KVUE Television News (Austin's local ABC affiliate)
Wedding trends piece February 14, 2007

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COMMENTARY: JANE GREIG
Invite more wedding guests than you expect to attend
Monday, January 23, 2006

Q: My son and his fiancée would like to have 150 people attend their wedding and reception. Do you know the average invited-versus-attend ratio?
-- J.T.

A: They should send out 84 to 113 invitations if each represents two attendees.
Generally 65 percent will attend, says Missy Harris, a veteran planner of more than 200 weddings at RSVP Parties and Particulars. Harris notes many things can change that number. If the guest list is less than 100, a higher percentage will attend because that represents close friends and family. Holiday wedding? More folks are in town and available to attend. Also the final number is higher if you have "guested" the invitations ("Sue Spacely and guest" on the envelope).
That percentage seems low to wedding planner Denise Silverman of Soirée. "People like to plan for a low response number for the purpose of budgeting, but I tell clients to count on 80 (percent) to 90 percent to be safe." Austin is a great place for out-of-towners to spend the weekend.
Silverman offers hints to hone the response numbers. The response card should have spaces for the guests to write their name and indicate whether they will or will not attend. "Just saying 'number attending' invites too many variables," Silverman says. Guests, please, please, please RSVP promptly!

Bridal Guide
“America’s most-read bridal magazine”
May/June 2004
Don’t Blow the Budget! 50 Ways to Save From Ceremony to Reception

Tip #32
A top photographer may very well be out of your price range. “If so, tell him or her you’d love nothing more than to hire someone of that caliber, but simply can’t afford it,” says Denise Silverman, a certified wedding consultant and owner of the Austin, Texas-based Soirée Event Consultation & Design. “Perhaps the person can recommend an assistant,” in which case you might get an up-and-coming photographer for half the price of a seasoned pro.

Tip #39
Want to save $1 per invitation? Assemble them yourself, rather than paying a stationer for the cost of labor, advises Silverman. You might save even more if your invitations have a ribbon that needs to be tied, or they need to be folded in some way, since many stationers charge extra for more elaborate invitations.

The Austin American-Statesman
Monday, April 12, 2004
Life & Arts
By Jane Greig

Q: When a bride decides to have her wedding out of town, is it customary for her or her family to provide hotel rooms for her bridal party?

A: Emily Post lists accommodations for the bride’s attendants as an expense of the bride’s family and accommodations for the groom’s attendants as an expense of the groom’s family. These accommodations, however, could be in a friend’s home. Generally, “it is a nice gesture, though not customary, for the bride to pay for the bridal party’s hotel rooms,” advises Denise Silverman, certified wedding consultant and owner of Soirée Event Consultation and Design. Reserving and negotiating a reduced price for a block of hotel rooms are the responsibilities of the nuptial couple, especially in a destination wedding. Remember, readers, when you are asked to be a wedding attendant, make sure you understand the responsibilities – financial and otherwise – before you say yes.

The Austin American-Statesman
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Life & Arts
By Nishat Fatima
Vow to be Original

Here are some tips from some of Austin's wedding planners and designers on how to make your wedding your own:

* Bridal consultant Belynda Barkley Montgomery says creating a unique wedding isn't that difficult. "Everybody is different as far as culture and traditions go. Pull from that, and create an event that really means something to you," she said. Montgomery recommends incorporating cultural practices, ancestral traditions and even relatives into the ceremony. "For example, if you have family members that can play instruments, ask them to perform during the ceremony," she said.

* Denise Silverman, owner of Soiree Event Consultation and Design, said when it comes to invitations, skip the envelopes altogether. "Try a small tin can with ribbon, or fun boxes," she said. Silverman also recommends working with a graphics artist to create custom-made invites with bold colors and a mix of fonts, rather than ordering out of a catalog.

* Think simplicity when it comes to floral arrangements, says Erin Matthews, co-owner of Verbena Floral Design. Bouquets and arrangements with monochromatic color schemes of the same flower are classy and flexible. "Try combinations like pink, orange and coral or blue, lavender and plum, depending on the season and theme of your party," she said. Add edible elements. too. "Berries, such as vine blackberries, or fresh herbs, such as sage or rosemary, smell good and, just from an aesthetic perspective, look beautiful."

* To make your guests feel welcome, put something thoughtful and creative on their place settings, Matthews said. "Something like a few springs of lavender on the napkins' folds make guests feel like they were thought of, too," she said.

