The Size of Your Guest List: The First and Most Important Decision You’ll Make After Saying Yes

Your guest list will be a central factor in determining the kind of wedding you have. It will be the bridge between your wedding dreams and your wedding reality. Often couples think the number of people they invite will only affect the cost of food and beverage. In reality, the size of your guest list effects almost every aspect of your planning and every element of your budget.

The size of your guest list will influence and maybe even dictate your ceremony and reception location. (Those pesky fire codes and such.) Your guest list will influence the style of your reception. For example, the facility of your dreams may be able to handle a cocktail reception for 300 but can only seat 120 with a band and dance floor. The number of guests you invite will determine the number of tables and chairs you need therefore it will significantly impact your per table budget for linens and centerpieces. Guest list influences your incidental costs as well. Remember favors, postage, stationary (save-the-dates, invitations, programs, menu cards, etc.) are all priced individually.

Bottom-line, most couples have a finite amount of money in their wedding budget and unfortunately your budget is not a major market force. (Wouldn’t it be cool if all we had to do to influence the cost of goods in the economy was set and stick to our personal budgets. . . I digress.) Because your wedding budget is finite, you will have to be true to your wedding priorities. Don’t get sucked into the trap of thinking that a great party is synonymous with a party with a huge guest list. Good friends, family, atmosphere and lots of love are generally all that are required for a great party and a wonderful wedding celebration.

The Invitation: Making a Good First Impression

The invitation is often your guests’ first notice that something special is on the horizon. Whether you are planning a wedding, a backyard barbque or the company holiday party, your invitaiton is the first clue your guest has of the type of event you are hosting. Just as we intuitively translate a person’s behavior, look, and sound and into opinions of their intelligence, character, and social standing; your invitation’s size, shape, color, texture, weight, and font will speak of personality, atmosphere, and elegance. It is important that you think carefully about what you want your invitation to say.

Whether you create your own invitation, order from a catalog, or commission one from a graphic designer and printer, the best invitation for you will clearly communicate either the purpose of the event or the personality of the host(s)/honoree(s). An association may use a seal to convey honor and importance while a bride and groom may use favorite colors or pictures to express their love, their individuality, and their hopes for a joint future.

The wording on the invitation is important as well. Those few words will communicate formality, familial relationships, appropriate attire, and an abundance of other information that will further shape your guests’ expectations. Make sure that the words you choose and the directions you give are complete, clear, and make your guests feel honored to be invited. Your invitation symbolizes who you are and forecasts what your event will be, so let it be a mark of personal expression and a welcome to those you want to share in something special.

Tips for Enjoying Your Own Party

First thing to remember when hosting, you set the tone for the entire party. Your mood can be read by all your guests. While it is your responsibility to decorate, prepare the food, and keep things organized (unless of course you’ve hired professional), it is also your responsibility to have a little fun. If your guests see you enjoying yourself it will help them feel more comfortable in the environment and enjoy themselves as well. Some tips to help you out:

1. Give yourself enough time to relax a little before your guests arrive.
2. Dress comfortably, even if it is formal attire, because you don’t want to have to worry about your clothing as you greet your guests and prepare last minute things.
3. Try not to work too hard at the party. Make all your food in advance so you are not stuck in the kitchen.
4. Ask a family member or a friend to help you with preparation, or even to help you host the event.
5. Remember to keep things simple. If it’s too much work for you ask yourself if it’s worth it.
6. Open a bottle of wine and pour yourself a glass.

Just Remember to enjoy yourself. A party is meant to be fun for everyone, including you as the host!

Tallahassee as the Wedding Destination

Southern Charm Attracts Brides, But Beware of Football, Legislative Seasons

By Kenya Washington
Tallahasse Magazine July -August 2008

When you hear “destination wedding,” you most likely think of beaches, mountains, Las Vegas, Europe or the Caribbean. But Tallahassee, with its quiet charm, is a perhaps surprising destination of choice for many couples.

For one recent Tallahassee wedding, the bride’s parents, family and childhood friends traveled from as far away as Italy. For another couple, no member of their core planning group (bride, groom, bride’s parents, groom’s parents) even lived in Florida. Then there are couples who live and work in Tallahassee but whose families do not call Tallahassee home. As many as 50 percent of these couples’ guests will travel here from afar for the nuptials and related festivities.

Why are couples choosing Tallahassee as their wedding destination? Why are their friends and family excited to travel to and spend the weekend here? The answer is simple. Each of these couples met and fell in love while living or working here – many while they were still in school. Each couple feels a sense of joy, peace and hope for the future here and wants to celebrate their marriage and plan their future right here, where those feelings began.

