I have extra copies ladies!  If you want to check out this amazing magazine and all the original and fabulous ideas contained within its golden pages, email me at infoatkjsweddings.com

*photo courtesy of CSBrides

The beauty of these chargers is that even plain they still look fab for a Fall wedding.   But the DIY Network has a great tutorial using these basswood country planks from Walnut Hollow and woodburning your monogram to show through clear glass plates at your wedding.  Simple and very cute!

Have you seen a look on the red carpet that you absolutely must have for your wedding day?  Did a certain coiffure catch your eye on the runaway in Paris?

Then you need Toni Spyropoulos.  This veteran of styling can take virtually any style and duplicate it just from a picture in a magazine.  How do I know? I’ve seen it.  (see below)*Heidi Klum photo credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com, Katie’s photo credit: Grayscale Studios, Inc.

Toni is available for onsite styling and does trials at On Stage Salon and Day Spa in Glenview. Call her at 847.832.1300 for an appointment today!  Book your trial before October 31st and receive a $50 gift certificate to Grotto Italian Restaurant in Oak Brook, courtesy of KJS weddings!

Got an extra copy of the new book Green wedding by Mireya Navarro for the first bride that emails me.

If you’ve every been frustrated about the whole stationary thing like I have, you’ve come to the right place.  Want a place that has gorgeous stationary for every aspect of your wedding and beyond with amazing customer service, tips and advise and way easy to use ordering?

Then you want Wedding Paper Divas. Everything is explained in detail so that if you don’t know something (and you may not; I didn’t before I got married!) it’s great to have easy-to-read and easy-to-access help and instruction while you order.  The guidance from selection to ordering is smooth and they even offer client specialists and personal designers free of charge to ensure you’re getting the help you need.

I’m so excited about this hotel and it’s event space it’s sick.  The hotel is ultra chic, eco-conscious, and modern with all the very best amenities.  And every guest is a VIP.  Honestly.  I’ve been to hotels that boast this but very few (if you’re not shelling out $$$)  can actually claim it to be true.  I’ve tested them.

Enter Hotel Arista with its boutique hotel style look, it’s modern decor, and solicitous staff.  The hotel is in Naperville just off of I-88 and Rte 59.  This area is really being built up a lot with tons of new businesses sprouting up everywhere.  The hotel is very new (I think they opened just this past winter) and you can tell by how many of the modern necessities it incorporated into its look.  The rooms all have a built-in LCD in the bathroom mirror, plasma tvs and what I really loved (especially for weddings and the guests that go along with them!) touchscreen phones that can be loaded with things to do in Chicago and wedding itinerary.  All we have to do is provide the hotel with the pdfs!! Wi-Fi is complimentary. And they also have Nintendo Wii!

They have a gorgeous rooftop patio that can be used for brunches, cocktails, or after-hours parties.  The ballroom is neutral enough that it’s an event designer’s dream.  Virtually any theme or color scheme can be played out in this room without having to compete with the walls or the carpeting.’ve also heard great things about their in-house restaurant, Sugartoad.  I haven’t tried it yet, but as it is so near my home I definitely intend to.

For weddings and other special events, be sure to contact Davina Arceneaux.  She is completely amazing and extremely helpful.

Davina Arceneaux

Director of Catering

Hotel Arista at CityGate Centre

2139 CityGate Lane

Naperville, IL 60563

630 579 4100

630 579 7806  direct

630 955 6985  fax

email: darceneaux@hotelarista.com

http://www.hotelarista.com/

So you think you need to spend a lot of money and mail out invitations? This creative couple settled on a different sort of visual…

A first class stamp now goes for $.44. Make sure you budget for this if you are in the process of looking for or purchasing stationary for your wedding.

Current rates can be found here, but please use this as a guide. Always go to the post office (or three) to get them weighed and measured for an exact amount.

And by that I mean planning the wedding on your own (sans wedding planner) you will find that while there’s a ton of information out there to help you plan the wedding, you have a huge problem.  There’s a TON of information out there.

So now the issue is–how to navigate through all that stuff to get to the stuff that helps YOU.

*Start with bridal blogs. Google “bridal blogs” or “wedding blogs” and you’re bound to find a ton of stuff.  But what you’ll find too when you start checking them out is brides who have used and recommend specific sites or services.  What you’re looking for here is sites that are recommended.  Click on these sites and you’ll start to notice a pattern.  These sites will a) be national, b)offer national services and c) were battled tested by people just like you.

With the market the way it is today, brides are more conscious than ever of every dollar they spend.  Many brides have decided that the uncertainty of the economy precludes a wedding at this time and have pushed out their wedding dates to next year or even indefinitely.

Before taking this sort of drastic measure ask yourself if there are ways in which  you can economize but still plan your wedding for the date you’ve already chosen.

Ways to save money:
*Cut down your guest list. Gone are the days in which you invited everyone you happened to meet on the street.  Brides are including only guests they personally know or will continue to have as part of their lives in the future.  I have many brides say “I have to invite so-and-so because they sat next to me at work for six years”.  No, you don’t. If they are a good friend to you outside of work then sure–invite them.  But do not feel obligated to invite someone you work with if they have no meaning to your personal life.

Start out by making two three lists–yours, his and your parents’.  Combine these lists and start cutting.  Make sure that everyone has a good reason for inviting whoever they are inviting if that guest is called into question. Make two more lists–the absolutelys (these are guests no one questions) and then the maybes (these are the guests that’d you’d like to invite if  you could, but its not necessary to your happiness).  This will help you when working with the reception venue you’ve selected on what you can afford to feed everyone.