The Sustainable Wedding

I knew when I went into this industry that the hardest part for me would be seeing all of the waste. Whether its food, one time use items or décor- I see it being thrown into the garbage, like its garbage- it’s not garbage! This article is intended for you to realize that your one wedding, amongst the millions each year in our country, can make a difference and give you tips on how you can make that difference. Please keep Mother Nature in mind while planning your event. In the wise words of Chief Seattle, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”

Here are some tips for an environmentally friendly wedding:

·         Bring to go containers for food (either compostable or reusable)

·         Putting food away at proper time to ensure it is still safe and doesn’t need thrown away “just in case”

·         Don’t buy too much of anything

·         Recycle, donate or sell any décor leftover from your wedding

·         Use biodegradable plates, utensils and glasses or rent real dishes, glasses and cutlery

·         Consider local vendors (who use local products- food, flowers, etc.)

·         Support vendors who do care about the environment

·         Have recycling bins clearly visible

·         Skip balloons (and do not release them into the sky-ever)

·         Don’t use any plastic

·         Choose your registry wisely, consider products made with the environment in mind, products made to last a lifetime and only register for items you really need

·         Use recycled materials or sustainably sourced paper for items like invitations, name cards, etc.

·         Utilize electronics- you can send your invitations and receive your RSVPs via email

·         Purchase ethical and conflict- free wedding rings

·         Get a keg instead of bottled or canned beer

·         If you are going to have favors, make sure they are quality products that won’t be tossed out. Edible favors are usually a huge hit, make sure the vessel to take the favor home in is environmentally friendly

·         Rent or buy used wedding attire.  There are wedding dress consignment stores for brides and bridesmaids (then they will rebuy your dresses back after). Men can rent their tuxes at many places

·         Resist big chain store sales, just because it’s low priced doesn’t mean you need it. Utilize your venues décor and consider booking a venue that doesn’t need much decorating done to it. Remember, less is more in the right space

·         Utilize nature for décor- branches can be used as décor, make confetti punches from leaves, and use small wood rounds for name cards. For the sendoff consider lavender, rosemary and eucalyptus. Look online, there are tons of ideas out there

·         Just say no to bottles of water and glitter

·         Have guests use the same reusable glass all night for their beverages. Check with your caterer, they may provide these

·         Consider a vegetarian or vegan menu

Even if you incorporate a few eco-friendly things into your wedding you will be making a difference.

If you can think of any other tips please share!

Remember, always and forever should be applied to your marriage, not garbage in a landfill from your wedding.

Wedding Trend: Guest Experience

Over the last few years couples have been spending more on cost per guest (even if that means decreasing the guest count) to create a more memorable occasion, The Knot reports. In the eyes of the wedding hosts, it has become increasingly important to create the “ultimate guest experience”.

You may be thinking “Why, this day is about me?!” and although that is true, it wouldn’t be much of a party without your guests and their support. You have invested a lot of time and money into this big day and you want your guests to stay and enjoy the entire time and reminisce about your amazing wedding for years to come. Show them a good time and make your wedding stand out among the rest!

Okay, that all sounds good but what exactly does guest experience mean? It means as the host of a party that you are making sure your guests needs are met, that they are comfortable, that you keep them entertained and stimulated, evoke emotions on a day celebrating family and love, wow their senses and provide a little interaction for them. Make sure they have a good time and an unforgettable experience.

Below are 50 ideas to increase your guest’s experience.

1.       Make a grand entrance when appearing to walk down the aisle

2.       Have a wedding party (or guest) dance off during the reception

3.       Incorporate humor in your wedding day

4.       Create stunning visuals- have your bridesmaids dresses mismatched (different styles, different colors, ombre’ effect, etc.)

5.       Have rounded ceremony seating for a more intimate nuptial

6.       Create a fabulous balloon wall

7.       Minimalism- quality over quantity (whether its alcohol, décor, food or favors)

8.       Have officiant ask the guest if they affirm your union and make them say “we do” at the end of the ceremony

9.       Learn a unique dance for your first dance

10.   Create a fun photo booth, ditch the paper masks on sticks and provide a trunk of cool costume pieces (example: hats, boas, glasses) BONUS, this doubles as dress up trunk for any kiddos at the event