Another advantage of a Tallahassee-area wedding is the abundance of Southern charm inherent in so many locations. From historic homes (SouthWood House, Tallahassee Garden Club, Brokaw-McDougal House, Shiloh Farms) and plantations (Pebble Hill, Coalson) to beautiful gardens (Maclay Gardens, Dorothy B. Oven Park, Goodwood Museum and Gardens), museums (Mary Brogan Museum, Tallahassee Museum, Antique Car Museum), hotels, country clubs and attractive university facilities, Tallahassee has a lot to offer.

As wonderful as Tallahassee is, there are some planning details that call for extreme care, caution and thought. In Tallahassee, timing is everything. There are a plethora of lovely venues in the area, but they are not in unlimited supply or capacity. Three separate factors – football season, the annual legislative session and the size of your guest list – can create logistical problems that make selecting a date and location as early as possible a must.

The issues raised by home football games are obvious: increased demand for hotel beds, increased room rates, and increased game day/wedding day traffic. The legislative session does not affect weekend hotel rates to the same degree, but events and receptions during the session do compete for the same restaurant, hotel and other banquet space. Lastly, and most importantly, the size or your guest list, whether you want an indoor or outdoor reception, and the formality of your meal (sit-down or cocktail) will be significant factors in determining which of Tallahassee’s venues has the capacity to host your reception.

So what should you do first when planning a Tallahassee wedding? Take a deep breath, smile and know that you’ve chosen one of the region’s most charming locations. Then let your imagination run wild and enjoy the journey to planning the day that will begin the rest of your life.

So, do you feel extra lucky today?

Article published Jul 7, 2007
So, do you feel extra lucky today?
By Gerald Ensley
DEMOCRAT SENIOR WRITER

Brides and grooms are marching to the altar. The faithful are praying. Gamblers are making the lottery machines and card tables hum.
Today is the seventh day of the seventh month in the year 2007: 7-7-7. It's a triple dose of a number many consider lucky.
So people all over the nation are grabbing for a bit of that luck. Casinos from Biloxi to Las Vegas will be packed. More than 100,000 people are expected to gather in Nashville for a prayer vigil that climaxes 40 days of fasting and praying. An estimated 38,000 couples nationwide are expected to marry today, which is three times the number of weddings typically held on the first Saturday in July.
"(Couples) hope if they have their wedding on this day, their foundation will start with an extra push of luck," said Tallahassee wedding planner Kenya Washington. "Given the divorce rate, we can all use all the good luck we can get."
The number seven pops up all through history, religion, astronomy, mythology and more. God created the world in seven days. Christians learn of the seven deadly sins, and Hinduism celebrates the seven chakras of energy in the body. There are seven seas, seven continents and Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. There are seven colors in a rainbow and seven stars in the Big Dipper. Seven is the number most frequently rolled with two dice, and 7-7-7 is a standard winning pull on a slot machine.
Some gather to pray
Many local residents are making the trip to Nashville for The Call, which is part of religious leader Lou Engle's national prayer movement. Others will gather at a local church to watch a broadcast. The nondenominational event is a call for God's mercy upon the U.S. and its troubles, including war, poverty and crime.
The preceding 40-day fast (involving everything from favorite foods to television) is a reaction to the 40th anniversary of the Summer of Love in San Francisco. Its climax today owes to religious connections to seven, including 2 Chronicles 7:14, in which God promises those who "humble themselves and pray" that he will "heal their land."
"Seven is a very important number biblically, as it means completion or bringing to fruition something that is called," said Jo Anne Arnett, prayer coordinator of Tallahassee's Center for Biblical Studies. "Many believe our nation's founding was called by God. We're asking God to bring to fruition the things he has planned for us."
Others will be seeking good fortune for their marriage. Though no one has an official figure, there are clearly more weddings than usual in Tallahassee today. Donna Smithey's tents-and-tables company is furnishing six weddings: "Everyone told me they chose (today) because of the date." Wedding planner Fran Poppell is directing one wedding and had to turn down several others: "I don't usually have to say 'Get in line' for a particular date."
Washington said any memorable calendar date produces a higher-than-usual number of weddings, "first and foremost so the husband will remember it." But she said the 7-7-7 date has sparked more weddings with seven-inspired themes: bouquets of seven flowers; seven bridesmaids; weddings starting at 7:07 p.m.
Lottery may sell out
Florida Lottery players are flocking to buy 7-7-7 tickets for the daily Cash 3 game drawing, whose top prize is $500. Lottery spokeswoman Jackie Barreiros said 7-7-7 has been the highest or second-highest combination played every day this week. For financial reasons, the Lottery caps sales at 20,000 tickets for any single three-digit combination. As of Friday afternoon, sales for Friday and Saturday's Cash 3 drawings were nearing the cap.
"(Seven) has such strong, positive connotations, I wouldn't be surprised if we sell out," Barreiros said.
Business also is expected to be booming at the Jefferson County Kennel Club card room. That's where several versions of seven-card stud are played, including the popular Texas Hold 'Em. Monday, state law permitted card rooms to raise their betting limits to a maximum $100 - which may pay dividends today for superstitious players.
"Anytime they see (a pair of sevens on the deal)," said John Lyons, the JCKC card room manager, "I suspect they'll push all in."

