Good Afternoon All! Welcome to the Hilton Arlington blog and thank you for tuning in. Today I want to touch on something that is completely outside of our control... weather! Many of those reading this blog probably live in the Virginia/DC/Maryland corridor. If so you probably understand why I am blogging about weather. This weekend we got nearly 30 inches of snow and tonight we are expecting another 10-20 inches. Of course who could predict this? It is important when planning your wedding to remember that there are things outside of your control and you have to have faith it will work out. However, you can also take some preventative actions to limit the amount of last minute emergencies you may have on your wedding day.
1. If you decided to have an outdoor wedding have a back up plan even if this is merely a tent. It isn't always necessary to move an outdoor wedding from a beautiful setting indoors if there is a drizzle but a tent is always helpful no matter the weather outside. It can block beaming sun, drizzling rain or even winds.
2. If you decide to have a winter wedding have it at a hotel! I may be a little bias but I think hotels are a wonderful place to have a wedding. You can have all of the activities in one place if need be. Think about it... you can have your rehearsal dinner in the restaurant private dining room, your ceremony in the Junior Ballroom and your reception in the Grand Ballroom.
3. If your reception and ceremony site are at two different locations and your wedding weekend is expecting weather that may cause problems for those driving in between ask your reception site if they have a place to hold the ceremony. This is always a good question... just in case.
Most importantly check the weather and be prepared. It is never too soon to be pro-active and ask questions. Even if you don't end up having to use a tent or extra space it is always good to know if it is available.
Just in case....
Until next time,
Lindsay Saltzberg
Wedding Coordinator
Hilton Arlington Hotel
Lindsay.Saltzberg@ihrco.com
703-812-5109
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Rehearsal Events
Good Afternoon Washington Brides! I hope you all are having a wonderful afternoon. Thank you so much for tuning in this week for another wedding topic. This weekend I want to review rehearsal events and various ideas for them.
There are many ways to go about planning a rehearsal dinner or event. The main purpose of the rehearsal is to get all of the wedding party together to actually rehearse for the ceremony. During this time many things will pop-up that may never have come to mind when originally planning your ceremony. This is a great time to iron out the details so everything goes smoothly on your wedding day. Always look to your officiant, priest or rabbi for assistance as well as they have done this many times.
Typically before or after the rehearsal at your ceremony site there is a meal of some sort. Some brides have rehearsal dinners; some have receptions and other do a brunch or lunch. All of these are wonderful events that allow you the opportunity to get together your wedding party and spend some time with you closest friends and family. Many bride and grooms run into the issue of who to invite to the rehearsal. I say either go all out or keep it exclusive. Once you start inviting aunts and uncles then you probably have to invite their kids that are coming with them. Decide on if it is for the wedding party only, wedding party + out-of-town family or wedding party + all family. It is important to stay consistent with your guest list for your own sanity so you, at some point, draw the line.
In regards to the actual meal I have seen many types of events done before. I recommend that if you are having a plated dinner or luncheon at your wedding to do some type of fun buffet for your rehearsal. This allows the guests to feel like they are attending different types of functions all weekend long. Another great idea that I have seen done recently is holding a brunch the day before if you are having a Sunday wedding. This allows guests to arrive Friday evening or early Saturday morning and attend a wonderful brunch and spend the day together. It kicks the day off in a positive notion and then the wedding party is already together to do all of their errands.
I hope that you all are having a wonderful time planning your wedding. It is an exciting time. Have a blast and it will be an awesome day.
Till Next Week,
Lindsay Saltzberg
Hilton Arlington Wedding Coordinator
703-812-5109
Lindsay.Saltzberg@ihrco.com
There are many ways to go about planning a rehearsal dinner or event. The main purpose of the rehearsal is to get all of the wedding party together to actually rehearse for the ceremony. During this time many things will pop-up that may never have come to mind when originally planning your ceremony. This is a great time to iron out the details so everything goes smoothly on your wedding day. Always look to your officiant, priest or rabbi for assistance as well as they have done this many times.
