The "A" Team
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Welcome to The "A" Team Blog! Here you will learn trends, tips, and guides as it pertains to planning your next event! Subscribe to be notified of all our blog posts!
 Written By: Rebecca Richards Our feet take us to many different places, but one of the most important places they will guide us is down the aisle! This is the time where you find your “solemate!” As much as you want to look incredible on your wedding day, comfort also matters. But how are you able to balance style, comfort, landscape barriers, and versatility? Look no further than along these lines! Wedding dress shopping usually comes to mind first thing once the ring fits, but in fact, the key factor in your wedding dress shopping is your shoe choice. Shoes help develop the palette, height, style of your dress, and everything in between. This is precisely why time is of the essence here. At Ariel Ashton Events, we like to categorize shoe choices to our brides by literally “walking” them through the following 5 ways to find your solemate: 1. Your Solemate as Your Something Blue We all know the 19th century “Something borrowed, something new” rhyme, but oftentimes it can be a bit challenging to fit them all seamlessly together. Your shoes can be a perfect way to incorporate your something blue! Maybe you want include this wedding day tradition on the bottom of the shoe or an inner decal. Perhaps you want to channel your inner Carrie Bradshaw and rock a blue pointed pump! Depending on the season, you can play around with a darker royal or navy blue or lighter shades of pastels and pale blues. Have fun with it and accessorize accordingly! 2. Your Solemate as Your Glam Girl It is your wedding day after all, so why not go all out? Your glam heels can be the absolute best way to tell the story of who you are on your special day. Part of the process in finding your wedding shoe is having fun with it. Are you the kind of bride who wants to feel her most glamorous self? Are pearl platforms too casual? Let your passion and desires be your guide in choosing the most YOU shoe! 3. Your Solemate as Your Comfort Confidant Stilettos look absolutely fabulous for your wedding day, and who doesn’t love to feel the endless effects of a razzle dazzle heel? But maybe the glitz and glamor wears off all too soon for you and you desire a more comfortable shoe to last all evening. No worries then! There are a plethora of wedding flats or sandals to choose from that will allow you to walk, talk, and dance without pain. Wedding flats can be extremely classy and actually enhance your look even more. Whether you’re wearing a nice pair of espadrilles or a strappy sandal, either will complement your dress and overall look. Beauty doesn’t have to mean pain on your wedding day! 4. Your Solemate as Your Style Sidekick Maybe heels and flats aren’t your thing and you want to stand out by embracing your sneaker game! Wedding sneakers are such a stylish way to represent your personality while also keeping your feet comfortable as you party. It can be simple and sleek or decked out with pearls and bling to the nines. You can even customize your wedding sneakers to match with your hubby! Check out Etsy for some sneaker decals that could make for the cutest picture and allow you to dance with ease! 5. Your Solemate as Your Balanced Bestie If you’re anything like me, the thought of which shoe to pick gives you a slight sense of anxiety of “what if I choose the wrong one?” or “what if I end up uncomfortable?” Guess what? You can do both! Your solemate can potentially be a combination of one or two of these options. A quick shoe change after the ceremony or half way through your reception is more than acceptable. You can get the best of both worlds and have fun choosing two different styles! Hopefully you have gained a better understanding of where to go from “what wedding shoe do I want?” and allowed yourself to take a step back in evaluating your personal desires and style. Be sure to check out Lulus, Nordstrom, and Revolve for the most fun and beautiful wedding shoe choices!