Law-school grad becomes wedding planner

Northeast Chronicle

By Amanda Nalley
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
Imagine Inc.
What: Wedding and event planning
Who: Kenya Washington
Cost: $500 and up
Call: 591-3010

Is your fairy-tale wedding missing an action plan? Imagine Inc. might be able to help. The event- and wedding-planning company, operated out of the Killearn Lakes home of Kenya Washington, offers creative ways to prepare for your special day, including services for those who are limited on time and planning for couples who need extra attention. "You imagine it, we plan it," is the company's slogan, and planning is exactly what Washington does. She maps out weddings on storyboards, offers clients 24/7 availability and uses her previous experience as a lawyer to identify and solve potential wedding fiascoes, such as what to do when mom wants linen napkins and the bride will only allow paper. "In law, you help people end things," Washington said. "and with wedding planning, you are helping them begin things." She's also good at smoothing out details when things go haywire, such as the time the bride's choice of facility sprung a leaky roof, and Washington spent hours figuring out how to dress up galvanized pails to catch rain water. Led by her faith, she seeks to smooth the transition of two people becoming a unit. "I believe that marriages are the creations of new unions, and the law believes you've formed a new unit, too," she said. "I help them to remember to focus on what's best for them as a unit."

Her background
Washington, who wanted to be a lawyer since age 13, received her undergraduate degree from Tulane University in 1996 and her law degree from Columbia University in 2000.
At first, she was averse to the idea of running her own business.
"My parents asked me if they were to give us (her and her ex-husband) money to start a business, what would it be?" she said. "I thought I really had no interest in being an entrepreneur." A "textbook extrovert," she had an interest in wedding planning at a young age after helping plan family events and high-school social activities. Her father, who was a mechanical engineer by trade, always dreamed of being an entrepreneur, and urged his daughter to start her own business. At 30, Washington had a crisis. She realized it was the first time she was fiscally on her own. She decided her life needed a change in direction and that it was time to create a 10-year plan. She also decided she didn't want to wait until retirement to be a wedding planner. "I guess I was just thinking it was something that I would want to do. Each time I thought about it, it started taking shape," she said. "I'd see partners and a process. I could imagine the business having multiple divisions." She didn't dislike law, but she realized she liked things about it that she could do in planning, too. "I enjoyed the law, but I loved the planning part of it - the coordination and logistics of it. The regular legal stuff was fun, but what I excelled at was the logistics. I love and enjoy the law - it is just that I am more passionate about this. It was a question of who do I want to be when I grow up."

Imagine Inc.
Washington received her business license and began Imagine Inc. in January of this year.
Consultations begin with a meeting to test compatibility. To Washington, choosing the right planner is akin to choosing the right church or therapist. "It's important that we like each other," she said. "My job is not to force people to use my services." After that, the couple will meet with Washington at least three times to figure out what is and is not wanted at the wedding. Couples fill out a two-page questionnaire that helps Washington figure out the couples' personality and other important information, such as who makes the decisions and who pays for the event.

Couples then pick from the following services:
Directing: Washington will manage/conduct the rehearsal, ceremony and reception; provide schedules to members of the wedding party; be on hand as long as she is needed for the day of the wedding; and make sure the wedding runs smoothly (for example, the cake gets cut on time and everyone gets home safely).
Customized planning: In addition to directing, Washington will help formulate and crystallize the feel and design of the wedding day and help pick vendors (caterer, photographer, etc.).
Ask an expert: Brides have a prepaid amount of minutes and can call Washington at any time to ask questions.
Panic package: For couples who have anywhere from two months to two weeks before the big day, there are four packages geared toward the urgency and what is left to be done.
Education: Washington offers classes on planning a wedding for yourself.
Radio: Imagine Inc. has partnered with Wave 94.1 FM. and will launch "She Said Yes," a radio segment allowing couples to tell their relationship stories from first date to engagement. Couples receive a recording of their segment.
"Planning for life": Washington also offers party planning for life, a program that is 90 percent wedding planning and 10 percent event planning. She will plan a couple's future anniversaries, birthday parties and other gatherings and events.

A member of the Association of Bridal Consultants, Washington said she knows comfort is the most important thing when picking a planner. "It's about finding the bride who feels comfortable with me," she said. "I really love what I do, and I'm doing it more because I love it than because I need to earn a living from it."
Contact reporter Amanda Nalley at (850) 599-2299 or abnalley@tallahassee.com.1012.chron.wedding
Kenya Washington owns Imagine Inc., a wedding- and event-planning company.