Typically before or after the rehearsal at your ceremony site there is a meal of some sort. Some brides have rehearsal dinners; some have receptions and other do a brunch or lunch. All of these are wonderful events that allow you the opportunity to get together your wedding party and spend some time with you closest friends and family. Many bride and grooms run into the issue of who to invite to the rehearsal. I say either go all out or keep it exclusive. Once you start inviting aunts and uncles then you probably have to invite their kids that are coming with them. Decide on if it is for the wedding party only, wedding party + out-of-town family or wedding party + all family. It is important to stay consistent with your guest list for your own sanity so you, at some point, draw the line.
In regards to the actual meal I have seen many types of events done before. I recommend that if you are having a plated dinner or luncheon at your wedding to do some type of fun buffet for your rehearsal. This allows the guests to feel like they are attending different types of functions all weekend long. Another great idea that I have seen done recently is holding a brunch the day before if you are having a Sunday wedding. This allows guests to arrive Friday evening or early Saturday morning and attend a wonderful brunch and spend the day together. It kicks the day off in a positive notion and then the wedding party is already together to do all of their errands.
I hope that you all are having a wonderful time planning your wedding. It is an exciting time. Have a blast and it will be an awesome day.
Till Next Week,
Lindsay Saltzberg
Hilton Arlington Wedding Coordinator
703-812-5109
Lindsay.Saltzberg@ihrco.com
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year Everyone! It is 2010 and many of you are planning your wedding for this year or next. Can you believe how quickly time flies? I certainly cannot believe that just yesterday I felt like the 2009 wedding season was kicking off.
Welcome to the Hilton Arlington Wedding Blog. Thank you for checking in today. It has been a while since my last posting and I have had so much that I have wanted to blog about, so I will have to do it one week at a time.
This week I would like to talk about something that seems so little but can make a huge difference. As your wedding day is just around the corner you might start hearing from a few friends or family members informing you that they can't make it for whatever reason. While this can be both upsetting and annoying with last minute changes it is nothing to fret over. Keep a list of those guests that cannot attend and then once you are a day away hand that list to your wedding coordinator or manager. The main reason for this is to get rid of those haunting empty chairs. Weddings are a joyous occasion and receptions are a wonderful celebratory time. It is better to have a table with six occupied chairs than eight chairs with two empty. You want the room to feel full and the best way to do this is make sure that there are no empty chairs. The only reason I am blogging about this is because many brides get nervous making changes at the last minute and I completely understand why. However, it doesn't hurt to remove a chair or two, just make sure you update your catering team.
Until next week... Stay Warm!
Lindsay Saltzberg
Hilton Arlington Wedding Coordinator
703-812-5109
Lindsay.Saltzberg@ihrco.com
Welcome to the Hilton Arlington Wedding Blog. Thank you for checking in today. It has been a while since my last posting and I have had so much that I have wanted to blog about, so I will have to do it one week at a time.
This week I would like to talk about something that seems so little but can make a huge difference. As your wedding day is just around the corner you might start hearing from a few friends or family members informing you that they can't make it for whatever reason. While this can be both upsetting and annoying with last minute changes it is nothing to fret over. Keep a list of those guests that cannot attend and then once you are a day away hand that list to your wedding coordinator or manager. The main reason for this is to get rid of those haunting empty chairs. Weddings are a joyous occasion and receptions are a wonderful celebratory time. It is better to have a table with six occupied chairs than eight chairs with two empty. You want the room to feel full and the best way to do this is make sure that there are no empty chairs. The only reason I am blogging about this is because many brides get nervous making changes at the last minute and I completely understand why. However, it doesn't hurt to remove a chair or two, just make sure you update your catering team.
Until next week... Stay Warm!
