Ask the BTE Wedding Expert...

My fiancé and I recently decided that our reception will be for adults only and children will not be invited. We made this decision because our reception will run until midnight, which is very late for kids, plus we needed to take a little out of our wedding expenses and this was an area where we could cut back. I am not for sure how common this request is, so how do I let my guests know that children are not invited without offending anyone? ~Amy (Noblesville)

Hi Amy! Congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding!

A reception where the guest list consists of only adults is actually becoming more popular than you may think. Many couple’s have started requesting that wedding guests not bring their children for some of the exact reasons that you and your fiancé made that decision.

The best way to handle this is to start making your guests aware now. Let the people closest to you, like family, friends and wedding party, know the type of event you wish to have and ask them to put the word out if they talk to any of your guests. This will save you a lot of headache over everyone being surprised because most of your guests will have already heard about the type of reception you are having before the formal invitation even arrives. Also, if you have created a wedding website, make sure you include that the reception is only for adults when you list all of the wedding information. You can even write an explanation about why you and your fiancé came to this decision if you would like.

As far as the wording on your invitations, you really only have two options. You can say “Adult Reception” or “Adults Only Reception” on the invitation. Putting “No Children” or “No Kids” on the invitation is NEVER acceptable and considered poor etiquette.

However, if your guests still have some concerns about your wedding reception, just explain your reasons and be honest with them. Most parents will probably appreciate a “date night” since your wedding will run late into the evening. And who doesn’t understand about financial cutbacks these days?

In the end, you have to do what makes you and your soon-to-be-hubby happy and comfortable. Just be prepared that you may have a guest that decides to bring their child regardless of your wishes and in that case you will have to grin and bare it a little, because it’s not worth ruining your big day.

We hope that this has answered your question and helped to make your planning process easier! Best wishes and thank you for your submitting your question, Amy!

Warm Wedding Wishes,
Sara & Lisa

Dream Weddings~Michelle and Adam

Michelle and Adam are the type of couple that makes you feel happy and warm when you are in their presence. From the moment we met this couple, I don’t think we ever saw either one of them without a smile and because of their bubbly personalities, they wanted a wedding that truly expressed who they are as a couple. They fell in love with their wedding location even before they were engaged and they never had a single doubt about their venue decision. The couple chose to travel down with their closest family and friends to Brown County State Park and exchange marriage vows in the tree-lined woods of the Abe Martin Amphitheater. The beautiful ceremony music by Deb Shebish and her husband of Wedding Music Indiana, added a very elegant touch to their ceremony. The brightly colored bouquets were the amazing work of Angela Jacobson at The Painted Daisy and made everything really POP! After a gorgeous outdoor ceremony, guests settled into the Abe Martin Lodge for a fun-filled reception where every detail had a personal touch about the couple. The reception had a warm fall feel and everything was decorated in burnt orange and hot pink with adorable pumpkin and gerbera daisy accents. Even the room had the aroma of spiced pumpkin in the air! The beautiful wedding cake by Kristie at Icing On The Cake was lined with gerbera daisies, roses and butterflies and surrounded by flickering votives. The guests enjoyed wonderful food and great music, and were chanting at the end of the night for Mike of Michael Krug’s Windsong Entertainment to play one more song! Every moment of Michelle and Adam’s special day was captured through the incredible photography and videography work of Tabitha and Armondo of Astra Creative. Thank you to everyone who assisted with Michelle and Adam’s wedding, and especially to the newlywed couple for allowing us to share in your day!

Warm Wedding Wishes,

Sara & Lisa

*Professional photos from Astra Creative coming soon!

Do you have a wedding question or topic? Ask the BTE Wedding Expert!

Have you ever had a planning question that you wish you could ask a wedding professional? Well, Black Tie Events is excited to make that possible for you through the "Ask the BTE Wedding Expert" section of our blog! Since our blog is devoted to giving couples professional guidance, we figured the best way to assist you, would be to take some of the topics directly from you. If you have a question or topic that you would like for us to discuss, please don’t hesitate to contact us by email at blacktie@IndyBlackTie.com!

Please be sure to put "Ask the BTE Wedding Expert" in the subject line. We look forward to hearing from you!

Warm Wedding Wishes,

Sara & Lisa

Dream Weddings~Ashley and James

I received a phone call many months ago from a wonderful mother of the bride, saying that her gorgeous daughter was marrying an amazing man and she was looking for a wedding coordinator to help her plan their dream wedding! When I met with Ashley and James, I quickly realized what an amazing dynamic that they had to their relationship and what an honor it was going to be for Black Tie Events to share this special day with them and their family. The bride knew exactly what her vision was for the day and we went to work to make it happen! After months of planning, the BIG DAY finally arrived and to say that Ashley was radiant, is an understatement and I know that James would agree! The couple chose their home church, Park Chapel Christian Church in Greenfield, to exchange vows of marriage while surrounded by over 200 of their closest family and friends to support their union. After the ceremony, guests moved to the Indianapolis Zoo Dolphin Gallery for a fun-filled evening of dinner and dancing. The room was STUNNING!! The very talented Angela Jacobson, owner of The Painted Daisy, provided the breath-taking floral decor. Stephanie Smith of Executive Creations designed all of the beautiful stationary needs for the wedding. We decided to drape the poles with gorgeous white fabric from Dale and Judy Brewer of DB Event Designs with yellow uplighting. DJ Brian Whitis did an amazing job of keeping the crowd on the dance floor and the guests were begging for more songs when the party ended at midnight! Go Brian!! Lauren and Robbie, owners of OpenField Photography, beautifully captured every single moment of the day. Thank you to Ashley and James for letting Black Tie Events participate in the planning of your beautiful wedding, but beyond that, thank you for letting us share in your special day! It was an honor! You and your families will always hold a special place in our hearts! To the vendors, you are ALL spectacular and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping us to make this a flawless wedding!

