Wedding Advice 101 – Linens Create a Fantasy
Wedding Designs & Planning Ideas, Linens Create the Fantasy – A picture perfect day Your lifetime memory!
Linens are the “little black dress” that makes everything sizzle. Whether you’re an event planner or the bride there is much you should know about this basic item that gets mostly overlooked or becomes an afterthought when it should be the “core” to your event.
Yes, if you are rich or have a huge budget then you can have a fantasy day complete with a horse-drawn carriage. The rest of us rely heavily on magazines, the wedding facility and/or planner or family and friends for input and guidance. But can you add unique linens to your budget? With a little creativity and know-how, yes you can.
White and ivory linens are generally offered in a basic or textured fabric because it’s the best way to satisfy everyone’s taste. Another reason why facilities don’t offer a wider selection of patterns or colors is because many can’t or won’t inventory linens. Although renting linens can be done that requires additional work on the part of the facility or planner whose extra time wasn’t calculated in the flat fee budget. When a bride has a huge budget the facility will expend extra resources to accommodate. When the bride has a limited budget it is cost prohibited to spend time and not be compensated.
Indecisiveness on the bride’s part also plays a factor in the decision to limit the selections. Explaining to a bride that the same color in two different mediums, such as linens and flowers, will not exactly match can be frustrating when they start to get picky. Colors need to blend-not be dead on. For those brides that know what they want and are realistic when shown options they are the perfect candidates to discuss other color or fabric selections. Finally linens require a lot more knowledge than one realizes. Some facilities simply may not know enough about linens themselves or what can be created so they take the easy road and limit the choices they offer.
Yes it will cost you more to have overlays and underlays, textured fabrics or some other concept but linens are the foundation to your whole event. Put china and centerpieces on the table without linens and you pretty much have a backyard picnic-not an event. Put linens on tables and chairs and you have created the basis for a fantasy. Put exquisite linens on your tables and your event will be remembered and talked about by all.
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Ask the Right Questions:
1. Ask to see a complete table set-up with china, etc.
2. Look at all samples of linens and items available. Ask if they have access to anything other than what was shown. Show them your theme colors. See how they can be used throughout the event.
3. Get prices on everything on your wish list and a little more. Then scale back to those essential items that will make your day what you envisioned.
4. Explore create ways you can save money. Ask if you can help with anything. Or purchase items directly for a savings.
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Like granite is to kitchens or a fireplace to a living room linens are the essential ingredient that gives special value to your event. So why not just get regular Polyester tablecloths and napkins? Well, you can and most do. But if you only knew more you would opt for a relatively easy-to-do but far more memorable choice.
Most car commercials display the base starting price. But the featured car that you see on your screen is always thousands more than the advertised starting price. Does anyone ever pay that base price? Not likely.
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Car dealers play on your emotions, quite possibly convincing you that the car you buy is what you really want. In actuality, the car company is simply trying to you a perceived fantasy. The same principle holds in many areas. But your special day is not the day to sacrifice your dream or buy someone else’s.
One way to get what you want is to know what you want. Here are some simple steps to help you accomplish this: First, focus on gathering information. Then sort through what items you really want versus what you can do without. Include a wish list for items you want to strongly consider. Next, find out the costs for each of these items. Take a few days to absorb the information and think about what you really want your day to look and feel like. Finally, quiz yourself about the things you really want-then make those items your launching point and compromise in other areas. No one will notice a slightly smaller bouquet but everyone will notice bad tablescapes.
You have one perfect day! Often, the bride stresses over the dress but may fail to consider on how “dressed” the party will be. She often overlooks the fact that most people will notice the facility first-then how the party is decorated.
If centerpieces, china and lighting make up for 50% of what the room is covered in then linens make up the other 50%.
Years ago, I sold buttons in the garment district in New York. I was surprised at the connection most people felt with these simple things. People fondly remembered their grandmothers or mothers sewing baskets. Nostalgically, they recalled playing with them as a child. Powerful memories can surface when people fondly remember items from their past.
Linens evoke the same strong emotion that other aspects or items of an event don’t. Linens are tactile and color can make one feel positive or negative so choose wisely.
Partygoers may really like a chocolate fountain. But what they will remember most is who the bride and room looked. While the attendees are unlikely to copy the bride’s dress, those who may be involved in an upcoming event may well view the linens as another matter.
When event planners look at the big picture they may often consider key components of the event as equally important. That is why I recommend so highly that you work with a linen manufacturer who can conceptualize and offer creative, one-of-a-kind table or room concepts. Not all linen manufacturers have staff that can do this but many do. Having a keen understanding of manufacturing and what can be make for commercial use is imperative, and so I stress again–either hire a consultant who has linen knowledge in addition to the event planner or ask your planner to work with one.
Some concepts can replicate matching the bride’s dress for the head table or using the bridesmaids’ signature color(s) in the linens. Keep costs down with basic underlays using fancier overlays or chair ties instead of chair covers. Mix textures on the same cloth or use clouding. The possibilities are endless as this is where creative thinking comes in to play because it’s not just about using event items but “how” they are used and to what advantage.
Ask if you can purchase your own linens or insist that the facility work with a rental store to offer something more than what they own.
This is your special day. With a little brainstorming, knowledge and the right advice you can have your fantasy wedding day made to order.
Consulting and sales company providing both store image and event party items for sales. 10 years industry experience.
Author: Charlotte Sorrentino
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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