Lindsay Saltzberg
Hilton Arlington Wedding Coordinator
703-812-5109
Lindsay.Saltzberg@ihrco.com
Saturday, November 14, 2009
An Excellent Event With a Little Less Stress
Good Afternoon Washington DC Brides! Welcome to the Hilton Arlington Blog. I hope that you are able to read through my blogs and get ideas and advice that help you plan your big day. Today I am going to touch on something that will hope those that feel tons of stress about their wedding day. The biggest details that stress brides out are the logistics of the wedding day and everything that needs to be done the week before. These items can be things such as place cards, centerpieces, flowers for the church and then of course the flow of the day. I have a few pieces of advice that may allow you to eliminate these details all together or at least make everything a little less stressful.
If you do not want to have a seating chart, place cards, meal indicators and organizing who is sitting with who and who is eating what there are two popular ways to avoid this. The first is to have a buffet. Only reserve a few tables for the family and then have seating for everyone else so they can pick their location. Have the guests go through the buffet and make sure there are options for those that may be vegetarians or have eating restrictions. The other idea is to have more of a heavy hors d’oeuvres reception with carving stations, action stations and food displays. This can be set with assorted cocktail tables for standing and some tables for sitting. This is much more a casual atmosphere and it keeps the guests eating, dancing and partying since they are on and off of their feet.
Next, if you are overwhelmed with the idea of centerpieces, florists and other logistics ask your venue what they can offer. At the Hilton Arlington we can provide beautiful centerpieces from floating roses with votive tea light candles to hurricane globes with tapered candles and much more. Another idea is to use the flowers that you have at the church at your reception site as well.
My last piece of advice is to hire a day of planner or ask your contact at your venue site if they are there and act as a day of planner for your reception. This will allow you to enjoy the day and not worry about the little things as you have someone else doing that for you.
I hope this information is both informative and helpful. If you ever need any advice please always feel free to contact me at the Hilton Arlington.
Until Next Week,
Lindsay Saltzberg
Wedding Coordinator at the Hilton Arlington
Lindsay.Saltzberg@ihrco.com
703-812-5109
If you do not want to have a seating chart, place cards, meal indicators and organizing who is sitting with who and who is eating what there are two popular ways to avoid this. The first is to have a buffet. Only reserve a few tables for the family and then have seating for everyone else so they can pick their location. Have the guests go through the buffet and make sure there are options for those that may be vegetarians or have eating restrictions. The other idea is to have more of a heavy hors d’oeuvres reception with carving stations, action stations and food displays. This can be set with assorted cocktail tables for standing and some tables for sitting. This is much more a casual atmosphere and it keeps the guests eating, dancing and partying since they are on and off of their feet.
Next, if you are overwhelmed with the idea of centerpieces, florists and other logistics ask your venue what they can offer. At the Hilton Arlington we can provide beautiful centerpieces from floating roses with votive tea light candles to hurricane globes with tapered candles and much more. Another idea is to use the flowers that you have at the church at your reception site as well.
My last piece of advice is to hire a day of planner or ask your contact at your venue site if they are there and act as a day of planner for your reception. This will allow you to enjoy the day and not worry about the little things as you have someone else doing that for you.
I hope this information is both informative and helpful. If you ever need any advice please always feel free to contact me at the Hilton Arlington.
Until Next Week,
Lindsay Saltzberg
Wedding Coordinator at the Hilton Arlington
Lindsay.Saltzberg@ihrco.com
703-812-5109
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Last Minute Details.. Oh My!
Welcome to the Hilton Arlington Blog! If this is your first visit I hope that you enjoy the wedding planning ideas that I provide.
For all of those brides out there, I ask, what is the most stressful thing going on the week before your wedding? Most respond with a vague, "all of the stuff I have to do." I completely agree. You can plan and plan and plan, but the week before your wedding all of the last minute details will come together. It is not last minute because you are a bad planner; it is last minute because this is how it is for everyone. Last minute you might have a few people inform you that they cannot attend, so back to the drawing board you go to rearrange your floor diagram and print off a few corrective place cards.
