Tov Maod Events

“OH, NO! WE HAVE A LITTLE PROBLEM! WHAT DO I DO NOW??”

NOT TO FEAR, Tov Maod EMERGENCY KIT IS HERE!

Sounds silly but things do happen, especially behind the scenes. Tov Maod Events is quick at hand to bring a special kit to every event, just in case! “Always be prepared”

If you’re doing it yourself, prepare in advance and bring it along (or assign someone ). A clear plastic pouch or shoe box style container works fine. Add some or all of the following:

Small sewing kit, safety pins, scissors, small stapler, scotch tape or masking tape, straight pins, crazy glue, white chalk, pre-packaged stain wipes
Tissues, lipstick, compact powder case, perfume, spare pantyhose, clear nail polish, compact mirror, comb and brush, dental floss, toothpicks, bottled water, drinking straws (so you don’t mess up the lipstick)

Barrettes and/or bobby pins, hair spray, deodorant, eye drops, saline solution if you use contact lenses, aspirin or Tylenol or Ibuprofen, non-drowsy allergy medication, antacids, adhesive bandages, any prescription medications for you and your intended

Breath mints, smelling salts, snack food, cell phone and charger, pen and small note pad, list and phone numbers of all wedding day vendors

You may have some other specific items that must be included, we tried to come up with a pretty comprehensive list.

Let us know if you can think of additional items!

May your Marriage be blessed always,

Miryam

printed in MODERN BRIDE Magazine in September 2005

(PRICES QUOTED ARE USD $$)

There are many ways budget-conscious brides can save money on their invitations.

Assembly: Instead of having your stationer assemble your invitations, gather your bridesmaids to help you tie, stuff, and seal them at home. Try to use self-adhesive stamps and a sealer sponger or glue stick to seal the envelopes.

Calligraphy: Professional calligraphers will address your invitations, but the cost for this service quickly adds up. Instead, do them yourself or ask a friend with beautiful handwriting to help you out. Computer calligraphy is also an economical choice at $.75 to $1.25 an envelope. (In America)

Extra Envelopes: You should order 25 extra envelopes in the event there is an error while addressing so you don’t have to rush a small order to your door.

Ink Colors: Keep budget-friendly with non-metallic inks. Most invitation companies charge a standard fee for black, gray and colored inks. Inks with hints of silver, gold and bronze are more expensive.

Printing Options: Engraving and letterpress are the most expensive printing options. Other, more economical, printing methods include thermography (raised lettering that gives the illusion of engraving), flat printing, offset printing, laser printing, and lithography.

Simplicity: Skip the engraved doves, hearts and flowers, and show off your refined style with a clean border or beveled edge. Select the heaviest, most luxurious cardstock you can afford, and finish off your look with a simple typeface in black or gray ink.

Standard Sizes: If your invitations are extra long, extra wide, extra thick, extra heavy, or extra small — make sure you have the post office determine the proper postage. Getting the postage wrong means invitations might be returned to the sender.

Hatzlacha!

Miryam

Colors and their Symbolic Meanings

Understanding the meaning and use of color can greatly enhance the beauty and splendor of your wedding day. Without color and light the world would be very drab. Instead, the gift of color has imbued the world with great beauty. This beauty can be used to give meaning to the things we do, the objects we surround ourselves with, our personalities and all their shifting moods, and all the events that make up our lives.

The infinite number of colors cannot all be explained. Each color has a subtle impression and is part of the creation of atmosphere, desirability and mood. They are a tribute to the unique qualities of life.

Understanding the meaning behind colors will ensure that your wedding day speaks of love, commitment, and the vitality that is essential to give yourself to one another.

Here are just a few of the different qualities attributed to colors.

Red
Symbolizes the vital force - energy, passion, courage and action. It is associated with leadership, power, the will and the body. Spontaneity, impulsiveness and the instinctual sexual forces are its qualities. It stimulates activity, intensity and extroversion. Red brings out the revolutionary and leads us into affirmative thought and action.

Yellow
Symbolizes the mental force - clarity, perception, understanding and wisdom. Confidence, curiosity and practical application of wisdom are its qualities. Humor and mental detachment make yellow significant for bringing new life to ways of thinking and seeing. Wearing yellow and gold tones brings a rich meaning to activities. It seems to bring crystallization to events and issues.

Orange
Symbolizes the social force - emotions, attractiveness, joy and independence. Self-assuredness, amiability and constructiveness are its qualities. Orange is about spreading joy and happiness and giving emotional pleasure. It helps one become free of inhibitions and lightens the mood.

