For those who are planning a wedding or simply curious about the process, here are some recommendations and tips for you!
New York is the travel destination and international hub for all things, be it food, shopping or even wedding prep! With numerous options across the city; from Brooklyn, Manhattan to Jersey, where should you start? How could you communicate with overseas guests and make everything more accessible to everyone? Gone is age-old snail mail and paper; internet and apps is now the way to go.
Finally the most important thing is to keep organized! Deadlines, meetings, tastings, decorations, fittings…etc. They can all be a bit overwhelming. Having a great planner can definitely help at the best of times, especially to keep track of all those dates!
Keep reading to find out more of what New York has to offer for Wedding prep!
Planner
Everyone has their preferred style of planners or planning, but keeping organized throughout your wedding prep is a must!
I have always been a fan of note-taking (old-school I know!), to make sure I can look back on scheduling and that everything is off the checklist!
Here is one planner that I have found and loved.
Starting from August 2016, this planner has both a summarized calendar of the month and a more detailed section for you to write notes for each day
Tabs also make it extremely useful when finding the right month with all those useful details!
If this design is not your fancy, Kate Spade also does them in stripes, flowers and I believe, an Art Deco Gold geometric pattern.
2017 Medium Gold Dot Agenda
– by Kate Spade New York
links:
Internet RSVPs and website
Appycouple
(As seen on appycouple Website)
- A wedding website and App builder that works on both Apple and Android phones.
Appycouple charges a one-time fee of US$35-70 depending on which theme you choose. They have hundreds of themes to choose from to fit your needs and wedding theme.
Yes, you may ask why use them when I can build a free website from scratch and email my guests?
- Ease of use and convenience is the main reason to choose Appycouple.
- Appycouple allows easy communication between guests, through sharing photos and messaging within the app, as well as provide key information such as bridesmaids and groomsmen details and directions etc.
- Basically a one-stop shop for all things needed for both guests and the couple to organize RSVPs, accommodations and the wedding registry.
- You could also print paper invites and placement cards through them, if you really don’t have time to organize otherwise.
- Great email support within 24Hours
If you really are on a tight budget, forking out $35 is still very affordable for the more basic themes on offer. Appycouple can definitely save time and energy, as everything is already nicely prepared for you when guests RSVP online, which saves time having to manually enter the information after email correspondence. This is especially useful if you have many international guests.
Paper Invitations
Ceci Invitations
Address: 2nd floor, 130 West 23rd Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues) , New York 10011
Website: www.cecinewyork.com
- luxury stationary brand that provides custom designs for to your every need.
- Intricate planning process from start to finish with excellent support and feedback within 24h.
Ceci New York established in 2004, does invitations and stationary for all occasions, from weddings to cooperate needs, to baby showers. Ceci Johnson is the Creative director behind all this, bringing us beautiful and unique designs.
Ceci is a place for those who seek original stationary that speaks to your guests through creating innovative designs, whether it be in the style of the wedding venue or specific to heritage and cultural needs of the wedding couple. Since they do custom design, their price point will certainly be higher than that of Bella Figura. Ceci’s approach though, is the complete opposite to Bella Figura, where nothing is pre-designed. Invites and packaging is throughout from scratch, starting with a consultation to get to know their client. Quality of their invitations are just as high as Bella Figura, but you certainly won’t get that uniqueness from Bella Figura.
Bella Figura
Address: 1031 Lexington Avenue (at 74th St.). New York, New York 10021
Website: www.bellafigura.com
- Much quicker process than Ceci New York and similar to what you can find in asia; more of a pick and print approach.
- Efficient service and perfect for those who prefer a ‘shopping’ experience rather than custom design.
- Many designs to choose from, as well as excellent and beautiful printing on multiple paper styles and textures.
- More cost effective than Ceci but will not have the custom look.
Printing and design process is much quicker here, where you start with picking pre-designed elements to make up your desired invitation. Bella Figura usually needs 2-3months to print invites, depending on design and amount of cards you need. They work primarily as a ‘printing process’, where you choose paper stock, design and packaging elements in one sitting.
Bella Figura suits those who know exactly what they want in their invitation design and need quick results, without compromising on luxurious finishes.
Wedding Gowns/Salons
L’Fay Bridal
(As seen on L’fay Bridal Website)
Website – www.lfay.com
Address – 215 E 58th St, New York, NY 10022, USA
Starting out as a small store 10 years ago, L’Fay has bloomed into now 3 wedding boutiques in 3 states (New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania).
L’Fay is definitely the place to be if you are a big fan of Berta Bridal, as they are the only if not few who carry the brand within the city. They also carry an array of international and American designers of different styles, to fit everyone’s needs. The Boutique felt luxurious, with clean and beautiful gowns set out throughout the store.
Sales were all very professional and helpful, and do not steer you toward dresses that are above your price point unless told, which can sometimes been seen at more pushy wedding boutiques. They also work with many international clients and can organize a schedule fit to your needs; alterations within the week, arrange international fittings, sending the dress internationally.. etc.
The entire experience was intimate and very enjoyable. Highly recommend to all you brides out there!
Kleinfelds
(As seen on Kleinfeld’s Website)
Website – www.kleinfeldbridal.com
Address – 110 West 20th Street New York, NY 10011 (Between 6th and 7th Avenues)
Known to many on the TLC reality show “Say Yes to the Dress”, you definitely feel like you’ve stepped onto a movie set when you arrive; a fashionable receptionist asking you to wait for a representative and a space identical to the tv series.
You should make sure to have your appointment made online, as there are often large groups of people in that same appointment slot.
Impersonal and very commercial, a huge group of people are all made to try on dresses in the same time slot, making the experience very much like shopping at a department store. Sales were very pushy, where representatives often approach you to try and sell you other Kleinfeld products like their invitations and hotels. My sales lady talked more about herself than anything else for the entire appointment!
Yes, they do have a large collection of dresses of many styles and price points, but is it worth it when all the gowns you try are so worn out from being tried on, you can see holes and tears in them? Most of them are also grey at the bottom from having been dragged around the store.
Finding your dress, to most brides is a special and intimate experience. Kleinfeld is definitely not that. But if you are in a pinch to find your dress at a specific budget, this could be a great last ditch effort to ‘Say Yes to the Dress’.
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Are you planning a wedding? 🙂
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