Then of course you will need to get everything together to drop off at your venue site. I recommend dropping everything off at least one day before your rehearsal dinner. This allows you time to get your nails done, visit with family and enjoy the weekend. Definitely do not wait until the last minute to do anything. It will only stress you and out put a damper on your weekend. Feel free to ask your venue contact for advice and or assistance. Most importantly if you are feeling stressed ask for help. Reach out to your maid of honor, wedding coordinator, family or friends. You can always put on a girls movie and wine night while you finish up your last minute arts and crafts such as name cards, centerpieces or bathroom baskets.
Have fun, enjoy your engagement and most importantly do what you need to do so you don't feel stressed.
Until next week,
Lindsay Saltzberg
Wedding Coordinator at the Hilton Arlington
Lindsay.Saltzberg@ihrco.com
For all of those brides out there, I ask, what is the most stressful thing going on the week before your wedding? Most respond with a vague, "all of the stuff I have to do." I completely agree. You can plan and plan and plan, but the week before your wedding all of the last minute details will come together. It is not last minute because you are a bad planner; it is last minute because this is how it is for everyone. Last minute you might have a few people inform you that they cannot attend, so back to the drawing board you go to rearrange your floor diagram and print off a few corrective place cards.
Then of course you will need to get everything together to drop off at your venue site. I recommend dropping everything off at least one day before your rehearsal dinner. This allows you time to get your nails done, visit with family and enjoy the weekend. Definitely do not wait until the last minute to do anything. It will only stress you and out put a damper on your weekend. Feel free to ask your venue contact for advice and or assistance. Most importantly if you are feeling stressed ask for help. Reach out to your maid of honor, wedding coordinator, family or friends. You can always put on a girls movie and wine night while you finish up your last minute arts and crafts such as name cards, centerpieces or bathroom baskets.
Have fun, enjoy your engagement and most importantly do what you need to do so you don't feel stressed.
Until next week,
Lindsay Saltzberg
Wedding Coordinator at the Hilton Arlington
Lindsay.Saltzberg@ihrco.com
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Wedding of Your Dream within Your Budget
Hello all Washington/Virginia/Maryland Brides! I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weekend.
Today I would like to touch on a hot topic that is being talked about everywhere in the U.S. regardless of geographical location. You want to have the wedding of your dreams? However, signing on the dotted line makes you a little nervous when it comes to securing the venue, ordering the flowers, contracting the entertainment and buying the cake? I have a few suggestions that will give you the wedding of your dream while staying within your budget.
1. Opt for an off season wedding such as January or February or even August. These seasons offer great discounts including but not limited to discounted flowers, limousine services, entertainment and possibly your venue.
2. When searching for flowers think about ordering them online. When it is our winter in the U.S. it is summer time in other places that have gorgeous flowers at a great price. Order the flowers online and either have a friend or family do the arrangements or hire a florist.
3. Shop around for venues without a particular date in mind. Once you narrow your search down to two or three start asking them what dates are available within your budget.
4. Think about a Friday or Sunday wedding. Sunday weddings are a great idea over three day weekends. This way you can have your rehearsal on Saturday, wedding on Sunday and everyone departs on Monday.
5. My last piece of advice is to follow your heart. If you absolutely love a photographer that you met and you have to have them then it is ok to plan certain aspects of your wedding around this photographer.
This is the biggest day of your life. It should be the wedding you always dreamt of. Get a friend to help out and do some heavy duty research. Most of all have fun and learn all about different things you can do to make this day even more special!
Until Next Weekend,
Lindsay Saltzberg
Hilton Arlington Wedding Coordinator
Today I would like to touch on a hot topic that is being talked about everywhere in the U.S. regardless of geographical location. You want to have the wedding of your dreams? However, signing on the dotted line makes you a little nervous when it comes to securing the venue, ordering the flowers, contracting the entertainment and buying the cake? I have a few suggestions that will give you the wedding of your dream while staying within your budget.
