These look spectacular!

Jeff and Melissa Engagement Photo Slideshow