A few more wedding do's and don'ts...

A friend of mine in the wedding industry brought a few more very important wedding do's and don'ts to my attention. I can see the obvious do's and don'ts (and the one's pertaining to beauty) but since I do not work every single job in the wedding industry, some things I tend to overlook.

1. Cash Bars. I have heard of this, but I never knew that people actually did this. A cash bar? Really? Come on you guys. It is rude to have a wedding, make people buy you gifts and travel a long distance to attend YOUR wedding and then make them pay for their own cocktails. It breaks ALL the rules of proper wedding ettiquette. Instead, you should opt for a beer and wine bar. I know some venues will allow you to bring in your own wine and possibly other alcohols for a small(er) fee. If alcohol is THAT important to you, then cut costs elsewhere, or just don't have it at all.

2. Do not wait a year to send out thank you cards to everyone. Whether they bought you a gift or not is irrelevant. (they should, but remember, they don't HAVE to) If they took time out of their busy schedule to celebrate your special day with you, you can at least send them a card telling them you appreciate them being in attendance. Also, please don't be lazy or stingy with thank you cards. After all of the time that the DJ's, wedding and event planners, photographers and videographers put into your wedding, I think that they deserve a little thank you card as well, don't you?

3. If you attend someones wedding, DO NOT come empty handed. Times are rough financially, but you can at least purchase (or even make) a beautiful card congratulating the new couple on their special day. Weddings cost money. They aren't free. You should show gratitude for being invited to such a special occasion.

4. Picture this. The groom is gussied up in his handsome tux at the alter patiently awaiting to get a glimpse of his beaming bride in her gorgeous wedding gown. In the back of the chapel, the flower girl is fussing with her dress and the ring bearer is picking his nose. The bridesmaids are all in matching gowns, arms linked with the groomsmen waiting for the wedding to begin. When suddenly, you show up late to the wedding and then try to "squeeze by" the bridal party. NO! You either be on time, or you can wait in the back. That is RUDE and will kill the whole ambience of the wedding.

5. I have found that it is popular to have the bride, groom, bridal party, and parents of the bride and groom stand at the door of the reception hall to greet and speak with guests. Don't you dare dash through (or ditch) the wedding party line. Do you really think the bride enjoys standing in that line in her VERY uncomfortable high heels while everyone else is enjoying her party? Probably not. Do me a favor and at least stop by and say "Hi."

6. Never ever wear jeans to a wedding. I thought this goes without saying, but apperently not. *sigh*

7. If you have a pre-determined menu, please identify the entree(s) on a place card. Your guests would like to enjoy their meal. They do not want to spend the entire 7 course meal playing the guessing game on what they are actually eating.

8. NO bridezillas. Don't act like one. In fact, don't even consider acting like one. This includes, but not limited to, snapping your fingers at people, being rude, or saying "It's my day." I do not understand why brides are rude to the people that are preparing her wedding. All I have to say, is if you snap your fingers at me while I am doing your wedding makeup, do not be surprised if you end up with raccoon makeup. I'm just saying.

9. Don't ask your family members and friends to do anything except be in your wedding party or enjoy your wedding. Don't ask them to bake your cake, do floral arrangements, be your photographer etc. Friends and family should enjoy the day, not work it. If it does happen, do not expect anyone to assist this family member/friend. No, I do not have extra ladders, scissors, know how to tier a cake, or make a bouquet. Worse, I have plenty to do rather than fill in the mistakes of others. HIRE PROFFESSIONALS! An event coordinator/ wedding planner will basically take care of everything. (PS I know some great ones if any of you soon-to-be brides need one!)

10. Please do not use an iPod in lieu of a DJ/Band. A DJ or band leader holds a very important role other than playing music. They control the flow, timing, and mood of the event with the venue, which an iPod cannot. Your guests did not spend $400.00 on a Williams Sonoma knife set that YOU registured for to hear the "Top 25 most played" playlist on your iPod.

I would like to give thanks to my anonymous friend for helping me out with those. :) If any of my other professional wedding vendor friends have some do's and don'ts that you would like to share, send them to me! I would love to share them with our readers.

On a personal note...

Tonight I was catching up on a little trashy reality TV and stumbled on the Bad Girls Club Season 4. First of all... is this really a show? Girls getting trashed and going to night clubs? I'm so mad that I didn't think to film this first. HELLO! I live in Vegas. I see this EVERY day! There was this particularly annoying girl on there named Natalie. She was running around LA screaming "I run LA! I run LA!" calling herself a "socialite". I was unimpressed because 1) I am fairly certain, that The Terminator runs LA, and all of California for that matter and 2)I would not know who she was without that show. Paris Hilton. Kim Kardashian. THOSE are socialites. You, Natalie, are not. Anyway, She brought on one of her friends named Marcus and introduced him as a celebrity saying she only goes to clubs VIP style and she only hangs with celebs. I looked at this kid and I didn't recoginze him (but what do I know) so I decided to google him. This is his credited professional work that I found on his website:

Red Tails (2009) David 'Deke' Watkins
Extreme Movie (2008) Wyatt
Taking Five (2007) Lincoln
Take the Lead (2006) Eddie
Roll Bounce (2005) Boo
The Nightmare Room: Scareful What You Wish For (2001) Ryan
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air(1994) Boy on dad's back (not credited)
Nothing to Lose (1997) Joey
One Night Stand (1997) Young Charlie
Moesha (1996-2001) Myles Mitchell
Thea as Cedric
Another Cinderella Story (2008) as Dustin "The Funk"
High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008) Cameo: Boy at Troy's Party (not credited)
Martin : Marvin, Martin's Son

Fresh Prince of Bel Air... boy on dads back? HSM 3... boy at Troy's party? (Both "not credited") You're kidding me right? If that's a celebrity, then so am I. (Told you so, Shauna)

Ok, so maybe I haven't been in a TV show. Well not YET at least. My reality show should be coming soon.

Ryan Seacrest if you are reading this, I need my own reality show. Stat. kthnxbye.

Also, last night I watched Bank of Hollywood which is a show where people go on there and ask ridiculously rich celebs for money. I just want to clarify that Ryan Seacrest went inside my mind, and took this idea right out of there. I have been saying we need to do this type of show for years! For the most part, the people that went on there had legitimate needs and it was sweet to watch people helping other people. That was until this idiotic couple stomps on the stage and asks for $75,000 for their "dream wedding." I almost died. It got worse when they showed photos of the expensive designer wedding gown she wanted to purchase, the castle they wanted to swap vows in, and the TWO CARAT TIFFANY'S cushion cut diamond ring that she wanted. Who do they think they are to just waltz up onto that stage and ask for that kind of money for a wedding? Icing on the cake... they both don't have jobs.

To the couple who had the courage to do this: You two are materialistic LOSERS. If you are "so in love" then drive to Las Vegas and get married at the drive thru for $65.00. You do not need a 2 carat Tiffany's ring. You do not need to get married in a castle. You do not need a designer gown. You need to get a job and a life. Thank you.

xoxox
Allyson Stagg
CEO of The Las Vegas Style Sirens
www.LVstyleSirens.com
LVStyleSirens@yahoo.com