1. Opt for an off season wedding such as January or February or even August. These seasons offer great discounts including but not limited to discounted flowers, limousine services, entertainment and possibly your venue.
2. When searching for flowers think about ordering them online. When it is our winter in the U.S. it is summer time in other places that have gorgeous flowers at a great price. Order the flowers online and either have a friend or family do the arrangements or hire a florist.
3. Shop around for venues without a particular date in mind. Once you narrow your search down to two or three start asking them what dates are available within your budget.
4. Think about a Friday or Sunday wedding. Sunday weddings are a great idea over three day weekends. This way you can have your rehearsal on Saturday, wedding on Sunday and everyone departs on Monday.
5. My last piece of advice is to follow your heart. If you absolutely love a photographer that you met and you have to have them then it is ok to plan certain aspects of your wedding around this photographer.
This is the biggest day of your life. It should be the wedding you always dreamt of. Get a friend to help out and do some heavy duty research. Most of all have fun and learn all about different things you can do to make this day even more special!
Until Next Weekend,
Lindsay Saltzberg
Hilton Arlington Wedding Coordinator
Monday, September 28, 2009
Serving the Right Amount at the Right Time
Welcome to the Hilton Arlington Blog! Today I am going to touch on a few very important points that all brides should keep in mind when planning their reception. There are two very important items to consider when deciding what type of cuisine and how much food to serve at your wedding reception. These two items are the day of the week and the time of the day.
The day of the week is very important. If you are hosting your reception on a weekend guests will expect a more lavish spread than a luncheon taking place on a Monday afternoon (possibly Columbus, Memorial or Labor Day). Also, if your wedding is taking place during a meal hour it is important to have enough food at your reception to characterize itself as a meal. The few hours before the reception guests have spent getting ready, driving to the ceremony, attending the ceremony and then driving to the reception. By the time they arrive at the reception they are ready for some food, especially if they are drinking alcohol as well. A simple rule of thumb is that if your wedding begins between the hours of 11-2 or 5-8 then you should serve a meal. If your wedding begins after 2 and is over by 7 then guests will most likely be expecting heavy hors d'oeuvres.
Lastly, if you are having an open bar and a heavy hors d’oeuvres food spread then choose some foods that are a little heavier, such as comfort food. A few very popular items are Mac N' Cheese Bars, Pasta Stations and/or Mashed Potato Bars. These are all filling foods that guests love and fit in with cocktail/reception style wedding receptions.
And remember, your catering manager or caterer will also have good ideas to bounce around with you, so do not hesitate to ask.
Until next week,
Lindsay Saltzberg
Hilton Arlington Wedding Coordinator
Lindsay.Saltzberg@ihrco.com
703-812-5109
The day of the week is very important. If you are hosting your reception on a weekend guests will expect a more lavish spread than a luncheon taking place on a Monday afternoon (possibly Columbus, Memorial or Labor Day). Also, if your wedding is taking place during a meal hour it is important to have enough food at your reception to characterize itself as a meal. The few hours before the reception guests have spent getting ready, driving to the ceremony, attending the ceremony and then driving to the reception. By the time they arrive at the reception they are ready for some food, especially if they are drinking alcohol as well. A simple rule of thumb is that if your wedding begins between the hours of 11-2 or 5-8 then you should serve a meal. If your wedding begins after 2 and is over by 7 then guests will most likely be expecting heavy hors d'oeuvres.
Lastly, if you are having an open bar and a heavy hors d’oeuvres food spread then choose some foods that are a little heavier, such as comfort food. A few very popular items are Mac N' Cheese Bars, Pasta Stations and/or Mashed Potato Bars. These are all filling foods that guests love and fit in with cocktail/reception style wedding receptions.
And remember, your catering manager or caterer will also have good ideas to bounce around with you, so do not hesitate to ask.
Until next week,
Lindsay Saltzberg
Hilton Arlington Wedding Coordinator
Lindsay.Saltzberg@ihrco.com
703-812-5109
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