Dallas Wedding

Going to a Dallas wedding this summer? Here are 4 great budget-friendly bridal shower gifts to give your bride-to-be. They are sure to wow while still being cost effective.

Lingerie

Lingerie is not just relegated to bachelorette parties anymore, it can also make a thoughtful gift for the bride-to-be if she’s looking for something to wear for her honey moon or wedding night. Even when you have to stick to a budget, there are wide variety of quality bridal lingerie in various price-points. Start with the sales section as you never know what sort of gems you may find.

Aromatherapy

This goes for any scented items from candles to bath bombs. You can even make the bride her own essential oils kit to make her own custom scents for calming the pre-wedding jitters on the big day or a relaxing evening at home after the festivities.

Personalized Home Goods

With the invention of Etsy, it’s easier than ever to find custom made home goods for the bride’s future home. Getting her initials or wedding date engraved on cutlery, a special dish, or other home furnishings would be a great way to help kickstart personalizing her new home.

Customized Clothing

In the same vein, have fun by giving the bride a custom robe, t-shirt, or jacket. Maybe everyone in the bridal party wears a similar t-shirt for getting ready on the big day. Or maybe she gets a robe with her new last name or initials on the back.

While there’s no way to completely eliminate stress on your big day, we have some tips on how to lessen the effect and  avoid stress on your wedding morning.

Get Ready Solo

Things can get a little crazy when you’re trying to get ready for your big day. One option is to schedule some alone time in to your day as you get ready and then bring in your wedding party later in the day for some bubbly and laughs.

Throw Traditions Out the Door

We all know the traditions of the groom not seeing the bride before the wedding and the one where couples stay in separate rooms the night before the wedding. But if breaking tradition makes you feel more at ease on your big day, then by all means stay the night with your hubby to be and have some one on one time the morning of your wedding – a great way to do this is a first look.

Practice Your Vows

Practice makes perfect, not really, but it does ease some of the pre-wedding jitters to rehearse what you’re going to say even if you don’t have custom vows. Hearing it out loud helps you when you’re up there saying it to your partner.

Delegate Everything Day-Of

There’s bound to be a slue of questions from your guests, vendors, etc. the day of. If you don’t have a planner, have a member of your bridal party, friend, or family member be the go to person for making last minute decisions and questions.

Have a Back Up Plan

Every couple worries about the weather on their big day. Most venues, ours included, can work with you to have a contingency plan in place for situations just like this. Rest easy knowing you’ve planned to the best of your ability should mother nature strike.

No matter how much planning goes in to it, there’s always going to be some wedding reception emergencies. However, over time we have come up with some tips and tricks for dealing with the most common wedding snafus.

When Red Wine Stains Your Dress

Ask the bartender for salt, club soda, water and a napkin with your next drink. Blot fresh stain to soak up excess liquid and sprinkle the stained area with salt. Then with club soda on a napkin dab lightly at the stain in a circular motion. Don’t rub, as rubbing spreads the wine and deepens the stain.

When You Can’t Find the Venue

First of all, don’t panic. The best thing to do is stop and call a friend who is also attending and see if they can help get you back on track. If you don’t have a friend, see if someone local can help point you in the right direction. The last thing you want to do is call or text the bride or groom and stress them out unnecessarily.

When Your Friend is Over-served

We all have that one friend that manages to have just one to many sometimes. Once your friend has gone from jovial to a public mess, do them a favor and call an Uber. If for some reason you can’t, we recommend taking them home and go back to the party – they’ll thank you later.

When You Lost Your Wedding Speech

With all the nerves of giving a speech you’ve lost your notes – take a deep breath and start typing out what you remember on your phone. If you still feel like it’s lacking, ask the rest of the wedding party for their favorite memories with the bride and groom. End by raising a glass to the couple and wishing them lots of love for years to come. There you have it, no one will ever know you forgot your notes.

More and more brides are asking themselves, do I need bridesmaids? The answer is no, not at all. Today we talk about 4 reasons it’s ok to not have bridesmaids and not only can it be ok it can be just what you needed!

Financial Aspect

Let’s be real, weddings are expensive and with bridesmaids comes the extra costs from dresses to gifts. If you’d rather spend that budget elsewhere, that’s totally fine. You’ll still be able to celebrate with those same friends regardless if they are ‘bridesmaids’ or not.

Faraway Friends

Not all brides’ friends are close by. Sometimes the logistics of getting your close friends together to plan, dress shop, etc. are more complicated than they are worth. And the idea of having bridesmaids that maybe you are not as close to just doesn’t work – it’s ok to opt out.