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  Written By: Rebecca Richards You’re invited to a wedding! How fun! Now, the most important question: What do you wear? Some wedding invitations will spell this out for you. Black tie, vibrant colors, dark hues, or formal chic; Yet in most cases, the bride and groom will leave it up to you to decide. Although every wedding is unique and different in its own way, the time of year and location play a role in your guest attire. There are many factors that contribute to your outfit of choice such as: Is it inside or outside? Is the ceremony on grass if outside? Are there any themes to the wedding? Will my outfit wrinkle easily if it’s humid? Yet these questions stem further than just the wedding details to extend to questions such as: What colors complement my skin tone? What type of purse goes best with each dress style? What hairstyle works best with my neckline? Let's begin to unpack the potential ways in which you can determine what to wear, starting from one of the most important factors: Time of day. Time of Day Morning - Early Afternoon: If the wedding ceremony time is earlier on during the day, the dress code is usually less formal. A flowy pastel dress, sleek jumpsuit, or matching skirt and top will do! The lighter the colors are, the better. The key is making your appearance known without standing too much with intense bold colors or distracting patterns. Accessorize with some jewelry and a cute purse and you’re good to go! With an earlier ceremony and reception, you can capitalize on the daylight to complement your look. Evening - Night: Most wedding ceremonies that take place during the later hours of the evening and night tend to accompany a more formal dress code. This is where you can slightly explore your color palette, embrace your hem lengths and heels, and experiment with a more enhanced cocktail attire. Since the evening will most likely extend into the later hours of the night, be sure to pack some trendy sandals or flats for dancing. You can spice up your look with gold or silver jewelry accents and coordinated makeup/hair. Location Once you’ve determined your grid for what time of day you’ll be showing off your look, you can then develop the framework for how the location will contribute. There are a myriad of different types of wedding ceremony and reception locations. They can be at a private residence, church, venue, or a combination of those! Just as the wedding month and time matter to your attire, the location also has an influence. Rustic Farm Style: If the wedding is located at a farm, barn, or rustic themed venue, you’ll most likely want to tone down the formality, while still remaining chic. A flowy dress with color or patterns is always a go-to! Keep in mind that many farm weddings may not have a perfectly flat landscape or walking path. You’ll want to stray away from heels or stilettos and instead choose a fun and funky wedge! Summer Destination Dream: Summer weddings can give you the opportunity to explore bright and bold colors! Floral patterns or vibrant styles are your best friend for summer and/or destination weddings. You can also enhance your casual look by adding a fun clutch or purse. A flowy maxi or bohemian dress is perfect for summer weddings. Although black dresses are a wedding style staple, try to avoid dark colors for a beach wedding. You want to elevate your style by embracing the beachy breezy atmosphere around you! Black Tie Formal: Black tie affairs are all about avant-garde meeting elegant formal wear. So how can you find the right balance between over-the-top and not enough? Evening gowns and formal cocktail dresses are perfect! If you choose a cocktail dress, it shouldn’t be too far above the knee; The longer the dress is, the more formal your outfit becomes! In regards to color choice, you can wear anything that isn’t white or would take away from the bride. Diamonds and pearls are indeed a girl’s best friend with black tie! Cocktail Party Chic: Cocktail party chic is a common wedding guest style. A simple ensemble can be invigorated by the way you accessorize and style it! Although your cocktail dress isn’t serving a red carpet look, the length can still range from floor to mini dress and can be altered to fit the level of formality. Looking to add a dramatic flair or just wanting to keep it classic? Then cocktail dresses are your best bet. You want to look fab while remaining classy and comfortable for dancing. And when in doubt, throw on a little black dress! Places to Shop So you’ve gained a better understanding of how to dress but now the question is, where do you shop? For starters, Nordstrom is having their Anniversary Sale right now which is the perfect opportunity to snag some amazing deals for your summer wedding guest style! If you don’t want to spend the money on a dress that you don’t think you’ll wear often, check out Rent the Runway for some trendy and even designer pieces. This way you can rock a summer staple without breaking the bank. All this to say that as long as you dress appropriately and DON’T WEAR WHITE, you’ll have a wonderful time at each wedding while looking sensational! Written By: Rebecca Richards “What color dresses should I do for my bridesmaids? That has to match the flowers, right? Do we want to be married at a venue, a farm or a church? What is our budget? What reception do we want? Should we have a first look?” These are all valid questions that many brides-to-be are asking. Once the high of the engagement settles in, it’s time to get down to business to plan your special day which is often very stressful. The ease of wedding planning has certainly shifted over the years. What once was a simple process between a bride, a groom, and their vows has become mass chaos to ensure their most