Green
Symbolizes the balancing forces - peace, compassion and renewal. Moderation, harmony, nurturing and diplomacy are its qualities. It calms the energies and prevails over excess. Like nature, it can draw energy away from being too physical or mental and introduce a stillness that produces a contemplative atmosphere. Relaxation issues from it. Wearing green increases the sense of wonder, and brings that “let it be” feeling.

Indigo
Symbolizes the intuitive force - dreams, the unconscious and the invisible. Associated with it are the powers of mental telepathy, empathy and imagination. Deja vu, knowing what will happen before it happens and that sense of being connected to a unifying nature are the qualities of indigo. It is a color of those who intuit a deeper truth. It has a mysterious quality of the deep sea. It draws you in like the reflection of the moon on the water.

Blue
Symbolizes the communicative force - speech, messages and ideas. It relaxes and opens the mind to share thoughts and ideas. Idealism, sincerity, mental empathy and relaxation are associated with blue. It brings out affection, loyalty and inspiration. It is the color of friendship and development of unconditional bonding.

White
Symbolizes purity, union, truth and innocence. Its qualities are cleanliness, self-sacrifice and beginnings. Purity essentially opens us to the deeper levels of existence and renews the souls experience of the moment. Holiness and divinity in its feminine aspects are associated with white. Wearing white is being present for something greater than oneself. It omits the presence of self from the event and takes on what there is to learn from it.

Violet
Symbolizes the creative force - beauty, inspiration and artistry. Energetically, violet inspires the receptive soul to express itself in art, music, spiritual ideals and selfless acts of love. It is the universal call to excellence that inspires great things and works of art. Violet brings a soft, ethereal quality to the one wearing it and its subtlety and fineness have a strong presence invoking the higher virtues in life.

Aqua
Symbolizes freshness - the pristine and unspoiled, vigor and movement. Vivacious and dramatic in a refreshing way. Confidence, strength and strong individualism bordering on eccentricity are associated with aqua. Wearing aqua suggests excitement about life and brings about the humor of life. Fearless and creative the color encourages a festive and celebratory mood. Its close association with water conjures the more emotional qualities of fun, letting go and joy.

Gold
Symbolizes love of spirit - the primordial yearning towards the essence. Meaning, purpose, awe and spiritual love are its qualities. All quests of the heart are associated with the color gold. Wealth of spirit conjures gold. Gold has an ancient connection to the hearts desire for power and spiritual mysteries. Gold conjures the beautiful sculptures of the civilizations known for mystic powers, high mathematics and profound sciences. Gold is the color of attainment and profound concentration.

Brown
Symbolizes the earth - nurturing, contented sensuality and productivity. Passive, sensual, fertile and generous qualities are associated with brown. Wearing brown has an assured feeling of being very grounded in and belonging to feeling. Sensuality at its deepest roots is conjured by the infinite hues and tones of brown.

From choosing the right site, to creative cutting back, we have multiple ways to reduce your floral budget. Here are some ways to keep your numbers and blood pressure lower.

1. Location, Location, Location: Choose ceremony and location settings that are already naturally beautiful with trees and planted flowers galore.

2. Garden Party: If you want your decorations to be all about the flowers, why not make it a garden wedding at a local botanical, public, or hotel garden?

3. Keep It Simple: Go for sophisticated, unique arrangements such as elegant calla lilies in glass vases or bowls containing floating candles and gardenias. These arrangements are elegant, understated, and relatively inexpensive. Consider using flowering plants like African violets or daffodils in terra cotta pots tied with a lovely colorful ribbon.

4. Single And Loving It: Have each bridesmaid carry a single stem tied with a beautiful ribbon instead of a full bouquet. For your décor, fill a pitcher with daisies for a fresh, simple arrangement.

5. Champagne Wishes: Orchids and lily of the valley aren’t the only beautiful buds on the vine. Go to the flower market and see for yourself. There are other less expensive flower options: dahlias — big fluffy flowers in yummy colors — zinnias, sunflowers, daisies and baby’s breath to name a few.

6. Avoid The Holidays: We’re not asking you to be a bridal Grinch, but flower prices usually go way up around holidays. Be sure to choose your wedding date with this in mind.

7. Season’s Best: Flowers are always better priced when they are in season.

8. Buy in Bulk: Found a great price on a flat of tulips? Grab all you can and use them everywhere! Garden rose bushes in flower boxes are also available to rent, and as a double treat, make a beautiful and substantial camouflage for the front of a stage or bimah.