Warm Wedding Wishes,

Sara & Lisa

We're Engaged! Now What?

You're engaged…CONGRATULATIONS!! This is a very exciting time in your life, but newly engaged couples often are not for sure what their next few steps should be to get the wedding planning process started. We compiled this list to assist you and your fiancé with the beginning steps to get you going in the right direction.

1. Enjoy the process! Your lives are about to take a journey that you will never do again, so have fun and savor the planning process. Show off your ring, look through bridal magazines, try on dresses, have lunches with your bridesmaids and enjoy all of the fun events that will happen while you are planning your big day!

2. Tell your family and friends the big news! Decide how you both want to go about telling everyone and then begin with the people closest to you. Usually couples tell any children they have first, if there are any, followed by the bride and groom’s parents, grandparents, siblings, other relatives and close friends. Couples usually make the announcement to these family and friends in a more personal manner such as in person or over the phone, depending on distance.

3. Tell the rest of the world the big news! Couple’s have a few options when deciding how they want to let everyone else know about their upcoming nuptials. You can put the announcement of your engagement in the newspaper and/or send out formal announcements. Having an engagement party is another nice option that gives the most important people in your life an opportunity to get to know your soon-to-be spouse and their family better. A large percentage of couple’s have started creating a wedding website to announce their engagement and then continue to update it to keep guests informed.

4. Get the planning process started. Your first major set of wedding decisions that you will need to make as a newly engaged couple is to determine your date, wedding budget and bridal party. Sit down as a couple with your parents to decide the best date, who will contribute what amount to your wedding budget, and who will be a part of your bridal party. Also, begin researching different wedding trends and styles to see what you both like.

5. Begin interviewing wedding planners. Start a fact-finding mission to determine what planner will be right for your wedding needs. Take time to research different planners to find out their accreditations, services offered, view their previous work and read over reviews of their company. Make sure you find the planner that is best for your personality and needs because you will be spending a lot of time with them. At Black Tie Events, we firmly believe that a positive client/planner relationship is essential to a successful outcome when the big day arrives to ensure your dream is complete.

We hope that this article has helped you get started planning your unique wedding day. Best wishes as you begin your planning journey!

Warm Wedding Wishes,
Sara & Lisa

Ask the BTE Wedding Expert...

When I was a young girl I asked my childhood best friend to be in my wedding, but over the many years since elementary school we grew apart and only talk from time to time. Now that I am getting married, I want a wedding party filled with all of the closest people in our lives, not one’s we only see maybe once a year. The problem is when I announced my engagement she assumed she is still in the wedding! How should I handle asking a childhood friend NOT to be in my bridal party? ~Callie(Avon)

Hi Callie! Thanks for writing and congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

As young girls, most of us dream about how we foresee our wedding day; in a beautiful church, a giant five-tiered cake and a gorgeous white gown with a long train. So usually when we first think of our wedding party, we plan to include our childhood friends. However, by the time your grade school years pass, we often have lost continuous touch with those friends. Most of the time we assume that promises made as children, don’t necessarily apply as adults. But, if your childhood friend still feels like she should be in the wedding party and you are not in favor of that happening, my advice is honesty is the best policy. You really have two options when you are faced with this scenario, either you can put your friend in a less crucial wedding role or you can ask them to only attend as a guest. Invite your childhood friend out to a girl’s lunch or shopping trip where you can have some time to discuss everything in more relaxed surroundings. Explain how you and your fiancé feel about your members of your wedding party. Make sure you take the time to explain that you are not throwing her out of the wedding party, just focusing on family and friends who you are closer with at this time in your life and you would rather have her step into another role or attend as a guest, whichever you and your fiancé have decided. Just remember to keep her feelings in mind because you don’t want to lose an old friend in the process. Good luck with your decision, Callie!

Warm Wedding Wishes,
Sara & Lisa

Welcome to the Black Tie Events Blog!

Welcome to the Black Tie Events blog! We are very excited to launch our new blog and to be able to assist bride's better. This blog will make it easy to get planning advice, wedding trend tips, view our events and get to know the Black Tie Events planning team. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or blog topics you may have because we always enjoy assisting bride's in any way we can! Please visit our website at www.IndyBlackTie.com for more informations about our services!

Warm Wedding Wishes,
Sara and Lisa