* Silverman said to get a "wow factor" for room decor, pay attention to the details. "Use soft rose, pink or amber colored lights and stay away from plain white linens. These (elements) change the ambience of the room," she said. Silverman also said having mismatched centerpieces, such as varying types of candles or vases, make every table in the room look different, but with the same rudiments.

* Instead of the traditional seated dinners or buffet, Montgomery said to consider food stations with cuisines from across the globe. "They promote mingling, and the guests can watch the chefs preparing their food. And, you can be very creative," she said.

* Favors should be classy and useful. "Try cookies that are custom-shaped and painted," Montgomery said. Silverman recommended small potted herb plants or decorated caramel apples. --

Wedding Gazette
Encore Weddings: Rules of the Game

For brides the second time around, there were rules, and they were written in stone. Well, those days are gone. Today, encore brides are flouting the rules and doing what pleases them.

Not all that long ago and easily in your mother's lifetime, the rules of the game were definitely different for second weddings. An encore wedding was expected to be informal and small, one attendant per partner allowed. If the bride were a young widow, her father could escort her down the aisle. If she were a mature widow or a divorcee, forget the escort. As for wearing white, the rules were even more stringent. A widow was not to wear all white, a formal gown, or a veil. A divorcee was bound by the same etiquette with the further stipulation that she was to trade in her bouquet for a corsage.

According to Denise Silverman, a certified wedding consultant in Austin, Texas, the rules of the game have not just changed but drastically so. "I suppose one big reason for the change in etiquette would have to be our 50% divorce rate, says Silverman. "Now what we're seeing is an effort to tailor a second, third, and even fourth wedding to the couple's particular set of circumstances and comfort levels."

Silverman, who is a big proponent of a bride doing it her way, offers a few tips to guide her through the latest encore etiquette:

• K.I.S.S.: Keep it small and simple. Or go for broke! Either way works today for the ceremony and/or the reception. The key is comfort level for all involved.
• Don't want to burden the guests with gift-giving the second time around? Send wedding announcements to let people know that you've gotten married and that gifts are not expected.
• Still, gifts are entirely appropriate for a second wedding.
• An encore bride can wear what she wants these days, but most are not going for the blusher veil (which traditionally symbolizes virginity).
• While the white gown no longer symbolizes purity and so has become an option, encore brides are choosing colored accessories to indicate their more experienced status.
• Traditionally, orange blossoms are symbolic of first-time brides. Encore brides don't have to but may choose to avoid them in their bouquets.
• Encore brides can be given away by a father, a brother, or even a friend. Or a second-time bride may choose to walk down the aisle by herself.
• It is fine to invite ex-spouses to the encore wedding, but again, comfort levels of all involved must be taken into consideration.
• Engagement announcements should be made only when a divorce is final-never before
  

Wedding Gazette
Encore Weddings: Five Rules to Flout

In the past, getting re-married meant a lot of rules and stuffy etiquette. Today, encore brides are flouting the rules and doing what pleases them. Here are five rules that simply have to go!

According to Denise Silverman, a certified wedding consultant in Austin, Texas, the rules for getting remarried have not only changed but drastically so. "I suppose one big reason for the change in etiquette would have to be our 50% divorce rate," says Silverman. "Now what we're seeing is an effort to tailor a second, third, even fourth wedding to the couple's particular set of circumstances and comfort levels." Silverman suggests that an encore bride feel free to break the following old rules:

Rule #1 - An encore wedding should be informal and small, one attendant per partner allowed.

This is no longer true. Today an encore bride can keep it simple or go for broke. It's her call.

Rule #2 - Encore brides should never wear a formal white gown or veil.

Totally outdated! Encore brides can and are going formal and wearing white. Most, however, are opting out of the virginal blusher veil and instead choosing colored accessories. Some are even going for sexy.

Rule #3 - The mature widow or divorcee should not be escorted down the aisle.

Excuse me? First of all, age has little to do with it these days, and encore brides are not exactly considered pariahs anymore. Today, they can be given away by a father, a brother, or a friend. Or a second-time bride may choose to walk down the aisle by herself or with her children.

Rule #4 - Encore brides should not expect gifts.

We beg to differ. Some do, some don't. If she doesn't want gifts, she can indicate it on the invitation. Otherwise, it may be the perfect time for her to consider redecorating her kitchen and bath.

Rule #5 - Encore brides should not choose flowers that traditionally symbolize a first-time bride. Orange blossoms are an example.

File this in the same category as the gown rule. It's so old, it's moldy. Brides are choosing any and every sort of flower that suits them and their budget. And as for the musty etiquette that demanded a corsage instead of the bridal bouquet for a second-time bride, toss it unless you love it.