perfect day goes according to the plans they have spent months coordinating. Extravagant floral arrangements must tie in with the dresses/décor, the seating chart must accommodate all guests, the venue must emanate a fairytale brought to life, and every seemingly insignificant detail must fall into place (as it should). However, to say that managing all of this is difficult would be a large understatement when it comes to wedding planning. This is precisely why wedding planners have made this process ten times easier! Here are 5 reasons why hiring an event planner will benefit you, your fiancé, and basically every guest attending the wedding: 1. Industry Expertise Having someone with expertise on décor, logistics, and the overall wedding process will save you time and headaches to bring your vision to life. The benefit of hiring a wedding planner is that we understand how the industry works, how to foster good relationships with vendors, and how to intertwine your beautiful vision and budget together. We handle everything from communication with ceremony and reception on-site staff about venue guidelines. At Ariel Ashton Events, we have the best vendors including our own in-house florist and photographer. We absolutely love being able to utilize our passions and skills to ensure your special day is everything you dreamed of! 2. Budget Allocation Having a wedding planner helps keep you accountable for your given budget. We desire to be transparent with clients by giving them realistic expectations while also satisfying their vision. We will help you plan the wedding of your dreams at your personal investment level. As your inspiration and ideas increase, your budget will also increase respectively. This is exactly where wedding planners come into play to allocate funds properly and efficiently. Most couples feel that the budget is where they face the most stress during the wedding planning process so, we are more than happy to take that stress away. 3. Safety Net Although beautiful and momentous, wedding days can also be very nerve wracking. We strive to be the safety net for you when/if you feel anxious or out of control. At a wedding we did in June of 2021, the bride approached our team stating that she felt safe whenever she saw us. These are the moments that make our job so rewarding. Beyond the décor and beauty of the wedding, your mental health is our number one priority. We want to take care of all your potential worries so that you can enjoy your day! 4. Attention to Detail Another benefit of having a wedding planner is that you are literally hiring a perfectionist to coordinate your event. Our keen attention to detail is advantageous for couples and clients alike. We will be sure to utilize our extensive knowledge for every finishing touch and minor detail. There are so many areas within the industry that you would never think of that we cover. For example, we always bring a mini toolbox filled with all the answers to the small detail questions the day of your wedding. Attention to detail is absolutely essential for Ariel Ashton Events and overall event planning success. 5. Personalized Dream Team Your wedding day coordination is not only covered by your planner, but you also receive a hands-on team to ensure everything runs smoothly. Handling everything from unloading the truck with your décor to fixing your dress before you walk down the aisle, we make it all happen. The benefit of having more than one planner on the team is that you have multiple friendly faces that are eager to help any bride/groom or guest on the wedding day. Our Ariel Ashton Events dream team aspires to be the literal hands and feet for your wedding to ensure everything is exactly what you envisioned. What Sets Us Apart? Hopefully you have learned some valuable information regarding the benefits of hiring a wedding planner. However, the next question to ask is: who? At Ariel Ashton Events, we work for the client, not the venue or the parents or any other voice. Solely focusing on the client allows us to develop a loyal and personal relationship with our couples. We strive to generate that trust so that when your wedding day arrives, you feel more than comfortable and confident in our services.  Photography: Rebecca Richards Photography Florals: Jessie the Florist
  SAVE THE DATES CAN BE SENT OUT AS EARLY AS 12 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR EVENT (recommended for a destination wedding). FOR A LOCAL CELEBRATION, 6-8 MONTHS SHOULD GIVE YOUR GUESTS PLENTY OF TIME TO PUT YOU IN THEIR CALENDAR.   IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO START LOOKING FOR INVITATIONS ABOUT 3-4 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR WEDDING, IF NOT SOONER. INVITATIONS SHOULD NOT BE SENT OUT UNTIL 6-8 WEEKS BEFORE WEDDING DATE. IF YOU ARE ORDERING FROM A STATIONER, CONSIDER LEAD TIME. NOW WOULD BE THE TIME, TO ORDER ANY ENVELOPE CALLIGRAPHY, RETURN ADDRESSING, OR ADDRESS STAMPS   DAY-OF DETAILS SUCH AS CEREMONY PROGRAMS, MENUS, PLACE CARDS, SIGNAGE, AND SEATING CHARTS; SHOULD BE ORDERED 1-3 MONTHS IN ADVANCE, OR AS SOON AS YOU HAVE ALL OF THE INFORMATION READY. DISCUSS WITH YOUR CALLIGRAPHER THE ITEMS THAT YOU WISH TO HAVE (EVEN IF YOU HAVEN’T RECEIVED YOUR RSVPS) ASAP!   YOU SHOULD PLAN TO RECEIVE A FINAL GUEST COUNT 4-6 WEEKS BEFORE THE WEDDING. THIS WILL GIVE YOU TIME TO CREATE THE FINAL SEATING CHARTS AND LET YOUR VENUE AND CATERER KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU SHOULD BE EXPECTING.   THANK YOU CARDS SHOULD BE SENT ONCE YOU RETURN FROM YOUR HONEYMOON. YOU WANT TO SHOW YOUR GRATITUDE TO YOUR LOVED ONES BY THANKING THEM FOR ALL THEIR LOVE AND SUPPORT, AND IT’S BEST TO DO THIS RIGHT AWAY BEFORE ALL THE EXCITEMENT OF THE NEWLEWED-LIFE TAKES OVER!
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