11.   Hire an interactive DJ who plays games or teaches dances

12.   Make a memorable entrance as a married couple into the reception

13.   Hire a caricaturist or other entertainment vendors

14.   Provide advice cards, date night ideas and wedding mad libs

15.   Procure different types of food vendors- coffee truck, pie truck, ice cream truck, etc.

16.   Impress your guests and Mother Nature with an eco-chic wedding

17.   Have your photographer capture nice portraits of guests for your memories and theirs (send them their photos)

18.   Use nontraditional floral, we have heard grasses are going to be big for the 2019 season

19.   Provide dramatic backdrops for photos

20.   Hire a local falconer to have a raptor be your ring bearer (we can help make this happen!)

21.   Have custom minimalistic banners made (i.e., your new last name but have each letter its own cut out banner piece)

22.   Print a guestbook with photos of your guests already in them (steal them from Facebook!) and instruct them to find their picture and sign

23.   Go with a crazy or untraditional color palette

24.   Anniversary dance game: have all couples dance, have the DJ excuse the dancefloor by number of years people have been married so the last couple dancing has been married the longest is honored

25.   Provide “I Spy” photo scavenger hunt game directions (use your wedding hashtag so they can upload the photos to you)

26.   Provide quality, plentiful food (this is really important to guests)

27.   Are there other special occasions on this day or recently or soon? Honor your guests and point them out (examples: a friend or family members recent engagement, a new baby, a birthday)

28.   Tape a gift card to bottom of a place setting and have the DJ announce for everyone to look under their place setting, someone lucky wins the gift card

29.   Have a themed wedding where the guests are encouraged to dress up

30.   String up a Piñata for the kids (and one for adults too!)

31.   Use butcher paper on kids tables and supply crayons for them to color on

32.   Have a love song themed Karaoke hour

33.   Include a surprise performance of some kind from a guest

34.   In lieu of gifts, have a donation box for a charity near and dear to you

35.   Do not have assigned seating, guests do not like this

36.   Instead of spending money on favors, get higher quality alcohol

37.   Have music requests for guests to fill out for the DJ

38.   Anticipate your guest’s needs, they don’t know what they are in for (example: sunscreen, bug spray, pashmina)

39.   Host an after party at a local bar or casino for those who want to make the most of this day

40.   If food was served hours before the party ends, provide a “late night” snack or coffee bar

41.   Utilize a large chalkboard and make it interactive for your guests (example:  gratitude board, favorite one line joke, favorite quote or song lyrics)

42.   Provide Hors d’oeuvre, a snack or a drink upon guest arrival

43.   Provide lounge areas where people can sit comfortably and mingle in different spots (our Airstream is a perfect lounge area backdrop!)

44.   Bring outdoor games for people to play

45.   After the toasts, thank your guests and let them know how much their support means to you

46.   Provide interactive food stations (example: dessert bar, sweet and salty bar, lemonade bar, smore’s bar)

47.   Play some fun games as a couple in front of the guest while they are eating (example: the shoe game, trivia)

48.   Provide a bounce house and a babysitter or other entertainment for your guest’s children

49.   Have live music

50.   Probably the most important one: make it a point to greet every guest in the day or evening and truly thank them for coming and supporting you

What did you do at your wedding to increase guest experience? Let us know in the comments!

Cheers to a great 2018 wedding season

Hi dear followers and fans of the Saltbox. I want to start off by thanking each and every one of your for your continued support. It means the world to us. We started this journey for a few reasons. To share this magical place and its history with others, to use all of the inherited knowledge/ interest in hosting, events, gardening, entertaining, design, etc. from my mother-in-law and to be our own bosses and make our career doing something we enjoy and are fulfilled by. It is because of you (and a TON of hard work on our end) that this is possible. Grateful hearts club here.

We say goodbye to our first wedding season and summer with gratitude and fulfillment. Our non-wedding season means more time to make additions and upgrades to the property. Since we are both currently working full time jobs Monday through Friday, in addition to the venue, this time is important for us to relax a tiny bit too. Nearly every wedding we have people tell us they are going to start a wedding venue and inside I am thinking to myself “you have no idea what you are getting into!” Albeit, we do EVERYTHING on our own, marketing, advertising, taxes, contracts, cleaning, maintenance, showings, etc. Built it all from scratch. It is very expensive and time consuming to get going and there are so many bases you need to cover before opening any business. And although we enjoy it, it is a lot of work. Many Washingtonians feel depression looming over them when fall comes knocking on the door but right now, it is sounding pretty good to us. That being said, we will miss seeing all the new faces, happy couples, smiling people and all of the fun party things people bring in for their event. Spring will be here before we know it and we are already booking up again.    