Choosing Between Friends

Even if your friends are close by, you may be stressed out by the idea of having to choose if you have a large friend group. Don’t fall into the guilt trap of having a bridal party because you don’t want to let people down – do what makes you feel happy.

Doing things Solo

Sometimes it just feels more comfortable to do things solo. Without a bridal party for some you have that much needed alone time while getting ready, the focus becomes more about you and your fiancé and decisions are easier to make without other’s opinions.

At the end of the day, do what is best for you and your fiancé on your wedding day. If that’s not having a bridal party then that’s ok and you’re day will still be full of celebration with friends and family.

The last thing you want to do is answer the myriad of questions guests often have whiles you’re planning a wedding. With that in mind, you can help alleviate some of the questions by providing this info clearly for them. We’ve collected the most asked wedding guest questions and given you tips on how to handle them.

Can I bring my kids?

Apart from the flower girl and the ring-bearer some couples feel that kids may not be appropriate at their wedding. But rather than just saying “no kids”, it’s better to ask in a positive and polite way that the kids stay at home. One way to do this is include in your invitation or website something along the lines of “We look forward to celebrating with you while enjoying a relaxing kid-free evening with us.”

Can I bring my new bae?

If you are okay with it, simply address your with & guest or plus one. If you already have a tight list and cannot afford to add everyone’s new significant other to the list then you will have to politely state somewhere on your invitations or website that you’d like for them to attend without a plus on.

What should I wear?

We have an array of events at our venue and the dress is always different. Whether its casual or black tie make sure it’s clearly stated to eliminate questions later on. The best place to put it is on the invitation and on a website if you have one. Also consider the wording, there is a difference between black tie, formal, cocktail, and casual.

Do you have a room block?

There are lots of places in the downtown Dallas area that are close to our venue where you can book a room block. If you secure a room block for your out-of-town guests make sure they know the details including when your room block time period begins and ends, number of rooms available, types of rooms available and rates.

What do you recommend to do in the area?

With so many things to do in downtown Dallas be sure to include these details for your out-of-town guests to explore if they have down time once they arrive. We are right near a collection of museums as well as some great restaurants.

Often brides that come to The Empire Room have out-of-town guests that may have never been to Texas before – if you’re one of these brides consider making a guest welcome bag. A Texas-themed welcome bag will help them feel more comfortable in an unfamiliar place.

The Tote and Design

When choosing what you put your welcome kit in, consider the many options available. From jute bags to brown paper bags – whatever feels Texas-themed to you. If you really want to play up the Texas-theme have your bags stamped with Howdy or do an iron-on canvas tote of the state of Texas.

The Goodies

When thinking about what to put in your welcome bag include things inspired by Texas like your favorite BBQ sauce, beer, or snack. Think about giving them some Texas-themed swag like a bobble-head of Big Tex or and issue of Texas Monthly. Also, consider including local maps, a card detailing your favorite things to do in the area.

The Details

In addition to Texas-themed snacks and trinkets have what your guests need to know at their fingertips with an itinerary that details locations, addresses, and times. If you are providing transportation, this is a great place to include shuttle pick-up and drop-off information as well. And last but certainly not least, a personalized welcome note to your guests.

The first look is becoming more popular than ever before and they come with a few pros and cons. For many couples, breaking tradition and seeing their hubby or bride-to-be before the ceremony is still a no-no. Some stating they simply want to save the surprise of the first look for the walk down the aisle. If you’re a bride-to-be, you’ve probably asked yourself if a first look is worth the pre-ceremony photo ops, or if it will spoil the surprise of meeting your fiancé at the altar. We have put together a list of pros and cons to help you decide if it’s for you and your fiancé.

The Pros

You’ll have more time for photos

If you do a first look, you’re able to capture the moment in more detail and spend more time taking it all in. Another upside to a first look is you can take photos together before the ceremony when there is typically more daylight. It also allows you to go directly to the reception after the ceremony meaning more time with your guests.

You get to experience that special moment in private

Some couples prefer the intimacy and privacy of the first look so that they can express their feelings without an audience. Seeing each other before the ceremony can also help get some of the jitters out of the way.

The Cons

You’ll need to start your day earlier

Taking photos beforehand moves up the entire timeline of the day. You’ll need to wake up earlier, get your hair and makeup done earlier. Which can cause extra stress if things don’t go according to plan and everyone is waiting around at your ceremony.

The ceremony may feel anticlimactic

A first look can take away some of that excitement. And not every groom has an overly emotional reaction during the first look — if that’s the case you could end up disappointed that you gave up the big ceremony reveal.