9. Recycle: Transfer the flowers from your ceremony to your reception. Similarly, re-arrange the flowers from your rehearsal dinner for your cocktail reception.

10. Light It Up: Trade floral centerpieces for elaborate candles on every reception table. If a floral touch is a must-have, sprinkle rose petals around the candle holders.

Cutting reception costs doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style. With some simple streamlining and strategic spending, it is completely within the realm of possibility to realize your dream wedding within your spending limit.

One of the biggest money savers is to choose a naturally beautiful reception site that won’t require expensive décor. An ornate ballroom, breathtaking beach, or glorious rose garden can each stand on it’s own without additional embellishment.

You can also trim costs by limiting your menu to a single entrée, or holding your reception outside of the dinner hour. A brunch, luncheon, or cocktail reception is considerably less expensive than a dinner, and an earlier hour will usually net you savings on your location.

Beverage costs can be reduced by bringing in your own liquor, limiting an open bar to the cocktail hour, or by hosting a soft bar of wine, beer, and soft drinks.

Choosing favors that serve a dual purpose — such as mini frames that hold seating cards — can create savings, or you may choose to forego favors altogether in order to put more money towards other aspects of your event.

Using non-floral centerpieces with candles or fruit, or utilizing inexpensive flowers will slash your floral bill, and plain white-on-white linens and china create a clean, cost-effective look that is perfect for a wedding.

Finally, ask your site manager about possible courtesy upgrades to your package, such as free parking for guests. You won’t know unless you ask, and all you have to lose are additional costs.

I use a lot of Hebrew and Yiddish terminology in the posts I write. So I added a glossary page for you to look at.

This should help some of the “uninitiated” out there! If I missed something that you’ve seen in a post, leave a comment and I’ll add it to the list.

I am working on a new page/post describing the details of a Jewish wedding ceremony. It is very educational and meaningful.

Till next post,

Kol tuv,

Miryam

“Hachnasat Kallah”

What in the world does that mean?

Helping a bride and groom start their life together when they do not have any financial means to do so themselves.

It’s an amazing phenomenon here in Israel and in other Jewish communities around the globe. If you’ve ever set up home for the first time, you understand that much more is needed than just the cost of the wedding. If you are unfortunate enough to not have any independent means or family support, what’s a couple to do?

The Community pitches in to help the others! It is such a Mitzvah to help a Kallah and Chasson start their new life together! What a privilege it is to participate in such a way! It is considered an act of “chesed” - loving kindness.

TOV MAOD EVENTS has set up a Hachnasat Kallah Fund for those who wish to help in some way. We will tremendously discount our services or charge only actual material costs for a couple that is truly in need (a statement from a Rabbi to verify this is necessary). This leaves far less for them to be concerned about. We work with other organizations to help find household furnishings and appliances.

This community network is a wonderful example of “Ahavat Klal Yisroel” - loving all our fellow Jews. It keeps us family!

For information about donating to this fund, please go to the page “DONATE” or  contact: miryam@tovmaod.com

Tizku le’mitzvot!

Miryam

How do we begin creating a budget?

Most of us already have an idea of what we can afford to spend. Not all of us are realistic about all the details. We have lists of dreamy things we want to include and then get a big shock when we tally up the bills. Having a good estimate of where the money goes gives you a starting point for the choices you need to make.

• RECEPTION – 53% of the budget money
• ATTIRE and ACCESSORIES – 10%
• PHOTOGRAPHY – 9%
• ENTERTAINMENT – 7%
• FLORAL and DECORATIONS – 7%
• MISCELLANEOUS – 6%
• RING(S)/KETUBAH –5%
• TRANSPORTATION – 2%
• GIFTS – 2%
• OFFICIANT/DONATION – 2%

WAIT!!!!! That’s more than 100%!!!! Yes, indeed it is. And that is not the whole list of expenditures. A Consultant/Coordinator can keep you in reality, offer cost saving ideas, get the desired effects AND save you money even including her fees!

Starting your married life in tremendous debt is not the ideal way to happiness. There will be plenty of other good things to invest your money in.

A note about parents who pay the wedding expenses: If they are wealthy and want to spend without limit, wonderful! But remember that your parents didn’t stay wealthy by splurging on frivolities. And if they are not with “deep pockets”, you don’t want to bankrupt them.

Even if you have an extremely small and tight budget, “You can still do something unique and unusual and it (still) winds up being less expensive” – David Tutera, event planner, New York City

TOV MAOD EVENTS can plan and produce a beautifully memorable wedding no matter what the circumstances.

Check out other categories on this blog for  helpful ideas!