The first year for a business is always a little scary. You don’t know exactly what to expect. You learn a ton of things you never could’ve imagined, you have good & bad experiences and you get a pretty good indication of whether or not you made the right choice by opening a business, in our case, a venue. We exceeded our desired amount of bookings, we only had one wedding rainout and we have had overwhelming support, interest and compliments. I think I updated our contract about a million times throughout the year after learning lesson by lesson when unexpected things happened. Although we have learned as much as we can from Brock’s mom and his Aunt and Uncle who also run a venue, there always unexpected things that can happen that you learn from.

Our starting year proved to be a success, we know that even with inevitable competition popping up each season we will always stand out because we do everything the right way with care and quality. We know that the history, acreage, wildlife, and unique touches to our property are priceless and those are things that our client cares about. We know that we will continue to grow, upgrade, thrive and succeed in this business as we branch out and continue to utilize the property for beyond just weddings….stay tuned.  

What can clients expect for 2019?

• We have already added Friday and Sunday availability to the table.

• We have a few upgrades we are working on this fall- again stay tuned.

• I may offer photography services as an a la carte option for our clients as well. Are you interested? See my work on all of our social media, website and my photography Instagram @clementhymephotos. I spent the year taking complimentary photos for our clients and had a blast doing so! I wouldn’t want to be the full time photographer but would be able to use my eye for the property to give additional shots to the clients for a small fair fee if they are interested.

• We now offer studio rental rates for professional, insured photographers. Perfect for those mini photoshoots!

• Now that we have a year under our belt, we are able to give better advice and refer more vendors to our clients.

• I will continue to write blog posts with stories and tips.

• We now offer off season rates for non-weddings (farm to table dinners, floral workshops, craft workshops, small luncheons, small Christmas parties, etc.)

• We are networking with lots of similar styled/ tasted and unique vendors to help make your wedding more unique and personalized.

In closing, thank you so much again for your interest in our venue! If you are a client, extra hugs to you for trusting us as a new venue with your big day. We love our clients, they aren’t just a number or a date to us. We remember your names, your faces and all the details about your special day! Please keep in touch with us!

Cheers to a great 2018 wedding season!

-  Katie and Brock Clements

Ways to save (a little) money on your wedding

Let’s face it, weddings are expensive. The truth is that they come with a high price tag because they are a luxury, The Knot reports that in 2017 the average national price for a wedding was $33,391 and that doesn’t include the engagement ring or the honeymoon. It is worth it to indulge in the right places and make small sacrifices in others (without compromising on your guests experience or anything that is non-negotiable to you). From a wedding professional’s perspective, there are plenty of ways to save a few hundred bucks here and there so why wouldn’t you?

1. Skip the favors. You have read articles with the same subject matter and you know this is mentioned ad nauseam, there is a reason for it. Every single wedding we have had there have been heaps of orphaned favors left behind. You can save a couple hundred dollars, at least, by passing on these. I hate to break it to you but no one really wants a beer coozie with your initials and wedding date on it anyway. If you feel the need to provide some sort of favor, consider something edible like a “his and hers” favorite snack or some type of edible bar (candy, sweet & salty, donut or pretzel wall, etc.). This will give your guests something to do in addition to not burdening the environment with hundreds of favors that will most likely end up in a landfill- a win for your pocketbook and Mother Earth! Yay!

2. Floral: I have seen some articles where the author suggests skipping flowers or going with fake flowers for a wedding as a way to save money. I couldn’t imagine not having real, living, aromatic flowers at my wedding. Fresh flowers are fabulous and non-negotiable to me. They add such a loveliness to a wedding- or any other party for that matter. Ways you can save money and still have real flowers is to skip the bridesmaids bouquets (or give them mini ones), allow greenery to be the star of the show (Eucalyptus, ferns, bay leaves, lamb’s ear, magnolia, boxwood, etc.), pass on the boutonnieres and go with what is locally grown and in season. A professional florist is always the best way to go but you can also buy your own blooms and arrange yourself (there are local farms that will sell you cut flowers for you to arrange yourself , some offer affordable classes too. We have also had clients go to Trader Joes for flowers and greenery but we suggest checking with local flower farms first where there is no middle man.

3. (Don’t) let them eat cake! If your heart is set on having a wedding cake, get a petite one just for you two newlyweds to cut/ share/ freeze for your anniversary. You can get other desserts for a fraction of what a large wedding cake costs (check with the vendor you get your said mini cake from, they most likely make other goodies too). Additionally, Costco has affordable and tasty treats, if you go store bought you can display them in a way that makes them look upscale or homemade. Alternatively, in lieu of a gift, ask that guests bring their favorite homemade dessert with the recipe. You can have a dessert bar and add the recipe to your collection, every anniversary make a new dessert together for your celebration.  Or to personalize your dessert course, pick your favorite two desserts and have those be the selections. You don’t HAVE to have a giant, expensive wedding cake- there are no rules.  

