Questions to ask your Make-up Artist

I often hear a lack of knowledge about what the bride-to-be should be discussing with a make-up artist. I find they really have no idea what questions to ask. The person you choose to provide your makeup services the day of your wedding will likely be spending several hours with you. Book an artist you feel comfortable with, that you communicate easily with and who you naturally find yourself trusting.

Here are some questions to ask your vendor

1. How many weddings have you done?
2. How do I book you for my wedding date? Do you require a deposit?
3. Will it be YOU at my wedding or another artist? What happens if you can’t make it on my day?
4. What size of bridal party do you accommodate? How long will it take to get makeup for my bridal party
5. What kinds/brands of products do you use? Is this makeup good for pictures or photography?
6. I have skin allergies or severe acne. Can you work with me? Do you airbrush? Can you contour my face? How about covering blemishes or my tattoo? Do you apply false lashes? Do you do wedding hair?
7. Do you charge a travel or location fee? How far do you travel for that fee?
8. What happens at the Trial Run or Preview Session? Do I come to you for this appointment? How much is the Trial or is it included in your services? How long will the Trial Run take? What is included in the Trial Run?
9. On my wedding day, do I come to you, or do you travel to my venue (or where I’m getting dressed)?
10. How many events will you work on my wedding day?

A day at the Spa

A lot of planning goes into getting ready for a wedding and most brides know their routines should be ranked high on the priority list. The best way to calm those pre-wedding jitters is by spending a day at the Spa.

Spas are highly beneficial and if you pick just one day from the chores of daily life such as work, family and other obligations, you can enjoy all the numerous benefits they have to offer. In just a few hours you can be pampered and left thoroughly relaxed and refreshed.

So if you're thinking of spending a day at the spa, remember to focus on what beauty or health issues you need to address to make the most of your day. Don't delay and give yourself that special day you need.

Here are some options:

- 30 minute massage

- Signature Facial

- Detoxifying Seaweed Wrap

- Warm Cream Manicure

- Warm Cream Pedicure

Favor, Favors, Favors!

In more cases than before I am seeing couples wanting to appreciate the presence of their guests in unique and special ways.  I’ve seen couples thank their guests in the form of candles and lucky elephants to beautiful jewelry boxes. 

Some items are even practical and useful during the wedding or reception and guests can take them away after using them.  One example would be a folding fan during an outdoor ceremony.  It gives coolness during the ceremony and when guests are done using them they can take them away as a take away. 

One thing to remember is to try to get your gifts squared away when you take your trip to India.  You will not only find a variety of different items to give but you will find them for a fraction of the price.   You can then ship your items to the states or bring them with you if you have room in your luggage. 

Another trend that I’ve also seen couples do is give in lieu of cards instead of a physical item to their guests.  This when a couple donates to a charity the amount that they would have spent on favors.  It’s a great way for the couple to give back to an organization that is special to them.

The one take away I would give to my brides when choosing a thank you gift is to try to make it personal.  This item is the one thing that will remind your guests of the day they were a part of that made your day special.

Questions to ask the Photographer for your Event

I often have people asking me what are some of the questions to ask a photographer besides the usual, (i.e: cost, time, album, etc). Here you go:

1. Have you ever worked at my wedding site before? If not, do you plan to check it out in advance?
2. If my wedding site is out of your area, do you charge a travel fee and what does that cover?
3. Are you the photographer who will shoot my wedding? If so, will you have any assistants with you on that day? If not, who will be taking the pictures and can I meet them before my wedding?
4. Will you give me the negatives or the digital images, and is there a fee for that?
5. If my event lasts longer than expected, will you stay? Is there an additional charge?
6. Do you have backup equipment? What about a backup plan if you (or my scheduled photographer) are unable to shoot my wedding for some reason?
7. How would you describe your photography style (e.g. traditional, photojournalistic, creative)?
8. How many weddings have you shot? Have you done many that were similar to mine in size and style?
9. How long have you been in business? And can I get some referrals?
10. will your team be available through out the course of the day (couples getting ready shots, when most vendors take some downtime)

Stay tuned for similar blogs on other vendors like DJ, Hair and Make-up and Décor. 

Colors for 2013

Happy new year from RTA!

Now that we have come into the New Year I wanted to talk about coloring your party.  Last year’s official pantone color of the year was Tangerine Tango.  We saw a lot of this color being used in parties of all themes.  This year pantone has released its 2013 color – Emerald.  I love that they brought back such a classic color to work with.

I typically don’t see this color being used very much for South Asian weddings.  Couples tend to stay away from the green family unless it’s being used with another color like aubergine or hot pink and it would be used in a pre-wedding event like a Garba or Sangeet.

There are many possibilities with the use of this color when celebrating your special event.  You can use it as the main color in your theme with linens or lighting.  Or you can use it as accents in your celebration with flowers or napkins.

However, emerald doesn’t have to be used directly in relation to your theme in your party.  It can be used as accents during your party, like in fashion.  Below are some examples of green fashion:

     

 These looks would work best when contrasted with the color theme of the party.

You can even take the “green theme” one step further and make your whole wedding weekend environmentally friendly incorporating biodegradable products, reusable tote bags and a flowerless design.  Starting with your electronic save the date, the whole process of your wedding can be “green”!