4. Honeymoon fund: this is nothing new. It is just a great idea. Chances are in our modern society, you already live with your fiancé or on your own and don’t need the traditional gift registry to get you started in your new life as an adult. I would bet you have plenty of kitchen devices and bathroom towels already. It is okay, etiquette wise, to ask for contributions to your honeymoon fund in lieu of a gift, just make sure the way you ask is polite.  

5. Skip Saturday. Saturday is the prime wedding day and thanks to supply and demand it comes with a higher price tag. Plan on a Sunday (or even Friday) wedding as many venues (including us!) offer a discount on these days. Saltbox clients can save $800 by having a Friday or Sunday wedding in the 2019 wedding season.

6. Alcohol: limit the quantity and the variety. If you go with a quality wine and beer your guests will be satisfied with whatever variety you provide. Consider 1-2 types of beer such as an ale and a lager and a red wine and a white wine. Use infographs (you can find them on Pinterest) to determine the quantity you will need to serve your invitees. Know the stats: 1 keg provides 165 servings (12 oz. per serving) and 1 wine bottle is 5 servings (5 oz. per serving). Bring only the amount of alcohol necessary and not excess according to the charts you read- remember that some people will drink more than others and some will not drink at all. Bonus- if you buy your alcohol at Costco and get too much you can return it for a full refund, I personally love being a member!  Which is a perfect segue to tip number seven.

7. Take advantage of corporate offers. I ordered a lot of my wedding stuff on Amazon. Why I didn’t think to get Prime with its free shipping and points system back then is beyond me. If you are going to be purchasing a lot of stuff online, check out Amazon Prime. Also, if you can responsibly use a credit card, consider finding one with a rewards system. The Costco Visa gives you 2% cash back at Costco and 1% back on everything else. That 1% can really add up. There are a ton of cards with other banks that offer various rewards too, including travel points, cash back and more. Using this one card for all of your wedding purchases will keep you on track with how much you are actually spending as well. I am pretty sure that each wedding we have had (and our own) went over budget.

8. Take a long look at your guest list. Really think about who actually needs to a part of this special day. Does your coworker who you don’t talk to about your personal life or who you have never hung out with outside of work really need to be there? Will not inviting the friend from high school that you haven’t talked to for years really affect your day? Aside from family, I would make sure that you invite people who are more to you than just acquaintances. Additionally, nix the option for a plus one, or only allow them for people who are really close to you. This may seem harsh or bridezilla-ish but it is your day and if you don’t want to buy strangers dinner you shouldn’t have to. Your guests should understand and come to support you regardless of if they get to bring a date or not. I personally wouldn’t want people I do not know celebrating one of the most important days of my life with me.  I would bet most people can cut at least 20-25 people on their guest list by reviewing it.  

9. Utilize the internet for invitations. You can have super cute, affordable, easy to design invitations made at Vistaprint.com. Also, consider using electronic RSVPs. I gave my invitees the option to email, text or IM their RSVP to make it easier for them. Wait, why does it need to be easier for them? Digressing from budget talk to planning tips here for a second. Some people flat out just won’t respond by your RSVP date. I was still tracking people down to get them to confirm or deny their invite while trying to get final counts back to my caterer. If you make it easier on them, it will save you a little stress later. Okay back to money saving: the electronic RSVP cuts down on the amount of envelopes and postage you need to purchase. It all adds up and electronic invites and RSVPs are better for the environment too!

10. The dress. Be realistic about this. It is a dress you will wear one time and your spouse will think you are gorgeous in any dress! Shop around, buy a floor sample, and even look at used dresses and dresses that aren’t wedding dresses (there are no rules!). Maybe buy a basic dress and jazz it up with some accessories. Do not skimp on the alterations though. Find a good tailor and get that baby fit to a T, this will make it look better no matter what the price tag is. Side note: I got my dress for $300 and it did the job.

    A word of caution: Do not save money by going with the cheapest vendor(s). You (usually) get what you pay for. Make sure you read reviews and ask plenty of questions. There is a going rate and if someone is under charging you need to find out why- it could just be because they are new and gaining experience and that is okay as long as you sample their work and do your research. A bad vendor can break your whole day!  

    Although these tips will add up in savings, your big day is still going to cost a pretty penny! Remember, the traditional American wedding is a luxury and not a necessity and that your professional wedding vendors all spend an extremely large amount of time on your wedding which is reflected in their price tag. Know the expected costs before your planning begins so you know what to expect and have time to save, plan and budget.

    How did you save money on your wedding day? Let me know!